The Guinness Six Nations is back! Named not so much for its sponsor, more like because that is what will make up 90% of your calorific intake for the duration of the tournament. Yes, this is a yearly spectacle that is best enjoyed with a bunch of mates, in a pub, letting those historic old rivalries burn for 80 minutes, before having a cuddle with the nearest Frenchman and getting on with your day.
But, to be in a pub for all that time you are going to need some Rugby specific conversation. I've got you buddy. Here is a conversation starter for each of the teams...
(In the order that they finished last year)
Ireland - Will they miss Andy Farrell?
Ireland have been the success story of the last 3 years of international rugby, winning back-to-back Six Nations, including an epic Grand Slam (which is what they call it when you beat everyone else) in 2023. A huge part of their success has been down to the gruff, no-nonsense Wiganer in charge, Andy Farrell. He has the boys in green purring with muscular forwards (the huge scary looking ones) dominating the dark arts of the game, whilst his backline (the faster, but still quite scary ones) were efficient, creative, and put on plenty of points against well marshalled defences.
So successful has he been that he is going to coach the British and Irish Lions against Australia this summer. A role that requires him to take a sabbatical from coaching the Ireland team, in order to watch the best of Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland to select his squad. With Farrell absent, how will Caretaker head coach Simon Easterby fare? Will he be able to keep the green machine ticking over? Will they miss the motivational, tactical and selection prowess of the English Rugby League legend? The answer to this question will go a long way to deciding whether they make it 3 titles in a row.
France - Can anyone stop them?
Ah France, they are mercurial, on any given day you could face a team of world beaters, or a world beating team of nonchalant shruggers who fail to turn up. That used to be the case. But recent France are an absolute unit of muscle, flair, and domination, they have finished 2nd for 4 out of the last 5 years, and the year they didn't finish second they won the Grand Slam! (in 2022). They have arguably the best domestic league out of the countries that compete, certainly the richest, with the French players all competing week in, week out against some of the best players in the world. So, the question this year is - can anyone stop them?
They have the best player in the world in Antoine Dupont, a small (for Rugby) man who does things on a rugby pitch that should carry an 18 certificate for being so filthy (in a brilliant rather than thuggish way.) They have two absolute mountains in the scrum being able to choose between the 22 stone George Henry Colombe or the equally massive Tevita Tatafu. Finally, at the key creative position of fly half they have the returning Romain Ntamack, who anchored their last Grand Slam, or Thomas Ramos, arguably the finest kicker in the Six Nations. They are going to take some stopping, but could Ireland at Croke Park or England at Twickenham, be the men to do it?
England - Can they close out tight matches?
England are a bit of an enigma, owner of apparently the richest union in word rugby, they have just reported a record yearly loss of £42m. Similarly, they are the country with the most registered players, but have not been able to find 15 to set the world on fire for years. When this group of England players are on song, they can really do some damage, the World cup semi-final of 2019, handing Ireland their only loss of 2024 Six Nations at Twickenham last year. (Sorry - I now have to call it by its contractually stipulated name "Allianz Stadium Twickenham" - see previous comment about £42 Million loss for why.) The league system that feeds the team is full of creative, fast, intelligent players, who play an eye-catching expansive style - it just seems that when they put on an England Shirt, they become less than the sum of their parts, over the last 5 years, winning it once and finishing all over the shop (as low as 5th one year) the other times.
However, there are green shoots, this is a young team, and this year though they lost to New Zealand 3 times, in every game they could, indeed should have won, losing by the odd score, and a missed drop goal. Similar tales of woe occurred against South Africa and Australia. Each of these games they held a lead going into the final quarter. So, IF, they can just learn to close out a tight game, IF they can spring a surprise on the new coaching set up of Ireland, and continue the momentum at home against Scotland and France - could this be their year?
Probably not, Ireland haven't lost to England in Ireland since 2019 (and have only lost 2 Six Nations matches vs England in Ireland in 21 years!) and Scotland have turned beating England into a hobby. But, with one of the most instinctual, exciting, Fly Half pulling the strings in Marcus Smith, and some decent firepower on the wings scoring tries... you never know!
Scotland - Oh for some consistency!!
Scotland, Scotland, Scotland - how I love you so. After years and years of being brilliant, right up until you get anywhere near the try line, you have found, in your backline, some amazing talents that can rip apart other teams. When Scotland play well, their forwards are tigerish, competing hard at the breakdown, tackling like men possessed and being creative, direct, and effective in attack. But their one glaring problem is, well, consistency.
If the Scotland of the last 5 years got to play England every week, then they would easily be champions. There is something about this Scotland side, and this England side where Scotland simply just have their number. 4 wins in the last 4 games, home and away, a series of amazing tries and an unstoppable Duhan van der Merwe (At least throw a "Mc" in their somewhere Duhan mate...) scything through the defence has made Scotland look like world beaters. Unfortunately, they keep following those epic performances up with dross, losing to Wales twice, and Italy once the very next match they played.
So which Scotland are going to turn up for each match... it's anyone's guess. That's why they are so fun to watch!
Italy - Will they finally win 3 games in a tournament?
Italy, the perennial last placers, the annual whipping boys, the team who once had a 36-match losing streak (including losing EVERY Six Nations match for the 5 tournaments they played from 2017 - 2021) have suddenly... From nowhere... Found a team! The bones of a moderately successful youth system (they play Under 20's shadow tournaments) has provided the Azzurri with a series of players, expertly knitted together by Gonzalo Queseda, who are capable of staying in games right to the death, and even pulling off the odd shock. In last year's tournament, they won consecutive matches for the first time in their 6 Nations history, and for only the second ever time. This is a golden generation of Italian rugby players - could this be the year they finally push on and beat three of their rivals?
Well, it'll be a tall order, Scotland are up first, and though they are the team that Italy have beaten the most (9 times), they've only ever won twice in Edinburgh, and this Scottish team look in no mood to mess around. Wales at home looks do-able, but the other three sides would need to slip up badly for Italy to beat them. It's not impossible however, and England in particular, should be worried about a team that has never beaten them in 31 fixtures. After all, records are there to be broken!
Wales - Back to the future?
Now, I live in Wales so I've got to be a bit careful what I say here in case they try and deport me but... My lord the boys in Red have been struggling.
The National sport (and indeed religion) for many a Welsh person is in dire need of an overhaul, their national team finished bottom last year, then got tonked in all but one autumn international this year (Fiji - which they still lost). In fact, you have to go back to October 2023 to find the last time they won an international match (they have beaten the barbarians and other club sides in the meantime)
Ask anyone in Wales what the problem is and you will get a different answer (and a three-hour lecture.) Some people have a problem with the coaching, others see it as a structural problem, some see it as rugby board mismanagement. But after the recent glory days of Warren Gatland, they needed a gruff, no nonsense, kiwi to right the ship and bring them back to winning ways... And who did they appoint? Warren Gatland. Again. But he couldn't (or hasn't so far) repeated his trick, and this Welsh team are really in the doldrums.
Gatland 2.0 has been all about trying to uncover a new generation of players who will grow in stature as they get more experience, and who knows, it could work. But if it doesn't - it can't be long before he falls (or is given a significant push) onto his sword.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
