2023 Six Nations: France v Wales

Second up on Super Saturday came the match that all of Wales had been dreading for the past week. Despite their first win in Warren Gatland’s second spell last week, Wales were still so far off the pace of the top teams in the competition and found themselves ending the tournament in Paris against a French team who had ran riot against England last weekend.

Wales came in having made a number of changes, with a focus on experience over form, and in fact earned the first chance of the game as a breakdown penalty allowed them to kick to the corner, but after Ken Owens spilled the ball at the back of the maul, Wyn Jones found himself held up over the line. Wales were making ground surprisingly well in their early attack and causing the French issues, and third penalty to the corner saw the maul stopped just short of the line, only for George North to pick a beautiful line to hit Rhys Webb’s wide pass for the opening try underneath the posts. If they had been shocked by the start, it didn’t take long for France to recover, and after Romain Ntamack broke down the left wing in their first attack, he offloaded to Antoine Dupont, whose wide pass found Damian Penaud in acres of space on the right for a quick answer. Wales were playing with a tempo and intent that had rarely been seen in recent years, but the French defence were finding answers, and then began growing into the game and winning some vital penalties at the breakdown, which eventually allowed Thomas Ramos to kick a penalty to put the hosts ahead for the first time after 26 minutes and another on the half hour to open up a gap on the visitors. The French attack was growing into the game too, and after Dupont was stopped just short in the left corner, the ball was spread down the hands to Jonathan Danty, who went over on the right wing. Wales perhaps got a little lucky soon after the restart as George North’s intervention to break up a French counterattack with Rio Dyer out of position was not considered a deliberate knock on, and the two teams were able to see out the half for a 20-7 score at the break.

The second half saw a much more impressive start from Les Bleus, who were immediately on the attack, and it took just a few minutes of concerted pressure in the 22 before the created an overlap just short of the try line, allowing Uini Atonio to power through the tackle of Louis Rees-Zammit for his first French try on his 50ᵗʰ cap. And their next attack was even more clinical, sending Gaël Fickou over on a beautiful line on the first phase after a lineout maul went nowhere, securing the bonus point in under 50 minutes. France were playing with confidence, but after being turned over in their own 22 after trying to play out from behind their own line, replacement hooker Bradley Roberts managed to force his way over for the try. Wales appeared to be going through a spell of momentum, and after Aaron Wainwright was stopped just short by Grégory Alldritt, Tomos Williams took the opportunity to snipe over from close range. But France put the pressure on in the final minutes to send Penaud over in the corner with just minutes left, which meant that a last gasp try for Rio Dyer was just a consolation bonus point, as the game ended 41-28.

France

They may not have faced the toughest of opponents in the last few weeks of the tournament, but after a disappointing loss to Ireland, France have made a statement.

Having arguably overplayed against Ireland, Les Bleus have been much more clinical in their matches against England and Wales, with a few exceptions like the decision to play out from their own in-goal which led to Bradley Roberts’ try. With Danty back providing his extra physicality in midfield, it feels like it has freed up carriers in the French pack like Cyril Baille, Sipili Falatea, Charles Ollivon and Grégory Alldritt to effect the game in better areas of the pitch. But you also get the feeling that they are holding something back with the World Cup so close.

Meanwhile in defence, Danty’s return has also been felt as it has not just solidified the midfield but also brought back an extra jackal threat to the back line, which one again allows the team to spread their jackals through the defensive line for maximum impact.

While France will be disappointed not to be celebrating a Grand Slam today, they can look back at this campaign as a success. The questions the may have been asked after losing to Ireland have been largely answered, while this tournament may have cost them Anthony Jelonch, it has seen the rise of Falatea, Thibaud Flament and Ethan Dumortier among others, along with the return of Thomas Ramos to add extra depth at 15 (while also being an emergency 10, which will surely see him make the World Cup squad) and a test of the depth at tighthead prop.

While they may not have won the Six Nations (assuming no shock victory in the finale from England), it’s another stepping stone as they build towards the Autumn and a World Cup which they must be one of the favourites to win.

Wales

I’m sure that I can’t have been the only one surprised when Warren Gatland announced his matchday squad, which sa a number of the youngsters who had been impressing given the weekend off, while a number of Gatland’s old favourites—who had frankly looked past it in may of their recent appearances—returned tot he starting lineup. Was Gatland just going back to his old favourites? Had he lost his mind? Or did he look at what happened to England last weekend and decide to remove as many of the kids as he could from the firing line so that their early Test careers did not involve the pain of taking an absolute hammering?

Well the old guard certainly caught myself—and perhaps even France—by surprise, with many of them putting in performances that ran back the clock. Rhys Webb continued where he left off against Italy, benefitting as well from the return of Dan Biggar outside him. Nick Tompkins looked comfortable in his first start of the tournament, George North was carrying and defending with a strength that we have not seen enough, while Alun Wyn Jones—who had looked years off the pace in recent appearances—was at the heart of everything, though it may be a little worrying that he only lasted to a few minutes into the second half.

