Six Nations : et si tout se jouait dès le premier match ?
Il est difficile de considérer les principaux candidats au titre du Tournoi des Six Nations de cette saison en dehors du match entre l’Irlande et la France.
Le match d’ouverture le plus attendu du Tournoi depuis des années se déroulera entre les deux principales équipes un vendredi soir à Marseille – et tous les autres pourraient devoir courir après dès le premier jour.
Il y aura sans aucun doute de nombreux rebondissements en cours de route, mais l’équipe qui triomphera au Stade Vélodrome peut s’attendre à être considérée comme le favori du Tournoi des Six Nations.
À bien des égards, cela ne devrait pas être une surprise étant donné que l’Irlande occupe la deuxième place du classement mondial World Rugby et la France la quatrième, tandis que les Bleus ont remporté un Grand Chelem en 2022 et que l’Irlande a reproduit l’exploit l’année dernière.
Se refaire la cerise
Les deux équipes seront également animées par le souvenir d’une déception cuisante en Coupe du Monde de Rugby. Considérées par de nombreux observateurs comme des vainqueurs potentiels, les deux équipes ont été éliminées en quart de finale, l’Irlande s’inclinant face à la Nouvelle-Zélande et la France étant renversée d’un point par l’Afrique du Sud.
La récente domination de l’Irlande sur le rugby européen ne saurait être sous-estimée, même si cette fois-ci, la quête du trophée se fait sans les figures emblématiques de l’équipe.
L’Irlande n’a plus son impérial demi d’ouverture Johnny Sexton à la barre depuis qu’il a pris sa retraite après la Coupe du monde, et l’ancien Joueur World Rugby de l’Année, le génial demi de mêlée de l’équipe de France Antoine Dupont, joue au rugby à sept pour réaliser son rêve de participer aux Jeux olympiques de Paris.
Ces deux absences se feront inévitablement ressentir, mais l’Irlande et la France disposent encore d’un effectif suffisamment étoffé pour conserver une bonne longueur d’avance.
Les absences remarquées
Ces deux nations ne sont pas les seules à devoir composer avec des pertes importantes, les départs à la retraite, les blessures et les imprévus ayant pris le devant de la scène.
Dernièrement, la liste des forfaits pour début de campagne du XV de France s’est subitement allongée : Emmanuel Meafou, Gabin Villière, Anthony Jelonch, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Thibaud Flament, Pierre Bourgarit sans parler du cas Matthieu Jalibert qui reste incertain.
Avant le Tournoi des Six Nations, les gros titres ont été dominés par la décision surprise de l’ailier du Pays de Galles Louis Rees-Zammit d’abandonner le rugby pour se lancer dans une carrière de footballeur américain.
Rees-Zammit s’est ajouté à une liste d’absents qui comprend les retraités du rugby international Dan Biggar et Leigh Halfpenny, Liam Williams, qui est désormais installé au Japon, et un trio de blessés composé de Taulupe Faletau, Jac Morgan et Dewi Lake.
L’Angleterre a su fin novembre que son capitaine pendant la Coupe du monde Owen Farrell manquerait le Tournoi des Six Nations, ayant opté pour une pause internationale afin de privilégier son bien-être mental et celui de sa famille.
Le demi d’ouverture des Saracens s’est ensuite engagé pour deux ans avec le Racing 92 à partir de juillet, ce qui prolongera son absence du rugby international puisque les règles de la Rugby Football Union interdisent aux joueurs évoluant à l’étranger de jouer sous les couleurs de l’Angleterre.
En dehors de la situation de Farrell, Courtney Lawes, Ben Youngs et Mako Vunipola – plus de 300 capes pour l’Angleterre à eux trois – ont quitté la scène internationale, mais on compte parmi les nouveaux venus Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, l’ailier d’Exeter, Fin Smith, le demi d’ouverture de Northampton, et Tom Roebuck, du club de Sale.
L’Angleterre prête à bondir
L’Angleterre semble la mieux armée pour prendre la tête du peloton, mais comme le Pays de Galles et l’Écosse, qui se rencontrent le week-end d’ouverture à Cardiff, elle devra démarrer en force dans une compétition où la dynamique est essentielle.
L’Italie, quant à elle, aura fort à faire pour éviter de terminer à la dernière place pour la neuvième fois consécutive, bien qu’elle ait un nouvel entraîneur en la personne de Gonzalo Quesada et que le club italien de Benetton, qui fournit 17 joueurs à l’équipe nationale, ait remporté sept des neuf matchs du United Rugby Championship cette saison et occupe la deuxième place.
Comments on RugbyPass
Wish him and his family the best in his retirement from International rugby and into the future.
1 Go to commentsSelf proclaimed expert/pundit Andy Goode and his very personal views on referees…Why recalling them in such an article as if he were an undisputed authority on the subject ? Only because fellow writer ?
