In the wake of the excellent Six Nations Tournament held by Italy (two victories against Scotland and Wales and a draw against France), the three-quarter transalpine center Tommaso Menoncello was elected for this edition 2024 by public vote. He was preferred to England number 8 Ben Earl, Irish center Bundee Aki and Scottish winger Duhan Van Der Merwe. Menoncello becomes the youngest player to obtain this distinction (21 years old), and the second Italian after Andrea Massi in 2011. The Benetton térvise player collected 33% of the 146,000 votes cast.
“It’s a huge surprise and a great honor to be named player of the Six Nations. It’s really special to represent my country and wear the Italy jersey alongside my friends and teammates. Achieving performances that, I hope, inspire the supporters is what makes me dream. Winning this award is a testament to the performance of the entire Italian team. “It’s a sign of the exciting adventure that Italian rugby is about to experience,” commented Tommaso Menoncello in a press release.
And added: “I would like to thank all my teammates, my coaches and the supporters. I would also like to congratulate all the other nominees for this award. We play an incredible but difficult sport, and awards that recognize the commitment and sacrifice of each player mean a lot.”
Prize list for the best player of the Tournament:
2004 : Gordon D’Arcy – Irlande2005 : Martyn Williams – Pays de Galles2006 : Brian O’Driscoll – Irlande2007 : Brian O’Driscoll – Irlande2008 : Shane Williams – Pays de Galles2009 : Brian O’Driscoll – Irlande
2010: Tommy Bowe – Ireland2011: Andrea Masi – Italy2012: Dan Lydiate – Wales2013: Leigh Halfpenny – Wales2014: Mike Brown – England2015: Paul O’Connell – Ireland2016: Stuart Hogg – Scotland2017: Stuart Hogg – Scotland2018: Jacob Stockdale – Ireland2019: Alun Wyn Jones – Wales
2020: Antoine Dupont – France2021: Hamish Watson – Scotland2022: Antoine Dupont – France2023: Antoine Dupont – France2024: Tommaso Menoncello – Italy