Just one Scot makes the ITV Six Nations XV

Creating teams of the tournament are often a thankless task that causes more controversy than its worth, as supporters of different teams feel their players are under-represented. 

ITV’s Six Nations team of the tournament so far, selected by ex-England prop David Flatman and ex-Wales back Tom Shanklin, has proven to be no different, particularly due to the lack of Scots. 

Rory Sutherland is the sole representative from Gregor Townsend’s side, much to the dismay of many supporters north of the border. The Edinburgh loosehead is rightfully there, as his re-emergence on the Test stage has marked a renewed solidity in is country’s scrum this season.  

But after narrow losses to Ireland and England were followed by victories over Italy and France, there are some players that have been impressive throughout the Championship and are worthy of a place in this team. 

The back row was particularly eye-catching this season, with Jamie Ritchie and Hamish Watson a thorn at the breakdown and in defence. Despite not playing every game, Nick Haining was also mightily impressive at No8, adding much-needed grunt with the ball in hand. 

The Edinburgh loose forward duo came up against stiff competition, as Wales’ Justin Tipuric was imperious throughout the Championship and England’s Tom Curry, one of the game’s premier back rows. 

With France also making such a barnstorming start to the Championship, this would be a hard team to crack into despite Scotland’s encouraging improvement this season. 

Ultimately, that is the nature of such team selections and it is hard to boil down the best players into only one team, but the XV may take on a different complexion if Scotland meet Wales in the future in a rearranged Super Saturday. 

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