Meanwhile, there suddenly seemed an intent in attack that has so often been missing. Instead of hitting a one-up runner or playing it down the line, Wales were targeting the fringes of the breakdown with pick and go carries, and taking every opportunity they could to keep the ball alive and the tempo high by offloading out of contact. The attack was drawing in the tacklers and creating gaps in the defence, while also forcing them to give away penalties as they attempted to slow the game down.

And in possibly one of the smartest moves, Gatland chose to use Gloucester superstar Louis Rees-Zammit at fullback, which saw him get more touches in the opening half than he had probably had all tournament, as he was given the freedom to find the gaps and hit them. Such is the talent that Rees-ammit has, the more Wales can get the ball in his hands the better, while with players like Josh Adams, Rio Dyer and Alex Cuthbert, Wales have enough other options to cover the wings.

With this being Wales’ last competitive match before the World Cup, some veterans may have just secured their spot in the squad, while a couple of others may have helped put themselves back in contention.

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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: France v Scotland

After losing their winning run 2 weeks ago against Ireland, France looked to bounce back at home to Scotland, who for the first time in Six Nations history were still chasing a Grand Slam come round 3. But it was Les Bleus (ironically playing in all white while Scotland wore their traditional blue) who started better and scored the first try within 5 minutes as a concerted assault on the Scottish line drew the defence in narrow enough for Romain Ntamack to beat them to the edge and go over for the try himself despite men free outside of him. And things got immediately worse for the Scots as Grant Gilchrist was sent off for a high hit on Anthony Jelonch at the restart, leaving Scotland 75 minutes to play a man down. And the hosts immediately took advantage of the extra space, Ntamack sending Ethan Dumortier over in the corner just a minute after the game restarted. A Scottish penalty at the next restart gave them a chance to go to the corner, and with Jonny Gray coming on for Hamish Watson to add extra ballast and lineout options, the Scots found their maul stopped just short, only for Mohamed Haouas, into the squad in place of the banned Uini Atonio, to needlessly dive in and catch Ben White in the head, earning himself a red card—making it 2 red cards in his last 2 appearances against Scotland. An obstruction at the lineout allowed France, who had to sacrifice Grégory Alldritt in order to bring on replacement prop Sipili Falatea to escape without further punishment, but a 50-22 from Racing’s Finn Russell soon had the Scots back in the 22, only for Zander Fagerson to lose control of the ball as he reached for the line. Scotland kept the pressure on, but were undone as Thomas Ramos intercepted Russell’s flat wide pass and ran in untouched from 60 metres to score under the posts, giving himself the simplest of conversions. But Russell quickly looked to make amends with a break into the 22, and when Scotland quickly recycled, the Scottish forwards worked the ball out to Duhan van der Merwe, who was just forced into touch by Anthony Jelonch and Ntamack as he stretched for the line. A penalty advantage allowed them to continue their siege on the France try line, and Russell eventually found Huw Jones on the perfect angle to go over next to the posts, while Jelonch was forced to call it a day after a physical 25 minutes that had seen him pass a HIA and both give and receive a series of big hits. Scotland were dominating the possession and territory since the game became 14v14, with Russell’s kicking to the corner keeping the pressure on France and allowing the visitors to counter their clearance kicks, and yet it was France who added to their tally 5 minutes before the break via a Ramos penalty. Scotland had one last chance to attack the French deep in their half, but Russell’s looped pass to send Hogg free down the wing was judged to have gone forward, leaving them going into the break down 22-7.

Having missed so many chances in the first half, Scotland desperately needed to score first in the second half, and after a huge carry out wide from Huw Jones brought the visitors up tho the line, Scotland tied in the defence with a couple of forward carries before hitting back to the blind side and sending Jones over for his second try of the game. But France soon hit back with some strong carries to seemingly put Dumortier over in the corner, only for Ben White and Huw Jones to stop the ball getting to ground. Another Ramos penalty extended France’s lead back to double figures and triggered the arrival of Jack Dempsey and Ali Price as Scotland continued to largely dominate the possession and territory while lacking the killer final pass. But with 13 minutes remaining, a strong carry from Sione Tuipulotu on first phase after a scrum put the Scots on the front foot and a quick recycle allowed Russell to run through a gap in the disorganised defence, before converting his own try to cut the French lead to 4 points. France turned to Mathieu Jabibert for the final 10 minutes, and when Jamie Ritchie saw his side marched back 10 metres for dissent after he was pinged for holding on in his 22, France took the quick tap penalty to send Gaël Fickou over for the bonus point try, with Ramos’ conversion making it a 32-21 victory for the hosts.

