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.

This year, I’m doing Movember a little different with my Movember Marathon.

You can find all the details on my announcement.

Visit my JustGiving page for updates or if you would like to donate.

Help me to change the face of men’s health!

2023 Six Nations: Ireland v France

Could this be the tournament decider in round 2? The top 2 teams in the world rankings met at the Aviva Stadium having both come through the first round with victories despite performances that were not completely convincing. And a physical start hat saw both teams fronting up on the gain line ended with an early penalty for the visitors, which Thomas Ramos duly dispatched. However, a mistake from the fullback when trying to deal with James Lowe’s kick down the 5 metre channel gifted the hosts with a 5m lineout just a minute later, and though the maul was well defended, a series of strong Irish carries culminated in Andrew Porter driving over the line, only to be held up by his opposite number Cyril Baille. The net Irish attack was much more clinical; a dummy from Finlay Bealham to the looping Conor Murray created a gap for the tighthead to send Hugo Keenan through a gap on the fringe of a ruck and back himself to reach the line for the opening try after just 8 minutes. Ramos narrowed the gap with a try, and as the game began to open up and the play got extremely loose, the French found a chink in the Irish defence to put Anthony Jelonch through a gap, with a smart offload from the flanker sending Damian Penaud over. France were their own worst enemies though, Ramos’ clearance was charged down from the restart to gift the Irish with possession on the 22, and when the ball game wide to the left, James Lowe was adjudged to have successfully denied gravity to dot down as Penaud tried to tackle him into touch, Jonathan Sexton’s missed kick from the touchline just allowing Les Bleus to hold onto their lead. Things soon got worse for the French though after a monstrous collision between Uini Atonio and Rob Herring was reviewed for a head contact and resulted in a yellow for the French tighthead, and the Irish soon took advantage of the extra man to force his way over from close range. Ramos cut the lead by 3 as the visitors returned to a full complement, but as Romain Ntamack was intercepted trying a play that wasn’t on, Mack Hansen looked certain to score only to be manhandled away from the line by Antoine Dupont. Yet once again a French error in their own 22—this time a knock on from Jelonch on his own try line—gifted the Irish a chance, only for Cyril Baille to once again save the day by holding Conor Murray up over the line, while the Irish scrum half also found himself knocking on as he stretched for the line in the final seconds of the half, leading to the hosts settling for a Sexton penalty to end the half at 22-16.

The hosts were struck a blow early in the second half as Tadhg Beirne was helped off the pitch just 5 minutes after the restart, while Sexton’s match was brought to a premature end just minutes later. After throwing caution to the wind with their play int he first half, Les Bleus were playing a much more structured and territory-focused game in the second half, but when a 5-22 from Hugo Keenan gave Ireland a lineout deep in French territory, the hosts went through the phases to force a penalty, which Ross Byrne kicked to extend the lead to 9. Ramos responded with a drop goal just after the hour—his last act before being replaced by Matthieu Jalibert—but another French error within 10m of their line gifted Ireland another opportunity, only for replacement hooker Ronan Kelleher to be held up over the line. With Craig Casey upping the tempo from the bench at scrum half and combining with Byrne to keep the French pinned back, Garry Ringrose broke through Jalibert’s tackle out wide to go over with just 8 minutes left to earn the bonus point and secure a 32-19 victory.

Ireland

Hugo Keenan is just quietly going about his business becoming the best fullback in the world. There really appears to be no weakness to his game!

In attack, he has a great range of passing to ensure that him hitting the line will not negatively impact a move, an eye for a gap, and a fantastic blend of pace and agility to take advantage of any gap he finds, as highlighted by his try today. In defence, he is a reliable ackler, but really stands out is his positioning. And in the kicking game, he is dominant in the air—somewhat reminiscent of Rob Kearney with his reliability under the high ball—while covering the backfield in a way that makes it look easy, while his own kicking game is dangerous enough to allow him to turn a kicking duel in his favour.

It really is incredible to watch him play, and he must feel like such a comfort blanket to his teammates. He truly is a great example of how just doing the basics really well and being consistent can make you one of the best in the world.

France

Last week, I wrote about how Italy overplayed against France and it cost them the match. Well it seems that France looked at that performance and said “hold my glass of wine.” After 3 years of creating a structured but fluid attack, the team suddenly reverted to the French team of old, throwing the ball around with abandon.

Now of course, we know that the Irish defence is one of the best in the world, but by throwing the ball around how they were, the French were generally giving the Irish a chance to reset their defence, or in many cases actually set up a counterattack of their own. But even worse was how unnecessary it felt, as when they played their usual structured game, they were generally making good ground and winning penalties.

