The Six Nations is too close to call in what promises to be a memorable year.
It hardly feels like a year has passed since the last Six Nations tournament! February and March are always great months for rugby fans and this season’s tournament could be more exciting than ever.
In the Six Nations that follows a Lions tour, there’s an extra ‘frisson’ to each contest. Team-mates become bitter rivals and friendships forged against a common foe are put to one side.
What’s more, this year’s Championship is the penultimate one before the next Rugby World Cup which means that if coaches are building towards that, then they’re more likely to blood inexperienced players this year as they seek to find their best combinations.
It will be interesting to see which coaches are focused on the Six Nations and who has one eye on the future. Having watched many of the autumn internationals, it is hard to pick out a favourite for the competition.
Ireland’s crushing defeat by the All Blacks was an outstanding performance, yet they lost by more points to Australia. Wales did well against Australia after an ordinary outing against Tonga. Scotland were outclassed by South Africa and should have pushed Australia more, but defeated Japan in a game that flattered them. France were beaten by New Zealand and South Africa and only England defeated a team from the Southern Hemisphere when they beat the Wallabies.
It’s difficult to pick between the big four, assuming Scotland and Italy are to be considered also-rans. My own view is that the schedule and location of matches could be defining for the teams.
England have to travel to Paris then Edinburgh on successive weekends, which could be critical. Conversely, Wales have to make the trip across the Irish Sea and down the M4 to Twickenham where England will be seeking revenge for their humiliation in last year’s match.
Ireland also have to travel to Paris and London while France will have a tough match in Cardiff. It’s very open and I wouldn’t bet on any team winning the Grand Slam.
France probably have the most favourable schedule of games and will not want a repeat of last year’s Wooden Spoon. They could easily end up at the other end of the table this time around.
One thing is for sure, when it’s so close to call, there are bound to be some upsets.
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