English paper selects three Irishmen in top 30 Six Nations players of all-time

An interesting selection.

However, the Telegraph have done a decent job at picking 'The 30 greatest players in Six Nations history'.

Wales are the main winners with 10 players, while Ireland and England both have seven, France five, Italy one, and Scotland with an unfortunate zero.

The Irishmen to make the cut are Cian Healy (26), Conor Murray (20), Tommy Bowe (18), Paul O'Connell (11), Ronan O'Gara (8), Johnny Sexton (3) and Brian O'Driscoll (1).

On O'Gara they wrote: "Proved himself to be not just a master tactician but was also one of the most potent points scorers in the championship."

They said of Sexton: "His rivalry with O’Gara to become Ireland’s first-choice 10 was box office and it was Sexton who drove Ireland’s standards after their 2009 Grand Slam to become serial title-winners and the No 1-ranked side in the world."

O'Driscoll was deservedly given his place at No 1, with Chief Rugby Union Correspondent Gavin Mairs gushing over the Irish legend.

He wrote: "When you consider all the factors, looking back over 25 years, O’Driscoll is the stand-out winner. He made 65 Six Nations appearances for Ireland across a 14-year international career, making a transformational impact from the outset, scoring a hat-trick of tries in 2000 as Ireland defeated France for the first time since 1972."

Their top 10 is as follows:

1. Brian O'Driscoll
2. Antoine Dupont
3. Johnny Sexton
4. Martin Johnson
5. Alun Wyn Jones
6. Sergio Parisse
7. Jonny Wilkinson
8. Ronan O'Gara
9. George North
10. Thierry Dusatoir