2023 Six Nations: Scotland v Italy

It feels like the 2023 Six Nations only started a couple of weeks ago, and yet here we are kicking off Super Sunday at Murrayfield. Scotland began this tournament with 2 wins for the first time in Six Nations history, but fell off against France and Ireland, but had the chance to finish on a high against an Italian team who were without a win despite vastly improved performances this season.

The Scots came in with Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg both missing through injury, and soon found themselves behind as a series of Italian penalties allowed them to put the Scots under pressure before settling for 3 points from the boot of Tommaso Allan. A penalty against Seb Negri from playing the nine at a breakdown gave Scotland possession their own shot at possession in the 22, which they eventually converted by sending Duhan van der Merwe over in the corner despite the best efforts of Paolo Garbisi, though Blair Kinghorn was unable to add the extras from the touchline with his first kick. Italy hit back immediately with another Allan penalty as Italy continued to target the Scottish breakdown, but after an error playing out from the back ended in the Azzurri giving away a penalty in their own 22, the Scots found their inability to convert hurt them again. However Angus Gardner and his officials were doing their job with the classic imbalance that we have come to expect from Italy’s matches, and after a series of scrum penalties against Italy, Angus Gardner sent Marco Riccioni to the bin and the hosts took immediate advantage of the extra man to send Blair Kinghorn over for the try. Italy’s defence allowed them to see out the rest of the sin bin period without any further score, but as they returned to a full complement, Scotland had one more chance to attack with the final play of the half, only for debutant wing Simone Gesi to get in the way of Kyle Steyn’s offload to Ollie Smith when the fullback would have had the line at his mercy, resulting in a 12-6 halftime score.

As the second half began, more questionable officiating allowed Scotland to kick a penalty deep into the Italian 22, and after an -phase siege of the line, Kinghorn managed to fight his way through a double tackle to stretch over the line. Italy had a chance to hi back almost immediately as Alessandro Fusco slipped through a gap on the fringe of the ruck, but his pass to the supporting Gesi was woefully off-target, prompting an awful 5 minutes for the scrum half that ended with him being replaced by Alessandro Garbisi. Italy refused to give up however, and just after the hour they got the try they deserved as Allan got on the end of Paolo Garbisi’s blind side grubber to go over in the corner, and though his touchline conversion sailed wide, Paolo Garbisi kicked a penalty just minutes later to bring the game within 5 points with 15 minutes remaining. And with just 4 minutes remaining, a penalty allowed them to kick up to the corner, and after the initial maul was stopped, Alessandro Garbis knocked on in contact with van der Merwe while stretching for the line, and Scotland attacked off the resulting scrum with the clock in the red, going the length through van der Merwe and Kinghorn, who completed his hattrick (securing the bonus point) and added the conversion for a personal tally of 21 points and a 26-14 victory that consigned Italy to the most undeserving of Wooden Spoons.

Scotland

Scotland have a big call to make regarding Blair Kinghorn. While he will surely be on the plane to France (injury permitting), the question over his role in the team surely persists. Non-selection and then injuries have severely limited Adam Hastings’ gametime at Test level in recent years, and the inexperience of the next options (Ross Thompson, who is also currently unavailable, and Edinburgh-bound Ben Healy) has really left Kinghorn as the de facto back-up to Finn Russell.

And yet the questions over his ability to be a Test-level fly half remain. While he has all the attributes to play the position, he does not have a wealth of experience playing the position at the top levels of the game, and as a result the team appears much more formulaic and easy to defend against compared to when Finn Russell is in charge of things. And then in a tight match, his lack of reliability as a goal kicker could also prove crucial as when he is at 10 there is no other regular goal kicker in the XV.

Assuming everyone is available when the World Cup comes around, Gregor Townsend has a big call to make. Does he trust Kinghorn as a 10 on the biggest stage of all? Or does he look to take another specialist at the position and utilise Kinghorn as a fullback (where I would argue he could actually improve the team by starting instead of centurion Stuart Hogg) and emergency cover at 10?

Italy

Italy have learned from this tournament. They have seen how playing out from deep has hurt them, but also seen how reliable their defence has been for much of the tournament. And today, with Scotland’s chief creative talent Finn Russell absent, the Azzurri have brought it all together.

Though there were some moments where they tried playing from deep (which generally cost them), there was much more focus on playing the game in the right area of the pitch, kicking deep when in their own half and challenging Scotland to run it back. And then they were meeting the Scottish attack with a sturdy defence and, even more importantly, having success at the breakdown. While they earned a couple of crucial turnover penalties, what they also managed to do was slow down the Scottish ball, which meant that by the time Ben White was getting the ball away, the hosts were generally looking at a set defensive line, which Blair Kinghorn struggled to break down.

This is a timely reminder that we’re only a year on from the first real flashes of Italy being truly competitive. This is a young team that is still growing and finding itself. And as they learn to manage the game and cut out the errors in attack, this will become a very hard team to play against.

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2023 Six Nations: Italy v Wales

On 19ᵗʰ March 2022, Edoardo Padovani’s late try in Cardiff saw Italy win their first Six Nations game since 2015 and jump-started what went on to be a fantastic year for the Azzurri. Now, the two teams meet again, and though both find themselves without a win in their opening rounds, the Italian campaign has been full of positivity, while Warren Gatland’s return has so far been a story of rotation and worrying performances.

And after Italy’s early pressure was undone by an Adam Beard lineout seal, Owen Williams opened the scoring with an early penalty from their first visit to the Italian 22. Italy were without the injured Ange Capuozzo, and their early back line play was sloppy as a result, gifting Wales early possession and territory, and when Pierre Bruno was undone by the bounce of Rhys Webb’s box kick to the corner, Rio Dyer took advantage to collect the loose ball and go beneath the posts. The Azzurri’s physical defence helped them build into the game, and after a penalty allowed them to kick up the the 22, a dominant scrummage from the pack allowed Tomasso Allan to get them on the board with a penalty on the quarter hour. Growing in confidence, Italy looked to keep hold of the ball in the middle third of the pitch, but a costly fumble in contact from Allan allowed Wales to turn the ball over with an overlap on the blind side and when Liam Williams was given the ball, he forced his way through a couple of weak Italian tackles to reach the line. Allan’s mixed afternoon continues just minutes later as some great attacking play created a huge gap to send him into the Welsh 22, only for his pass back inside to Stephen Varney to be behind the scrum half, forcing him to check his run and take the contact when a better pass would have seen him score. Italy were soon back on the attack though, and after Garbisi arced through a gap around halfway, Italian support runners kept the ball alive, only for Juan Ignacio Brex to lose control as he was held stretching for the line, with referee Damon Murphy deciding that Owen Williams was not offside when he made the crucial tackle. The Azzurri continued to fin themselves undone by errors, and when a pair of penalties allowed Wales to kick up to the corner, the Welsh maul drove the Italians back over their line for a penalty try, with Lorenzo Cannone being sent to the bin for collapsing the maul. Despite being a man down, Italy continued to prod and find gaps in the visitor’s defence, and when a penalty at the end of the half allowed them to kick to the corner, Pierre Bruno was pinged for taking Liam Williams in the air as they competed for a Garbisi cross-kick under penalty advantage, allowing Wales to kick out for half time with a 3-22 lead.

