Ireland and France will be considered leaders of the Six Nations. Photo: User Image
Every four years, the Six Nations after the World Cup brings a sense of renewal and added excitement, as well as intrigue as to how each team will play. Here's a tactical question for each side heading into this tournament.
England: How will they rebalance the Lawless deck?
Steve Borthwick is looking to add nuance to England's game and it's safe to assume that attacking ability is at the top of the list. He emphasized that his first year as head coach laid the foundation on which to build. England managed 13 tries during last year's Six Nations tournament, a figure surpassed only by Wales (11) and Italy (nine). However, their number of breaks per game was last. Each person's average score topped England's pathetic mark of 3.2, according to Stats Perform. Ireland led the way with a score of 7.8. Andrew Strawbridge's influence on England's attack will be as impressive as Felix Jones's on defence.
To give this attack a chance, Borthwick knows he needs to assemble a balanced and combative team. And of his senior absentees, the one that will likely need the most effort is replacing Courtney Laws. Lawes, now in the best form of his career, started 21 of England's 47 Tests between the start of 2020 and the end of 2023 at blindside flanker. Lewis Ludlum (9), Tom Curry (5), Mark Wilson (4), Lewis Ludlow (2) and Sam Simmonds (1) also appeared there. These five have dropped out for various reasons, although Maro Itoje (4) and Alex Coles (1) are in the current squad.
Options in the back five have been further reduced by injury and illness, with George Martin and Nick Ishikwe missing the starting line-up in Italy. Coles could join Itoha and Ollie Chessum in the starting line-up if Borthwick wants to retain one 'hybrid' forward to strengthen the squad. Seven of England's 13 tries in the 2023 Six Nations came from lineouts and their success rate of 92 per cent of their own shots was the cleanest of the tournament.
Alex Coles could offer England versatility as a 'hybrid'. forward in the back row. Photo: Getty Images/David Rogers
Ethan Roots complements Ben Earl perfectly and is a renowned jumper for Exeter Chiefs. Tom Pearson developed his lineout skills and could switch from open play, although he only started at blindside flanker twice in his professional career. Chandler Cunningham-South, another player with intriguing potential, could be a bust. Traditionally, games against Italy have been an opportunity to experiment. But winning is vital and Borthwick will not want to compromise the consistency of standard that has characterized England's 2023 squad. With Joe Marler, Jamie George and Dan Cole likely to feature for significant periods of time, England need plenty of mobility elsewhere.
It is impossible to simply select a similar replacement for Courtney Lawes. Borthwick can only strive to ensure that the assets Laws added — lineout jumping, break-ins, dominant tackling, gain-line passes — are adopted by others.
France: Can they copy and paste Bordeaux's brilliance?
Inevitably, the narrative of the Six Nations has revolved around players who will miss the tournament for a variety of reasons: retirement, injury, the NFL and the Olympics. As the sport's brightest star, Antoine Dupont casts a large shadow. Fabien Galthier, however, stressed that France is ready for its top half of the scrum to take a sabbatical for sevens.
France has a pool of players of enviable depth and quality. But the loss of their advanced midfielders, Dupont and Romain Ntamack, will undoubtedly force them to take advantage of the existing cohesion that has been described as the main strength of Ireland's provincial system. This would mean a back line led by Maxime Lucoux and Mathieu Jalibert, with Damian Penaud and Louis Biel-Biare on both flanks. All four are Union Bordeaux Begles colleagues who play superbly.
As the likes of Eddie Jones lament, most teams these days look very similar. It's difficult to create something truly new. Bordeaux boast strong, explosive athletes who are free to counter-attack when the opportunity arises. In four pool games in the Champions Cup, they scored 26 tries and 172 points, averaging 8.5 breaks per game (second highest in the competition), 10.8 disposals (third) and 563 escapes (fourth), according to Stats Perform. Penaud's first try in the 55-15 demolition of Saracens, sparked by Jalibert's deep, sweeping passes and dancing legs, was charming and archetypally French:
There were also non-standard moments. Noel McNamara, who previously oversaw the Republic of Ireland age-group team and credits Joe Schmidt as a major influence, is Bordeaux's attack coach and one difficult hitting game against the Bristol Bears in particular caught the eye. In a scrum not far from the opponent 22, Lucou passed the ball to Jalibert. The latter passed to Yoram Moefana and rounded his inside center, but it was a decoy. Penaud got ahead of Jalibert and made a late pass, broke through the center and set up Biel-Biare:
The squad reduction, which included Biel-Biare, also almost baffled Saracens. In short, the Bordeaux team will give Patrick Arlettas, Galtier's new attack coach, plenty to work with. Luku may not be able to bounce off rucks or avoid three tackles, but he is an excellent linker. His confident kicking will add up to the vital — and perhaps underrated — stat Dupont's boot has brought to France. Jalibert, still 25 years old, has his best years ahead of him. Peno is already a rock star. Bielle-Biaray will be better after the difficult experience of the World Cup quarter-finals when South Africa chased him in the air. Moefana is so good that he could destroy the midfield partnership of Jonathan Danti and Gael Fickou. Galtier is believed to be considering him as a striker instead of Biel-Biare. Antidote to DuPont? Be bigger than Bordeaux.