France

Has Mohamed Haouas just brought an end to his international career?

The Clermont-bound Montpellier tighthead only came into the 23 this week due to Uini Atonio’s ban for a high tackle on Rob Herring 2 weeks ago, but his return lasted a grand total of 12 minutes before a needless dive off his feet that at best was going to gift Scotland a penalty for playing the 9, but instead resulted in him clashing heads with Ben White, leaving officials no choice but to send him off.

Having been sent off for punching Jamie Ritchie in his last appearance against Scotland, and having recently received an 1-month suspended sentence for his part in a series of robberies in 2014, with another court appearance due in May after being charged with “wilful violence” for another incident, there were already questions over whether he had the right temperance for test rugby or if he was too hot-headed. It seems that this latest moment of idiocy has answered that question. Now coaches must ask themselves if this makes him too much of a risk.

Judging by recent selections, Uini Atonio and Sipili Falatea are the clear preferred pairing, while today’s selection would suggest that Fabien Galthié prefers to utilise Falatea’s dynamism by bringing him off the bench against a tiring defence. So with the World Cup fast approaching, what other options does Galthié have? Well Demba Bamba looked to be the rising star of the French front row, only for a series of injuries to limit his playing time recently. But if he can get the minutes under his belt for the rest of the season, he will surely come back into contention, while Toulouse’s Dorian Aldegheri, whose last cap came against England in 2021, could also be in contention for a recall.

And then what about after the World Cup? Well it’s safe to assume that France will likely repeat their actions in this cycle by starting an immediate rebuild by looking only at players who they think could be part of their plans for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. We know that Atonio will have aged out by then and it is hard to imagine Haouas (who will be 33 in that tournament) will make the squad when Falatea and Bamba would be arguably entering their prime at 29 and 28 respectively, as we would probably see a younger third option.

Would you select Haouas again if you were Galthié? I certainly think that this is one selection headache I would rather avoid, causing me to look at other options.

Scotland

This will be a hard loss to take for Scotland. Grant Gilchrist’s moment of complete stupidity not just allowed France to build a commanding lead before their own red card, but also cost Scotland one of their most devastating forward carriers and jackals as they were forced to sacrifice Hamish Watson to bring on another lineout option.

And yet despite that awful first 10 minutes, it’s hard to argue that Scotland shouldn’t be leaving Paris still hunting for the Grand Slam. Though barely in the game during the first 10 minutes, the Sots ended up dominating the possession and spending so much time in and around the French 22. And yet they failed to convert this to scores, leaving them without even a bonus point.

Scotland wasted so many opportunities. Getting pinged for obstruction at the 5m lineout immediately after Haouas’ red card was a big let-off for France given the recent success of the Scottish maul. Zander Fagerson’s knock-on in the corner was a classic case of a prop getting white line fever and hunting the glory, when simply recycling the ball would have likely seen the team score within a couple of phases. Russell’s wide double-miss pass that was intercepted by Ramos was unnecessary and costly. and there were a number of other occasions where it felt like Scotland were trying to force the opportunity rather than going through the phases and letting the opportunity develop, as he French did.

Of course, if any defence can hold out with 14 men, it’s one organised by Shaun Edwards. But if scotland want to start regularly beating the top teams in the world, then they need to find a way to be more clinical.

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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: Scotland v Wales

This was it: the chance for Scotland to prove a point. Last weekend’s win over England has started becoming a regular occurrence. But in the past, they had put so much into that, only to lose their next match. Now, at home against a Wales team just beginning to try and re-find itself under Warren Gatland, the Scots found themselves in a situation where they had to back up the win…

And it was the Scots who got the first chance, as a Huw Jones break took Scotland up to the Welsh 22, where their pressure earned an early penalty for Finn Russell to open the scoring. Russell added a second as Scotland appeared the more dangerous through the first quarter, while Dan Biggar missed a relatively routine first kick at goal after the Welsh scrum earned a penalty. Scotland nearly had the opening try on the half hour as they spread the ball wide from a strong lineout maul to Kyle Steyn, only for Rio Dyer and Josh Adams to force him into touch. But the hosts had a penalty advantage from the maul and went back to the corner, and this time there was no stopping them as George Turner forced his way over for the opening try. Turner’s next action though was not so positive, as he was sent to the bin for a high tackle on George North, and while the Welshman went for a HIA, his teammates went to the corner and took advantage of the extra man in the pack to drive Ken Owens over for the try. And as the half came to an end, Wales should have had a second, only for the final pass to be fumbles into touch by Rio Dyer to keep the score at 13-7.