The hosts needed to start the second half strong and did exactly that, with a strong carry from Tommaso Menoncello bringing the Azurri into the Welsh 22, and after phases of pressure, Allan’s deft chip over the defence was touched down by Seb Negri. Italy were attacking with positivity, but soon found themselves down a man again as Bruno was sent to the bin for a forearm to the neck of Wyn Jones, and should probably consider themselves lucky that the sanction was not worse. Wales tried to take immediate advantage only for Josh Adams to be held up in the corner, but the man advantage soon saw Wales secure a 4-try bonus point as Rhys Webb sniped through a gap and fed Taulupe Faletau. Italy refused to go into their shell, and after a sustained period of pressure in the 22, Pierre Bruno broke the line from close range and offloaded to send Brex over beneath the posts. Wales were tiring and the Italian attacks were continuing to cause trouble, but errors continued to cost them and they emerged with nothing as Wales hung on for a 17-29 victory.

Italy

While you can understand Kieran Crowley wanting to get as many of his best players on the park at the same time, the decision to play Tomasso Allan at 15 in place of the injured Ange Capuozzo may be one he regrets.

As talented a player as Allan is, both he and Garbisi are very much fly halves, capable of filling in as an emergency fullback, but not really someone who you would want there for the full 80 at Test level. And that lack of a true 15 really showed at times as the Azzurri struggled to deal with the Welsh kicking game, which gifted the visitors easy territory.

And I can’t help feel that Allan was somewhat in his own head and focusing on playing a different position too, as his performance was mixed to put it kindly. Usually such a reliable passer, today he was firing the ball everywhere but his teammate’s hands at times, with one hideous pass behind Stephen Varney costing his team a crucial 7 points, while a poor fumble also cost led to a try at the other end.

It’s no surprise that Allan’s best moment came when he was in the more natural first receiver position, putting a deft chip over the Welsh to allow Seb Negri to score.

With Capuozzo out for the tournament, Crowley has a big call to make for the final round. Does he look to stick with this team, or does he look to bring in a specialist 15, or even a specialist wing, which would allow the versatile Padovani to switch to the 15 shirt?

Wales

With the risk of a Wooden Spoon and falling toa lowest ever spot on the World Rugby rankings, Warren Gatland desperately needed some of his senior players to step up today. Thankfully for him, 2 of them did, in Rhys Webb and Adam Beard.

Earning his first tournament start since 2020, Webb was key to the Welsh victory. In his 55 minutes on the pitch, he controlled the game with some expert kicking that consistently allowed his chasers to get up and compete, while he also continued to cause trouble with his kicks to the corner, one bouncing fortuitously to gift Rio Dyer an early try, and another 50-22 allowing the pack to put immediate pressure back on the 7-man Italian pack just moments after the penalty try and Cannone’s yellow card. Meanwhile, his snipe through the gap also set up Faletau for the final try. The World Cup will likely see the end of his international career, but with performances like this, he has a chance of securing the 9 shirt that nobody has really made their own in recent years.

Meanwhile in the pack, Adam Beard was immense. The Italian lineout has been one of the best in the tournament, but Beard made a couple of crucial steals and also managed to force a maul turnover from another. Alun Wyn Jones cannot be trusted to put in the big performances at this level anymore, so to see Beard stepping up like this was hge considering he will likely be the senior member of any lock partnership moving forward. This is the moment where he needs to start putting in these performances on a weekly basis, stepping out from a legend’s shadow and becoming a leader himself.

If both can continue with performances of this quality, Wales can begin their turnaround and get back to being competitive.

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2023 Six Nations: Italy v Ireland

Ireland’s quest for the Grand Slam continued in Rome as they looked to take on Italy. A fixture that would often see a team of fringe players turning out in green, Andy Farrell chose to limit the changes this year, with the most notable selections being those of Craig Casey and Ross Byrne in the halfback positions, while Italy welcomed back fly half Paolo Garbis from injury. And it took only 70 seconds for the action to get going a big carry from Bundee Aki kickstarting a break that saw James Lowe just fail to keep control as he tried to dot down in the corner; Ange Capuozo’s tackle just causing enough of an issue. However it was just a slight delay as Aki released Lowe down the blind side again just moments later, and the wing found his captain James Ryan inside for the early opener. The Italians soon hit back though, and when Loreno Cannone charged through the Irish 22, Stephen Varney took advantage of the quick recycle to snipe over from close range, Garbisi’s conversion putting the hosts ahead. The quick response appeared to lift the hosts even more, with Cannone’s next carry even more impressive, only for Andrew Porter to end the attack with a timely turnover. And the missed opportunity came back to haunt them on 13 minutes as Bundee Aki was put through a gap on first phase off a lineout, before releasing Hugo Keenan to jink and spin his way through a couple of tackles on his way to the try line. A Garbisi penalty cut the lead, but when he then lost possession trying to play out from their 2, Ireland worked the numbers to allow James Lowe to draw the last defender and feed Aki on his inside to end a thrilling first quarter with another try. And when referee Mike Adamson once again highlighted the way Italy are consistently refereed against by penalising Niccolò Cannone for holding his ground and being ran into by Craig Casey, Ireland kicked to the corner, only for their attempt to go through the phases being foiled by a blatant obstrucion by Josh van der Flier and Andrew Porter pushed for the line. His next blatant infringement went unpunished though, and when Lamaro was penalised for offside just a few phases later, Ireland again went to the corner and constant pressure around the fringes of the rucks—involving a number of latchers going off their feet without being penalised—eventually created the space to send Mack Hansen over in the corner for the bonus point try, though it came at the cost of Finlay Bealham. But as Ireland went looking for a fifth on the stroke of half time, Pierre Bruno read the play and forced himself into the space ahead of Byrne to intercept Bundee Aki and go the length, Garbisi adding the extras for a 17-24 halftime score.

