Author: Harry Howes

After months of anticipation, the Six Nations finally got underway on Friday night as France and Ireland kicked off a dramatic opening weekend. Reigning champions Ireland were victorious as the heavyweight pair met in Marseille.

Meanwhile, England and Scotland also both made winning starts, coming out on top in narrow away victories. Following an action-packed first round of matches, we’ve taken a look at all the key talking points.

Can Ireland achieve another Grand Slam?

As Ireland travelled to take on fellow France, there was a feeling that the winner of the opening clash would likely go on to win the competition. And that may prove to be Ireland, who ran riot in a dominant performance.

The reigning champions are looking to become the first ever team to win back-to-back Grand Slams and they’ll have to do it without legendary captain Johnny Sexton. But the iconic fly-half wasn’t needed at the weekend as the inexperienced Jack Crowley stepped up, converting all five of his side’s tries and adding a penalty.

The win was Ireland’s biggest ever away victory in France and with Italy up next, they’ve got a real chance to build some momentum as they look to defend their Six Nations crown.

While France were among the favourites to win the competition, they looked shell shocked as they were run ragged. They lacked creativity without star player Antoine Dupont, who has elected not to play as he saves himself for the rugby sevens at this summer’s Olympics.

A lack of spark going forward, combined with a red card for Paul Willemse after just half an hour, condemned France to a miserable opening day defeat. They visit Scotland this weekend and they’ll be desperate to put this behind them.

England end opening game hoodoo in Italy

Italy have finished bottom of the table in each of the last eight Six Nations tournaments, winning just one game in the process. But England had to come from behind to edge a narrow contest in Rome.

It brought an end to four consecutive opening game defeats for England but they were far from convincing. While getting the win was the most important thing, they’ll be punished if they play like that against stronger opposition.

With Owen Farrell not involved in this year’s Six Nations and Marcus Smith injured, it was George Ford on kicking duties against Italy. And the fly-half was very much needed as he scored five penalties and a conversion to pull England clear.

They welcome Wales to Twickenham at the weekend and Steve Borthwick’s side will be keen to build on a promising result with a performance to match.

Despite the defeat, Italy will take huge positives from their display. However, while they’d love to continue in that vein in their next outing, they face a daunting trip to high-flying Ireland on Sunday.

Scotland survive comeback to see off Wales

If Saturday’s game in Cardiff had ended after 43 minutes, rugby fans across Europe may have been tipping Scotland for a surprise run at their first Six Nations title this century. Yet an almost incredible comeback from Wales made the end result much closer than the Scots would have liked.

The visitors looked to be running away with it, racing into a 20-0 lead at half-time before adding another seven points just after the break. But it truly was a game of two halves and they just about held on to win by a point.

Wales scored four second-half tries and put the pressure on but didn’t quite have enough as it finished 26-27 and Scotland claimed their first win in Cardiff for 22 years.

The hosts rang the changes at half-time time, with Warren Gatland trusting his younger contingent to rescue the game. Their promising performance showed that the new Wales era has real potential and if they can replicate their second-half performance at the weekend they’ll give England a real contest.

For Scotland, they’ll need to quickly put their collapse behind them. They welcome France to Murrayfield on Saturday who are looking to get their Six Nations campaign up and running.

The Six Nations gets underway next weekend and in anticipation of this year’s biggest rugby event, we’ve taken an in-depth look at all of the home nations. Up next is Scotland, who haven’t tasted success in the competition since 1999.

While ‘24 years of hurt’ is unlikely to be ringing around Murrayfield over the next few weeks, Scotland are desperate to claim what would be their first title since Italy were instated as the sixth nation.

They threatened an upset in last year’s edition, winning their first two matches, but they ultimately finished third in the table as Ireland ran away with it. And they were dealt a tough hand in autumn’s World Cup as they were drawn in a pool alongside Ireland and South Africa.

They finished third as expected but they didn’t go down without a fight, showing they have the ability to be clinical as they put minnows Romania to the sword in an 84-0 thrashing.

Scotland will be hoping to continue to show their cutting edge as we head into this year’s Six Nations and recent years have shown they’re more than capable of a shock result.

When are Scotland playing?