With Scotland back to a full complement just minutes into the second period they began to regain their dominance, and Turner was just inches from a second try, only to fumble as he tried to reach for the line. However the pressure from the Scots continued and when Finn Russell eventually found a gap just in front of the try line, he managed to throw a beautiful offload out the back of his hand to allow Kyle Steyn to simply catch the ball and fall over the line. And the next Scotland attack saw Liam Williams sent to the bin after referee Paul Williams tired of the team’s persistent offending, and the extra man proved crucial immediately, as a strong maul and a tight dummy line from Sione Tuipulotu helf the Welsh defence in narrow and allowed Russell to hit Steyn with the crosskick for his second try of the match. And as the game entered the final 10 minutes, Scotland secured the bonus point as Duhan van der Merwe took Russell’s cross kick and drew the defence before playing the ball back inside to Blair Kinghorn to go over from close range. And with just minutes remaining there was time for one more try as Russell’s looped pass put Matt Fagerson over in the corner to make it a 35-7 win and record margin of victory for Scotland over Wales.

Scotland

As a Gloucester fan, when I saw that Chris Harris had been dropped to the bench against England with Huw Jones starting, I thought that Gregor Townsend was crazy. One of the best 13s in the game, Harris is a defensive linchpin and always seems to be in place to make a crucial covering tackle or shoot out the line to make a timely man and ball hit.

However, after 2 matches, it’s hard to argue that it was the wrong call. Clubmates at Glasgow, Jones and Sione Tuipulotu have formed an impressive dynamic pairing in the centre, while Jones has generally been able to form a good line with Finn Russell too, which has resulted in a Scottish midfield trio that are generally making the right decisions and then executing the plays, allowing the Scots to really take advantage of the quality they have on the wings.

The big questions are still to be answered, though. In England and Wales, they have faced the 2 teams who are just starting their journeys under new coaches, so as a result, the attacks have been relatively disjointed and easier to defend. While momentum is on their side, they now have to face 3 more established attacks, who will be far more clinical. Against such teams, can “Huwipulotu” work as well? Or will the need for security see more minutes for Chris Harris?

Wales

Welsh fans got a real look at the future today with Warren Gatland’s selection. While Joe Hawkins is already establishing himself as Warren Gatland’s first choice at 12 and Rio Dyer is taking advantage of Louis Rees-Zammit’s injury to gain some Test experience, they were joined this week by a number of fellow youngsters in the pack.

Following disappointing performances from a number of the experienced Lions last week, Warren Gatland dramatically lowered the average age of the back 5 in the pack, replacing Alun Wyn Jones with Dafydd Jenkins and seeing fellow Premiership youngsters Christ Tshiunza and Tommy Reffell joining Jac Morgan in the back row. And while things weren’t perfect for the Welsh pack, they were certainly not the issue, and if anything they were certainly adding drive and positivity to the Welsh performance while looking far more assured han their combined handful of caps would suggest.

Warren Gatland was probably hoping that he could start bringing through the youth into the squad and see them take over the starting spots immediately after the World Cup, similar to what France did in 2020. However with the major upturn in performance from last week to this, he may find that many of them are forcing their way into the XV a year early.

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Borthwick’s Bolters

And so it is official, Steve Borthwick has left his role with Leicester Tigers to become England’s new head coach, with Kevin Sinfield coming with him. Borthwick now has just a handful of weeks until the Six Nations, and then only a couple of matches after that before he must name his squad for the Rugby World Cup.

But who will Borthwick pick? While it is hard to imagine him making wholesale changes to the suad so close to the tournament, every head coach will have some players that they will feel can do the job for them—as we saw consistently with Eddie Jones leaving out many of the form English players despite every fan and pundit calling for their inclusion. So who has found themselves surplus to Eddie Jones’ needs who could find themselves now getting a chance under Borthwick? Today I will be looking at some of the options.

Ollie Lawrence

Let’s start with the obvious one. England have been far too reliant on Manu Tuilagi under Jones, especially considering how often he is injured, while the great promise of the Smith/Farrell/Tuilagi midfield was an absolute dud when finally used this autumn. Meanwhile Ollie Lawrence was almost single-handedly winning games for Bath. A wrecking ball with great hands in attack, he has also been a big factor in defence, and has been key to Bath’s revival and arguably one of the best players in the Premiership this season.

Joe Marler

An experienced loosehead and specialist scrummager, Marler hasn’t featured for England since Autumn 2021, with Mako Vunipola coming back into consideration as backup to Ellis Genge. Well, that resulted in the England scrum being pushed back by New Zealand and folded in on itself by the Springboks. With a strong scrum key to beating the top teams and an immediate improvement needed, the return of Marler through to the end of the Rugby World Cup seems an obvious selection.

