Who makes Women’s Six Nations team of the championship?Figure caption, England overcame a spirited France side to win the 2026 Women’s Six NationsByOpta Sports’ Jonathan McCormickPublished13 minutes agoEngland’s winning run goes on. Their Grand Slam-securing victory against France was their 39th straight win in the Women’s Six Nations, a run which has brought a record eight consecutive titles. As a team, the Red Roses are still a cut above the rest, but that is not to say there were not some incredible individual performances this year from players wearing colours other than white.Using our Opta Index – which objectively scores players’ performances in each game – we can identify who has shone over the last six weeks and made their way into our team of the championship.Backs15. Pauline Barrat (France)Barrat was one of a number of previously uncapped players in the France squad and based on her performances, she is here to stay.The 21-year-old was electric with ball in hand, ranking in the top five for carries (63, 5th), metres gained (523, 2nd), defenders beaten (23, joint 2nd) and line breaks (eight, joint 5th). Her link play really set her apart, as she assisted 12 line breaks – the only player to hit double figures – and recorded four try assists.14. Anais Grando (France)Another debutant in the France back three, Grando had an excellent campaign and pipped Ireland’s Beibhinn Parsons to the number 14 shirt.Grando finished as Les Bleues’ top try-scorer (five) with only Marlie Packer (seven) and Amy Cokayne (six) crossing the line more times. She also made the most offloads (six) of any France player, while only Ellie Kildunne (14) made more line breaks.13. Meg Jones (England)Jones took up the mantle of England captain for this year’s Six Nations and led by example.She was the only England player to play every minute and was the top-ranking centre for try involvements (seven – three tries, four assists), carries (56), metres gained (285), defenders beaten (21), line breaks (nine) and line break assists (nine).12. Courtney Keight (Wales)Wales’ campaign culminated in a disappointing Wooden Spoon for the third consecutive year, but there were some bright spots, not least the form of Keight who provided some much-needed go-forward in the midfield.The Sale Sharks player gained 131 metres-in-contact, the most of any back, and provided plenty of bite in defence too, with no back managing to better her tally of five dominant tackles.Figure caption, ‘it came from desire from Meg Jones’ as Kildunne put England ahead11. Ellie Kildunne (England)Kildunne was the Opta Index’s top-ranked player in the Women’s Six Nations and it is easy to see why. Her 70 carries were the most of any back and helped her gain 626 metres – over 100m more than the second highest player on the list (Pauline Barrat). Her tally was helped by her ability to break the defensive line, with her 14 line breaks being at least three more than anyone else, but she was still a threat even when she was tackled, making a championship-high 11 offloads.The former World Rugby player of the year was directly involved in eight tries, scoring five and assisting three, a tally only Pauline Bourdon Sansus (nine) could better. Kildunne played primarily at full-back but with her two starts in the number 11 jersey we have slotted her into our team on the wing, given the excellent performances of Barrat this year.England pass Six Nations stress test, but rivals will return
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