There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team', but here are five individuals who encapsulate the Women’s Six Nations so far
The fallow week has arrived, and the cursor pulsing on this blank Pages document feels unnecessarily intense and interrogative. It’s too soon to draw informed conclusions, but it’s equally inarguable that we’ve learned a fair bit already.
Ireland are playing with grit off a vastly more robust platform, the Red Roses are on a journey from mauling mastery to winsome width, and the fairy godmother of momentum has transformed Scotland’s pumpkin of a 2022 into a galloping horse-drawn carriage. The stories are emerging.
‘Five Things We’ve Learned from the Opening Rounds of the 2024 Women’s Six Nations’ has been done, is being done as I type, and will be done again before we kick on with the championship, so – in a bid to put a slight (read: dubious) twist on that tried-and-tested classic of a listicle, here’s a player from each nation whose contribution so far encapsulates their team’s campaign.
England – Meg Jones
The mesmeric supernova of a centre is one of a throng of genuinely world-class midfielders vying for John Mitchell’s attention. My first thought when I saw his selection for Parma was ‘No one needs that many playmakers…’, and he acknowledged when we spoke last week that he’s got a real job on his hands figuring out what to do with this particular abundance of riches.
The Cardiff-born firecracker was top for carries, offloads, and dominant tackles against Wales – and only Connie Powell, who’s currently stuck on her ‘stampede’ setting – beat more defenders. She then proved her versatility when Zoe Harrison came on by gliding to fullback, and nabbed a try assist in between the countless occasions when she rolled up her sleeves and did the less glamorous stuff.
Jones typifies both England’s strength and what could prove their Achilles heel by being so fantastic: they need to figure out their best team in time for Bordeaux, and give them opportunities to gel, but that’s going to be tough when there are so many combinations available.
If you spot Mitchell whipping out his tiny violin – stop him, please: it’s a nice headache to have.
France – Lina Queyroi
The fly-half currently perches second in the points-scoring stakes, which is also where her team are situated in the standings – and where you find Les Bleues for so many key metrics.
Pauline Bourdon Sansus remains their attacking fulcrum, but it will be fascinating to follow the startlingly-talented Queyroi’s journey in that ten jersey – one occupied by Caroline Drouin in 2022, and then Carla Arbez last year. Could the Blagnac standoff be the one to guide them back to the summit of the podium? Or into a World Cup final?
At just 22, she’s a shade younger than the average member of this fresh-faced squad – 24 years old – but boasts a dazzling skillset already, as do many of her sprightly contemporaries. Élisa Riffoneau, Kelly Arbey, and Assia Khalfaoui are all happily hurtling towards ‘household name’ territory, and the whole side’s led by a captain predated by the Millennium Dome…
They’re playing wide this championship – getting the ball through the hands and offloading wherever possible. 34 against Ireland. 19 versus the Scots.
As the jouez jouez snaps, crackles, and pops, the errors rack up – but they nail more than they butcher, and Queyroi’s more than happy to go to the boot when required. She’s racked up 600 metres from 20 efforts, and slotted seven of her nine off the tee.
France aren’t playing the velvety, assured stuff we’ve grown accustomed to, but the ingredients are all there, and – with an extra week’s honing before they host Italy – you suspect they’ll be purring again soon.
Italy – Beatrice Rigoni
This column loves Rigoni – we all do – but she’s the choice here because of her mixed performances, rather than her pick-and-mix.
Against Ireland, she missed a third of her tackles and conceded four turnovers – including a fingertip fumble with the whitewash at her mercy – whilst contributing a try assist and seven points off the tee.
It had been a very similar story against the Red Roses – where her through-the-legs pop pass cost the Azzurri possession, but she also consistently kept the defending champions’ heads swivelling and bodies fixed.
Opening your campaign against England is like being told at the first class of your beginners’ tightrope walking course that you’ll be doing this particular lesson without a safety net: it’s a hideous amount of pressure under which to find form, and the conclusion is both foregone and grisly. Italy rattled the Roses, but being shut out by 14 women at home isn’t good enough – and their performance in Cork needed to be better.