George McGuigan

One of the most consistent try scorers in recent Premiership Rugby seasons, McGuigan has always been a solid all-rounder, but for some reason found himself behind a number of younger options including his own Newcastle back-up Jamie Blamire in the England pecking order under Jones. Should arguably be one of the top 3 hookers for England, and with Luke Cowan-Dickie’s torpedo dives at players’ knees just asking for him to suffer a concussion, an argument could easily be made for McGuigan to become a regular in the 23.

George Ford

With Owen Farrell the long-term incumbent at 10 and Marcus Smith the hot young prospect who has come into the XV, George Ford has somewhat fell by the wayside. I will be the first to admit that his previous times with England have not wholly impressed me, but Borthwick found a way to get the best out of him for Leicester last year, so could be tempted to bring in another experienced playmaker that he is familiar with, especially when Farrell is able to play outside him at 12.

Ollie Hassell-Collins & Cadan Murley

A pair of impressive young players who have quietly gone about their business to become 2 of the most deadly try scorers in the Premiership, both have found themselves frequently overlooked in favour of inexperienced viral sensation Henry Arundell. With and 7 league tries respectively, and both over 200 metres made and in double digits for players beaten in the Premiership this year, if Borthwick chooses to play style of rugby that involves more attacking through the backs, he will surely be hoping that they can follow in the footsteps of recent new internationals Rio Dyer and Mark Nawaqanitawase.

Alex Dombrandt

One of the most impressive English back rows in recent years (which considering the depth of options available to England is saying something!) Dombrandt was never able to secure a spot under Eddie Jones and fell back behind Billy Vunipola, who looked a shadow of himself at Test level. With Borthwick coming in and surely looking to create a more dominant pack and an attack with more carrying options, Dombrandt has the chance to try securing the shirt ahead of Zach Mercer’s return to England.

Anthony Watson

Formerly a regular on the wing under Jones, injury robbed Watson of almost all of last season, and appears to have seen him fall down the pecking order in that time. However, having moved to Leicester, nobody will know better than Borthwick just what he is capable of, while he also provides cover across the back 3. And with Jonny May not looking at his best this season following a second half of the year disrupted by COVID and injury, could Watson come in as a direct replacement for the Gloucester wing?

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Autumn Nations Series 2022: Combined XV

The Autumn Series is over for another year. 1 year out from the Rugby World Cup and South Africa are developing a more expansive game; France and Ireland are reaching new heights; Italy are finally seeing the results from a complete rebuild of their infrastructure; and a number of big teams are looking in deep trouble.

And so as we look back on 5 weeks of action, all that remains is for me to make my customary combined XV, and let me tell you it was not easy given some of the performances. Who would make your XV? Let me know in the comments.

My Team of the Autumn Nations Series is…

1) Pierre Schoeman: Carried well and was strong in the scrummage to help create a platform for the backs to attack off, while also giving us a moment of comedy with his Superman impression as he tried illegally jumping over a tackle.

2) Ken Owens: The Sheriff’s return showed just what Wales have been missing at hooker. Had a few wobbles at the lineout but seemed more reliable than before his time out, while his carrying and willingness to make the hard metres is something that Wales has desperately needed.

3) Frans Malherbe: Found himself getting penalised at the scrum maybe a little more than usual, but the way he manhandled the English scrum was such a dominant performance that could not be ignored. Having been his plaything in 2 matches now, Mako Vunipola likely comes out in a cold sweat whenever he hears the Springbok’s name.

4 & 5) Eben Etzebeth & Tadhg Beirne: Etzebeth is in the form of his life and it is a joy to behold, that he wasn’t nominated for World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year is a farce! Meanwhile Beirne continues to do what he does best in every game: does his duty at the set piece, causes nightmares at the breakdown and has a positive impact in the loose.

6) Jac Morgan: The silver lining to a dismal Autumn for Wales. Carried in a way that Wales have been missing for a long time, consistently making yards in the contact and finishing with 4 tries. Looked completely at home on the Test stage and should now be looking to secure the 6 shirt as his during the Six Nations.

7) Dalton Papali’i: Sam Cane’s absence gave Papali’i a chance to show what he could do, and such was his quality that Ian Foster should be looking to name a new captain. Made a positive impact all over the pitch, while adding much more threat with ball in hand. Great reading of the English gameplan to intercept Jack van Poortvliet’s pass away from the lineout and had the pace to run in untouched from halfway.

8) Lorenzo Cannone: The younger Cannone brother is the second back row on this list to have only debuted for his country this year, but is fully deserving of his place here, even given the form of Ardie Savea. Looked comfortably at home on the Test stage and consistently popped up as a carrying option to help the Azzurri get on the front foot. Fully deserving of his tries against Samoa and South Africa.

9) Stephen Varney: Had a hard time last season with limited minutes for Gloucester, while his form in the Six Nations wasn’t great before his injury. But was back to his absolute best this Autumn, providing quick ball for his team while also controlling the game well with some great kicking.

