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All you need to know for the TikTok Women's Six Nations round one
The TikTok Women’s Six Nations kicks off this Saturday with a new title sponsor and comprehensive broadcast deals that will have a massive increase in coverage. Here is everything you need to know ahead of round one:
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FIXTURES
Saturday
Scotland vs England (12pm, The Dam Health Stadium) – Live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer
Ireland vs Wales (4.45pm, RDS Arena) – Live on BBC Two Northern Ireland and BBC iPlayer
Sunday
France vs Italy (3pm, Stade des Alpes) Live on BBC iPlayer
THE TEAMS
England
With ten Grand Slams to their name since the championship’s 2002 inception, the Red Roses will be looking for glory again this year. Anything less than another Grand Slam would be a disappointment for Simon Middleton’s side – and rightly so given that the Red Roses are the only fully professional outfit competing. Convincing wins over the Black Ferns in the autumn should give them confidence as should the return of Emily Scarratt, the 2019 world player of the year.
Captain: Sarah Hunter.
Players to watch: Sarah Bern, Scarratt, Abby Dow.
Last year: Champions.
World ranking: 1st.
Professional status: fully contracted professionals.
France
The French ran England close in the final of the altered-format 2021 championship and will be looking to right the wrongs of that 10-6 loss. A team who are physical in the extreme, France are the only contenders who could knock England off their pedestal after finishing in second place for the last two years and the round five clash in Bayonne is poised to be a Grand Slam occasion. If you tune in to one game in this tournament, that will be the one to watch.
Captain: Gaelle Hermet.
Players to watch: Hermet, Jessy Tremouliere.
Last year: 2nd.
World ranking: 3rd.
Professional status: 35 players have semi-professional contracts.
Ireland
They have been surrounded by controversy following their failure to qualify for the upcoming World Cup in New Zealand, but this Six Nations will give new coach Greg McWilliams the chance to experiment and blood new players with nine rookies named in the wider squad. Lock Nichola Fryday takes over as captain from the retired Ciara Griffin after a good run of form in the Premier 15s for Exeter. A home game against Wales would give the Irish a solid chance to make their mark early on.
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Captain: Nichola Fryday.
Players to watch: Sam Monaghan, Eimear Considine.
Last year: 3rd.
World ranking: 7th.
Professional status: Per diem – players will receive a small allowance to cover the costs of international duties.
Italy
The Italians enter the championship with a respectable World Rugby eighth-place ranking with the potential to climb as high as fifth by the end of the tournament. Captain Manuela Furlan’s experience will be vital. The 33-year-old full-back has won 81 caps and holds the Italian Six Nations try-scoring record to boot. They face a tough start against France but will look to repeat their 2019 Six Nations success when they not only beat Les Bleus 31-12 but snagged a second-place finish.
Captain: Furlan.
Players to watch: Furlan, Beatrice Rigoni.
Last year: 4th
World ranking: 8th
Professional status: Expenses only.
Scotland
Fresh off the back of a 59-3 win over Columbia in February to secure their World Cup qualification, Scotland will be looking to make a lasting impact in this Six Nations but they face a tough opener against England which could set the tone for their performance through the rest of the tournament and into the world finals. Many Scottish players have enjoyed stellar performances over the border in the Premier 15s this season (including back row captain Rachel Malcolm), and a little individual brilliance could go a long way in turning around last year’s fifth-place.
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Captain: Malcolm.
Players to watch: Helen Nelson, Jade Konkel.
Last year: 5th.
World ranking: 9th.
Professional status: Ten players are on full-time professional contracts.
Wales
The Welsh will have high hopes despite finishing in last place in the 2021 championship and Ioan Cunningham’s squad will be a different beast this year. Twelve of the players are now on full-time professional contracts, which should improve the quality of the team significantly given many of them will no longer have to juggle work and rugby. The Welsh squad pack a punch with speedster backs named in the starting lineup (watch out for Jasmine Joyce leaving defenders clutching at air), and it will be interesting to see how the budding professionals match up against Ireland in round one.
Captain: Siwan Lillicrap.
Players to watch: Joyce, Elinor Snowsill.
Last year: 6th.
World ranking: 11th.
Professional status: Twelve players are on full-time professional contracts with eleven more on semi-professional retainers.
Comments on RugbyPass
Big difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
30 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to comments