The second half saw the teams fairly evenly matched early on, though Adamson was favouring the visitors at the scrum, but as Ireland looked to strike on 51 minutes with a 5m lineout, Federico Ruzza was able to get up ahead of James Ryan for a crucial steal. And Ireland were lucky things didn’t get worse for them moments later as Mike Adamson chose to spare Stuart McCloskey a spell in the sin bin and just give a penalty for a high tackle on Capuozzo. As the hour mark approached, Garbisi kicked a penalty to cut the deficit to 4, though the Azzurri were let of moments later as Ireland again broke down the blind side, only for Bundee Aki to lose control of the ball as Niccolò Cannone just brought him down short of the line. Byrne extended the lead to 7 with a penalty as the game entered the final 5 minutes, but the Italians responded positively, stretching the Irish defence, only for Juan Ignacio Brex’s kick to the corner to just evade Ruzza. And that wasted opportunity was highlighted as Ireland’s next onslaught ended with Conor Murray sending Hansen over for his second of the afternoon. The hosts continued to put pressure on the Irish defence, but were unable to add to their score, and were lucky not to concede at the death as James Lowe intercepted Tommaso Allan’s pass, only to knock on as Alessandro Fusco and Luca Morisi tried to bundle him into touch; an exciting match ending in a 20-34 victory for the hosts.

Italy

Italy are now very clearly a team who can hold their own at this level. But they continue to struggle to get the results as they find themselves consistently on the wrong side of the officials. And I do not mean that they are ill disciplined, I mean that the referees referee them to a completely different standard than they do any other team in the tournament.

Whether it is corruption or letting their unconscious biases take over, Italy consistently find themselves being penalised for offences that their opponents are allowed to keep committing with no sanction. Would you see Ireland penalised for what even the referee has just deemed no foul? Of course not, but Niccolò Cannone is. Stuart McCloskey committed numerous high tackles, including one on Ange Capuozzo that was potentially worthy of a yellow card on it’s own—but only one even resulted in a penalty. Throughout the game, a number of penalties against the Azzurri or moments of brilliance from Ireland were preceded just phases earlier by a blatant Irish offence being completely ignored.

And it’s not just the officials, as the rhetoric used by the commentators and most also paints a picture to those reliant on their insight that suggests Ireland are well-disciplined and Italy not, which is exacerbated even more by the inability (or more likely refusal) of either the BBC or ITV to get an Italian pundit/commentator, despite the other nation—even France—being represented as part of the broadcast crew. *At this point, I must just take a minute to credit Sam Warburton, who ended the Wales v England match by saying how much Italy have proven themselves to him over the last year, sadly very few pundits can match the level of quality he brings to the broadcasts.*

And here is the problem for the Tier 2 teams. If Italy—considered a Tier 1 nation—is treated this one-sidedly against other Tier 1 nations, what hope does a Tier 2 team have of being given a fair crack at the big boys. Officials and broadcasters need to find an answer quickly, as otherwise they are just holding back the growth of the game.

Ireland

If Ireland want to win the Rugby World Cup, they desperately need Garry Ringrose to stay fit.

The Leinster outside centre burst onto the scene and was immediately discussed as the successor to Brian O’Driscoll, and such was that early hype for him, that he goes somewhat under the radar now when discussing the best centres currently playing, but he is firmly in the top 5.

While it was his attacking skill that was often highlighted in his early years, where he really excels now is his defensive input, as he read the game so well and picks the right moments to blitz up for the big tackle and when to hold off, and always seems to be in the right place to make a tackle.

With him pulling out late, Ireland were left with Bundee Aki and Stuart McCloskey to form a partnership, and while they looked dangerous in attack, they are both 12s by trade, so lack the experience of defending further out. And with the variety of players and ways to attack it, the 13 channel is arguably one of the most difficult to defend in rugby. It was noticeable the success that Italy had by attacking this channel, as the midfield was not setting correctly, and this was then leaving the wings with multiple options in defence, to the point that they could rarely cover all attacking options with any one action.

Robbie Henshaw can do a solid job at 13, but is more often used at 12. So if you assume that these will be the 4 centres Andy Farrell takes to France, he only has one specialist 13. And when you face the top teams, you need the reliability that a player like Ringrose gives you.

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2023 Six Nations: England v Italy

England’s reshaping under Steve Borthwick continued on Sunday as they hosted Italy. The Azzurri were unfortunate to come away with just a losing bonus point against France last weekend and would surely have been targeting this match as a chance to finally beat the only Six Nations opponent who they have never defeated.

England came in with a new look to their midfield—Owen Farrell moving to 10 with Ollie Lawrence and Henry Slade at centre—and the new midfield almost paid dividends early on, as Edoardo Padovani and Tommaso Allan both had to cover grubbers into the Italian in-goal. However, a questionable breakdown penalty after 2 minutes allowed the hosts to kick to the corner, and the England maul spun to send Jack Willis over for the opening try. Italy were trying their hardest to compete, but were being officiated on a different level to the hosts, who benefitted by once again going to the corner, and a series of penalties led to Lorenzo Cannone being sent to the bin, with England soon taking advantage of the extra man as Ollie Chessum crashed over from a lovely disguised pass by Ellis Genge. And as the half reached the final 5 minutes, Padovani had to be aware as Farrell put a grubber in behind with Jamie George chasing. England thought they had the third try moments later, Max Malins’ deception and footwork putting him through the line and feeding the supporting Jack van Poortvliet, only for the play to be called back for an obstruction. However England had the penalty advantage and with the Italian pck still down to 7, they were unable to stop the maul sending Jamie George over, Farrell converting for a 9-0 halftime lead.

The second half started much more positively for the Azzurri, and after some clever offloading released Ange Capuozzo deep into the 22, Italy went through the phases before sending Marco Riccioni over for the try. However the English pack hit back and another kick to the corner saw Simone Ferrari—only just on for Riccioni—collapse the maul for a penalty try (giving England the bonus point) and a yellow card. Both sides continued to fight hard, but as the Italian replacements came on and they returned to 15 men, they began to look more dangerous than at any point in the game, and it soon resulted in a break for Juan Ignacio Brex, which Alessandro Fusco finished just a minute after entering the game. However the English hit back after being gifted a scrum penalty (a recurring theme of the match), they managed to work the space to send Henry Arundell over in the corner to secure a 31-14 victory, a first win of the Steve Borthwick era.

England

Steve Borthwick made a big call this week with the decision to change from a 10/12 playmaker axis to a more traditional midfield setup, but while it is early days, it looks to have had a marked effect already.