10) Finn Russell: Gregor Townsend better feel like an absolute moron for dropping him. Came in after 2 ordinary performances from Blair Kinghorn and Adam Hastings and put in 2 wonderful performances, almost beating the All Blacks. With Russell playing, the Scottish performances are taken to a completely different level.

11) Mark Nawaqanitawase: Commentators better get used to pronouncing his name as he looks like he will be around for a long time. Looked better with each match he played and was key to Australia’s comeback against Wales. With his blend of pace and power, he reminds me somewhat of George North when he first hit the Test Rugby scene.

12) Stuart McCloskey: Finally got a chance and looked every bit the Test player, despite injury and personnel changes around him making it far harder to bed himself in. Hopefully he gets to keep the 12 shirt for the Six Nations but will come under pressure from the returning Bundee Aki.

13) Len Ikitau: Has secured his spot in the Australian XV and quietly gone about his business over the last year to under the radar become one of the best 13s in Test rugby. Despite frequent personnel changes all around him, Ikitau has become one of those reliable defensive linchpins up there with Chris Harris and Lukhanyo Am.

14) Kurt-Lee Arendse: Talk about taking your chances! The absence of Cheslin Kolbe gave Arendse his opportunity and he’s been undroppable since. Scored in every match of the series on the way to 5 tries in total, looking comfortable as part of the territory game or South Africa’s more expansive play.

15) Willie le Roux: This series showed just how vital le Roux is to the Springboks. As they looked at fly half options beyond the injured Handré Pollard, they looked rudderless when he wasn’t playing, but like potential World Cup winners when he was at 15, such is the way that he comes in as an extra playmaker and take pressure off of his 10. Always seems to be the one throwing the key pass for a South African try.

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Autumn Nations Series 2022: Wales v Australia

With World Rugby’s Test window officially over, Wales faced off against Australia in Cardiff for the final round of the series with both teams missing their English- and French-based talent, while injuries were leaving the Australian ranks especially depleted, but a strong first scrum allowed Ben Donaldson to open the scoring with an early penalty after Wales failed to secure the kickoff. It was the Welsh who scored the first try though; Tomow Williams crabbing off the back of a ruck to draw 2 tacklers and offloading to put Alun Wyn Jones through and into the 22, and the experienced lock fed Jac Morgan to power his way over for another try, having scored a brace last week against Georgia. Donaldson and Anscombe traded penalties as both teams tried to take control of the game, and as the game entered the second quarter, Wales managed to play the ball through the hands to put Taulupe Faletau over in the corner, Anscombe’s touchline conversion and another penalty soon after making it a 14-point lead. Australia finally made a chance of note, but Jed Holloway’s charge for the line was stopped by a fine tackle from Josh Adams, who had been promoted to the starting XV following a late injury to Leigh Halfpenny. Australia were finally managing to spend some time in the Welsh half though, and with the pressure, chances were starting to be created, only for loose handling skills to bring the attacks to a disappointing end, but they finally made their way over the line after a Welsh penalty allowed them to set up a driving maul from a 5m lineout to send Folau Fainga’a over for the try, Donaldson adding the extras. There was time for a Welsh response before the break though, and when Rio Dyer’s break was stopped just short of the line, Jake Gordon was sent to the bin for cynically impeding replacement scrum half Kieran Hardy as he tried to play the ball away. Wales looked to take advantage of the extra man by going for the scrum, but the Wallabies defence just managed to hold Hardy up over the line to end the half with the score at 20-13.

The second half started with Reece Hodge hitting the upright with a penalty from inside his own half, and they were unable to take advantage of the possession as a collapsed scrum saw replacement prop Tom Robertson—on at the break for captain James Slipper—sent to the bin as the Wallabies were already on a warning for scrum offences from the first half. With Gordon still in the bin for a couple of minutes, the Welsh took advantage of the extra 2 men to kick to the corner and drive Morgan over for his 2ⁿᵈ try of the game. And they were just inches away from scoring again as Anscombe’s cross-kick was just a little too long for Alex Cuthbert as they took advantage of playing 15v14. However with a penalty advantage, it was just a momentary delay, and a kick to the corner saw the Welsh keep the pressure on and eventually create the overlap to put Dyer over in the corner. Wales were dealt a blow as Gareth Anscombe suffered an injury as he attempted to tackle Ned Hanigan, with Rhys Priestland coming on in his place, and his first duty was to take the ball over his own line under pressure as his team failed to deal with a high ball from Tom Wright. Back to 15 men, the Wallabies, who had brought on a number of replacements, suddenly looked confident, and Mark Nawaqanitawase forced himself over in the corner, though replacement fly half Noah Lolesio was unable to land the conversion from the left touchline. As the game entered the final 15 minutes, replacement Pete Samu read the pass of Rhys Priestland to intercept it, and though he had 70m ahead of him, the way was clear, but for the outstretched leg of Justin Tipuric, who was sent to the bin for his trip. And the visitors immediately took advantage, kicking to the corner and running a clever move off the lineout to send Nawaqanitawase powering over for his second try of the game, Lolesio cutting the deficit to single figures with the conversion. The momentum was firmly shifted the way of the visitors, and with 7 minutes remaining, Ryan Elias collapsed a maul on its way to the line to give Australia a penalty try and 2-man advantage. And with just 2 minutes remaining, Nawaqanitawase carried the ball up to the Welsh 22, and as the ball was spread wide, Kieran Hardy failed to keep hold of his attempted intercept of Len Ikitau’s pass, and replacement hooker Ryan Lonergan picked up the loose ball to go over and give Australia the lead. With 1 minute left, Tipuric was back on for Wales, and when Australian latchers went off their feet at what would have been the last ruck, Wales had 1 more chance. Priestland didn’t help his pack with a kick that should have gone to the corner only just making the 22, and as the 14 men went through the phases, Lonergan managed to turn the ball over and kick it out for a 34-39 victory.

