Three Frenchmen and Three Irishmen make up the list of six nominees for the Six Nations Player of Championship.
They were the best two teams in the tournament, with Ireland taking the Grand Slam and France finishing just behind them in second place.
As a result, they dominate the list with Mack Hansen, Hugo Keenan, and Caelan Doris the Irishmen selected, while the French are represented by Damian Penaud, Antoine Dupont and Thomas Ramos.
Media and fans’ votes
A Six Nations statement said: “The 2023 Guinness Six Nations Player of The Championship shortlist is based on nominations from international media, spanning each of the six nations competing in the Championship.
“It also factors in votes from fans for the players they want to see in the Team of The Championship, which closed voting on the Sunday following Round Five.
“Fans are now asked to vote for their Guinness Six Nations Player of The Championship, with voting open across Six Nations Rugby social and digital channels. Voting will be open from Monday 20th March, until 18:00 (GMT) on Wednesday 22nd March.
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“The winner of the Guinness Six Nations Player of The Championship will be announced on Friday 24th March, alongside the Team of The Championship.”
Dupont dominance
Dupont has taken the accolade on two of the past three occasions and will be among the favourites to receive it once again following another fine individual campaign.
Hamish Watson – in 2021 – was sandwiched in between those two Dupont triumphs, but there are no Scots on the list this year.
Scotland had their moments in the 2023 competition, with Huw Jones and Duhan van der Merwe as particular standouts, but they have been overlooked this time around.
Previous Player of the Championship winners
2004: Gordon D’Arcy (Ireland)
2005: Martyn Williams (Wales)
2006: Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
2007: Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
2008: Shane Williams (Wales)
2009: Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
2010: Tommy Bowe (Ireland)
2011: Andrea Masi (Italy)
2012: Dan Lydiate (Wales)
2013: Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)
2014: Mike Brown (England)
2015: Paul O’Connell (Ireland)
2016: Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
2017: Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
2018: Jacob Stockdale (Ireland)
2019: Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
2020: Antoine Dupont (France)
2021: Hamish Watson (Scotland)
2022: Antoine Dupont (France)