Greatest Try Scorers (apparently)

Nicked from the BBC:

The Six Nations has featured some of the most prolific try-scorers in the history of the modern game - but who is the most deadly in the tournament's history?

Former British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton and ex-England scrum-half Danny Care ask and answer that question on the latest episode of Six Nations Greatest.

Their top six try-scorers are ranked in reverse order below. Agree? Disagree? You can reorder their selection in our vote at the bottom of the page.

Listen to the Six Nations Greatest podcast
6. Ben Cohen (England)
Ben Cohen
Who? Standing 6ft 2in and weighing more than 16st, wing Cohen was a key member of England's World Cup-winning team of 2003. He scored 31 tries in 57 Tests, 13 of them in the Six Nations, before retiring in 2011.

Warburton: "Ben Cohen was a new breed of winger when he arrived on the scene. He was big, physical, powerful, but really fast, with great acceleration.

"I used to love his boots as well. I saw his boots and went out and bought the same when I was a teenager."

5. Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
Stuart Hogg
Who? The current Scotland captain, Hogg has made long-distance solo scores something of a speciality. He scored his first Test try as a teenager in a Six Nations defeat by France in 2012 and has crossed in every tournament since up to this year.

Warburton: "He's got that individual brilliance. If I was a young kid watching the Six Nations, I'd love watching Stuart Hogg."

Care: "He doesn't just score you an easy try. He'll score you an absolute worldie."

4. Jason Robinson (England)
Jason Robinson
Who? Robinson switched to union after a stellar rugby league career and took to the 15-man code instantly. His searing pace and vicious side-step made him a constant menace to opposition defences. He scored 28 tries in 51 games for England.

Warburton: "He was just so muscle-bound and explosive. If you could get near him you probably wouldn't be able to hang on to him."

Care: "He would just skin you alive. I actually feel privileged that I got to experience his little stutter step on me, even if it made me look like an absolute idiot.

"He had unbelievable feet - next level. The type of player you would pay your money just to go and watch him play. He was one of a kind."

3. George North (Wales)
George North
Who? North burst on to the Test scene by scoring two debut tries against South Africa as an 18-year-old. Plenty more have followed since, including 22 in the Six Nations, with his size, pace and bravery making him a formidable finishing force.

Warburton: "It's been hard for him to manage the level of expectation because he set the bar so high, so young.

"Biomechanically, he's very gifted. All of those things in the mix make him a very gifted athlete and player.

"He could really take this list and put it to the sword. Considering he's second in the list for tries scored and he's 29, that's pretty impressive."

Care: "I remember the first time I saw him play, I thought 'I don't want to try and tackle him'. It's almost not fair. When Wales were on he was on the end of everything.

"I've always been a massive fan."

2. Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland)
Brian O'Driscoll
Who? The leading try-scorer, not just in Six Nations history, but in the entire, pre-Italy history of the tournament too. 'Bod' could do it all. Wrecking-ball bravery, a classy line-break, a jink worthy of Nijinsky.

Care: "He was the go-to guy. You give him the ball when you need something happening.

"In magic moments you look for your big players, and on the final day of the 2009 Championship Brian O'Driscoll stepped up.

"Ireland were chasing a first Grand Slam in 61 years, but a strong Wales side in Cardiff stood between them and the clean sweep.

"O'Driscoll scored a canny pick-and-go try to put his side ahead for the first time in the match and then potted a 78th-minute drop goal to snatch the lead for the second and final time after the hosts had fought back."

1. Shane Williams (Wales)
Shane Williams
Who? Williams was a bundle of fast-twitch fibres, darting through holes with blurring speed as he changed direction in an instant. The Welsh wizard scored 58 tries in 91 internationals for his country.

Care: "He was the smallest on the pitch but the hardest to tackle. He scored the big tries, the tries where you need a hero. He is the guy you give the ball to when you need to win."

Warburton: "There was a massive hole when he retired from international rugby in 2011."


Thought I'd throw in some stats (espn 5/6Ns_around their 6 nations performances as try scorers too:

                              Games                  Tries                 Average

Cohen                      29                          16                    0.55
Hogg                        46                          15                   0.32
Robinson                  24                          14                   0.58
North                        45                          22                  0.48
BOD                         65                          26                   0.40
Williams                   41                          22                   0.53



No space for Greenwood with an average of 0.625.

I'm sure we can find someone who has a 100% try scoring record from their 1 cap, but doesn't make them the best 6N try scorers

I used to really like Greenwood though. Great player.

Definitely the total number certainly contributes. But strike rate would also be considered from my pov. Seems a bit of mish mash approach from Care and Warburton, not really going with strike rate or total and more what the players contributed in their minds. Also of course are counting tries outside the 6 nations which was confused. Yes I know it's a column filler but just felt a bit of a missed opportunity to delve a bit into history too. (and my history is very shallow, didnt start watching rugby until 04/04 sort of times bar the odd game when bored on a rainy Saturday as a kid).

Some fabulous players there.

No 7&1/2 wrote:Definitely the total number certainly contributes. But strike rate would also be considered from my pov. Seems a bit of mish mash approach from Care and Warburton, not really going with strike rate or total and more what the players contributed in their minds. Also of course are counting tries outside the 6 nations which was confused. Yes I know it's a column filler but just felt a bit of a missed opportunity to delve a bit into history too. (and my history is very shallow, didnt start watching rugby until 04/04 sort of times bar the odd game when bored on a rainy Saturday as a kid).

They've been doing a piece each week. I think the first one was 'which is the best 6N stadium' and the Principality came out top for both of them, which of course is just their opinion and I'm sure loads of fans would disagree. So I don't think there's a method to it. Just them having a chat and plucking things out of their minds!

I guess Greenwood was slightly before Warburton’s time and he would always favour guys like North and certainly Shane. I certainly would’ve remembered him, as I had the misfortune of being there for his Cardiff hat trick in 2001

The Oracle wrote:I'm sure we can find someone who has a 100% try scoring record from their 1 cap, but doesn't make them the best 6N try scorers

I used to really like Greenwood though.  Great player.

Steve Hanley

Greenwood was probably left out because Robinson and Cohen were already there from England and from the same era. I don't know about the stats but Jonathan Joseph did well for England. Sure he had at least 2 hat tricks.

Am i mistaken but didn't Rory Underwood play in the 6ns? he scored some cracking trys.

Or was it the 5ns when he played?

Hes only 20.

No 7&1/2 wrote:Hes only 20.

Who is?

I’m sure if Phil Vickery wasn’t still knocking out appearances, his strike rate would be impressive.

Graeme Morrison cruelly overlooked, it seems.

Greenwood did score well in the limited amount of caps he has but he only scored 9 6N tries as far as I can see. If you're going purely on strike rate somebody like Stockdale would have to be up there who has 10 tries in something like 13-14 games.

15 tries. But yes you should be including Stockdale I'm there too. If you were doing it properly as a paid analyst for the bbc

At first glance I was surprised at the lack of French players, but when you look at their big time try scorers, they are mostly from the 80s and 90s. The most prolific modern(ish i.e. post 2000) player was Vincent Clerc, and he's not a name that immediately jumps out as absent from the above list.

Ah yes Greenwood scored in 9 different 6N matches but actually totalled 14 tries (+1 in the 5N), my bad.

Absence of Clerc surprised me too particularly as I remember the multiple heartbreaks he inflicted upon Ireland but it seems that apart from us he was more prolific in RWCs rather than the 6N.