IIt used to be that boxing leagues, not rugby union, were eager to reunite rivals as soon as possible. From a organizer’s perspective, Friday’s opener of this year’s Six Nations tournament certainly ticked all the box office boxes: less than three months ago, a prime-time knockout tie was rejected by millions. Roll up, roll up, for a Rugby World Cup final like never before.
France versus Ireland in Marseille – Côte d’Azur War? – This is undoubtedly a bold and powerful part of the first-round schedule. On the one hand, event organizers run the risk of getting too excited too early. Their rivalry, on the other hand, will grab everyone by the collar when the bell rings. Even in South Africa and New Zealand, which offer World Cup finalists, there is no shortage of interest.
If this game turns out to be half as good as the last Six Nations game in Dublin a year ago, everyone will be a winner.And, boy, both teams are keen back on horseback In October, they suffered a frustrating quarter-final defeat to the Boks and All Blacks in Paris. If the Stade de France is not upgraded for the Olympics (blues Also playing home Six Nations games in Lille and Lyon) The feeling of déjà vu will be overwhelming.
It’s a bit too simplistic to say Friday’s winner will clinch the 2024 title, but victory would bring a significant early advantage. Did you know Ireland have never won a Five or Six Nations title within a year of a World Cup? It will be even harder to change that scratched record if they face a team in Marseille who have multiple reasons to roar.
Yes, they will definitely miss Antoine Dupont, who is now playing rugby sevens in his bid for some Olympic gold. Yes, there are a hurt or two that they need to overcome. However, anyone who has followed Shaun Edwards’ inspiring coaching career knows there will be a positive response. It may be heartbreaking to miss the World Cup, but tomorrow is already here.
The recent performances of Damien Penault, Gregory Alderit, Mathieu Jalibert and Thomas Ramos also bode ill for France’s opponents.Among the club teams lighting up Europe, Bordeaux and Toulouse are top picks and blues There may be benefits on the horizon. Ultimately, they showed a lack of accuracy and tactical composure in their quarter-final defeat to the Springboks, but the conveyor belt in the top 14 continues to work. They will pose a greater threat to the opposition when Australian-trained Emmanuel Meafou returns to fitness. The 25-year-old lock is around 6ft 8in tall and weighs almost 23 stone, almost big enough to dim the stadium lights on his own.
Ireland are not the same strategic beast without Johnny Sexton. Andy Farrell has always stressed that radical change is not the way to build a successful team, and as a serial winner, he should know. But without Sexton’s presence, Ireland wouldn’t have been able to progress in France. He has been the team’s talisman for so long that his successor at fly-half – possibly Munster’s Jack Crawley – has the toughest job of the season.
While Peter O’Mahony was the strongest of the stand-in captains, the unorthodox Mike Hansen’s absence through injury was untimely. Unless Ireland can beat France, Ireland may have a harder time shaking off their post-World Cup hangover than some other teams.
There are two other themed games in the first three rounds, both at Murrayfield for Scotland. If there’s one fixture that gives France pause, it’s their trip to Edinburgh, where bad weather and cards of all colors have made life tricky before. What a collision in the Calcutta Cup would be if Scotland beat a rebuilding Wales away from home. Granted, we say this every year, but Scotland, with Finn Russell at the helm, can give anyone a worry on their day.
This is another good reason why the Grand Slam is harder to achieve than ever. France and Ireland are better than other teams at the World Cup, but referee interpretations, high tackle calls and defensive line speed can still have an impact. The same goes for the bounce of the football, which is the biggest variable.
Wales and Italy? They have finished bottom of the table in the past two seasons and must try to avoid a hat-trick. Italy have three away games in hand after a frustrating World Cup, although Benetton’s improved form in Treviso is a plus. Wales will need something special to beat France or Ireland but Warren Gatland is enjoying working with his latest batch of dynamic young players. All they need is a little direction (call it Gat-nav) and some early momentum.
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This leaves England determined to shake off their recent poor performance. Optimistic new captain Jamie George and some promising young defenders certainly bring a different atmosphere to Girona’s training camp. They will defend with more urgency and energy and look to add some more proactive touches to the basic offensive framework they saw in Steve Borthwick’s first year at the helm.
It won’t be revolutionary, but the statistics speak for themselves: England have been unable to score more than one try bonus point in their past four Six Nations campaigns. Simply blaming the “squeezed middle” of the pitch as an excuse for kicking the ball out won’t attract new eyeballs to a sport that increasingly needs them. The sooner teams are incentivized to take more calculated risks or take steps to reduce the number of kicks outside the 22, the better.
While we’re at it, there are one or two other thorny issues that need fixing. Wouldn’t it be nice for England, Scotland and Ireland to have Six Nations training camps in countries that themselves are banned from the tournament? How long will we have to wait before a 20-minute “orange card” for unintentional head collisions is introduced to meet the urgent need to lower the height of tackles while reducing the number of red cards?
The good news is that Six Kingdoms still satisfies a part of the soul that even the Netflix film crew can’t reach. Sadly, while JPR Williams is no longer here, hopefully this game will bring him more indelible long-term memories of what he once specialized in. I picked France to complete the pop, but what rugby really needs is another good performance.