Elements were, as they kept things pragmatic in pursuit of a vital result, but they still let Ireland back into the game on several occasions, and needed a valiant final defensive set to notch their first win.
Like Rigoni: bits to applaud, but plenty to tighten.
Scotland – Emma Orr
If you don’t enjoy watching Orr play, then there’s no hope for you, I’m afraid. Please see yourself out. She’s an arch predator in the midfield – combining fearsome athleticism with a level head and eye for a gap – and so much of what she touches blossoms for the Thistles.
Critically, she’s won seven of her 15 test matches, and is probably less excited by that than any of us. In her eyes, why wouldn’t Scotland win seven on the spin?
Why not conquer Cardiff before giving Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz grey hairs the following week? As far as Orr is concerned, or Elliann Clarke or Meryl Smith, Scotland are contenders whenever they lace up – and that twelve-game losing streak is old, old news.
The centre perfectly embodies their newfound self-belief, but that’s not the fearlessness of youth: it’s the gutsy self-assuredness and wholehearted relish of a team in their best-ever spot.
Ireland – Neve Jones
Worker ants can carry up to 50 times their own body weight, and only require 60-second naps in between their relentless shifts. Ireland’s hooker is eerily similar to this – only the pint-sized wrecking ball’s never been caught napping.
She’s played every minute so far, notching: a try, 35 tackles (five dominant), 19 carries, an eye-watering 61 ruck arrivals, and a breakdown steal for good measure.
She’s a ballistic bundle of nouse and energy – the sort of player you can build an entire squad around – and it’s the all-court nature of her two performances which have got her selected here, because Ireland are playing with a robustness we just didn’t see last year.
They’re scrapping, and scrapping well, for territory, possession, and points over the full 80 – whilst maintaining peerless discipline and scoring through a variety of sources. Their set piece needs work, but there’s so much they can hang their hat on – from Dannah O’Brien’s faultless place kicking to their crisp work around and from the ruck, and their seriously impressive tackle busting.
You don’t need to spend long perusing the numbers to see that Ireland are, in every department, hustling incredibly hard, and proving competitive as a result.
Wales – Bethan Lewis
Whilst you’re knee-deep in said stats, you’ll come across this Welsh back rower’s name with stunning regularity. Bethan Lewis is a magnet for line-out ball (stolen or otherwise), pilferable possession on the floor, and exposed ribs in open play – but it’s the name we’re not saying which is the most revealing here.
Sioned Harries terrorised opponents to great effect over four World Cups, but – and I say this with the greatest of respect to the talismanic menace – I’ve mentioned her retirement on-air just once in 2024, because Lewis has been so titanic at the base of those crimson scrums in her stead.
Similarly – Lleucu George hasn’t had the perfect tournament, and is still growing into that fly-half jersey – but she’s more than holding her own since El Snowsill stepped away from the programme. Ioan Cunningham will want Ffion Lewis back as soon as possible, but not because teenager Sian Jones isn’t up to the job of keeping Keira Bevan on her toes, or starting against England in front of almost 20,000 fans.
Competition in his squad has never been more ferocious – just look at how Georgia Evans made her point upon entering the fray in Cardiff, or Alisha Butchers’ arrival on-field at Ashton Gate, which was like something from ‘The Last of Us’.
And yet – despite the youngsters pulling up trees, the host of Premiership stars replicating club form in feathered jerseys, and Wales’ newfound ability to stay on the right side of referees (less than ten penalties a game and no cards..? Breakthrough!) – they’re bottom of the log and winless. That third-round clash with Ireland will be colossal, and one of the defining fixtures of these sides’ campaigns.
Two played. Three to go. Five players who give a sense of the status quo. Thanks for stopping by.
Comments on RugbyPass
Love watching
1 Go to commentsThe Melbourne Rebels lineout is a complete disaster so not surprisingly a kiwi coach of the Wallabies hires the worst lineout coach in the country and a foreigner to boot. No surprises whatsoever here…….
3 Go to commentsThank your for wasting 2 minutes of my life Daniel. There is a useful message in there somewhere but your delivery sucks.
