What have we learnt from the 2022 TikTok Women's Six Nations so far?
We have seen over half of the 2022 TikTok Women’s Six Nations fly past, but what have we learnt from the opening three rounds?
1. Match day attendances
First things first, we have learnt that when women’s rugby is placed around the country, in appropriate stadiums and with the correct marketing and promotion, people show up in their thousands to watch it. Attendance records have tumbled throughout rounds 1, 2 and 3. Firstly in round 1, Scotland saw their home attendance record broken with 3,988 in the crowd at DAM Health Stadium as did Ireland with 6,113 showing up to watch Ireland’s first home fixture against Wales.
In round 2 Wales enjoyed the same result with over 4,875 filling Cardiff Arms Park, a record for a women’s game in Wales and who can forget the crowds France and England have attracted with over 11,000 supporters watching Les Blues defeat Ireland in round 2 in Toulouse and a record 14,689 audience for a standalone Red Roses home fixture cheering England on against Wales at Kingsholm last Saturday.
In contrast, the measly 1,700 watching Italy’s game against England in Parma shows the direct impact little to no promotion can have on the numbers of bums on seats and the match day atmosphere.
This is women’s international rugby, as it should be ??#TikTokW6N pic.twitter.com/zFAZMynxru
— Nicol McClelland (@NMcLemon) April 9, 2022
2. If you don’t play regular international Test rugby, your performance suffers
Case and point for this has to be the Italians in this year’s championship with zero wins from three, as if we didn’t need any more evidence after the Black Ferns returned winless from their northern tour in the autumn. If you don’t test your players regularly on the international stage against real life opposition, then other teams will overtake you as has been displayed by Italy’s dismal campaign.
A team who played with few unforced errors and fluidity during the World Cup qualifiers in September have not played together since, and you can tell. With no Autumn Tests arranged, the Azzurre were barely competitive against France or England in round 1 and 2 (hence the score lines) and were altogether very flat at the weekend against Ireland. Even with the great Beatrice Rigoni and Melissa Bettoni being in-form, the Italians have only scored one try so far this championship.
3. Professionalism talks
As talked about in Charlie Willett’s recent column, the introduction of full time and retainer contracts has had no end of impact on the Wales squad both physically and mentally. Their skills, physicality, fitness and mental approach to the game have all taken a step up from their winless championship last year.
They gave England a real run for their money in the opening quarter of the game at Kingsholm with players such as Kayleigh Powell shining and matching their opposition numbers. However, the gap between three months of professionalism and three years is vast and the Red Roses are still streaks ahead in terms of the way they want to play the game, their cohesiveness, set piece, kicking and pretty much everything else on the pitch.
4. The benefit of an improved kicking game
The kicking in women’s rugby has not always been of a standard to take up much airtime, with England’s Katy Daly-Mclean, Emily Scarratt and Zoe Harrison plus France’s Pauline Bourdon and Jessy Tremouliere leading the way in recent years.
However, in this year’s tournament despite some room for improvement, we have seen more varied kicking and the tactical advantage it can bring when executed well. Take for example Stacey Flood’s kicking in Ireland’s game against Italy. The sevens player is arguably the best player in the country at the moment with 17 kicks from hand on Sunday turning the Italian backs inside out, having to guess what she would do next.
Glad this one came off ?? https://t.co/GPYIynycGP
— Kathryn Dane (@KathrynDane2) April 12, 2022
Scrum-half Kathryn Dane’s box kick also created Eve Higgins’ try of the round just after half-time. We also saw the in-form scrum-half Laure Sansus with a brilliant individual score from a chip over the top of Scotland’s defence for France’s first try of the afternoon at Scotstoun and some delicious touch line conversions and 50:22’s from fly-half Tremouliere.
? The Queen of the 50:22
What a half of rugby by @JessTremouliere! ? pic.twitter.com/rhFrXRwdUl
— Guinness Women's Six Nations (@Womens6Nations) April 10, 2022
5. Entertainment factor…still to be decided
As mentioned in Ali Donnelly’s recent tweet, despite the encouraging signs of record match attendances, TikTok coming on board as a title partner and the growing professionalism of teams involved in the tournament, this year’s Six Nations matches have failed to really get the juices flowing, apart from Wales’ comebacks against Ireland and Scotland.
For all the good stuff around this year's @Womens6Nations – cash, crowds, coverage all so so good – the quality of the competition hasn't, well, felt that great? Eng apart, so many errors, poor kicking, stop start games. I hate to be that person, but it's not been great fare?
— Ali Donnelly (@AliDonnelly) April 10, 2022
The rest of the games, despite seeing some moments of individual brilliance and some awesome team tries, have been somewhat lacking in standard and competition, with the pièce de résistance undoubtedly the final weekend in Bayonne when England come to France for what is sure to be the Grand Slam decider.
Overall, the game and the tournament is moving forwards and hopefully the remaining matches will conjure up some increasingly thrilling rugby.
Comments on RugbyPass
In the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getitng to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
5 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
7 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
5 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
7 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
7 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
18 Go to comments