Tries
When George North retired from Test rugby last year, he would have been forgiven for experiencing a twinge of regret that he didn’t manage to overhaul Brian O’Driscoll’s record 26 tries in the Championship.
The Welsh powerhouse was just three tries short of the Irishman’s tally, and one ahead of a wing legend who came before him in red, Shane Williams. Three players are behind Williams with 16 tries each: Stuart Hogg, Ben Cohen, and a man who could conceivably top them all in time: France’s Damian Penaud.
Then again, on 15 tries apiece are Scottish duo Huw Jones and Duhan van der Merwe – both of whom are only one try away from equalling Hogg as Scotland’s all-time top try-scorer in the Championship.
The question now is who will claim fourth spot outright?
Appearances
Cian Healy is the man who is quietly – but efficiently – working his way to the top of a list of Six Nations legends. Already in this campaign we’ve seen him overtake fellow countrymen Rory Best (64) and Brian O’Driscoll (65) into third place for most Championship appearances on 66.
The loosehead, who made his Test debut back in November 2009, has found his niche as a force from the Irish bench. If he features in the next three matches – as he has in the first two – not only will he eclipse Alun Wyn Jones (67), but he will join Sergio Parisse atop the splendid pile on 69 appearances.
Defenders Beaten
Brian O’Driscoll will take some beating on 163 defenders beaten over the course of his Championship career (with Stuart Hogg an agonising single player behind him), but Duhan van der Merwe and Damian Penaud can force their way into the top four.
The Scotland and France wings both reached 100 defenders beaten in round two, leaving them on 102 and 100 respectively, while Gaël Fickou is also on 100. Next up is France’s Antoine Dupont in eighth: he needs to beat 14 more defenders to reach a century.
Behind O’Driscoll and Hogg are George North (162) and Rob Kearney (104) – both retired from the Test rugby game - meaning the number four spot is there for the taking for two of the most deadly attackers in the sport.
Carries
The meaningful movement here occurred in round two of the Championship, wherein Wales’ Taulupe Faletau overtook Brian O’Driscoll (yes, him again) into third spot with his 13 carries against Italy taking him to 505.
Faletau has some way to go to beat Stuart Hogg (541), but looking untouchable in top spot is Sergio Parisse’s astonishing 785 carries. Will that record ever be beaten?
Try Assists
Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray tops the table for try assists, and needs just one more to hit 30, which would take him ten clear of second-placed Finn Russell (though don’t count against his number improving over the course of this Championship).
In third is Antoine Dupont, whose hat-trick of try assists against Wales in round one saw him become just the third player to reach 20 in the Championship. Behind him are three other huge names from the game: Dan Biggar (18), Ronan O’Gara and Jonny Wilkinson (both 17).
Offloads
If Antoine Dupont can make six more offloads in this 2025 campaign, he will become only the fifth player to have made 50+ offloads in the Guinness Men’s Six Nations.
The five players currently ahead of him are the familiar pair of Brian O’Driscoll (82) and Stuart Hogg (57), with Nathan Hines (54), Louis Picamoles (51) and Sean Lamont (49) coming up behind them.
Perhaps the most surprising name on that list is that of a second row, in the form of Hines – one of three Scots in the top five.
Tackles
Three active players feature in the top six of the tackles rankings – two of whom can conceivably move up a position.
Alun Wyn Jones may prove to be unsurpassable, out front as he is with 752, but in second place is Scotland’s Jonny Gray on 572 who can narrow that yawning chasm, while Taulupe Faletau may even leapfrog him (he’s currently three behind on 569). Both could end up making 600 tackles in the tournament.
Meanwhile, England captain Maro Itoje is just 15 tackles away from his 500th in the Championship, and is six behind fifth-placed Justin Tipuric, with Sergio Parisse fourth with 540.
Turnovers Won
Just when you thought Brian O’Driscoll must have had at least some limits to his game, you learn that he has won more turnovers than any other player in the Championship with a remarkable 53.
The exciting news? Maro Itoje is not only one turnover away from making his 50th in the competition, but if he makes four more then he equals O’Driscoll’s record. While that may not happen in this campaign, it looks odds-on that England’s captain will eventually break that record and underline his reputation as one of the greatest players the Championship has seen.
Itoje is eight turnovers ahead of John Barclay, 13 ahead of Sergio Parisse, and 14 ahead of Alun Wyn Jones.
The Guinness Men's Six Nations continues with round three on Saturday 22nd February.
