IIf this year’s Six Nations follows recent patterns, it’s shaping up to be another Grand Slam. This is the third consecutive championship, but if we look at history, we can see that all of the championships after the World Cup have ended in a clean sweep, with the exception of the 2020 tournament, which was hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
This is interesting because when you have the Six Nations at the start of a World Cup cycle, every team is effectively starting from scratch. France and Ireland were the two standout teams last year, but both have been very composed and will be looking to fine-tune, maintain and maintain heading into the World Cup. Scotland was in a similar position, but so were England and Wales. Both teams had recently appointed Steve Borthwick and Warren Gatland respectively and were looking to catch up. Italy also gained momentum.
But the same can’t be said about this championship. Everyone stands on the starting line together. There may be only one new head coach, Italy’s Gonzalo Quesada, but the fact that five teams have new captains signals a sense of change.
This situation has arisen because many of the players who have been synonymous with the Six Nations in recent years will not be taking part. The retirements of Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Biggar and Johnny Sexton, the decision to sideline Owen Farrell, Antoine Dupont pursuing his Olympic dream with the French Sevens team, or Louis Rees-Zammit’s sudden return to American football. There are various things like conversion. Many stars are missing.
On the one hand, that’s a shame, but on the other hand, it’s an opportunity for these positions to be filled by the next wave, the next generation of players looking to move the team forward. I also believe that the Six Nations is strong enough to cope with such a absentee list. Given the history of rivalry and competition involved, it should not be affected.
The most difficult thing for each team will be finding the balance between building for the future and achieving results in the moment at the start of the World Cup cycle. Because, simply put, Six Nations is not a development tool. It is the summer tour, or perhaps the autumn internationals, where coaches can focus on development, but the demands on results are never as great as the Six Nations.
The question then arises as to whether there will be a major change in style. I don’t expect a dramatic change in leadership philosophy, but it is inevitable that a change in personnel will lead to a change in approach. For example, in England’s case, if they select Marcus Smith at fly-half because Farrell is unavailable, there will be a change in the game plan as they are completely different players.
The extent to which Borthwick commits to Harlequins and Northampton’s current squads will determine how much he seeks to improve the England team. Club activities in Japan and Europe are progressing smoothly, and when players come to camp energized, it often becomes easier for them to step up to the international level. England already have a new structure in place with Jamie George taking over as captain, which is a great appointment. There’s not a single person in the game who doesn’t like Jamie. He is well-liked, well-respected, and has a great personality. He is an honest judge of England’s performance, good or bad, and is almost guaranteed to start every week.
England have a chance to build momentum in their first match against Italy, a must-win in this tournament. It may feel like this every year, but the performance of Georgia and especially Portugal in the World Cup is still fresh in our minds, and if we don’t win again, or if we get another wooden spoon, I’ll have to replace Italy. The demand for this will become louder.
After newsletter promotion
Before England take to the field in Rome, all eyes will be on Friday night’s blockbuster clash between France and Ireland. Both teams will be desperate to play again after their heartbreaking defeat in the World Cup quarter-finals, but both teams have lost players who had a big impact on their play. For France, everything went through Dupont and Sexton was the brains of Ireland’s game plan, but neither will be on the field in Marseille. Ireland traditionally have the fastest start to the Six Nations. Getting 13 players from Leinster and putting them in the green jersey will make it much easier to get off to a good start. But that being said, France are hosting both Ireland and England this year, so the fixture list is on their own side.
Wales have a really green team. In many ways, the situation is similar to last year. At the time, Gatland chose to bleed a lot of youngsters, but this year has been hit hard by his injuries and retirements, so that’s the situation forced on him. Warren has a vast amount of experience and will relish the challenge, but he will also be helped by the fact that things seem to be calmer off the field this year. They start against Scotland, who had a disappointing result in the World Cup, as their pool draw was very difficult, but I believe they have an improved team compared to last year. , this time it will be a dangerous threat.