Ireland: can they replace Mac Hansen's influence?
Steve Borthwick only needs to look to Ireland to confirm the value he places on the corridor. The area, which had been shaky for some time, ended up costing Andy Farrell's men last year. They lost two shots of their own in a thrilling World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand and failed to convert a maul chance in the 70th minute, with Jordie Barrett somehow preventing Ronan Kelleher from touching down.
Farrell has his own headaches with the back five, while Joe McCarthy and Ryan Baird are struggling to disrupt the established order. Looking back at the World Cup quarter-final loss, it's easy to forget that Mack Hansen limped off in the 56th minute. As they laid siege to the All Blacks during a nervy final, Ireland would have been more dangerous from their wandering right flank. Hansen, a playmaker with quick pace and passing ability, was extremely instrumental in the success of Farrell's multi-faceted phase attack.
During last season's Six Nations, when Ireland won the Grand Slam, he made 1.4 line breaks per 80 minutes, according to Stats Perform. Only two players, Finn Russell (2.25 assists per 80 minutes) and Romain Ntamack (1.53), were more productive. At Murrayfield in the fourth round, Ireland found themselves in a decidedly awkward situation as injuries decimated their starting line-up. Closer to the hour mark, having already scored himself a goal in the first half, Hansen walked up to the first receiver and sent a thin dummy towards Hugo Keenan before sending Jack Conan wide with a pass:
Individually, losing Hansen for this Six Nations with a dislocated shoulder suffered in the win over Munster earlier this month would be devastating. Then you consider how the 25-year-old's absence makes things worse for Johnny Sexton. Hansen's vision and intuition would be a mainstay for a relatively inexperienced midfielder like Jack Crowley. On top of that, Jimmy O'Brien is recovering from a neck injury and will be unavailable for the upcoming tournament. Keith Earls and Andrew Conway also joined Sexton in retirement.
O'Brien is another resourceful striker who is comfortable on the ball and confident enough to contribute to the game. In this regard, he is a suitable replacement for Hansen. Consequently, his injury will require Ireland to examine the balance of their back line and consider what kind of right wing they need. When two players occupying the same position with the same profile are eliminated, selectors have to think on their feet. It is a sign of Hansen's influence that some have recommended moving Harry Ringrose out of midfield rather than fielding a specialist wing. This contingency will add another player to the back three. Ringrose replaced him for the World Cup against Scotland when Hansen left. Jamieson Gibson-Park then had to move from scrum-half to the other flank after James Lowe made way.
As it happens, reports indicate that Ringrose could still miss the tournament opener in Marseille due to… with a shoulder problem, leaving Munster's flamboyant Calvin Nash, who scored against Exeter Chiefs and Toulon in the Champions Cup this season, to start. Ireland has demonstrated impressive adaptability in recent years. The loss of Hansen, compounded by the losses of Sexton and O'Brien, presents another challenge.
Italy: How will Quesada stimulate what Crowley built?
The last three Six Nations campaigns have been a strategic rollercoaster for Italy. In 2021, under Franco Smith, their kicking tally of 2,841 meters was the lowest of the tournament. Kieran Crowley arrived the following season and only France (5419m) advanced further than Italy (4534m). Last season, Italy returned to the bottom of the rankings in this indicator. Their mark of 3021 meters was 1058 meters less than that of any other side.
