France winger, Louis Bielle-Biarrey has been named the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations Player of the Championship, earning the honour of being judged the best player from the latest edition of the iconic tournament, and joining a rare list of players to have won the accoldade in consecutive years. The last time a player achieved this feat was in 2023, by fellow France teammate, Antoine Dupont.
Presented with his Guinness Men’s Six Nations Player of The Championship award in Bordeaux, Bielle-Biarrey can now place his personal trophy alongside his 2026 Championship winner’s medal, having starred in the final decisive fixture at the Stade de France, that helped his national side secure another historic Six Nations Title.
The 22-year-old Bordeaux Bègles and France Winger secured 44% of the fan votes to claim this year’s award, with a record breaking 151, 525 fans casting votes in one week for the shortlist of four nominees. In the running for the award, alongside Bielle-Barrey, was Italy’s Tomasso Menoncello, who joins Toulouse next season and was in with a chance of claiming his second Player of The Championship titles. Ireland centre Stuart McCloskey, and Scotland winder Kyle Steyn completed the shortlist, with all four players delivering standout performances throughout their respective campaigns.
Bielle-Biarrey has established himself as one of the most prolific try scorers in the sport, setting and breaking his own records. In 2025 he scored 8 tried to set a record for the number scored in a single Championship, only to set a record this year, crossing the line 9 times. This takes his total tally to 18 try’s in 14 Six Nations fixtures, and 5th in rankings of all-time leading try scorers in the Championship.
To complement his historic attacking statistics in this year’s tournament, Louis Bielle-Biarrey also beat 13 defenders, made 8 clean breaks, made 311 metres, and assisted 4 tries for his teammates.
The rise of Bielle-Biarrey is nearly as fast as the player himself, setting the global stage alight for France at the U18 and U20 level, before breaking into the senior team aged 19, in 2023. This not only highlights the importance of the development pathways to nurture future stars, but also the brilliance of the player who is establishing himself as one of the leading names in the global game.
Bielle-Biarrey was part of a team that captivated the attention of rugby fans all over the world and the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations was watched by over 116 million fans across the home markets. After a record year in 2025 with Six Nations fixtures topping the list of most viewed programmes of the year in France, the ratings during the 2026 Championship confirm that enthusiasm surrounding the French national rugby team is at an all-time high.
Broadcast of the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations was shared across France Televisions and TF1 in France, resulting in a total of over 35.5 million average viewers throughout the five rounds. Viewership peaked with 9.5 million fans in France tuning in to see their side beat England in Round Five to seal the Guinness Men’s Six Nations title, after attracting an astonishing 50.3% of the market share in their Round 4 clash against Scotland.
Commenting on being named the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations Player of the Championship, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, said:
“I’m just really happy, honestly. It’s yet another reward for the team’s hard work throughout the tournament.
We were able to defend our title. Winning the tournament two years in a row is no small feat. We’re very happy to have done it.”
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