Yes attacking like that can lead to beautiful tries like Damian Penaud’s. However at this level of the game, you need something much more structured and reliable to consistently cause the best defences problems.

This year, I’m doing Movember a little different with my Movember Marathon.

You can find all the details on my announcement.

Visit my JustGiving page for updates or if you would like to donate.

Help me to change the face of men’s health!

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…

This year, I’m doing Movember a little different with my Movember Marathon.

You can find all the details on my announcement.

Visit my JustGiving page for updates or if you would like to donate.

Help me to change the face of men’s health!

2023 Six Nations: England v Scotland

We all love the Six Nations for its local rivalries, and we weren’t left to wait long for the clash of the Auld enemies as England hosted Scotland at Twickenham. New head coach Steve Borthwick would have been hoping that his first match in charge saw his team get back to winning ways after losing 3 and drawing 1 of their last 5 matches against Gregor Townsend’s Scotland.

And after almost 15 minutes of physical rugby, it was Scotland who took the lead as Sione Tuipulotu’s grubber sat up in the in-goal for Huw Jones to score the opening try after his break moved Scotland up to the English line, however England soon hit back and scored a try of their own when, following a poor kick under pressure from Finn Russell brought them into the Scottish 22, a period of 14 phases ended with Max Malins grounding Marcus Smith’s crosskick, though Farrell’s missed conversion from out wide left the visitors ahead. And that lead was soon extended as Duhan van der Merwe broke through a gap in the English kick chase and backed himself to step 2 tacklers and hold off Alex Dombrandt on his way to the line. But the hosts again found the answer, with some great attacking lines eventually creating the space to spread the ball wide and send Max Malins over, and though Farrell missed the conversion, he finally got off the mark with a penalty on the stroke of half time for a 13-12 lead.

England started taking control after the break, and when a brilliant crash ball from Dombrandt brought England up to the Scottish try line, they remained patient before sending Ellis Genge over for try number 3. Scotland found a answer though in an odd fashion, a mishandle on the floor from Ben White caused him to spin unexpectedly to pick up the ball, which allowed him to unknowingly evade the onrushing Ben Curry, before taking advantage of the gap this left to snipe over. England were soon back on the attack, but Marcus Smith found himself well handled by Tuipulotu as he tried to create something from a 2v2 close to the ry line, resulting in him being bundled into touch. As the replacements started to come on around the hour mark, Matt Fagerson was pinged for hands in the ruck, allowing Farrell t extend the lead to 4 points with just over 5 minutes left, but after a Russell crosskick just eluded Kyle Steyn, the fly half kicked a penalty of his own to make it 23-22. And with 7 minutes left, a break from Steyn pulled too many of the England defence over to his side, and a couple of quick Scottish passes allowed Duhan van der Merwe to step inside Marcus Smith and carry Malins over the line as he reached out to score the bonus point try, with Russell kicking the conversion to secure a 23-29 victory and retain the Calcutta Cup for another year.

England

After years of seeing Eddie Jones sucke the life out of English rugby, some of the play today brought real joy to my heart.

With Nick Evans now in charge of the attack, inexperienced players like Chessum, Dombrandt and Hassell-Collins carried with the confidence of veterans, players were not just looking for gaps between defenders, but hitting them with conviction and on fantastic lines. It’s no surprise to me that Marcus Smith looked more comfortable than ever in the attacking game.

Was it all perfect? Of course not. There were certainly offloads that didn’t go to hand, players left isolated or other such errors, but that is to be expected given this is the first match in a new attacking system, with some new players, and most likely some amendments made due to the number of injuries picked up in recent weeks. I would also argue that Ben Youngs appeared to be choosing the chip over the ruck far too often when continuing to go through the phases would have been a better decision.

The important thing here is that England have immediately looked much more dangerous with ball in hand and showing that they can score tries. And that immediately makes them more dangerous.

Scotland

This really was a classic Finn Russell match. For so much of the game, it looked like England would come away with the win, and the stand-off would have deserved his fair share of blame, as he often kept hold of the ball just a little too long, allowing himself to either be tackled in possession or as he was getting his kick away, with a number of England’s best chances in the first half coming from kicks that had fallen short in midfield as he was pressured in the kick.

But as the game went on, his ability to spread the ball around proved crucial, and the way that he would put the ball out in front of the players to run onto, allowing the wings to run riot down the touchlines and encouraging line breaks.

