Six Nations 2019: Team-by-team guide
The 2019 Six Nations gets under way on Friday, when France host Wales in Paris.
Ireland won the Grand Slam last time around and begin their campaign in Dublin on Saturday against England, whose Twickenham home was the setting for the defending champions’ crowning moment in 2018.
Scotland will be keen to continue the improvements of recent seasons, while for Italy the priority will be ending a Six Nations losing run which stands at 17 matches.
Here we take a look at the teams and what each can expect from their 2019 campaign.
IRELAND
Who’s in charge?
Joe Schmidt is nearing the end of his time at the Irish helm after announcing that he will leave the job at the end of the World Cup. Successor Andy Farrell is already on Schmidt’s staff and will be taking notes during this year’s championship.
Rory Best has skippered Ireland for the past two years – a period of tremendous success for Schmidt’s side that has seen them crowned Grand Slam winners and beat the All Blacks for the first two times in their history. He is the oldest player in this year’s championship at 36.
Who’s the key man?
Ireland boast World Rugby’s Player in the Year in the shape of fly-half Johnny Sexton. He has faced a race to be fit for the opener against England but will be key to Ireland’s success if he has shaken off the effects of a knee injury. Wing Jacob Stockdale – player of the tournament in 2018 – also poses a threat to any defence.
What happened last year?
Ireland completed the Grand Slam at Twickenham on the final weekend of the championship, consigning their opponents to a fifth-place finish. It was Ireland’s first clean sweep since 2009.
What’s expected this year?
Ireland have arguably enhanced their reputation since last year’s championship, picking up a series win in Australia, as well as a 16-9 victory over the All Blacks in November. If they can keep up that kind of form over the coming weeks, they will prove themselves to be serious contenders for the 2019 World Cup.
Not a bad haul! ?
Well done lads. pic.twitter.com/v2Pssd7Xj5— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) January 24, 2019
WALES
Who’s in charge?
Another coach preparing to say his goodbyes at the end of the year is Warren Gatland, who will stand down as Wales chief after 12 years in charge. The Kiwi has led the team to two Grand Slams during his tenure.
Alun Wyn Jones is captain and, with 119 caps to his name, is rapidly closing in on Gethin Jenkins’ record of 129 appearances for his country.
Who’s the key man?
The battle for Wales’ number 10 jersey is always fiercely fought and Gareth Anscombe appears to have his hands on the prize after starting the wins over Scotland, Australia and South Africa in November. Anscombe’s challenge will be maintaining his level of performance with Dan Biggar and Rhys Patchell snapping at his heels.
What happened last year?
It was an impressive second-placed finish for Wales in 2018, although their failure to win a match on the road may be a lingering cause for concern ahead of a championship in which they face three away fixtures.
What’s expected this year?
Wales have been faced with dreadful luck when it comes to injuries, with Gatland saying only a week and a half before the tournament that just 27 members of his 39-man squad had been able to train, with experienced campaigners Taulupe Faletau and Dan Lydiate among those missing altogether. The situation will likely see players such as Thomas Young and Aaron Wainwright given their chance – experience that could come in useful in Japan later this year. Of the sides contesting the Six Nations, only Ireland can better Wales’ record of 10 Test wins in 2018.
It's that time of year again. Dau fis llawn cyffro. #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/AF9VuyKfE0
— Welsh Rugby Union ??????? (@WelshRugbyUnion) January 28, 2019
SCOTLAND
Who’s in charge?
Gregor Townsend continued Scotland’s sustained growth in the competition last season, guiding them to impressive victories over England and France.
The captaincy has returned to scrum-half Greig Laidlaw, with John Barclay, who led Scotland in the 2018 championship, yet to recover from an Achilles injury that has prevented him from making his Edinburgh debut since joining from the Scarlets ahead of the 2018-19 season.
Who’s the key man?
Stuart Hogg has been the most eye-catching star of Scotland’s resurgence over recent years and made more metres than any other player in the competition last year.
What happened last year?
Scotland finished third but things could have been better had it not been for a slow start in Wales, where they kicked off the championship with a 34-7 defeat. Their campaign will be remembered for the 25-13 win against England at Murrayfield – their first Calcutta Cup victory for a decade.
What’s expected this year?