As an illustration of Italy's expansive style at the 2023 Nations Championship, they were the only team to average more than two passes per ruck and completed 975 passes; 70 more than anyone else, according to Stats Perform. Their total linear metres, 2170, did surpass Wales (1815m) and England (1963m), but fell behind Scotland (2316m), France (2452m) and Ireland (2674m). All this suggests that they lacked two things: pragmatism in territorial exchanges and penetration with the ball in hand.
Gonzalo Quesada calls himself an «Anglo-Saxon thinker.» He promised to strengthen Italy's defenses while ensuring that Ange Capuozzo and company would still be able to run. Among the most misleading World Cup statistics was that Michele Lamaro's men finished the tournament with a tackle success rate of 87.1 percent; superior to its counterparts in Ireland, South Africa and England. In truth, New Zealand and France played Italy in the final pool matches, scoring at will.
Gonzalo Quesada was bought to replace outgoing coach Kieran Crowley. Photo: Getty Images/Ramsey Cardy
Quesada, who will be bolstered by Benetton's form in the United Rugby Championship and Challenge Cup, identified set pieces and defense as two priority areas. We can expect the kicking to tie everything together and his selection in the scrum half, where Alessandro Garbisi and Martin Page-Releau compete with Stephen Varney, will be crucial. Manuel Zuliani, who always seems to add enthusiasm from the bench, should also be close to starting in the back row.
Scotland: can they stop the misfortune?
“The best of us beat any team in the world.” That was one of the headlines from the exciting trailer for Netflix's Six Nations: Full Contact. The words Gregor Townsend uttered might have ruffled a few feathers. But the potential of this Scottish team is undeniable. However, unfortunate mistakes prevented them from completing this task.
Last season, after beating England and Wales, they were beaten in the first quarter at the Stade de France. Scotland missed three tries, losing Grant Gilchrist to a red card at the center of the maelstrom. At the World Cup, their forwards played hard to give themselves a chance to upset South Africa. The Springboks then scored twice in four minutes early in the second period. Finn Russell couldn't find a way out of Jacques Nienaber's stifling blitz defense. A month later against Ireland, a terrible first half undid Scotland.
Finn Russell's consistency is vital to Scotland's regular performances. Photo: Getty Images/Frank Fife
Telegraph Sport understands Townsend has identified three key areas of preparation for this championship. He wants the team to be able to gain momentum after setbacks. There was also a strong focus on ensuring their offense could react and adapt to what the defense did well; For example, South Africa used riflemen to flood Channel 13 in Marseille. Darcy Graham's injury is far from ideal, although Huw Jones was excellent. Finally, Scotland's defense will have to become more 'offensive'. Rory Darge, named co-captain alongside Russell, will be a figure in many ways.
Set-piece safety is one way to control the flow of the game. Zander Fagerson's value was enormous even before W.P. Nel went down with a neck injury. Now it's huge. It also needs to improve on last year's profit margin of 85 percent. In truth, any upset win will do in Cardiff. Scotland have not won at the Principality Stadium since 2002; an unwanted record that must be abandoned so they can make progress.
Wales: blank canvas for Warrenball 3.0?
Warren Gatland is enjoying the tournament and Wales had a good World Cup. They outlasted Fiji, reduced Australia to tears and were expected to reach the semi-finals by beating Argentina. Failure to convert line breaks and secure lineouts saw them squander a 10-0 lead against the Pumas.
Since then, having already seen the departures of Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric, Wales have lost more influential players. Dan Biggar has retired from international duty, Louis Rees-Zammit has moved to the US and Jack Morgan is recovering from knee surgery. Gatland has something of a blank canvas again. His choice of captain, 21-year-old Dafydd Jenkins, is proof of this.
Typically, Gatland as a manager has tried to prove himself by playing to the strengths of a small pool of players. Two scrum-half, Gareth Davies and Tomos Williams, stand out from this Wales team. The abundance of sniping from these two should ease the pressure on Sam Costelow, a promising but green midfielder. Of course, Gatland also likes a direct lead, and the big Mason Grady will be a weapon whether he plays on the wing or in the middle. Cardiff used it cleverly in this scoring run against the Stormers:
Tommy Reffell's elite training should strengthen Mike Forshaw's defensive system, but Wales were bottom of the rankings for scrum success (81 per cent), lineout success (85 per cent) and penalty conceded (a mammoth 12.6 per game) in last season's Six Nations. Whatever the plans for the latest Gatland branch, precision in these fundamental areas is non-negotiable.
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