Scotland’s Hamish Watson has been voted the Guinness Six Nations Player of the Championship for 2021, but it was just another stellar campaign from the all-action open-side.
Watson (29) won the biggest-ever public vote for the title. He is only the second Scottish winner in 18 years, Stuart Hogg having been voted to the honour in 2016 and 2017.
Hogg, the Scotland captain, surprised his team-mate by revealing the award to him on an internet call.
Watson has become every bit as much a key figure for Scotland as higher-profile players like Hogg and Finn Russell. The injury he suffered in the opening game of the Rugby World Cup in Japan in 2019 was perhaps the defining moment in Scotland’s failure to reach the quarter-finals.
However he quickly returned to his best form in 2020. Watson remained a mainstay for the Scots in the current season – apart from being left out of the Autumn Nations Cup match against Ireland in Dublin. That was also Scotland’s biggest defeat of the season, and this was no coincidence.
The reaction
IT'S HAMISH!
Well done to @hamishwatson7 of @Scotlandteam – our #GuinnessSixNations Player of the Championship for 2021!!!https://t.co/eGb4gdKu4j
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) April 2, 2021
Typically, Watson deferred credit for the award to the entire Scotland squad.
“I’m very surprised, obviously loads of top players were up for the award,” he said. “I think when you do win something like that, it’s full credit to the team I’m in as well and to all of the guys who have won it previously.
“It shows what good teams you’re playing for. The Scotland team we’re all playing in at the moment is a great team and we really believe we can achieve things in the next few years.
“We think we’re heading in the right direction and full credit to the whole team, because without them, guys can’t win these personal accolades.”
The stats
Watson didn’t miss a tackle in 55 attempts during the championship. He made 321 metres, second only to Ireland’s CJ Stander among forwards, and carried 67 times, again second to Stander among all players.
In addition, Watson beat 14 players over the five games – most by a forward, the nearest coming in way behind at nine – and had four turnovers accredited to him.
Born in Manchester of Scots parentage, Watson regularly attended Scotland internationals at Murrayfield as a youngster with his father. When he took up the game he was quickly spotted by the Scottish Exiles network.
Scotland star Hamish Watson commits himself to Edinburgh long-term
He was at Leicester Tigers’ academy until signed by Edinburgh. Watson signed a three-year extension with the capital side earlier this year, taking his stay there to over a decade.
The victory over France in Paris was Watson’s 41st cap. He has started 36 games, and has scored five tries.
The moments
Watson was brilliant throughout the historic first win at Twickenham for 38 years, but perhaps the last act of the game is what we’ll recall the most.
Scotland need a strong defensive set to see out the clock. England’s powerful lock Courtney Lawes takes the ball forward and Watson is waiting. He latches on the ball, ripping it clear and booting it into the stands to confirm Scotland’s 11-6 victory.
Scotland’s comeback from 24-10 down to Ireland only to lose a late penalty will be one of the shoulda-coulda’s we’ll remember. But there’s no questioning Watson’s role in the recovery.
The difficulty opposition teams have in getting a hold of the Scottish open-side was never better illustrated than here. Watch how he wriggles out of repeated attempts to hold him up for the try that brought the Scots level.
He’s got pretty decent handling skills as well. In a man of the match performance in the record 52-10 win over Italy, it’s Watson who supplies Duhan van der Merwe for Scotland’s second try.
Watch how he subtly draws two defenders before giving the big wing an easy run-in for the score.
That night in Paris. One of the reasons Watson is such a key man is he’s much more versatile than most opensides. Scotland are able to use him as a ball carrier in open field and at close quarters.
As seen here when he burrows forward at the line to set up van der Merwe for Scotland’s opening try.
A Lion? Surely…
Scotland have had difficulty getting seats on the plane for the British and Irish Lions tours of late. But it seems certain that Watson will be selected as one of the back rowers for this summer’s tour to South Africa.
It’s a tight battle for the test shirt, however. England’s highly-rated Tom Curry and former Lions tourist Justin Tipuric of Wales are Watson’s chief rivals for the seven jersey.
Such is Watson’s versatility that he can play a “six” style role with carrying as well as the usual ball-winning chores of a seven. And he’s played well for Scotland against the big Springbok packs on several occasions.