Wales v Scotland – Saturday 3rd February: Principality Stadium, Cardiff

Scotland v France – Saturday 10th February: Murrayfield, Edinburgh

Scotland v England – Saturday 24th February: Murrayfield, Edinburgh

Italy v Scotland – Saturday 9th March: Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Ireland v Scotland – Saturday 16th March: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Finn ‘Lionel Messi’ Russell to lead Scotland

This year’s Six Nations seems to be the competition for trying new things, with wholesale changes across the board. Jamie Ritchie captained Scotland at the World Cup but while he’s still in the squad, he’s lost the armband, with Gregor Townsend hoping it will allow him to focus on his game without any added pressure.

In his place, Scotland have named two co-captains. Finn Russell jokingly compared himself to footballing legend Lionel Messi in a Netflix documentary and he’ll be hoping he can emulate the Argentinian by driving his nation to glory.

The fly-half, who has 75 caps for Scotland, will lead the team alongside co-captain Rory Darge. It’s a huge statement from Townsend to bestow the honour on 23-year-old Darge, who has shown himself to be an influential star for the side in recent years.

Scotland could also hand out a few debuts throughout the Six Nations, with five uncapped players set to join the squad. Aaron Reed, Harry Paterson and Alec Hepburn were all named initially, while fellow uncapped players Elliot Millar-Mills and Ross McCann have since been added due to injuries elsewhere.

Can Scotland win the Six Nations?

It’ll be tough! Their competition pedigree is weak having crashed out in the pool stages of the last two World Cups. But they’ve got a big result up their sleeve as England fans are only too familiar with.

Scotland were in dreamland in round one a year ago as they won 29-23 at Twickenham. In fact, they’ve beaten England in each of their last three Six Nations meetings and that psychological advantage could see them through again when the pair face off at Murrayfield on 24th February.

They’ve also pulled rabbits out of hats against other big sides, notably claiming victory away at France back in 2021. Since then, France have gone from strength to strength so the chances of history repeating itself are slim.

However, anything can happen and Scotland will be well aware of their own potential. While they’re no strangers to big results, they’ve not been able to put them together consistently which will likely stop them going all the way.

Scotland Six Nations squad

Forwards: Ewan Ashman, Josh Bayliss, Jamie Bhatti, Andy Christie, Luke Crosbie, Scott Cummings, Jack Dempsey, Rory Darge, Grant Gilchrist, Richie Gray, Matt Fagerson, Zander Fagerson, Alec Hepburn, Johnny Matthews, WP Nel, Jamie Ritchie, Pierre Schoeman, Sam Skinner, George Turner, Glen Young, Elliot Millar-Mills

Backs: Ben Healy, George Horne, Darcy Graham, Rory Hutchinson, Huw Jones, Blair Kinghorn, Stafford McDowall, Harry Paterson, Ali Price, Cameron Redpath, Arron Reed, Kyle Rowe, Finn Russell, Kyle Steyn, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe, Ben White, Ross McCann

The Six Nations is now just over a week away and next up on our home nations preview tour are Wales, who have won the competition twice in the last five years.

Like England and Ireland before them, Wales are entering something of a transition period in terms of their squad, with plenty of up and coming players set to be given the chance to impress over the coming months.

Warren Gatland’s hand has been forced due to injuries and key players retiring and it remains to be seen whether a host of fresh faces will revitalise them or if their inexperience will show.

Yet it may prove to be a blessing in disguise. Wales endured a disappointing Six Nations campaign a year ago, finishing fifth in the table with their only win coming against lowly Italy. They’ve since crashed out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals, although they topped their group unbeaten and smashed Australia 40-6.

The Six Nations gives them the chance to experiment and give us a glimpse of what the future holds for them. But with a tough set of games ahead of them, this year’s competition may have come too early.

When are Wales playing?

Wales v Scotland – Saturday 3rd February: Principality Stadium, Cardiff

England v Wales – Saturday 10th February: Twickenham, London

Ireland v Wales – Saturday 24th February: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Wales v France  – Sunday 10th March: Principality Stadium, Cardiff

Wales v Italy – Saturday 16th March: Principality Stadium, Cardiff

Out with the old, in with the new

It seems to be a common theme in this year’s Six Nations that teams are being forced to reshuffle their squads and Wales are no different. Gatland has selected an inexperienced group, with five uncapped players and an average age of 25.

The good news is that experienced head George North is still around, although the influential centre is a fitness worry after picking up a shoulder injury playing for Ospreys out in South Africa. However, for Wales their squad is very much about who isn’t involved than who is.

Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tpuric, Dan Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny have all retired, while Liam Williams, Gareth Anscombe, Dan Lydiate and Tomas Francis also won’t be involved. Elsewhere, several big hitters are ruled out through injury, including World Cup co-captains Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan.

Their absences have led to Gatland trusting 21-year-old Dafydd Jenkins with the armband. While it remains a huge honour for the Exeter Chiefs lock, it highlights the glaring lack of experience in the squad.

Wales will also be unable to call upon Louis Rees-Zammit. The 22-year-old, who has won 32 caps for his nation, turned his back on the sport last week as he seeks a new career playing in the NFL.

Can Wales win the Six Nations?

It’s unlikely but never say never! Wales may struggle with such a young squad lacking in big-game experience. But on the other hand, if you’re good enough you’re old enough and there’s no reason why this competition can’t be the making of them.

Despite losing a huge number of stalwarts, their experienced players could only manage a fifth-place finish last time out, so the new kids on the block can’t do much worse.

The pressure will be off Wales, with the likes of Ireland, France and England expected to get the better of them, and Gatland will make it clear to them that nobody is expecting them to be world beaters yet.

But if they can put a string of performances together, and maybe grind out a shock result or two, there’s every chance that this year’s Six Nations could be the start of an exciting new era for Welsh rugby.

Wales Six Nations squad

Forwards: Corey Domachowski, Kemsley Mathias, Gareth Thomas, Elliot Dee, Ryan Elias, Evan Lloyd, Keiron Assiratti, Leon Brown, Archie Griffin, Adam Beard, Dafydd Jenkins, Will Rowlands, Teddy Williams, Taine Basham, James Botham, Alex Mann, Mackenzie Martin, Tommy Reffell, Aaron Wainwright

Backs: Gareth Davies, Kieran Hardy, Tomos Williams, Sam Costelow, Cai Evans, Ioan Lloyd, Mason Grady, George North, Joe Roberts, Nick Tompkins, Owen Watkin, Josh Adams, Rio Dyer, Tom Rogers, Cameron Winnett

Six Nations fever is gripping the rugby world and having already taken a look at England’s chances, it’s time for a deep dive on reigning champions Ireland.

The men from the Emerald Isle were imperious last year, sweeping all before them on their way to a Grand Slam. But could the pressure of a title defence weigh on their minds going into this year’s competition?

They’ll be without influential captain Johnny Sexton, who has called time on his playing career. Meanwhile, they may still carry the psychological effects of yet another World Cup quarter-final exit.

Ireland were among the favourites heading into the competition in France but once again failed to reach the final four as they narrowly lost to New Zealand.

While that will no doubt be playing on their minds, there’s every reason to be optimistic for Ireland fans as they enter a new era. And with a mouth-watering clash against favourites France kicking off proceedings, rugby fans across the world are counting down the days for the action to get underway.

When are Ireland playing?

France v Ireland – Friday 2nd February: Orange Vélodrome, Marseille

Ireland v Italy – Sunday 11th February: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Ireland v Wales – Saturday 24th February: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

England v Ireland – Saturday 9th March: Twickenham, London

Ireland v Scotland – Saturday 16th March: Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Life after Johnny Sexton

While Ireland will be confident going into the competition, there’s no denying that there will be a huge Sexton-shaped hole in their backline. Their legendary captain hung up his boots following the World Cup, meaning Ireland head into the Six Nations under new leadership on the pitch.

Sexton led Ireland to four Six Nations wins and he holds the record for the highest number of points in the competition with 566. His influence will be missed but coach Andy Farrell will be hoping new captain Peter O’Mahony can fill the void.

The Munster flanker is no stranger to leadership having already captained his nation on 10 occasions, as well as the British and Irish Lions, and he’ll be desperate to repay Farrell’s faith by bringing the Six Nations title home for the second year in a row.

As well as Sexton’s leadership, Ireland will miss the former fly-half’s points and there’s pressure on his deputies to step up to the plate. Jack Crowley, Harry Byrne and Ciaran Frawley have just 12 caps between them but the fly-half trio have been called up to fill Sexton’s shoes.

Meanwhile, there have been changes to the Ireland World Cup squad that crashed out in the quarter-finals. Jacob Stockdale and Nick Timoney are back in the frame, as are Jordan Larmour, Calvin Nash and Cian Healy who missed out on the tournament in France through injury.

