Irish duo vie for player award

Jonathan Sexton and Donnacha Ryan have made a 12-man shortlist for the RBS Player of the Championship.

Incredibly England are without a representative on the list which includes four players from Wales, two from Scotland and one from Italy.

The winner will be chosen by rugby fans at www.rbs6nations.com and voting will remain open until midnight on Sunday, Mar 18.

The announcement of the official RBS Player of the Championship will be published on www.rbs6nations.com on Wednesday, Mar 21.

Shortlisted players:

Wales: Sam Warburton, Dan Lydiate, Alex Cuthbert, Mike Philips;

France: Julien Malzieu, Yoann Maestri, Imanol Harinordoquy;

Ireland: Jonathan Sexton, Donnacha Ryan;

Scotland: David Denton, Ross Rennie;

Italy: Sergio Parisse.