Six Nations Rugby Preview

Blood, guts and an iron will to get over the line have epitomised the Six Nations Championship down the years – and there’s nothing to suggest the 2015 tournament will be any different. It’s a tight outright winner market with five of the six teams looking for a huge morale boost in this World Cup year.

Big Kick Off

It all kicks off on Friday, February 6, as England travel to Wales. Just what kind of side England will put out is anyone’s guess at present as their injury list grows with eight players currently missing. Geoff Parling and Tom Wood suffered injuries at the weekend and if Parling can’t make it then that will leave the second row looking particularly vulnerable. Joe Launchbury and Ed Slater have already been ruled out for the whole tournament and Courtney Lewes is likely to miss at least the first two fixtures.

They may have beaten Australia in the autumn internationals, but England lost to both New Zealand and South Africa. They have finished second in the last two Six Nations and with away games at Wales and Ireland, they might have to settle for another second place.

The team to beat?

Wales will prove a tough nut to crack in the opening fixture of the Six Nations. A win over South Africa in the autumn internationals was a major confidence boost for the side. Many believe that if Wales can improve the attacking side of their game, they could become a major force. A title win would be their third in four years and with home games against England and Ireland, their form at the Millennium stadium will be a key factor. But they’ll have to tighten up in the last ten minutes, where the team have been known to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

You can never really guess what the unpredictable France will do, but they’ll be desperate to perform better than they did last year when they finished fourth. Head coach Phillippe Saint-André has had a tough time over the past couple of years but showed signs of recovery in the autumn. Those performances pleased Saint-André, who said: “There was a lot of ambition in the game, the desire to make passes, move the ball and a good win against Australia.” They have tough away games at Ireland and England, but could show further improvement.

Reigning Champions

Defending champions Ireland face life without Brian O’Driscoll but are up to number three in the world. They open their defence with an away game at Italy before those two home fixtures against France and England. They will be crunch matches that could decide who wins the Six Nations this year. Wins over South Africa and Australia in the autumn show just why they come into this tournament as the favourites. The absence of Jonathan Sexton is a blow, but Ireland has a strong squad at present and can more than cope.

Italy lost all their games last season and will be looking for at least one victory in this campaign as a confidence booster ahead of the World Cup. They begin with a home game against Ireland and then face England and Scotland away before home fixtures with France and Wales. You can expect them to have a powerful pack and be as tough as ever, but despite that they lose far more than they win and could have another tough Six Nations campaign.

Scotland has suffered a blow with the news that Duncan Weir will miss the whole of their Six Nations campaign. The fly-half, who scored the winning points against Italy last season, has undergone surgery on an injured bicep. That should mean a place for Finn Russell in their opening game against France on February 7. The Scots have showed improvement during the autumn internationals and so nearly beat New Zealand.