Though maybe not the out and out crash ball 12 that Dan Kelly (rumoured to have been the favourite for the 12 shirt ahead of the tournament before his injury), the selection of Ollie Lawrence at 12 gave England the physical impact that they had been missing in midfield, and this was then helping England to vary up the play more as it allowed the pack to take the ball forward already on the front foot, which in turn allowed the halfbacks to control the game. Meanwhile in defence, they looked much more secure while not having to cover for Smith.

While a second playmaker can be a big boon, it cannot come at the expense of front-foot ball, which this midfield provides in a way that last week’s did not, while Henry Slade’s experience as a 10 earlier in his career means that England are not fully without a second playmaker.

With only a handful of matches until the World Cup, don’t be shocked to see England stick with this formation and look to build off it over the coming weeks.

Italy

This was a disappointing game for Italy. Their stronger scrum was largely neutralised by some questionable refereeing interpretations from James Doleman, their maul defence had a nightmare against the England pack, while the midfield also struggled to get parity with the power.

Moreover, their ability to defend was severely impacted by England’s frequent kicking into the corners. While the kicks were generally well dealt with, especially by Edoardo Padovani, the need to cover the ball in behind meant that Italy were unable to fully commit their wings to the defensive line, which meant that the rest of the defence had to spread themselves out wider to cover the pitch, which weakened their ability to deal with Ollie Lawrence’s charges through midfield.

However, they kept at it and when they managed to get a foothold in the game, they caused England some real problems. While they will be disappointed, this is still a much better scoreline than they often leave Twickenham with, while they also saw a promising cameo off the bench from Jake Polledri as he returns from injury.

After last week’s heartbreak, this will feel disappointing. But that in itself should be a sign of just how well Italy are growing as a team. This World Cup may have come a little too early for them, but watch out for this team in the next cycle.

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2023 Six Nations: Italy v France

The final game of round 1 took place on Sunday as France made the trip to Rome. The Azzurri came into the tournament of the back of one of their most successful seasons in years, which included ending a run of 32 losses in this tournament with victory in Cardiff, bu soon found themselves behind as Thibaud Flament’s charge down of Stephen Varney’s kick bounced back into his hands for him to canter in untouched. The Azzurri continued to play positively though and began to claw back the score with a penalty from Tommaso Allan, starting in place of the injured Paolo Garbisi. However they shot themselves in the foot trying to overplay their exit, and were only reprieved by Charles Ollivon fumbling the ball as he reached ou across the try line. However the French were soon attacking the line again, and when Damian Penaud and Ange Capuozzo both contacted each other in the air competing for Romain Ntamack’s crosskick, Thomas Ramos was backing up to dot down the loose ball, though he was unable to add the extras from the tee. Allan continued to keep the score close with another penalty after some impressive handling, but again Italy were let off at the kickoff as Antoine Dupont charged down Allan’s clearance kick, only for the ball to bounce right through the dead ball area. However it was just a temporary delay, as a turnover from Grégory Alldritt once again gave Les Bleus possession around the 22, and the drew in the defence for Ntamack to find debutant Ethan Dumortier for a try with a perfect crosskick. Italy continued to respond with positive attacking play, and with their next penalty on the half hour went to the corner, and when the maul crabbed infield, Stephen Varney played the ball blind to the late-looping Capuozzo, whose step just held Alldritt and allowed him to sneak in at the corner. And then just before the half, a pair of penalties against France allowed Italy to go from their own 22 to the French 22 with 2 kicks to touch, and 15 phases of pressure eventually drew a penalty from Paul Willemse, which Allan kicked for a 14-19 halftime score.

After a solid defensive start to the second period, it was Thomas Ramos who opened the scoring for the half with a penalty, while Allan responded with an inch-perfect kick tot he corner from halfway with his next penalty to set up a 5m lineout for the Azurri pack, and after their drive splintered the French pack, Charles Ollivon was adjudged to have illegally collapsed the maul just short of the line, giving them the penalty try and a 10-minute spell in the sin bin for the former French captain. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the French were not content to slow their play down, and Damian Penaud came close to a try as he outpaced Luca Morisi in the chase to a kick into the in-goal, only to knock-on under pressure from the centre as both reached for the ball at the same time. And after Ramos missed a penalty of his own, Allan kicked the hosts into a 24-22 lead as Ollivon returned to the pitch just after the hour. However the lead did not last long, as a series of errors and penalties from Italy gave France the ball in the Italian 22, and a lovely carry through contact and offload from Romain Taofifenua to his fellow replacement Matthieu Jalibert allowed the stand-off to step back inside the overcommitting Italian defence and drop over the line. Taofifenua’s next involvement wasn’t so positive, though, as a tackle off the ball on Edoardo Padovani gave Allan a kick at goal, but the ball ended up drifting just wide of the posts. But as the clock entered the red, Tommy Allan was able to kick a penalty to the corner, but the resulting maul became a mess and Matthew Carley blew the final whistle and a 24-29 victory for Les Bleus.

Italy

The Azzurri are playing some lovely rugby, and are arguably looking the best they have in the Six Nations for some time, which given the quality of players missing (Garbisi, Polledri, Ioane to name just 3) is a great sign. Unfortunately, at times they have overplayed, especially in their own half.

France’s opener came from a charge down of Stephen Varney’s kick, and as it was intended to be a surprise chip over the breakdown rather than a clearance, it meant that he had no men in place extending the breakdown or obstructing the blockers, making it easy for Flament to charge down. It’s a risky play against a defence that was pretty well set, and this time it backfired.

And on the subject of backfiring, Italy were just constantly shooting themselves in the foot at restarts. Against Samoa, I identified how Italy are now dealing with restarts by setting up a ruck in the middle of the pitch and looking to see if there is an attacking play on if the defence does not work around the breakdown, but the first time trying this saw them try to play from deep and a handling error in their 22 gifted France possession just short of the line which should have resulted in a try for Charles Ollivon, while France clearly knew what was coming when Dupont charged down Allan’s clearance, Italy again getting lucky that the ball bounced dead.

There is a time and a place to attack. Italy have shown they can, now they just need to learn to be pragmatic and not overplay, or they will be putting themselves under undue pressure.

France

When teams watch back the footage of this match, one thing that I’m sure they’ll be highlighting will be France’s struggles against the Italian maul.

While they did successfully get up to spoil or steal a handful of throws, when the Italian pack secured the ball and set up the maul, they struggled to stop it at source and found themselves going backwards So it was no surprise to see Italy start kicking to the corner, and it paid dividends for the Azzurri, who scored twice off the maul, once attacking the blind side that opened up as they came infield, the other splitting the French pack in two before Ollivon illegally brought them down as they drove for the line. Honestly, I’m surprised that after the penalty try, they abandoned the driving maul until the final play, which was the only time France really succeeded in defending the maul all game!

