Fast start for France?
More than a quarter of the initial Lions squad will miss the opening weekend of the Six Nations owing to injury. It is a startling statistic and it does make you wonder whether players such as Courtney Lawes, who has played an awful lot of rugby already this season, will last the pace. Post-Lions injuries are nothing new but if we delve into the history books we see that, apart from 2013, France tend to fare well in the Six Nations as a result. Who knows what they will produce but a fast start combined with home nations fatigue means a continuation of that trend is not out of the question.
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Club form may be deceptive
Ireland line up against France with 11 players from either Leinster or Munster, fresh from their impressive pool-stage campaigns in Europe, while Wales have named 10 Scarlets in their side to face Scotland, who themselves have nine Glasgow Warriors in their team. Reading too much into domestic form can be foolish and Eddie Jones repeatedly says he cares little about club performances. That does not take away from the fact that England’s successive Six Nations titles have coincided with Saracens’ European dominance. It will be fascinating to see whether Ireland and Wales can reproduce the form of their players’ club sides or whether Test rugby proves a different beast entirely.
Exciting newcomers
It is a bit of a cliche to say injuries provide opportunities for others and it is dangerous to present any bright sides to the sheer volume of players missing from the tournament. But casting an eye over the various starting lineups, there is certainly a sense of excitement. How will Rhys Patchell fare in his first start at fly-half for Wales? Will Matthieu Jalibert hit dizzy heights or crash and burn on debut for France? Can Jacob Stockdale announce himself as an international wing? The sense of the unknown adds another level of intrigue to the opening weekend.
Scots look to back up hype
Wins away from home were at such a premium last year that only one was achieved outside Rome – and that thanks to Elliot Daly’s last-gasp intervention in Cardiff. It is part of the reason Wales have barely been mentioned as contenders – they have consecutive away fixtures against England and Ireland after their opener – and why Ireland’s hopes are tempered, considering their campaign is bookended with fixtures in Paris and at Twickenham. If Scotland back up the hype that surrounds them there may well be three away wins on the opening weekend but it would be a brave gamble to put the house on it.
Next controversy
From last year’s tournament, take your pick between “ruck-gate” and France’s match-winning try against Wales after the clock had ticked past 100 minutes, with all the drama that came with it – not to mention accusations of foul play directed towards Les Bleus. The year before it was Wales’s “illegal scrummaging” – it is often to do with the scrum – but in a tournament as parochial as the Six Nations, these moments of controversy can help bring it to life and as sure as death and taxes there will be a few for us to sink our teeth into this year.
England women tipped
Among the proudest things the Women’s Six Nations can boast is that there have been three different winners in the past three years, with England getting their hands on the trophy last year for the first time since 2012. Despite losing a number of players to retirement and a focus on sevens, they are the favourites to retain their trophy. Last year they won the Grand Slam too in a winner-takes-all showdown with Ireland but that is unlikely to be the case again despite the fact that those two teams finish their campaigns against each other with Ireland in transition to put it mildly. France away should be a test for Simon Middleton’s side but it is vital the tournament is not a cakewalk for England. If the competition regresses to the time when England won the title seven years in a row from 2006-12, with six grand slams to boot, it will be all the worse for it.