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Under the radar stars - 7 players to watch in 2019 Six Nations

By Alex Shaw
Rory Best of Ireland and Stuart McInally of Scotland during the Six Nations Championship match between Ireland and Scotland at Aviva Stadium. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

The 2019 Guinness Six Nations is rapidly approaching, with France gearing up to host Wales, Italy preparing for a trip to Scotland and reigning champions Ireland hoping to get off to the perfect start at home to England.

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As if it needed it, there is also a Rugby World Cup looming later in the year, only further adding to the interest and intrigue of this year’s competition.

We have taken a look at seven players, with at least one from each of the competing nations, who are perhaps not always talked up as vital to their team’s chances of success, but who we think could be critical to their upcoming campaigns. Call them under the radar or call them unsung heroes, this septet will be well worth watching over the coming weeks.

Tom Curry, England

The perennial problem for England since their triumph at the 2003 RWC, or at least the most noticeable one, has been the breakdown. It’s not always a lack of ability to steal the ball or provide quick service, but it is regularly an area of the pitch where England cough up penalties, particularly early in a Six Nations championship.

Now, Curry alone does not solve that issue, but he will be expected to be a work horse for England in that area, taking on roles as a primary fetcher and one of the main contributors to ball-security when his side are on the attack. If he can work the contact area cleanly on both sides of the ball, that is going to help England to implement their game plan and not waste opportunities to score through indiscipline or, equally, provide scoring opportunities to the opposition on a silver platter. The omens are good, with his jackal rating of 90 on the RPI – the highest of any Premiership player – whilst his tackle turnover rating of 85 is second only to Thomas Young’s mark of 86.

Beyond that, England have brought in John Mitchell as defence coach, with the New Zealander well-known for his ability to produce defences that can hurt teams with turnovers and then launch into transition rugby, hopefully exploiting an opposition that are not set up to defend. If Curry can provide England with a moment or two like that in a game, then he has teammates in Owen Farrell, Elliot Daly and Jonathan Joseph that are particularly adept at seeing what’s on and clinically executing.

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Julien Marchand, France

Opting for the man who will likely be France’s replacement hooker might seem odd, but that is a mark of his form with Toulouse, as well as Les Bleus’ inability to see out games and often struggle in the final 20 minutes. In fact, his RPI of 87 makes him the highest ranked hooker in the Top 14.

In Marchand, France have a deputy for Guilhem Guirado who should be able to take the field and keep the set-piece ticking over efficiently, provide energy in the loose and not diminish France’s ability to break the gain-line in attack and hold it in defence, as well as operating as another talisman on the pitch, with the 23-year-old well-versed in leadership from his role as captain at Toulouse.

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There is no reason why he cannot provide a similar dynamic for France as the one Jamie George brought to England, particularly in the first two seasons of Eddie Jones’ tenure, when Dylan Hartley was firmly ensconced as the starting hooker. If Marchand can take that ability he shows week in, week out at Toulouse and put it on the pitch for France, helping them chase or see out games after Guirado has given everything he can, then he could help swing some of those narrow losses in France’s favour.

Jacob Stockdale, Ireland

It’s all well and good talking about the dark arts of the front row or the intricacies of the breakdown and how they can swing matches if not managed well, but ultimately, in this day and age, tries tend to win matches. Sometimes we do not put enough value on players who simply have a knack for getting over the whitewash.

In Stockdale, Ireland have arguably the most threatening offensive wing currently playing in northern hemisphere rugby. Outside a back line that will be managed by Johnny Sexton and spelled by Joey Carbery, boasting the threats of Bundee Aki, Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose in some combination in the midfield, Stockdale could feast this year. Throw into the mix that he not only influences the game offensively as an option to pass to out wide, but also as a target for cross-field kicks and an opportunistic defender who can read the game and intercept, and he should be pre-tournament favourite to top the try scorers list.

Having the ultra-reliable Rob Kearney in at full-back also gives the Ulsterman a little bit more freedom to play instinctively and track the ball, allowing him to have full impact on attack. He’s still learning his trade at the highest level, so there will be times when he is exposed defensively, but the sheer array of ways he offers to get over the try line could be decisive for Ireland this season.

Braam Steyn, Italy

Seemingly as ever with Italy, if they stand and trade punches with the other sides in the competition, they are probably going to struggle. If they can break the gain-line, however, and keep opposition sides on the back-foot and scrambling, they have a chance of causing upsets.

With Sergio Parisse turning 35 this season, he simply isn’t able to carry the load in the same way he used to for the Azzurri. As such, there will be more onus on Steyn to get Italy over that gain-line and allow them to start playing behind the defensive line of opposition sides. He has been in good form for Benetton this season and a key contributor to their lofty position of 3rd in Conference B, placing them above both the Scarlets and Ulster in the Guinness PRO14.

Steyn will need help from his teammates, with Dean Budd, Tommaso Costello and, of course, Parisse among those that will have to chip in, but Steyn could well face the bulk of the heavy-duty work, ball in hand, so he should be influential in any success that Italy can achieve this year.

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Watch: RugbyPass talks to Sergio Parisse, Greig Laidlaw and Guilhem Guirado

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Stuart McInally, Scotland

The Edinburgh hooker has been in unfailingly good form at club level, helping spearhead his club’s European campaign that has resulted in a home quarter-final to be played against Munster in March.

McInally’s lineout work has been superb, with Edinburgh winning more lineouts than any other side in the Heineken Champions Cup this season, and his chemistry with Ben Toolis in particular has seemed to be almost telepathic. It has been so impressive that his lineout score of 89 on the RPI is only matched among Six Nations hooker by England’s George, with both set to battle it out for the ultimate hooking crown over the coming weeks. McInally will be missing the extremely impressive Pierre Schoeman under his left arm over the next couple of months, but he will have WP Nel under his right, something which should help maintain that set-piece consistency from Edinburgh.

If McInally, alongside Nel, Toolis and non-Edinburgh players such as Jonny Gray and Sam Skinner, can recreate that set-piece efficiency at international level that he has boasted in Europe and domestically, then Scotland will become an even more formidable challenge than they already are. A strong platform like that and three home fixtures could make for a successful Six Nations for head coach Gregor Townsend.

Gareth Davies and Tomos Williams, Wales

These are two exceptionally-gifted scrum-halves who although still considered ‘pass-first’ players due to the demands of the position, are as a close as you are going to get to a pair of ‘run-first’ half-backs.

Davies has been there and done it at the Six Nations level and shown a slightly more measured game, with an ability to control the tempo and know when to play and when not to play, but this is fairly new ground for Williams. The 24-year-old is going to have things asked of him over the next two months that he has not frequently been doing for Cardiff Blues and how he adapts to that, whilst not shedding the skills and proclivities that make him the scrum-half he is, will have a considerable influence on how Wales go in the tournament.

That all said, in Davies and Williams Wales have two of the most exciting and electric scrum-halves in the game. If Warren Gatland’s side start to push the tempo, and they have the ball-carriers and contact area specialists to do that, then a two-headed monster at the position like Davies and Williams could cut defences to shreds, even well-drilled international ones like those that they’ll face. If they are given an inch, this pair will take a yard.

Watch: Warren Gatland open to coaching opportunities in Super Rugby

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Trevor 2 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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