Can Ireland win the Six Nations?

Having won it last time out, all eyes will be on Ireland to repeat the feat this time around. They stormed to the title last spring, winning all five matches to claim their fourth Grand Slam.

Ireland have won the Six Nations on four of the last 10 occasions and despite the absence of Sexton, there’s no reason why they can’t go all the way and secure a 16th title. One side that could stand in their way is France, who are the favourites to win having undergone a remarkable turnaround in recent years.

With both sides expected to dominate throughout, there’s every chance this year’s winners could be decided on the opening weekend. The heavyweight pair go head-to-head in the competition’s curtain-raiser on Friday 2nd February and it would come as no surprise if the winners of that clash went all the way.

Ireland Six Nations squad

Forwards: Ryan Baird, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Caelan Doris, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Iain Henderson, Ronan Kelleher, Jeremy Loughman, Joe McCarthy, Peter O’Mahony, Tom O’Toole, Andrew Porter, James Ryan, Dan Sheehan, Tom Stewart, Nick Timoney, Josh van der Flier

Backs: Bundee Aki, Harry Byrne, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Ciaran Frawley, Jamison Gibson-Park, Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan, Jordan Larmour, James Lowe, Stuart McCloskey, Conor Murray, Calvin Nash, Garry Ringrose, Jacob Stockdale

With the Six Nations just a few weeks away, we’re taking an in-depth look at all of the home nations taking part, starting with England.

Steve Borthwick took a while to get going after taking over from Eddie Jones at the end of 2022 but optimism is high following an impressive showing at the World Cup in France.

There were fears that England would struggle at the tournament but they managed to put together a string of strong performances and they narrowly missed out on a second consecutive final as they lost late to South Africa in the semis.

Borthwick’s side will take great encouragement from their displays in the autumn as they look to improve on last year’s Six Nations showing. A disappointing campaign saw them finish fourth in the standings, with wins over Italy and Wales their only returns.

England last won the competition back in 2020 but with the likes of Ireland and France as strong as ever, they’ll need to step up another level if they want to claim the title for a record 40th time, and the eighth time since a sixth nation was added.

When are England playing?

Italy v England – Saturday 3rd February, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

England v Wales – Saturday 10th February, Twickenham, London

Scotland v England – Saturday 24th February, Murrayfield, Edinburgh

England v Ireland – Saturday 9th March, Twickenham, London

France v England – Saturday 16th March, Groupama Stadium, Lyon

The dawning of a new era

Despite defying expectations at the World Cup, Borthwick would be unwise to rest on his laurels. England now enter a crucial cycle where they’ll have one eye on the 2027 competition in Australia.

Many of the players at England’s disposal last year will not be around for the next World Cup, so Borthwick now has an opportunity to begin to bed in players that can contribute in the future.

In fact, of the 36 players that initially travelled to France, 13 of them are the wrong side of 30, including Owen Farrell, Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Courtney Laws and Joe Marler. Meanwhile, Mako Vunipola announced his immediate retirement from international rugby this week.

Borthwick will need to look at the younger contingent of his squad to build the foundation for the next World Cup, with the likes of Marcus Smith, Tom Curry, Jack van Poortvliet and Freddie Steward already well integrated into the squad.

Smith has often been rotated at fly-half with captain Farrell and George Ford but the Harlequins sensation has more than shown his capabilities and he will be a vital cog in the England side for years to come. Elsewhere, his Quins teammate Alex Dombrandt missed out on the World Cup squad but he could come back into the fray for the Six Nations.

England will still need to rely on their experienced players for the upcoming competition, as well as over the next few years. But combining that with youth, with the intention of nurturing their younger stars to take over when the time is right should be the top priority of Borthwick and his coaching staff.

Can England win the Six Nations?

Why not?! They still carry the scars of their poor showing a year ago but at that point they were just a few months into Borthwick’s tenure. They’ve since had time to adjust to his ideas and gel as a camp throughout the World Cup.

France and Ireland are the favourites to go all the way but anything can happen in a one-off match. England will expect to see off the likes of Italy, Scotland and Wales in their opening three games, by which point France and Ireland will have faced each other.

With the two big hitters to play in the final two games, Borthwick won’t have a better opportunity to put October’s World Cup semi-final heartbreak behind him and show the rugby world that his England side mean business.