7 Go to commentsBen Smith, you are cry baby
214 Go to commentsSux that homophobia is still a thing though. I wonder how many players who could have become legends never kept playing rugby because they felt unwelcome.
7 Go to commentsCrazy he’s only 28, feel like he’s been around forever - don’t mind the move, safe pair of hands and creates depth in a thin position for ABs. Hopefully aides Kemara’s growth also without thrusting too much responsibility on him
1 Go to commentsMen should show strength and be mean, but they should be able to show emotion to those close yo them in certain times, birth of your child, death of family, proud moment. This article is stupid
7 Go to commentsWhat a weak article…absolute drivel and clickbait, well done. Will stick to rugby365 thanks
7 Go to commentsHonest, discipline, humility… Priceless.
2 Go to commentsSo many excuses. No mention of the SA number 2 being taken out illegally in the 2nd minute. That act of foul play had a massive impact on the SA game. Face it, NZ play pretty dirty very regularly, and it’s only since 2016 they’ve been held to higher officiating standards via stricter officiating and TMO reviews. They deserved to have a man down. Sorry. Fix the yellow and red cards and NZ will win more RWCs. Plus, there WAS a knock on invalidating the one try, so it was NOT a try. Period. Here’s a Kleenex…
214 Go to commentsOverheard conversation between NZ and SA rugby fans everywhere: We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! We’re the greatest! No we’re the greatest! Ireland are arrogant! True but they beat you! We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! Etc. etc, etc.
33 Go to commentsTypical crap Aussie weather
11 Go to comments“If they’d have beaten England, I still feel we would have been talking ‘is this the best team ever,’ ‘is this the best team that’s ever played in the Six Nations'” he said. “I still think they’re not quite that good. I actually don’t think they’re that good.” So Trimble is saying he doesn’t think this is the best 6N team of all time. He is silent on if it is the best Irish team of all time. Can’t disagree with him. Just another misrepresentative clickbait headline from the guys at RP.
33 Go to commentsWow, do we really still have to listen to all the excuses and “unfairness” of it all. Even blaming the bounce of an egg shaped ball for the loss. But the article is about context, so what about the Springboks having to play the other 5 teams in the top 6 and still beating a comparatively rested AB team on a very empty tank.
214 Go to comments“Teams would generally have three coaches below their head honcho; attack coach, defence coach, forwards coach” do they? I’m not sure what the NZ set up is tbh, but the other 4 sides top 5 sides all have very different structures to the one outlined in the article! As well as attack, defence, and forwards coaches, SA, Ireland, and France also have specialist scrum coaches. England have a specialist scrum coach too, but arguably don’t have a forwards coach, with that role taken on by Borthwick. SA also have a backs coach in addition to defence and attack, and Ireland and England have fitness coaches, with England also having two skills coaches.
3 Go to commentsWorst article I've read in a while. Trying to disguise a backhand slap as a compliment. The whole article is a bit weird and negative. I think South African men are emotional in general… think Clad le Clos’s father 2012 London Olympics.
7 Go to commentsIreland are going to win the world cup.
33 Go to commentsIt was the strangest result ever. Etzebeth should've been yellow card for his cynical retiring move and a penalty try. Birth second half tries by the Allblacks were fantastic and the TMO operating outside the law to rule out the first try was egregious. Yes, the boks got the win but it was through some bizarre officiating that allowed them to sneak home against 14 men that dominated them. The quieter Bok supporters know and acknowledge the Allblacks were the better and dominant side. Justifying the win because they beat a pre world cup Allblacks selection is silly.
214 Go to commentsA very English thing to do hey Courtney, blerrie kant
4 Go to commentsIt sounds like Andrew is trying to convince himself or has just lost all perspective. The team did look jaded for the last couple of games of the six nations but a few things were wrong there. Italy tackled their hearts out and made Ireland work hard for every try. Outsmarted by Scotland? Huh? Ireland got held up over the line about 4 times. Scotland did nothing on attack the whole game other than one breakaway near the end. A recharge and reset is needed which they hopefully will have had before the SA your.
33 Go to comments