What makes this a real issue is just how poor their discipline was today. If they are going to give away penalties, then teams will look to challenge them with the catch and drive, knowing that at longer range they may force another penalty, or if nothing else, draw in the defence to create space for the backs to attack. And in the 22, that’s when they will find themselves under real pressure…

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Six Nations 2023: 6 to Watch

We are now less than 2 weeks away from the 2023 edition of the Six Nations, and boy is this edition going to be exciting. Wales and England come in with new head coaches, while Italy arrive with genuine belief of picking up some wins after wins over both Wales and Australia in 2022. And to top it all off, these 5 matches will likely go a long way to helping the coaches select their squads for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, with only a couple of pre-tournament warm-ups remaining after the Six Nations.

And so with the initial squads announced, it’s time for my annual look at each squad and selection of a player to keep your eyes on. And with the World Cup so close, I considered looking at some players who are maybe on the fringes of the squads, but found myself largely selecting young players who at this point are probably pushing to start but may not yet be household names. Who would your picks be?

England

Billy Vunipola’s disappointing return to the England squad is over and Tom Curry is out injured (but would hopefully not be used at 8 by Steve Borthwick), so with Zach Mercer still in France, this is a chance for Alex Dombrandt to try making the 8 shirt his own. A strong but dynamic carrier and real threat at the breakdown, the arrival of Harlequins’ Nick Evans as attack coach will surely get the best out of the Cardiff Met alumnus.

France

France did things right by completely rebooting their squad at the start of the cycle with 2023 in mind, so most places in the 23 are now secured. However the retirement of Virimi Vakatawa for medical reasons and a recent knee injury ruling out Jonathan Danty for 3 months, the centre position looks a little thin. Step up Yoram Moefana, who will provide another hard carrying option in the midfield. If he can form a strong connection with Romain Ntamack and Gaël Fickou, could he oust Danty from the starting spot come the World Cup?

Ireland

Sticking in the centres here and Stuart McCloskey had a strong Autumn campaign at 2 with Bundee Aki missing through a ban. Well Aki is back now but McCloskey also remains courtesy of Robbie Henshaw’s ban. A strong carrier with an eye for an offload, the 30-year-old Ulster star should have arguably earned more caps, having not yet even hit double figures! Can he do enough to beat out Aki for the 12 shirt? This could be the difference between a place in the World Cup squad or watching the tournament at home.

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— Tim Etheridge (@PStetheridge) January 20, 2023

Italy

The most-capped player on this list, Jake Polledri was well on his way to becoming one of the very best number s in the game until a horror injury left his career in the balance. Well he’s back and included in the Italy squad, but has had little playing time for Gloucester this season. At his best, he has the pace to exploit a gap and the strength to make ground with every carry, while he is also an accomplished jackal. The question right now is just what level he can reach ahead of the World Cup and how much we will see him in this Six Nations.

Scotland

While Duhan van der Merwe has one wing secured, Darcy Graham’s injury presents an opportunity for Kyle Steyn. Eligible to play for Scotland via his mother, Steyn brings pace and power to the wing, which is arguably something that Scotland have often not had enough of in their lineup. Scored 4 tries on his first start for Scotland against Tonga and will surely be keen to secure his place in the squad ahead of the World Cup.

Wales

Wales’ late capitulation against Australia in the Autumn may have brought about the end of Wayne Pivac’s tenure, but it was also the Test debut for Ospreys’ Joe Hawkins. A talented playmaker who appeared to make a real difference in getting the team firing against the Wallabies after a series of dour performances, he also seems to fit the Warren Gatland template of a big physical 12 as he is comfortable taking the ball to the line and taking the contact himself. At just 20 years old, Wales may have finally found the long-term successor to Jamie Roberts and Hadleigh Parkes.

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Autumn Nations Series 2022: Italy v South Africa

After last week’s historic victory over Australia, Italy were on to Genoa to face South Africa. The World Champions were fielding a strong side, but without Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus following his ban for a series of disgusting tweets blaming Wayne Barnes for last week’s defeat to France.

Italy were clearly bouyed with confidence after last week’s win, but maybe a little too much as Tommaso Allan floated his first pass into touch just 5m from his try line, but Italy were let off as the Springboks chose to go quick and Faf de Klerk found himselfin touch as he went down a non-existent blind side. It was only a minor reprieve, though, as the visitors spread the ball wide on their next possession, and Willie le Roux took advantage of the inside defence blitzing up and leaving Ange Capuozzo covering 2 men to put Kurt-Lee Arendse over in the opposite corner. Despite the early setback, Italy were still looking to play attacking rugby, and a South African offence at the breakdown allowed Allan to cut the deficit to 2 points with a penalty from 40 metres. Cheslin Kolbe immediately responded with a penalty of his own after Giacomo Nicotera cleared Siya Kolisi beyond the breakdown at the restart, but the Azzurri hit straight back with some quick hands from Michele Lamaro sending the looping Capuozzo through a gap and over for a try, with Allan’s conversion giving the hosts the lead. As the second quarter began, Allan and Kolbe traded penalties as both teams looked to play positive attacking rugby, and after half an hour, Bongi Mbonambi peeled off a maul to crash over for a try, though the placement of the ball seemed very delayed and he was probably lucky to stay on the field after telling referee Matt Carley to “referee both sides”. Italy were straight back on the attack and threatening the South African line, but after they kicked a penalty to the corner, the Springboks pack managed to nullify the catch and drive to turn the ball over, and the teams went in at the break with the score 13-18.

