Irish hearts were broken when France came out of their battle against a feisty England side on top, but had much to be happy about regarding the tournament.
Jamison Gibson-Park was one of the stars of the tournament—arguably better than Antoine Dupont—and veterans such as Tadhg Beirne continued the form they have shown for many years.
There was one unexpected breakout player from the tournament, however, as winger Robert Baloucoune showed he deserved his place in the squad with some standout performances as a starter on the right wing.
Robert Baloucoune to undergo elbow surgery, expected to be out for three months
Two brilliant displays from Robert Baloucoune for Ulster earlier in the season showed what form the Northern Irishman was in, with five tries in rounds five and six of the United Rugby Championship against Lions and Benetton showing just how talented he is.
This form would translate to the Six Nations, where he scored three tries in four outings—only Wales kept him at bay—as he reached the try line in his nation’s games against Italy, Ireland and Scotland.
These efforts landed him the Rising Star award for the tournament, which Baloucoune was pleased to accept—saying after winning the award that his age, at 28, was a unique factor.
“[The Six Nations have] been an unbelievable experience. [The Rising Star award] is something I wouldn’t have expected and I’m just grateful to actually get here… I’ve been in [the team] before where I haven’t played and done that so, yeah, I’ve been able to finish it off with a trophy and being part of the group has been really special…
“The award was a bit of a shock, to be honest – 28 years-of-age and getting the Rising Star! I’m getting slagged for it already, so I’m sure I’ll get slagged by a lot more people, but I’m grateful for it and at least people are seeing what I’ve put out there.”
Ulster Rugby can confirm that Rob Baloucoune sustained an elbow injury in @IrishRugby’s win over Scotland last weekend. He will undergo surgery and is expected to be sidelined for approximately three months.
Baloucoune’s momentum will be paused, however, as his team, Ulster, have announced that he is out until at least June, wishing the number 14 a ‘speedy recovery’. If everything goes to plan, he will return before the start of the Nations Championship in July in a tournament where he would surely be an important man for Ireland.
Ulster’s next game, sadly without one of their main men, will be an interprovincial derby against Connacht—you can look at Read Rugby Union’s preview here.
A graduate from the University of Essex in 2024, Jude spent time as a writer and NBA editor for VAVEL USA, before publishing work for GRV Media, GPFans, and startup site The Deck. Jude had a brief stint back with VAVEL in the summer of 2025, before joining Grand Prix on SI in September of that year.
He has been covering rugby for Read Rugby Union since March 2026, and is often seen disappointed while looking at the Scotland score or researching a talented young fly-half from Zimbabwe you've probably never heard of.