With Italy heading to Edinburgh on the opening weekend, Scotland should have an opportunity to get into gear before they welcome Ireland a week later. Scotland are capable of upsetting the campaigns of other would-be Six Nations champions but, with trips to Paris and Twickenham in their itinerary, a challenge for the title looks unlikely.
? | Hard work continues for @scotlandteam at Oriam! #AsOne pic.twitter.com/84AXJw46lE
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) January 28, 2019
FRANCE
Who’s in charge?
Jacques Brunel took over not long before last year’s championship, following the sacking of Guy Noves. He almost got France off to a winning start in his first match in charge against eventual champions Ireland – Les Bleus undone by a last-minute Sexton drop goal in Paris.
Toulon hooker Guilhem Guirado skippers the side, having held onto the role despite the change of coach.
Who’s the key man?
Centre Mathieu Bastareaud sits on 50 caps and his experience should complement the wave of young talent coming into the squad. Romain Ntamack – son of former France international Emile – is among the youthful contingent and could make his debut.
What happened last year?
Victory over England in round four was the highlight for France but a series of narrow defeats limited their impact on the championship. The disappointment of a 15-13 home defeat to Ireland was compounded by a 32-26 loss at Murrayfield and a 14-13 reverse in Cardiff as they finished fourth. France dropped a number of players after they were involved in an incident on a night out following the Scotland defeat.
What’s expected this year?
France are, as ever, difficult to predict but if they could convert some of those narrow defeats into victories, there is no reason why they could not put themselves in the mix at the top of the table.
? Photo officielle !#XVdeFrance #NeFaisonsXV pic.twitter.com/yunXI6Nv5e
— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) January 22, 2019
ENGLAND
Who’s in charge?
Eddie Jones came under pressure for the first time in his England tenure in 2018. The team were unbeatable in the first 17 matches of his time in charge but last year lost six of 12 Tests – they had only lost one of the previous 23 under Jones.
Jones has opted for joint-captains over recent times but will begin the championship with a solo skipper in the form of Owen Farrell, with Dylan Hartley having been ruled out of the opener against Ireland due to a knee injury.
Who’s the key man?
It is difficult to look beyond Farrell – a man who has spent most of his time as a centre under Jones and in a share of leadership with Hartley. The Saracens man was utilised at fly-half in November and, with the captaincy his for the time being, this could be Farrell’s chance to make both roles his own ahead of the World Cup.
What happened last year?
England’s disappointing 2018 kicked off with a shock fifth-place finish in the Six Nations – a championship that saw them beaten by Scotland, France and Ireland after they opened with wins against Italy and Wales. It was England’s worst performance since the 1987 Five Nations.
What’s expected this year?
An improvement at the very least. England will be underdogs for their opener against Ireland and how they fare in Dublin could set the tone for their campaign. France at home and a trip to Cardiff follow, so England are going to have to work hard for their points early in the championship.
Primed and ready to go ?
The countdown to the #GuinnessSixNations is ON ? #CarryThemHome ? pic.twitter.com/Qfn7Lkcpjg
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) January 23, 2019
ITALY
Who’s in charge?
Conor O’Shea’s time as Italy coach has failed to bring about much of an improvement in their Six Nations performances and he may be under pressure in 2019 to show the fruits of his three years at the helm.
Stalwart Sergio Parisse has been a fantastic servant to Italy over the years and at 35 years old, with 134 caps to his name, he remains the figurehead of the national team.
Who’s the key man?
Matteo Minozzi would have this category all tied up based on his breakthrough performance last year, but a serious knee injury has ruled out the full-back. His absence puts the pressure on Jayden Hayward or Edoardo Padovani to perform at 15.
What happened last year?
Italy’s defeat to Scotland in their final match of 2018 means they have lost their last 17 games in the championship, the joint longest such run in Five/Six Nations history, level with France who lost 17 matches in succession from 1911 to 1920. Italy’s run stretches back to 2015.
What’s expected this year?
With injuries to key players there appears little hope Italy can break their torrid run and avoid going a full World Cup cycle without winning a Six Nations fixture.
A year ago @Federugby were three minutes away from beating @Scotlandteam ?
Conor O'Shea wants to see his team rewarded for their efforts in the 2019 #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/bj6iT8v2aE
— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) January 25, 2019
Comments on RugbyPass
The Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig 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
3 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 comments