Eben Etzebeth soon made his entrance just minutes into the second period, but the first points came from the boot of Tommy Allan as Faf de Klerk chased a kick from an onside position, but the Azzurri failed to deal with the restart, allowing Kolbe to win the ball in the air and go in for the try unchallenged, though he hurt himself doing so and had to be replaced by young fly half Manie Libbok, whose introduction immediately opened up the attack, allowing Arendse to go over for his second try just minutes after the restart, Libbok taking over the kicking duties and landing the conversion from the touchline. Italy were still looking to attack, but a penalty to the 22 failed to find touch as they looked to find a quick response, and South Africa made them pay as Kwagga Smith crashed over for the try the next time the Boks made it into the Italian 22, while the driving maul send Malcolm Marx over for a try just after the hour. The hosts refused to let their heads drop though, and after going the length with some beautiful varied attacking rugby, Lorenzo Cannone continued an impressive start to his Test career by crossing for his 2ⁿᵈ Test try. South Africa soon hit back though the rampaging ginger rhino Steven Kitshoff, but the game soon faced a long stoppage after Edoardo Padovani got his head in his wrong place in a tackle at the restart. As the game entered the final 10 minutes, a great backs move off a scrum saw le Roux go through the gap and feed Willemse—now playing on the wing—for a try, while a late break for Arendse allowed hi to put Cobus Reinach over for a try right at the death, Libbok kicking the conversion for a 21-63 victory for the Springboks, though the game still ended on a high for Genoa-born Pierre Bruno as his proposal was accepted after the game in front of a cheering crowd.

rugby south africa springboks crest no background

Pride

Let’s be honest, an Italian win against that Springbok squad was always going to be a dream. The important thing here for the Azzurri was that they backed up last weekend’s win with a good performance. And you could argue that they did exactly that.

Yes there were a few costly errors, but this was a great performance from the hosts in front of a cheering crowd, and they were every bit as in the game as the Boks in the first half, while the visitors’ superior quality proved the difference as the game went on. But even then, they never let their heads drop and continued trying to play their game, highlighted by Cannone’s late try.

More importantly, this is a team who are playing with a clear identity and shape right now—which is more than can be said for some Tier 1 Teams—and the players are seeing the positive results from playing this way, which will just continue to encourage them, and with players like Capuozzo, Alessandro Garbisi and Lorenzo Cannone coming through, and Jake Polledri continuing his return from injury with Gloucester, they are creating even more depth in their squad.

Expect to see this team continue to build in 2023.

The answer?

I’ve been saying for a while that South Africa have an issue at fly half, but could Manie Libbok be the answer? The 25-year-old from the Sharks came on for just his 2ⁿᵈ cap, and while he was probably helped by the arrival of Eben Etzebeth and the bomb squad providing quicker ball, he calmly slotted into the fly half position and took over control of the game alongside Willie le Roux with an assuredness that far exceeded his Test experience.

While Damian Willemse has his moments, he looks much more suited to the utility back role right now, whereas Libbok looks like a legitimate option at fly half, especially as South Africa look to start playing a more attacking style of rugby, as he has the range of passing to keep the attack varied, is comfortable switching with Willie le Roux as play demands, will willingly take the ball to the line and on top of all that, will be able to take on the kicking duties!

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but it’s crazy to think that he has not been given more of a chance to stake his claim this year, and I think that Jacques Nienaber needs to give him the start next week against England and at least let him play an hour, if not the whole game. If given a fair chance, he could legitimately be pushing Handré Pollard for the starting spot.

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Autumn Nations Series 2022: Italy v Australia

The second weekend jam-packed with Autumn Nations Series action kicked off in Florence as Italy hosted Australia. The Azurri were coming into the match off the back of a big win against Samoa, but were forced into a late change as Paolo Garbisi was ruled out with a hip injury, with Tommaso Allan taking over at fly half, and it took just 86 seconds for hi to open the scoring with a penalty after the Wallabies failed to secure the kickoff. Australia were fielding a highly-changed side from their last-gasp loss in France, and after a clever lineout move saw Will Skelton carry hard up to the line, Italy held out over a series of phases at the expense of an easy penalty for Noah Lolesio to even the scores. Allan missed his next kick at goal, but Italy just looked to keep coming each time they got the ball, and when Monty Ioane released Allan down the wing, the fly half was illegally impeded by Jake Gordon as he chipped on, resulting in a yellow card for the scrum half and a kick to the corner for the Azzurri, and as they looked to go wide, Tom Wright just managed to cover Ange Capuozzo’s grubber to the corner before the arrival of Pierre Bruno, though it came at the expense of another 5m lineout, which came infield to create a blind side for Italy to attack, with Luca Morisi’s looped pass sending Bruno over in the corner. And when Will Skelton was turned over just as the sin bin period was about to expire, Italy burst en masse down their right wing, creating an overlap that sent Capuozzo over for the try, Allan adding both conversions to make it a 14-point powerplay. A high tackle from Federico Ruzza gave Australia possession in the hosts’ 22, and after going through the hard phases, Lolesio’s wide pass allowed Tom Wright to dive over in the corner. As the clock ticked down on the half, both teams continued trying to go at each other, but both defences held firm and the teams went in at the break with Italy leading 17-8.

The Wallabies started the second half carrying more directly, and when Fraser McReight went over for the try, Lolesio was able to cut the deficit to 2 points with his conversion, while Allan soon struck back with a penalty of his own, while missing his next attempt. But just after the hour, a clever backs move after a lineout deep in Australian territory saw Capuozzo sent over for his second try of the game and a 10-point lead. A handling error at an Italian lineout saw Taniela Tupou turn the ball over, and he and Ned Hanigan sent replacement prop Tom Robertson over in the corner just moments after he inexplicably escaped a yellow card for a late hit on Tommaso Allan—which ended the Italian’s game—and Lolesio’s conversion brought the visitors back within 3 points with 10 minutes remaining. A high tackle from Darcy Swain allowed Allan’s replacement Edoardo Padovani a chance to extend the lead off the tee, but his kick from the 10m line fell well short, however his next kick from closer in with 5 minutes left was struck much better to stretch the lead to 6. The Azzurri were minutes away from making history, but there was time for one more Australian attack, and when Cadeyrn Neville forced his way over out wide on the final play, it all came down to the conversion. Ben Donaldson had only just come on for his debut 5 minutes earlier and now had the chance to save his nations’ blushes, but with all eyes on him, the young Waratahs fly half pushed a tricky kick wide of the far post, leaving the Azzurri to celebrate their first ever victory over the Wallabies, by a score of 28-27.

Onwards and upwards

This is another huge result for Italy and a statement to the rugby community. After ending a long run of losses to Tier 1 nations with victory in Wales at the end of the Six Nations, to now back that up with another Tier 1 scalp inthe summer shows just how far this team has come.

But it is so much more than that. This team performance was miles on from even the start of the 2022 Six Nations. This is a team that was not just dogged in defence, but also dangerous in attack, with big carriers in the pack like Lorenzo Cannone, who was a standout today, a balanced midfield in Morisi and Brex and a back 3 that had a great blend of pace, power and elusiveness. And then you must remember that this team was even missing its first choice fly half in Paolo Garbisi and also Jake Polledri, who continues his return from long-term injury. Even in the very recent past, the team lacked depth, but now it is truly starting to become apparent, and that is a testament to the rebuild Conor O’Shea started during his time in charge.

