Simon Middleton: 'If you asked me whether all eyes are on England, I would say I don’t think so'

For me this is the most exciting time of the year, isn’t it? The Guinness Women’s Six Nations is such a huge competition. One that you really look forward to every game and that has such a special tradition.

I can’t deny saying I was always a little nervous going into the competition when I coached England. But I was always looking forward to it.

With the pleasantries out of the way let’s dig in and try to understand where England, France, Italy, Ireland, Scotland and Wales are and where they are heading in this year’s tournament.

If you asked me whether all eyes are on England, I would have to be honest and say I don’t think so. Because it depends on how you are looking at it. The subplots, the staff changes, the players in and the players out across the various teams will make fans want to look beyond the Red Roses. It is a fresh start for everyone. That’s one of the reasons that makes this Six Nations even more interesting.

But as they are the ruling champions, let’s start with them. Seven uncapped players and some big names absent, are just two aspects to look forward to.

How is the energy in camp? What are the expectations and vibe in the team? John Mitchell spoke a lot about spending time to reset the mindset of the team and that began with Meg Jones being named captain. England has a very good squad, with some promising young blood coming in to add something new to the team.

At the same time, the addition of Emily Scarratt as the Red Roses’ new attack coach is a fantastic thing to see. It was the area where England struggled the most at the Women’s Rugby World Cup and I think, given the quality of their backline personnel, they need to get more from them. The start of a new World Cup cycle means now is the time to test new players, combinations, strategies and tactics. Especially after winning the World Cup.

With the subject of the current title holders taken care of, let me march on to the team I am most looking forward to watching this year: Wales. The reason? Because a year has passed since Sean Lynn joined them. I want to see what sort of improvement they will this year.

Sean Lynn had a baptism of fire in his first year as an international coach. The hand dealt to him was rough from the start. It was compounded with the teams warm up schedule ahead of the World Cup. Then, there was underperformance at the World Cup, where Wales conceded 108 points and scored just 33.

One of the points Sean Lynn made with his World Cup squad selection was regenerating the squad by adding more young players to the fold. He has also revamped his coaching team. Together they have had more time to be with the squad and shape it in accordance with his ideals. At the World Cup they looked a bit vanilla, lacked physicality and offered little in most areas.

Everything is in place for them to perform now. That’s why I am keen to see what they can show to all of us. In a super competitive tournament, it’s conceivable that they may pick up one or two results. If Wales only win one game, it will be two from their last 15 games. That’s a lot of pressure to soak up.

When it comes to France, while I think there are some questions around what the new coaching staff will bring, the fact is that they are a nation with so much talent and potential that you can’t dismiss them. The only thing they’re missing is consistency.

The key for François Ratier and his coaching team is to bring consistency to how they play. Particularly in their decision-making and the way they turn up to the game. If you look at the World Cup semi-final against England, they should have been out of sight by half-time. They had so many opportunities to strike and get ahead, but they made several poor decisions that proved critical.

There will be a massive expectation for France to take the fight to England. They have the players and potential to be on a similar level. This year could be their year, especially because they are hosting the Red Roses in Bordeaux in the last round. With England missing their two main lineout influencers, Abbie Ward and Zoe Stratford, the Red Roses’ lineout dominance and their key strike weapon is there to be attacked.

Similarly, France had lots of success in that World Cup semi-final attacking England edge defence. If they get their strategy right, I feel France have a window of opportunity to potentially win the title for the first time since 2018.

Womens Six Nations

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

England Women

0

0

0

0

0

2

France Women

0

0

0

0

0

3

Ireland Women

0

0

0

0

0

4

Italy Women

0

0

0

0

0

5

Scotland Women

0

0

0

0

0

6

Wales Women

0

0

0

0

0

Speaking about consistency, Italy has also been facing the same problem. Last year, they had a tough start in the Six Nations but came out of it feeling pretty confident about the direction the team was headed. But then their World Cup campaign fell short. They failed to fire and missed out on the knockout stage.

It was unfortunate. They were my dark horses for the World Cup semi-finals. They are a dangerous team when they click. The main question for Italy is what type of game is better suited for them? If they can sort out their consistency, fix their execution, specifically in the way they kick the ball, and build something strong from that last game against Brazil, then they will be a threat to everyone else.

Moving on to Ireland. I think they will be eyeing second place. They have been on a great trajectory since Scott Bemand took over. Not only because they managed to assemble a very good squad of players with some depth, but because they have assembled a really strong coaching group. At the end of the day, the strength of the team lies in the strength of the coaching group and Ireland have plenty of experience and specialism in theirs. That’s as simple as it is.

You can put as many good players in the squad as you want to, but if you don’t have the right coaching team, you won’t get the best out of those players.

They have all their bases covered and I think there will be a lot of expectations surrounding what they can do in the Six Nations. Especially as some of their star players who missed out on the World Cup are back in the squad. They will be highly competitive against England and will be looking to knock France down a peg.

As for Scotland, it will be interesting to see how Sione Fukofuka and Ioan Cunningham will work together. That coaching dynamic is one of the main questions. As well as how the players respond to it. The off-field issues and players’ views on what was happening off the pitch are well documented and raises the question of whether they have been settled ahead of the Six Nations.

It will have a massive impact on how the team performs. If it has been put behind them and resolved, then Scotland has the team and staff to create an opportunity to perform well.

Now, before I sign off, if you are looking for predictions, I haven’t any aside from England being the lead contenders for the title. There are so many new permutations and dynamics at play that make it impossible to predict. The battle to avoid bottom spot will be as exhilarating as for the top. Every team will have one or several challenges to overcome; new players will have to step up and staff will have to prove their worth.

The 2026 Six Nations will be a huge year for the competition. After such a successful World Cup, fans will be expecting this to be the most competitive Six Nations ever. Between novelties and subplots, teams rising above and history, fans are looking for something special.

For me, it will be crucial that every game is competitive and that every team shows progression. If they do then the fans will stick around to watch the entire competition, not just one team.

The end of the story is that I am looking forward to watch and enjoy another spectacular Women’s Six Nations. Let the games begin!