1 Go to commentsLate growth spurts are a common problem over here. I’m well over 30, and I just started having a growth spurt too. Could be a world class prop soon.
1 Go to commentsas much as the challenge cup is a bit of a nothing competition, winning it would still mean something. last year it was won by toulon, who are now something like 4th in the top 14? The year before it was won by Lyon a season before they finished 3rd in the league. The year before that the final was contested by Montpellier and Leicester - 12 months before they both became domestic champions. That should give Gloucester fans some hope.
1 Go to commentsgreat article - although I can’t help wonder whether the more relevant debate over coming years will be between Ford and Fin Smith!
3 Go to commentsMaking Scott Barrett captain might be a masterstroke….will calm him down & stop brain fades and also take pressure off Ardie, so he can just play his natural monster game. Lets see how that all pans out🧐
8 Go to commentsI’m surprised Scotland are planning to rest key players this summer - I don’t think any other tier 1 nation will be doing the same?
3 Go to commentsGreat analysis Brett and what a shame that RA haven't spent more on the tight five instead. BTW I see the latest 8-9 Combo has dropped, looking forward to that. It's incredible the amount of damage that Hamish and Eddie's egos did in such a short space of time. From memory Eddie drove the initial drive to poach league stars way back in the 00s, with community rugby paying the price in reduced funding. Australia went from 15% of its income being spent on community rugby in 2002 to 2.4% in 2015, sheer madness and look where they are now. Hamish reminds me of Scrappy Doo. Always mouthing off, spoiling for a fight with bigger dogs who'd eat him alive. Sadly RA didn't have a Scooby Doo to bail him out.
12 Go to comments*_“I love watching bone-shuddering tackles, brutal clear-outs, monster ball carries, and crushingly intense scrummaging. I love it. These things make my heart rate spike. These aren’t the only things I love about rugby, but I feel no need to pretend I don’t love them, or to apologise for loving them just in case someone thinks I shouldn’t.”_* beautifully put Flats🔥
3 Go to comments“Hidden comments” all over the place😂 Turlough’s been a busy little boy ey🤭
99 Go to commentsit’ll all be released in an autobiography a few years from now….. “Razor shafted me” blah blah blah. thinking of making Scott Barrett captain might be a good move. Could calm down his brain fades & make him an even better player for them
3 Go to commentsSadly he played far too many games too young. England and France really do need to look after their younger players better.
1 Go to commentsHaving finally been able to watch the first Chasing the Sun (thanks RugbyPass!) - because I refuse to pay DSTV's extortionate monthly fee in SA - after four years, it was amazing to see Mapimpi's story as well as seeing my personal hero, Rassie, breaking down when telling it. There _is_ hope for the country, but only once we've got rid of the crooked and incompetent ANC (and others) who have set out to destroy it. Viva Rassie, viva Kolisi viva rugby!
1 Go to commentsWhether true or not, all the best to you Sam Cane. A warrior of a player and a loyal servant to the ABs! Go get you some yen and have some fun.
3 Go to commentsThe game was changing too much with teams trying to role the dice drawing fouls. Would be better if scrums and the adjudicating problems were resolved but this is a good immediate fix.
42 Go to commentsLike many here I am encouraged by this post. Our forwards are where the real rewards and improvements must come from. With a 50/50 pack against any opposition, our backs could ensure more than 50% of the games will be won. We need Valetini at 6 and Cale at 8 to make the most or a good tight 5, McWright will add to the effectiveness of the pack BUT must get a very good tight 5 out there first.
121 Go to commentsThe key point I think that is missing is that if Joseph wants to guarantee a Lions spot, he really has to play wing in his first year. He is easily going to nail down whatever he wants to do, but with just half a season, how much of a factor he proves to be in the Lions series could be dictated by this initial choice of playing position.
12 Go to commentsthe game was 2 weeks before the challenge cup final. I really don’t believe they needed to rest that many players.
1 Go to commentsI really feel like neither of the Vunipolas is given the respect they deserve. I would have liked to see both of them get a few more caps than they have gotten in the past couple of years, but unfortunately the fact that they both peaked young has meant that for a number of years they have been perceived as disappointments. When they are both retired, in the cold light of day they will be recognised as two of the best players of their generation of any nation.
4 Go to commentsthis generation of saracens players could produce some really incredible coaches. When Farrell retires he could walk into any premiership team as a defence, attack, or kicking coach. Itoje could make it as a defence or a lineout coach, and Jamie George as a lineout or scrum coach. The problem the Vunipolas are going to have is that its not clear what their coaching speciality would be. Neither are great in the set piece, and while they were good in attack and defence, they were never tactical masterminds. Perhaps contact skills would be their ideal brief? Mako perhaps could work in strength & conditioning, but Billy has a bit of a reputation for not taking that side of the game seriously.
4 Go to comments