Names such as Shane Williams, Brian O’Driscoll, Jason Robinson and Sergio Parisse all made the list as expected but many of the captains also took the chance to name some of the unsung heroes from their teams.

Shane Williams was picked by both Sergio Parisse and Sam Warburton because of the magic he brought to the game. With 14 tries in six tournaments and 1,307 meters made the stats show the momentum he gave Wales and the impact he had. 

Sam Warburton also had a special mention for his fellow captain Sergio Parisse. The influential Italian is a strong captain who leads from the front and since 2006 has carried the ball 1,592 meters which is 15.5% of all the meters Italy have made in that time.

Alessandro Zanni, Rory Best, Lionel Nallet and Jason White were all given special mentions by their captains. There could be many reasons why the captains chose each player...their influence in the dressing room, cool head under pressure or fearsome reputation, but those points are always up for debate, what can’t be debated however are the statistics.

Accenture, the Official Technology Partner of the RBS 6 Nations, was tasked with delving into the stats and using its expertise in analytics to find out why each player means so much to their captain. The results certainly show why these players are so highly regarded.

Lionel Nallet, the French second row enforcer picked out by his captain Pascal Pape, hasn’t missed a tackle in four tournaments and last year gave away no penalties, a perfect example of discipline.

While Rory Best was picked out by Jamie Heaslip and it is easy to see why as he hasn’t missed a game since the end of the 2006 championship, scoring three tries and only missing 7 tackles in 30 appearances.

Follow @accenturerugby during the RBS 6 Nations for all the latest stats and analysis