Who are the Women's Six Nations Ones to Watch?
With the TikTok Women’s Six Nations kicking off on Saturday in its own window from the men’s tournament and back to the usual round-robin style of five matches, we speak to former England wing and rugby pundit Kat Merchant about her predictions for the championship.
England:
I can’t see England coming away with anything other than a Grand Slam win. They were outstanding in the New Zealand Tests back in November. France were also on form, also beating the black Ferns but England were missing some big names in that campaign, so will be boosted by the return of players such as Vicky Fleetwood and Emily Scarratt, who is such a big name player.
Ones to watch:
Holly Aitchison has really stepped up in the absence of Scarratt and shown she has what it takes to perform internationally so I’m excited to see what she can add with experienced players around her in this championship.
World Player of the Year Zoe Aldcroft has to be another one to watch- she’s an incredible athlete and is dominating at club level for Gloucester-Hartpury. She can do the dog work as well as the flair play.
As far as uncapped players to keep an eye on, Ella Wyras has been carving up at Saracens where she plays her club rugby- making line breaks and providing great speed of ball so I’m excited to see what she can bring on the international stage when she has the chance.
Who will provide England’s biggest challenge?
France without a doubt. France in France is always a big ask- they are a multi-threat team, have a dangerous pack and have skilful and fast backs to complement their physicality. It will likely all come down to that final weekend when England travel to Stade Jean Dauger in Bayonne.
France:
I think France will come second. They are very much on form but England will edge it as long as they keep their composure.
France do have a point to prove not having held the Six Nations crown since 2018, and their performances against world champions New Zealand will have boosted their confidence. They will also be raring to have a big game against England in the World Cup year to see where they are at.
Ones to watch:
Caroline Drouin is an incredibly exciting player to watch. She runs the game tactically well whilst having the ability to change the tempo. She’s a running, passing and kicking threat and has the calm composure to add points from the kicking tee. Any advantage plays and rest assured she’ll be pulling out the crossfield kicks to the dangerous French back three.
Romaine Menager is another to keep a watch for. The flanker had a while out with concussions and wasn’t her usual self in the Autumns so I expect her to be back in fighting form this Six Nations- she is a world-class player!
Wales:
Talking points for this team obviously include the new professional contracts which is huge for Wales. I don’t think they will have had enough time together for it to take immediate effect, but more time together will enable them to be more clinical. Bristol Bears are doing fantastically in the Premier 15’s this year and are boosted by their six full-time Welsh players.
Ones to watch:
You can’t go too far without mentioning Jasmine Joyce, the Team GB sevens flyer is always a threat to any defensive line. Give her an inch of space and she’ll make ground if not score!
Alisha Butchers, another Bristol player, is a young back row player who is really making her mark and could be key in getting her team turnovers.
Ireland:
Ireland have had a tough few years. We’ve seen the battles they have had to put up with on and off the pitch and I fear they have fallen behind the other nations.
They have a new head coach in Greg McWilliams and as they didn’t qualify for the World Cup they can focus on development for this tournament. They have picked nine uncapped players and in some ways, this is a great opportunity to play with little expectation on their shoulders. However, I think realistically the lack of experience within the side might catch them out.
Ones to watch:
Another winger to watch is Beibhinn Parsons, the 20-year-old already has seven Six Nations tries to her name, has raw speed and power and always makes metres with ball in hand.
Scotland:
Watching Scotland over the years I’ve really seen them develop as a team. They are much more competitive now- drawing with France last year was massive for them and actually, they could easily have won that game. They are a brave team and with World Cup qualification under their belts, will definitely be wanting to have their highest ever finish this year.
Ones to watch:
Jade Konkel is unreal. The number eight is a real powerhouse and awesome defender. She also brings a clam and experienced head whenever she steps on the pitch for Scotland. Lisa Thomson is an immensely strong player. The centre is a threat as a ball carrier but also a unit in defence.
Italy:
Italy are one of the most exciting teams to watch. They are known for playing at high tempo and having a relentless defence. Fitness is an area for Italy as they put in huge shifts for 60 minutes but fall short in the last 20. Their results can sometimes be inconsistent, but they have a vastly experienced squad this year and will want to have tough games ahead of the World Cup.
Ones to watch:
In the centres Beatrice Rigoni and Michela Sillari are both fantastic defenders. Ilaria Bettoni at hooker is also a standout player and definitely one to watch.
Comments on RugbyPass
Wasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
30 Go to comments