He truly is a mercurial talent, and while the risks he takes won’t always pay off, he doesn’t let his head drop and continues to find the gaps an exploit them. And by doing so, he keeps Scotland as an attacking threat right til the very end.

This year, I’m doing Movember a little different with my Movember Marathon.

You can find all the details on my announcement.

Visit my JustGiving page for updates or if you would like to donate.

Help me to change the face of men’s health!

2023 Six Nations: Wales v Ireland

We’re back! And so is Warren Gatland! The 2023 edition of the Six Nations kicks off with a new era starting for Wales: the second Gatland era, as he returns to replace Wayne Pivac. And as far as first Tests go, they don’t come much harder than an Ireland team building towards what they are hoping to be their most successful World Cup campaign.

And it took just a minute before a clever kick by James Lowe helped give Ireland possession 5 metres from the Welsh line, and after phases of pressure, Caelan Doris forced his way over for the early try. It was all Ireland in the early stages as Wales struggled to find an answer, and the visitors made it 2 tries from 2 visits to the 22 as James Ryan drove his way over. After 12 minutes of dominance, what appeared to be a knock-on from Tomas Francis while attempting a tackle on Jonathan Sexton led to the ball going to ground, and as Wales kicked the loose ball on, Hugo Keenan just beat Rio Dyer back to the ball but was forced to take the ball over his own line, and Wales were able to convert their first moment of territory into a simple penalty for Dan Biggar, though Sexton soon kicked a penalty in reply as the Welsh defence continued to give away penalties. As the game reached the end of the first quarter, Wales finally started putting some phases together in the Irish half, but James Lowe read Dan Biggar’s pass to Liam Williams and snatched it to go in from the edge of his own 22 untouched. A timely counterruck on the restart from Adam Beard gave the Welsh a scrum in the Welsh 22, and when Joe Hawkins’ first phase crash ball ended just short of the line, Dan Biggar found himself just snagged by Garry Ringrose as he looked for the gap out wide and he was pinged for holding on. Another penalty against Biggar allowed Ireland to move deep into the Welsh half, and then another from Faletau allowed Sexton the simplest of kicks to stretch the lead to 24 points. As the penalties against the Welsh continued, a strong carry from Dan Sheehan was stopped just short of the line, but Doris was unable to keep hold of the ball as Kew Owens put in a timely hit just short of the line. A couple of penalties allowed the hosts to go the length of the pitch, and after George North crashed up to the line, Jac Morgan was held up on the line by Andrew Porter for a 3-27.

Wales needed a massive improvement after the break and certainly started brighter, with patience on the Irish line seeing Dan Biggar send Liam Williams over for a try. The Welsh were looking much better and forcing some penalties from a shaken Irish team, but errors continued to hit them at the crucial moments: lineouts being lost, not going straight or being won cleanly; knock-ons deep in the Irish 22; a floated pass from Tipuric too high for Rio Dyer. And things got even worse for Wales as Liam Williams was yellow carded for a high tackle on Sexton just after the hour mark. And the man advantage eventually resulted in the bonus point for Ireland as Josh van der Flier was sent over beneath the posts, while Mack Hansen was denied a try in the corner with the final play of the game as a bouncing ball and covering Alex Cuthbert conspired to thwart him, resulting in a final score of 10-34.

Wales

Boy has Gats got a task on his hands! And the one man he no longer has with him is Shaun Edwards, who not just made the Welsh defence super-reliable, but also super well-disciplined. Wales’ discipline was awful in this match, almost reaching double figures by half time. And what made it worse was how avoidable most of the penalties were, as established professionals like Taulupe Faletau and Justin Tipuric were continually pinged as they tried to illegally slow down the Irish breakdowns, while there were also multiple occasions that the defensive line was setting up in an offside position in the Irish half.

It was the same under Wayne Pivac, and it needs to be changed as soon as possible if Wales want to turn things around, as this match just highlighted how penalties just take the pressure off the opposition and give then easy territory or an easy way to rack up a score.

The big question is whether Gatland and co can turn this around in time with the World Cup looming.

Ireland

The cliché with Ireland is that they build wonderfully and look incredible a year out from the World Cup, only to find that they have peaked too early and to have a disappointing World Cup.

With that in mind, the complete difference in the Irish performance of the first half and the third quarter is a little worrying. It’s as if the team thought they had done enough in the first half to win the game without trying after the break. The intensity was gone, and it was replaced with some stupid penalties, such as Andrew Porter gifting Wales with a penalty restart for diving on Liam Williams after his try. Wales were suddenly making ground with their carries and finding gaps out wide, and Ireland can also consider themselves lucky that Rio Dyer was stopped after Sexton’s lazy crosskick in his own half fell straight into his arms.

