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The favourites to win the Six Nations

By Online Editors
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

The Guinness Six Nations Championship has a cherished and permanent place on rugby union’s global landscape.

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But as the European game’s blue riband tournament prepares for its 2020 edition, there is also an exciting new feel to it.

It might be barely 10 months since Wales signed, sealed and delivered a dream farewell gift to departing head coach Warren Gatland in the form of a Grand Slam, yet so much has changed.

The turnaround in coaches is such that only England boss Eddie Jones and Scotland’s Gregor Townsend remain in their positions from last season’s Six Nations showpiece.

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WATCH: Head coach Eddie Jones and captain Owen Farrell hold a press conference in London ahead of the start of the Six Nations tournament.

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Gatland’s prodigious 12-year Wales reign came to an end after the World Cup in Japan, as did that of his fellow New Zealander Joe Schmidt, who left the Ireland job.

Add Conor O’Shea’s departure from Italy and Jacques Brunel stepping down in France, and this year’s competition promises to be a whole new ball game.

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Wales have entrusted life after Gatland with another New Zealander – former Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac – while Andy Farrell has been promoted from within to succeed Schmidt, Fabien Gathie has the reins in France, where ex-Wales defence guru Shaun Edwards is among his assistants, and South African Franco Smith leads Italy.

All the newcomers will be looking to make an immediate impression following contrasting World Cup campaigns, and it is what gives the tournament’s 21st staging a fresh dimension.

England, unsurprisingly given their status as 2019 World Cup runners-up, are firm favourites with the bookmakers.

It is something they are afforded pretty much for every Six Nations, although the last nine years of championship action have produced an equal three-way split in title terms between England, Wales and Ireland.

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England’s demolition of World Cup semi-final opponents New Zealand three months ago underlined what a force they can be, and despite being overpowered by South Africa a week later, Jones’ men arrive on the Six Nations stage accompanied by familiar expectation levels.

Two of their main rivals – Ireland and Wales – will be faced at Twickenham, and if England emerge unscathed from two early February away days in Paris and Edinburgh, then they could take some stopping.

But imagining the competition as one that might merely be England’s to lose, blissfully ignores claims of others – Wales, especially.

Pivac is a rookie in Test match terms, yet a five-year stint at the Scarlets underlined an attacking rugby mantra that is illustrated by his first Six Nations squad.

World Cup top try-scorer Josh Adams leads an armoury of game-breakers, and while Wales will miss injured midfield talisman Jonathan Davies’ presence, they are strengthened by scrum-half Rhys Webb’s recall and fit-again number eight Taulupe Faletau returning after injury.

In addition to a new head coach, Ireland have a change of captain, with fly-half Johnny Sexton taking over from the retired Rory Best.

An injury-free and fully firing Sexton enhances any team he plays in, and Farrell can call on a sizeable contingent of Leinster stars – Sexton included – that marched imperiously through the European Champions Cup pool stages as unbeaten top seeds.

France’s Six Nations campaign, meanwhile, could stand or fall on the outcome of their opener against England.

Les Bleus have only beaten England twice in the last eight Six Nations meetings, but a win on home soil following Galthie’s strong injection of youthful talent would ignite French revival hopes, whereas under Galthie’s predecessor Brunel, ordinary performances became the norm.

Ireland and France both made World Cup quarter-final exits, but Scotland did not get that far, crashing out at the pool stage when Japan defeated them in Yokohama.

Townsend has turned to full-back Stuart Hogg – Scotland’s biggest single attacking threat – to lead the side, yet a lack of consistency remains an issue, and they could find themselves in a scrap with Italy to avoid collecting the wooden spoon.

PA

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J
Jon 5 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

32 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

32 Go to comments
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