Hard yards

It’s been a poor Autumn for Wales, but one bright spark has been the form of Jac Morgan. 22-year-old Ospreys back row was one of the few bright sparks with his 2 tries against Georgia (having had a third disallowed), and if anything, he looked even better this week.

One thing that the Welsh pack has consistently lacked in recent years is carrying options in the pack. Players who can consistently take hold of the ball and make the hard metres to put the attack on the front foot. Well Morgan—previously left out of Welsh squads as he lacked the carrying ability Wayne Pivac wanted—was providing exactly that, consistently making metres not just in space, but in and through contact, so it’s no surprise that, with an attacking fly half controlling the game, the Welsh attack was able to get going in a way we have not really seen recently.

Going forwards Morgan needs to be makingthat 6 shirt his own, but Pivac’s made a habit of being consistently inconsistent in his back row selections. Morgan needs to make sure that his form stays at least at this level to ensure Pivac has no excuse to drop him.

Running on fumes

Despite the win, this was another bad performance for Australia, but can anyone really be surprised. The Wallabies were playing for their 5ᵗʰ consecutive week, in a month where World Rugby’s Test window lasted 3 weeks. 5 Tests in 5 weeks is hard enough at the best of times, but to come so soon after the Rugby Championship just makes it even more of a burden on the players.

So is it any surprise to see that the team just ran out of gas as these tests went on? They were playing too much rugby in too short a time, with things being made even worse as the team suffered injury after injury. And these 2 things combined to leave the Wallabies playing with a XV made up of players who are on the ultimate fringe of the squad and players who have played too much rugby and are running on fumes.

And if there are 2 things that will kill a team’s chances in the game, its exhaustion and a lack of familiarity with your teammates, as both will create and accentuate gaps in the defensive line, while also leading to unforced errors in attack.

Whose idea was it to play so much rugby, and why? Because it certainly doesn’t feel like the players’ wellbeing was of foremost thought, and it has left the team in the ultimate slump less that a year out from the World Cup.

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Autumn Nations Series 2022: France v Japan

Another successful Autumn came to an end for France with the visit of Japan. Les Bleus’ decision to play their strongest available XV as a clear mark of respect to their opponents, who had the first attack of note as Kazuki Himeno sniped off a ruck and carried into the 22, though a handling error eventually ended the pressure and a penalty at the scrum allowed the hosts to clear their lines. France were soon on the attack, though, and after phases of pressure on the edge of the 22, Romain Ntamack’s grubber was kicked on by Damian Penaud, and when fullback Ryohei Yamanaka failed to keep hold of it as he covered across, Penaud dived on the loose ball for the opening try. As conditions worsened, Japan struggled to deal with the French conveyor belt of hard carriers, eventually gifting Thomas Ramos the simplest of penalties, and he added another just after the 15 minute mark as Koo Ji-won obstructed France’s routes to the kicker, while Les Bleus were forced into a reshuffle of their backs due to an injury to Gaël Fickou, resulting in Yoram Moefana moving into 13 and back row Sekou Macalou again coming on as a wing. Japan finally got on the scoreboard as the first quarter ended; Ntamack choosing to run back a kick with no support led to him being turned over, and Anthony Jelonch was forced to illegally slow down the Japanese breakdown to give Lee Seung-Sin an easy kick off the tee. Japan had a half-chance soon after as a tip-on off the top of a French lineout failed to find it’s man and scrum half Naoto Saito kicked on, but though he beat his opposition to the ball, his next kick on was overhit and saw the ball go dead. The late deluge of rain was affecting French plans as the ball became slippery in hands, but the monstrous carrying of the French pack won a penalty in front of the posts for Ramos to convert with 30 minutes gone. And as the game approached halftime, Maxime Lucu took advantage of some confusion after another ball came off the top of the lineout to break down the 5m channel, before feeding his captain Charles Ollivon for the try, Ramos adding the extras for a 21-3 lead at the break.