And now they have the personnel, they can go further. Their attack is not just passing down the line and hoping they can find space ot wide, or hitting one-up runners. This is a team that is creating shape and misdirection with their attacking in line with any Test team.

Granted both this and the Wales win were against weakened suads, but in both cases, it has still been a group of players who are in and around the wider squad on a regular basis, while even these teams would have been putting 50+ points on the Azzurri a few years ago. Now teams have to look at fielding their first string teams, and I don’t think it will be long until we see the Azurri beating one of those.

Consistently inconsistent

This is a dark day for Australia. Yes they may have put out a highly-changed squad, but the majority of these players will be pushing for a spot in the World Cup squad. And yet for much of the game they struggled to create anything of note and were generally outplayed by the hosts. This team should have been strong enough to beat Italy, instead it is just another example of an embarrassing defeat, which completely wipes out last week’s great performance against France.

But what was even worse was the stupid penalties. Jake Gordon’s yellow card was costly and unnecessary, and the final 10 minutes would not have been so close had Robertson been rightly sin binned for his cheap shot on Tommaso Allan, while a number of other players were also penalised for tackle offences.

To me, this suggests that the main issue is with the coaching. With Wales, Fiji and an improving Georgia in their pool, can they afford to continue with these inconsistent performances under Dave Rennie, or do they need to look to move on at head coach and hope that a late change has the same inspired affect that it did when Michael Cheika was brought in as head coach in October 2014, going on to reach the Rugby World Cup final a year later.

Autumn Nations Series 2022: Italy v Samoa

With the Test Window now open, Italy kicked off their Autumn Nations Series in Padua against Samoa. The visitors were given an immediate chance as Christophe Ridley and his crew wrongly adjudged that Michele Lamaro had not attempted a wrap during a low tackle on Danny Toala, and with the Samoans kicking to the corner, but while the visitor’s pressure saw Chris Vui go over for a try, the officials found a knock-on in the build-up to deny it. Both teams were looking to put pressure on the opposition breakdown early on, but the calm head of Stephen Varney dealt with it, and a kick to the corner allowed his chasers to put the pressure on and win a penalty which Tommaso Allan, starting at fullback, kicked with ease for an early lead. In a physical battle, Samoa’s handling was costing them as they tried to attack the defensive line, while Rodney Iona pushed his first penalty attempt to the right of the posts on 17 minutes.Varney continued to control the game with his smart kicks to the corner, and when Italy followed up a driving maul with a backs move, Juan Ignacio Brex successfully hit an angle that took him straight through the defence and over for the opening try. Buoyed by this, the Azzurri were immediately back on the attack from the restart, sweepend round the corner on second phase rather than looking for the clearance kick, which led to an overlap that allowed them to break from their own 22 in numbers and at pace to go the length, with Pierre Bruno the man to touch down. Allan soon added a penalty to stretch the lead to 20-0 just before the half hour. Samoa were still taking on the Azzurri defence but lacked the clinical edge as too many balls went astray, while the next Italian visit to the Samoan 22 saw Nigel Ah Wong sent to the bin for a high tackle on Allan, and after Paolo Garbisi kicked the resulting penalty, the Azzurri took advantage of the extra man to kick a 50-22 off the restart and send Montanna Ioane over for a try on the stroke of half time for a 28-0 lead.

As the second half started, a dropped high ball from Iona gifted the Azurri with a scrum in the 22, and as the wheel encouraged them to go to the blind side, Ioane had the strength to stay in the pitch and dot down as Iona tried tackling him into touch, with Allan nailing the touchline conversion to make it 35-0. With Samoa getting back to a full complement, they were back on the attack, and after a 5m lineout maul crabbed infield, a late look back to the blind side saw D’Angelo Leuila get his arm through the tackle and offload to put his centre partner Ulupano Junior Seuteni over for a try. A knock-on off the restart gifted Italy with a scrum in the 22, and when too many Samoan forwards went to wrap around the breakdown to the open side, Varney hit the ball back to the blind side to put debutant back row Lorenzo Cannone over for a try, with older brother Niccolò the first there to celebrate with him. As the game reached the hour mark, the Samoan line was under siege again, and Paolo Garbisi’s grubber under penalty advantage was deflected straight into the hands of Bruno, who gratefully accepted his second try of the match. Samoa never gave up, though, and as Italy looked to play out from their line with 10 minutes remaining, they turned the ball over out wide in the Azzurri 22 to send debutant Duncan Paia’aua over for a try, and with just a minute left, Theo McFarland was released down the left wing, with the Saracen having just enough strength to fight his way to the line and stretch over for the consolation try and a 49-17 final score that will move Italy above Samoa in the world rankings.

Restarting the attack

One thing that became very noticeable in this game was Italy’s plan to get the game going again when the restart was coming to them.

Usually at the restart, a team would look to clear either immediately or after setting a phase to give a structured platform. Italy however were looking to set up a breakdown in the middle of the field within the middle of the pitch. And at this point, their next phase depended on the defensive set-up. If the defence was well set on both sides, then the Azzurri would look to clear through Varney or Garbisi. However, as with Bruno’s first try, if the defence just expected the clearance and did not sufficiently over either side of the breakdown, the team were ready to wrap around to the lightly defended side late and en masse, creating an overlap that would allow them to break downfield with enough support to go the distance.

It’s a high risk/ high reward tactic, as if it works and they manage to break, they will have a very good chance of going the length as it being a set move means that they have pacey players and people with good handling skills making the break, and plenty of support runners there who are expecting the team to break away. However, there is always the risk in setting up the midfield breakdown of a handling error or giving away some form of turnover or penalty at the breakdown.

Was this just a tactic devised for taking on Samoa, who will not have the same level of defensive organisation as Tier 1 nations? It will be interesting to see if they do the same against Australia next week.

Worrying times

Right now, I’m very worried about Samoan Rugby. The team has hardly played together during this cycle, and that lack of cohesion showed, with Rodney Iona looking bereft of ideas at fly half. While the team clearly has the physicality and there is a clear quality in th team, they need to be playing reglar rugby to get as a team, which will reduce the handling errors, errant passes and lack of defensive organisation. Only 1 year out from the World Cup, they are running out of time, and with a pool that includes England, Argentina, Japan and an impressive Chile team, there is a distinct danger that they not only miss out on a top 3 finish in the pool (automatic qualification for RWC2027) but in fact end the tournament bottom of the pool!