The Irish team has built so well through this cycle and managed so many historic moments, it feels like this second half will have just been a blip. But Andy Farrell and co need to make sure the team realise how lucky they were to get away with such a poor half of rugby and put a focus on the importance of maintaining their high standards for the full 80 minutes.

This year, I’m doing Movember a little different with my Movember Marathon.

You can find all the details on my announcement.

Visit my JustGiving page for updates or if you would like to donate.

Help me to change the face of men’s health!

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.

My #SixNations Predictor league is open to everyone on Superbru! superbru.com/sixnations/poo…
—
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.

This year, I’m doing Movember a little different with my Movember Marathon.

You can find all the details on my announcement.

Visit my JustGiving page for updates or if you would like to donate.

Help me to change the face of men’s health!

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?

This year, I’m doing Movember a little different with my Movember Marathon.

You can find all the details on my announcement.

Visit my JustGiving page for updates or if you would like to donate.

Help me to change the face of men’s health!

Next Man Up

Eddie Jones is gone. Whether you feel that it was the right decision or not—personally I say that it’s 5 years late—England are now in a situation where they have just sacked their head coach less than a year our from the Rugby World Cup, leaving Jones’ replacement with currently just 8 matches (5 in the Six Nations, then 2 Tests against Wales and 1 against Fiji in Autumn) until the tournament starts.

So who takes over from Jones? Unlike Wales—who announced Warren Gatland’s return alongside Wayne Pivac’s sacking—England have simply announced that Richard Cockerill has stepped up from Forwards coach to interim Head Coach. But who will get the actual job?

The Missed Opportunities

First off, a quick mention of 2 names that should have been very exciting options, but have just in the last few weeks signed new long-term contracts in France. It feels like just a matter of time until Ronan O’Gara is leading a Test team, but his new contract at La Rochelle means that he is likely holding on for the Irish job once Andy Farrell’s tenure comes to an end. Meanwhile defensive mastermind Shaun Edwards is committed to France through to the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, and you can’t help wonder the force that England could have been had he been part of the England set-up. Our loss has been Wales’ and France’s gain.

And it’s also worth just taking a moment to mention Warren Gatland, who would have likely been on the shortlist had the RFU not been beaten to his signing by the WRU—amazing how such an incompetent union have made the RFU look like clowns in their respective reactions to the Autumn campaigns.

Steve Borthwick

Probably the favourite to take over, Borthwick impressed as Forwards coach of Japan and then England under Eddie Jones, so has experience of coaching at Test level. And since then, his immediate turnaround of Leicester from being at threat of relegation to being Premiership champions has shown his capability as a head coach. You also have to imagine that he would want to bring Kevin Sinfield with him, which would be a very attractive prospect for everyone except Leicester Tigers. His knowledge of the players will be helpful with so little time until the World Cup, but with only 2 and a half seasons’ experience as a head coach, is this a little too soon for him?

Scott Robertson

I’ve spent the last 3 years arguing that Razor should have got the All Blacks job instead of Ian Foster, and it’s hard to imagine him not being offered the job after the World Cup, so to sneak in one year earlier and sign him to a contract through to the end of 2027 would be a monumental coup. Under his leadership, the Crusaders have been one of the best teams in the world, and the thought of England playing the structured play that also encourages heads-up rugby is mouth-watering, but bringing in him now would give him very little time to learn the players and establish his style of play.

Mark McCall

Though their success over the last 10 years has been tarnished by clearly breaking the salary cap to give them an unfair advantage, it must be noted just how well coached Saracens have been. And with so many current or former Saracens players in the England squad, it would certainly help any transition period if McCall were to take over as head coach, while someone so experienced as a Premiership Rugby head coach will surely also have good knowledge of the wider talent available to England. However his only international experience is a short spell with Ireland A so, assuming he even has an interest in the role, would the lack of Test experience count against him?

Rob Baxter

As long-term Director of Rugby as Exeter Chiefs, Baxter comes with many of the same positives as McCall, he has previously distanced himself from the job and again lacks any significant experience of coaching at Test level.

