The round one Six Nations Injured XV
The 2023 Guinness Six Nations is all set to kick off in Cardiff on Saturday afternoon, with matches in London and Rome following over the course of the round one weekend. However, away from the action, spare a thought for this stellar list of Injured XV Six Nations players who won’t be playing:
Six Nations Injured XV
15. Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)
The Welsh veteran was chosen to start against Ireland having been named by Warren Gatland as the No15 on Tuesday. However, a back spasm ruled him out on Thursday, his place in the starting line-up instead going to Liam Williams. Elliot Daly is another absentee. The Saracens full-back seriously damaged a hamstring versus Edinburgh on January 22 and a 12-week rehab scuppered his selection in Steve Borthwick’s England squad.
14. Darcy Graham (Scotland)
Scored four tries in four Autumn Nations Series starts but hasn’t made the start line for Scotland’s Six Nations campaign due to a medial collateral ligament knee injury sustained in an early December club match for Edinburgh in the URC.
13. Henry Slade (England)
Call it bad karma. A red card sustained on Champions Cup duty for Exeter on January 14 in Pretoria could have seen him miss the start of the Six Nations through suspension. Instead, that harsh sending-off was rescinded at his disciplinary hearing, freeing him to play in the following weekend’s match versus Castres. It was here, though, that Slade picked up the hip injury that ruled him out of the England squad as the problem didn’t recover sufficiently in time.
12. Robbie Henshaw (Ireland)
It’s been an injury-hit season for the Irish midfielder, high-profile woe that began when a hamstring problem meant he had to surrender the No12 jersey to face South Africa the day before the game. He then pulled up lame in the opening minutes the following week versus Fiji and his winter soon went from bad to worse due to him needing a wrist operation. France’s Jonathan Danty is another marked absent this weekend following the New Year’s Eve knee injury sustained with La Rochelle.
11. Gabin Villiere (France)
The Toulon winger lit up last year’s French charge towards the Grand Slam, scoring four tries in his four starts, but that momentum has since hit the buffers with two ankle operations and a hand problem restricting him to just two games this term for his club and none with France. Encouragingly, that second appearance came just last weekend versus Pau, resulting in his immediate call-up to the France squad but he has since suffered another setback with the ankle.
10. Paolo Garbisi (Italy)
Italy named the out-half in their Six Nations in the hope that he would fully recover from the knee problem sustained in December with Montpellier, but it hasn’t come right in time and Tommaso Allan will wear No10 on Sunday in Rome.
9. Maxime Lucu (France)
The bench backup to Antoine Dupont during all five French matches in last year’s championship, he started the final match of their November series versus Japan. However, he has been injured since last month’s Bordeaux trip to the Durban-based Sharks in the Champions Cup.
1. Ivan Nemer (Italy)
The Italian prop isn’t an injury absentee but with the general health of looseheads across the Six Nations in good nick apart from France’s Jean-Baptiste Gros, we have improvised to fill this position and it goes to Nemer, the Benetton player who has been banned until the end of June for the racist secret Santa gift he gave in December to Cherif Traore, his club and country colleague.
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (England)
There are multiple names to pencil in here. Aside from Cowan-Dickie, whose ankle injury with Exeter last month ruled him out of the entire tournament, France backup Peato Mauvaka (hand) is also missing as is Ireland’s Ronan Kelleher (hamstring) and Wales’ Dewi Lake (knee).
3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland)
Much like his club and country colleague Henshaw, it has so far been a miserable injury-hit 2022/23 for the Irish tighthead who has suffered a sequence of setbacks. The latest – his calf – means he missed his team’s opener in Wales, with his position going to Finlay Bealham, an alternative who has only started four times in his 27-cap career.
4. Cameron Woki (France)
The lock has become so important to France in recent times, starting in all their big matches in 2021/2022 and also the recent Autumn Nations Series. However, a broken wrist sustained last month when playing for Racing versus Harlequins has now stopped that impressive run.
5. David Sisi (Italy)
The second row may no longer be a regular Italian starter, coming off the bench in five of his past six appearances, but he won’t be around to add ballast as a replacement in his team’s upcoming matches following December surgery in Wales on his right ankle following an injury when playing for Zebre.
'We are not talking that we need the place of Italy or Wales. We don’t need that. We need more good games'
It's a miracle Levan Maisashvili is alive. He tells @heagneyl ??? he's now desperate for @GeorgianRugby to get more games ahead of the #RWC2023 https://t.co/5nbZqEsJQ3
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 29, 2023
6. Courtney Lawes (England)
It has not been the best of times of late for Lawes. Concussion sidelined him from England’s four-game Autumn Nations Series and now a calf injury has ruled him out of the start of the Six Nations.
7. Tom Curry (England)
A hamstring tear sustained last month on Gallagher Premiership duty with Sale in London has sidelined the England back-rower until round three at a minimum, but there has been a silver lining as the injury opened the door for his twin brother Ben to be called up and he will start versus Scotland.
8. Toa Halafihi (Italy)
A starter in every Italian game in last year’s championship, he seriously damaged a hamstring when featuring as a sub in the November win over Australia.
Comments on RugbyPass
Oh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on the @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
2 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
2 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
7 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
26 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to comments