Stuart Hogg awarded 2016 RBS Player of the Championship

Less than a week after the RBS 6 Nations Championship finished, the results are in and Stuart Hogg has been voted the RBS Player of the Championship. Securing over 30% of the public vote the Full Back received the backing of 20,970 fans. In addition to the public vote, over the last seven weeks of action-packed rugby the Royal Bank and NatWest panel of rugby legends have been analysing the Championship’s best performances. Over 1,200 minutes of rugby action have been scrutinised and, together with expert analysis from Accenture, Official Technology Partner of the RBS 6 Nations, the likes of Phil Vickery and Gareth Thomas have decided on the top twelve players from this year’s RBS 6 Nations. The combination of the two processes ensured the 12 man shortlist is a true reflection of the stand out players in the Championship.  England’s Billy Vunipola came in a very close second with 27% of the vote for his significant role in securing the team’s 13th Grand Slam. Third place was awarded to the tournament’s top-try scorer, George North with 11% of the votes, followed by Ireland’s scrum-half Conor Murray in 4th (4,412 votes). England’s Jack Nowell’s notable defensive performance was recognised with the winger finishing 5th (6% of the votes), ahead of the Italian Captain, Sergio Parisse in 6th with 4.6% of the votes. Hogg, who made his 43rd appearance in a Scottish shirt during the Championship commented: I’m honoured to receive the RBS Player of the Championship Trophy and join the list of the esteemed players that have won in the past. I’m extremely grateful for all the supporters who voted for me”.  Players at every RBS 6 Nations match this year were awarded (or deducted) points based upon a number of different performance categories which cover all aspects of the game. These categories were proportionately weighted based on the different positions by an algorithm created by RBS 6 Nations statisticians Accenture.