France full-back Brice Dulin has been named Player of the Tournament after you, the fans, had your say in one of the closest votes of the Autumn Nations Cup.
The 30-year-old saw off tough competition from England duo Tom Curry and Maro Itoje plus Scotland winger Duhan Van der Merwe to claim the top honour.
Dulin received 30.2% of the vote to finish narrowly ahead of Van der Merwe, who took second place with 26.2%, while Itoje was third (25.9%) and Tom Curry finished fourth (17.6%).
The award comes after Dulin played a pivotal role in helping a young Les Bleus side reach the final of the Autumn Nations Cup, in which they were edged out by England in sudden death.
While he sat out France’s first game of the tournament against Scotland, after their opening game with Fiji was cancelled, Dulin made an instant impact for Fabien Galthie’s men in Round 3.
Taking over the No.15 jersey from Thomas Ramos, Dulin led a much-changed, very inexperienced Les Bleus team by example against Italy in the 36-5 triumph at the Stade de France.
He ate up the metres with consistently scintillating runs – notching a remarkable 128 metres from 12 carries, as well as breaking three tackles and completing an offload.
One of his breaks ended with him fizzing a pass out to winger Teddy Thomas, who ran in for the score, and that assist was no more than the No.15 deserved for an electric performance.
Having earned the Player of the Match award in Paris, Dulin rose to the occasion again on Finals Weekend as his performance at the back left England on the cusp of defeat.
He was one of the best players on the pitch at Twickenham, scoring a superb try and showing remarkable consistency under the high ball as France took a 19-12 lead.
And while Luke Cowan-Dickie’s last-gasp try and Owen Farrell’s penalty in sudden death saw England clinch the title, Dulin certainly did not deserve to end up on the losing side.
Player of the Tournament results
Brice Dulin (France): 30.2%
Duhan Van der Merwe (Scotland): 26.2%
Maro Itoje (England): 25.9%
Tom Curry (England): 17.6%
