As the 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations approaches, Opta has unveiled its ‘Form XV,’ a lineup based on player performances leading up to the championship. This selection offers a data-driven perspective on the players who have been making waves in European rugby.
The Form XV Lineup:
- Ugo Boniface (Union Bordeaux-Bègles/France – uncapped)
- Julien Marchand (Stade Toulousain/France)
- Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)
- Thibaud Flament (Stade Toulousain/France)
- Cormac Izuchukwu (Ulster Rugby/Ireland)
- Jac Morgan (Ospreys/Wales)
- Josh MacLeod (Scarlets/Wales)
- Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints/England – uncapped)
- Antoine Dupont (Stade Toulousain/France)
- Matthieu Jalibert (Union Bordeaux-Bègles/France)
- Cadan Murley (Harlequins/England – uncapped)
- Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby/Ireland)
- Tommaso Menoncello (Benetton Rugby/Italy)
- Damian Penaud (Union Bordeaux-Bègles/France)
- George Hendy (Northampton Saints/England – uncapped)
Key Observations:
- Uncapped Players: The selection features four uncapped players: Ugo Boniface, George Hendy, Josh MacLeod, and Cadan Murley. Notably, some of these players haven’t been named in their national squads for the championship.
- French Dominance: France leads the pack with six players in the lineup, underscoring their depth and form heading into the tournament.
- Data-Driven Selection: The Form XV is based on the Opta Index, which assigns scores to players based on their per-80-minute average performances since the final weekend of the Autumn Nations Series. Only players with a minimum of 240 minutes of playing time were considered.
As the championship unfolds, it will be intriguing to see how these in-form players translate their club performances to the international stage. Rugby fans and analysts alike will be keen to observe whether the data-driven predictions align with on-field realities.
Read more: https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/m6n/news/form-xv-for-six-nations-rugby-2025
