With less than a week to go before (IMO) the best annual sporting tournament in the world, what are people’s hopes, fears and expectations for this year. With the World Cup coming up, the significance of the games is heightened … Or they become a double bluff!
Scotland had a good autumn and their new manager seems to have revitalised them. Their traditional high paced forward game has now turned pressure into more points and it’s good to see them improving after the frankly awful few years they have suffered.
Italy are steadily improving, they won’t threaten the leaderboard yet but they are not the pushovers they have been in the past. The winner of the 6N used to be the team that put the most points onto Italy, but no longer. They have famous victories over France and Scotland recently … And any team containing the great Sergio Parisse can never be discounted.
France. Simply unbelievable that a country with so much passion, talent, strength in depth and money can be so inconsistent. On paper, you can argue that they are easily the superior northern hemisphere team… And yet, their coaching is muddled, they lack confidence and they seem mentally weak. One day they will just give up, the next they will annihilate the All Blacks. Who on earth knows which French team will ever turn up (certainly not the French team or coaching staff anyway)
England have more registered players than the next 6 countries in the world added together, so I am not buying any of the talk about an injury crisis. Huge strength in depth (if Wales had nine players out injured, we would be picking students!). Lancaster is a decent man, but doesn’t seem to have a clear vision on how England should play. They have never succeeded in playing an open, attacking game, and I suspect they will feel they can’t without more first choice players available. Ironically, this may help them as I think they will retreat into their forward based kicking game. They do this really well, are always competitive up front, are tough and cussed and will be as hard to beat as usual.
Wales have a settled team, essentially the same squad that did so well in the last World Cup and have won three Grand Slams and a Championship in the last decade. They’ve been the leading Northern Hemisphere team for a few years, despite their poor record against the Big Three. They have the quality to win the tournament if they play to their ability for the full 80 minutes, but they seldom actually do that and - being the smallest country in the 6N, they are particularly vulnerable to key injuries. I also really respect what Warren Gatland has done got them, but I do wonder whether teams have worked out how to counter ‘Warrenball’ and I don’t see a lot of new tactics and strategies coming through.
Ireland are the team I’m tipping this year. Settled, high morale, coming off an excellent Autumn series. Good players in all positions and few major weaknesses. Sexton is the on form fly half on the world at the moment and they have a decent draw this year too. I think they will be a major threat in the World Cup and, Joe Schmidt their coach is a real tactical innovator.
Thoughts/views?