Japan has started the first half with a breakaway, and they did again for the second half, with Shogo Nakano shooting through agap, but this time the immediate support was there on his shoulder from Saito to take the pass and go over for the try, Seung-Sin converting. Franc were soon back to controlling the game as their powerful carries in midfield made space for the backs to exploit out wide, though there were some moments where they still looked somewhat disjointed. A cut to the bridge of his nose that caused heavy bleeding brought an end to Ntamack’s game, with Matthieu Jalibert coming on, and his clever mid-length kick down the wing caused nightmares for the Japanese defence and allowed him to recover it and feed Bastien Chalureauto carry the ball up to 5m out, and when the ball was fed back, it was spread wide to the left for Damian Penaud to score his second of the game. However, an error at the restart from Grégory Alldritt gifted the Brave Blossoms a penalty kick to the corner, and a clever planned move off the top saw Siosaia Fifita sent over untouched. France looked to immediately answer and thought they had when Penaud put Jonathan Danty over in the corner, but replays showed that though his dive avoided him stepping into touch, the ball was dotted down on the touch-in-goal line. But France secured the victory with 7 minutes remaining. A cheeky chip and collect into the Japanese 22 from Matthieu Jalibert put the defence in disarray, and when the ball came out to Danty on the wing, he played it back inside to Anthony Jelonch to score. However Jalibert’s next action was not so silky: winning the chase of a kick back into his in-goal, but then trying to play his way out and floating the offload into touch, but the French defence held firm on their line and secured the turnover, along with a 35-17 victory that secures an unbeaten 2022 for Les Bleus.

Wing forward

Sekou Macalou may have just secured his spot in the 23 over the last couple of weeks. A back row by trade, the 27-year-old has come on early in both matches due to injuries, but with France favouring a 6-2 split with Matthieu Jalibert and a scrum half covering the backs, he has found himself coming on to play wing.

And while many forwards in his situation would do their best impersonation of a fish out of water, jelonch put in performances that actually looked like a Test wing. His pace was enough to hold his own, while his positioning was extremely impressive, especially in defence, where he would not commit himself too early and knew to use his touchline as an extra defender.

So why does this secure his space in the 23? For the exact potential situations we have seen the last 2 weeks. France clearly have the preference of a 6-2 split, but when you look at their ideal 23, it leaves them with nobody to cover the wings. However, if you have a forward who can do such an impressive job there—just consider the quality of wing he has faced over recent weeks—it allows Fabien Galthié to select the extra forward on the bench safe in the knowledge that Macalou can cover an emergency at wing, making it effectively a 5.5-2.5 split instead.

Unprepared

This Japan side was heavily changed from the one who lost to England last week, and that just highlighted one massive point: This team is still trying to find themselves one year out from the World Cup.

Much like Georgia and Fiji, they are a team who have the quality to take Tier 1 scalps, but without being in the Six Nations or Rugby Championship, they do not get the regular fixtures against Tier 1 opposition that they need to stop these occasional victories being an upset, and arguably they do not get enough matches period, which has certainly not been helped by the impact of COVID earlier in the cycle.

Rugby has reached an important point in its life. The top teams outside Tier 1 need to be playing in major competitions against Tier 1 opposition with regularity in order to keep growing, while teams like Chile and Portugal making it to the World Cup at the expense of the USA, who just a few years ago were in incredible form, has highlighted just how close everything is getting below Tier 1.

The international calendar needs a shake-up sooner rather than later. It is probably time for at least another 4 nations to be added to the World Cup, while existing Tier 1 competitions (the Six Nations and Rugby Championship) need amending or replacing to keep with the times and acknowledge the growth of rugby around the world.

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Eyes on the Ball

Thoughts from the world of sport and the Schmoedown

Tag: Team Selection

2023 Six Nations: France v Wales

France

Wales

2023 Six Nations: Italy v Wales

Italy

2023 Six Nations: France v Scotland

France

Scotland

2023 Six Nations: Italy v Ireland

Italy

Ireland

2023 Six Nations: England v Italy

England

Italy

2023 Six Nations: Scotland v Wales

Scotland

Wales

Borthwick’s Bolters

Ollie Lawrence

Joe Marler

George McGuigan

George Ford

Ollie Hassell-Collins & Cadan Murley

Alex Dombrandt

Anthony Watson

Autumn Nations Series 2022: Combined XV

Autumn Nations Series 2022: Wales v Australia

Hard yards

Running on fumes

Autumn Nations Series 2022: France v Japan

Wing forward

Unprepared