And the worry doesn’t just stop there, as something that is clearly standing out to me is just how many of Seilala Mapusua’s squad are either the wrong side of 30 or in their very late 20s. Very few of these players will be around or in their prime when the next World Cup comes around, so the next cycle will require a massive rebuild… but are the players there? I can’t help worry that we are seeing the slow decline of Samoan rugby, and hope that it can be turned around soon.

2022 Summer Tests: Players To Watch

As both Super Rugby Pacific and the Northern Hemisphere club rugby season come to an end, it’s time to switch our attention from club rugby to the international game as a number of the Northern Hemisphere nations go on tour:

England to Australia
Ireland to New Zealand (facing both the All Blacks and Maori All Blacks)
France to Japan
Wales to South Africa
Scotland to Argentina (while a Scotland “A” side will also face Chile in an uncapped match)
Italy to Portugal, Romania and Georgia

Now regular readers will have guessed what’s coming here, as I look at the majority of the teams above (in this case all the Six Nations and Rugby Championship teams) and pick a player from each team to watch out for during this tour. Often they will be someone relatively new to Test rugby, sometimes someone with a point to prove as they face the pressure of depth at their position, and sometimes a player who may have already made a name for themselves, but finds themselves now switching to a different position.

Of course these are just my picks, and there were certainly some other options that I could have gone with, so feel free to chuck who you would have selected in the comments!

Argentina

Starting off this list with someone who firmly falls into the third category I mentioned with Santiago Carreras. You may have noticed that I have began a series of my picks for the top 5 players in the world at each position and (SPOILERS) the Gloucester back will be appearing in one of those articles down the line. But it will not be the one about fly half, and that is where he has found himself playing in recent Tests. He certainly has the skillset to excel there, but he lacks the experience, having never started a professional club match at the position and not likely to anytime soon at Gloucester. With Michael Cheika having taken over leadership of the Pumas, will he stick with the Carreras experiment to take advantage of the depth Argentina have in the back 3, or will he look to play his best players in their best positions?

Australia

With 16 caps to his name already at the age of just 22, Angus Bell looks to be around for the long haul. A dynamic loosehead, he is becoming a much more solid scrummager and will be licking his lips at the thought of taking on the English tighthead crop with Kyle Sinckler missing. If he can cause some damage at the set piece, England could be in trouble.

England

There were so many ways to go with this pick and I was very tempted by returning players like Danny Care and Joe Cokanasiga or the inexperienced Joe Heyes, but instead I have gone for Care’s Harlequins teammate Joe Marchant. The centre has always had great attacking quality but had added a super reliable defence to his game, while he also has the ability to move out to the wing. He may have a fight to make the starting XV when everyone is available, but with both Manu Tuilagi and Henry Slade missing this tour, Marchant has a chance to push for that starting spot. His familiarity with Marcus Smith will certainly help things in attack, while he will play a big role in helping shut down an exciting Australian back line.

France

As if France weren’t dangerous enough, they may have found another future star just in time for the World Cup in the form of Yoan Tanga. The 25-year-old Racing 92 back row really stood out to me with his consistent carrying in the tight for the Barbarians in their humiliation of England last weekend, which repeatedly drew in multiple tacklers to finally get him down. The French backline is dangerous when given space, and Tanga’s carrying will just give them even more to work with.

Ireland

Sticking with the pack here, I’m going for Leinster hooker Dan Sheehan. It feels like in an ideal world with everyone available, the Irish hookers in the matchday 23 will be Sheehan and Leinster teammate Rónan Kelleher, with the big question just being who starts. However with Kelleher out injured, Sheehan will surely be the clear first choice ahead of Rob Herring and Dave Heffernan and with the World Cup just a year away, he has a legitimate chance to secure the number 2 shirt.

Italy

I was initially going with Six Nations hero Ange Capuozzo here but a second glance at the scrum half position made me change my mind. With Stephen Varney left out after a poor Six Nations that ended with injury and limited minutes for Gloucester, Callum Braley’s retirement from international rugby leaves the Azzurri short of experience at scrum half this summer. Step forward Alessandro Garbisi! Paolo’s younger brother has shone with the U20s and has been racking up the minutes for Benetton in the URC. He may not be the finished product yet, but a summer facing 3 of the top 4 teams from the 2022 Rugby Europe Championship will be a great way for him to gain experience in the senior team.

New Zealand

What a difference a season makes. Last year, the All Blacks were seriously lacking centres, whereas now they seem almost spoiled for choice. And while part of this is down to the return of Josh Goodhue from injury and another year of experience for last year’s crop, they are also helped by the arrival of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck from rugby league. The centre played 20 times for New Zealand in the 13-man code alongside almost 200 appearances in the NRL, and has grown into the 12 position in his first season with the Blues. With a great range of skills, clever footwork and good strength, Tuivasa-Sheck has the chance to be the new Sonny Bill Williams.

South Africa

Evan Roos was going to get my pick here until I realised that André Esterhuizen only had 8 caps! The Quins centre is arguably one of the best inside centres in the world, but has the challenge of being in the sae national team squad as Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am, while South Africa’s recent favouring of a 6-2 split on the bench has led to them usually going for a more versatile player on the bench rather than a specialist centre. However his form has been incredible over recent seasons and he is fully deserving of a return to the national team and will be looking to put in some big performances against Wales to solidify his spot in the squad ahead of the World Cup.

Scotland

Another in a similar spot to Santi Carreras, Blair Kinghorn may not be as entrenched in the Scottish XI, but he was clearly in the reckoning for a spot in the back 3. However his skillset has recently been used more at fly half, and with Finn Russell given a summer off and Adam Hastings forced to pull out of the touring squad through injury, Kinghorn looks likely to wear the 10 shirt against the Pumas. With Scotland underperforming of late and resting some key players this summer, and facing an Argentina team looking to climb back up the rankings under a new head coach, the pressure will be on Kinghorn.

Wales

Finishing off this list with a potential debutant in Tommy Reffell. Many would argue that the Leicester flanker should have been capped well before this, but he now goes into the South Africa tour off the back of a strong performance in the Premiership final. Back row is an area where Wales have plenty of quality but don’t seem to give anyone a long enough chance to secure a spot. But with Reffell’s all-round ability in the loose and real danger at the breakdown, can he prove himself worthy of an extended run in Wayne Pivac’s 23?

Thoughts from the world of sport and the Schmoedown

Scotland

Italy

Italy

Italy

Ireland

England

Italy

Italy

France

England

France

Ireland

Italy

Scotland

Wales

Pride

The answer?

Onwards and upwards

Consistently inconsistent

Restarting the attack

Worrying times

Argentina

Australia

England

France

Ireland

Italy

New Zealand

South Africa

Scotland

Wales