Six Nations stats leaders: Italy captain Michele Lamaro smashes all-time record in passionate campaign

Dylan Coetzee
Italy captain Michele Lamaro during a Six Nations game.

Italy captain Michele Lamaro during a Six Nations game.

Inspirational Italian captain Michele Lamaro was amongst the top performers in Six Nations as he powered his team to a memorable campaign that finished with two wins.

With the dust settled on the 2024 tournament, Planet Rugby takes a closer look at the top-performing players in Six Nations.

Most tackles

Lamaro notched up a ridiculous 103 tackles during the Six Nations, at an average of over 25 per game as he led the Azzurri to an outstanding campaign.

According to Opta, his tackle count is higher than any other player in Six Nations history, surpassing Jonny Gray’s 100 in 2018. What a tournament from the powerful leader.

Runners-up: Very far behind Lamaro is Wales captain Dafydd Jenkins on 79 just ahead of compatriot Tommy Reffell on 78 whilst Italian Niccolo Cannone (73) and Scotland’s Scott Cummings (72) round out the top five.

Most breakdown steals

There was one clear winner at the breakdown in this year’s championship with Welshman Tommy ‘turnover’ Reffell notching up an impressive eight turnovers in his five Tests.

The tally becomes even more remarkable when considering his eight doubles that of the next-best total underlines just how far ahead Reffell’s breakdown prowess is.

Runners-up: England’s Sam Underhill is second with four steals, which is noteworthy as he played the entire campaign. He is joined by Gianmarco Lucchesi of Italy, who has four, ahead of France skipper Gregory Alldritt and Scotsman Andy Christie who round out the top five with three steals each.

Most carries

It is no surprise to see England’s Ben Earl atop the carry statistics, where he has been for the entire championship. The number eight has been a revelation for the Red Rose since the Rugby World Cup, and there are certainly no signs of him stopping anytime soon.

Earl racked up 73 carries a full 15 more than the next player in the championship clearly showcasing how integral he is to England’s attacking output.

Runners-up: Next best is the sensational Wales rookie Cameron Winnett, who managed 58 carries, two more than Ireland’s Caelan Doris. Scotland’s Jack Dempsey and Wales star Aaron Wainwright completed the top five with 53 each.

Nick Easter’s Six Nations Team of the Week: ‘Flawless’ Frenchman and Italy’s ‘tackle & jackal machine’ feature after Super Saturday

Most points

While the maverick Scot Finn Russell led this category for every round of the Six Nations, he did not finish on top of the stands as Les Bleus hero Thomas Ramos powered ahead after another strong showing, including a match-winning kick against England.

In the end, Ramos managed 63 points which was eight more than Russell who was restricted in a tight finishing round clash with Ireland.

Runners-up: Russell managed 55 points with Ireland’s Jack Crowley on 52 as George Ford of England (48) and Paolo Garbisi (31) complete the top five in this category.

Most tries scored

For a moment in the championship, it seemed that either Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan or gargantuan Scotland win Duhan van der Merwe would match or better the eight-try record in a single tournament, but it was not to be.

Instead, the duo was locked up on five tries each, which is still an amazing return for both players. It also highlights, without taking credit away from Sheehan, how hooker has become a try-scoring position over the last decade.

Runners-up: All-action Ireland star James Lowe managed four tries ahead of centres Ollie Lawrence (England) and Gael Fickou (France) who both finished with three tries.

Most try assists

Fascinatingly, the top five all finished on the same number, with France’s Damian Penaud, Garbisi, Ireland’s Jamison Gibson-Park and the Scotland duo of Huw Jones and Russell all managing three try assists this campaign.

It was Penaud and Garbisi who rose up the ranks thanks to their nail-biting wins in the final round against England and Wales, respectively.

READ MORE: World rankings: Italy equal all-time high, Wales hit a record low after the Six Nations

England Michele Lamaro

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