Richard Cockerill

He may have been named the interim head coach, but don’t rule out Cockers, especially if time continues to drag on with nobody else being announced, he will surely start to look even more attractive. Has plenty of experience as a head coach/director of rugby at club level, and while he may have limited experience of coaching at Test level, having been part of Eddie Jones’ team for the last year will mean that he will be familiar with the players in the wider squad and also know what they have been doing, which could help with any transition. Cockerill could also be interesting from a contractual point of view, as while I imagine that all the other names above would want a contract through to the end of 2027 with a guarantee of safety if things go wrong in France due to the quick turnaround, I could see Cockers being given a 1-year contract just to take the team through to the start of the next cycle, at which point they could assess the market and bring in the best name or choose to stick with him if things go well; or they could give him a 3-year contract, which would still give a replacement 2 years to establish themselves ahead of RWC2027.

Is there anyone else you feel should be in contention? Who do you want to see leading England in 2023?

This year, I’m doing Movember a little different with my Movember Marathon.

You can find all the details on my announcement.

Visit my JustGiving page for updates or if you would like to donate.

Help me to change the face of men’s health!

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.

This year, I’m doing Movember a little different with my Movember Marathon.

You can find all the details on my announcement.

Visit my JustGiving page for updates or if you would like to donate.

Help me to change the face of men’s health!

Autumn Nations Series 2022: England v South Africa

After 5 weeks of action, the Autumn Nations Series reached its finale with England hosting South Africa. The World Champions’ selection was hampered a little by the absence of any Irish, English or French-based players, due to the Test being played outside World Rugby’s Test window, and yet their pack’s dominance in the early scrums gave Faf de Klerk an early shot at the posts, but his radar was slightly off, while England captain Owen Farrell missed an even easier opener of his own just minutes later. Farrell finally opened the scoring after 12 minutes after Frans Malherbe was penalised at a scrum. A strong carry in the 22 from Evan Roos allowed de Klerk to pull things level after Alex Coles was pinged for a high tackle, while Farrell again missed from in front of the posts just minutes later. South Africa tried to make the hosts pay for Farrell’s misses with a clever move at the front of a 5m lineout, but the defence jus managed to hold Siya Kolisi up over the line. As the game reached the half hour mark, Damian Willemse kicked a drop goal to give the visitors the lead, and then just minutes later, he countered a long kick and set Willie le Roux away down the right wing to draw the defence and release Kurt-Lee Arendse, who stepped marcus Smith for the opening try. Willemse’s next touch saw him again get a break going as he arced around Maro Itoje and offloaded inside to release Arendse, but the wing’s grubber to the corner was blocked by Freddie Steward as England looked vulnerable. England’s pack were struggling to deal with their opponents in the set piece, and as the half came to an end, de Klerk added another 3 points off the tee for a 3-14 lead at the break.

England rung the changes at the break, with the entire front row being replaced and Jack Nowell on for Tommy Freeman, but a timely counterruck from the Springboks turned the ball over on the edge of the 22 to allow Willemse another simple drop goal. A great take in the air by Freddie Steward put England on the front foot and allowed a further half-break from Smith that earned a penalty, which Farrell landed, but a moment of stupidity from Jonny Hill gave South Africa a penalty that was kicked to the corner, and Tom Curry soon found himself going to the bin for illegally slowing down the ball in the following phases, and it only took a couple of phases with the man advantage before Eben Etzebeth scored the second try of the game, though he appeared to be on the floor when he played the ball. As the hour approached, the Boks won another scrum penalty against the 7-man English pack, and de Klerk bisected the posts from halfway to stretch the lead to 21 points. England were dealt a lifeline just after, though, as Thomas du Toit was sent off just minutes after coming on for a dangerous high challenge, while Jacques Nienaber inexplicably chose the same moment to remove Willie le Roux. Wth the man advantage, England were starting to find some space, but it was not until Ben Youngs took a quick-tap penalty in the South African 22 that they really made use of this, as they used the quick ball to send Henry Slade over for the try, while the Boks also lost de Klerk and Kolisi to injury for the remaining minutes. But the visitors defence held firm and if anything put the hosts under more pressure, to secure a 13-27 victory.

rugby south africa springboks crest no background

Eddie’s England

How can you tell that a Test-level coach doesn’t have a clue? Watch their team try to take on South Africa at their own game. Despite plenty of prior matches that show the way to trouble South Africa is to play expansive rugby, and that by trying to take them on up front and through the kicking game is almost certainly going to see you lose, Eddie Jones chose the latter and England paid the price.

Selecting Mako Vunipola to take on Frans Malherbe—who treated him as a plaything in the RWC2019 final—always felt like a strange decision and, like in 2019 was proved to be completely wrong as he was dominated at the scrum, while Tommy Freeman was not so much thrown in at the deep end, more thrown into shark-infested water with bloody meat attached to him. And to top it all off, keeping Owen Farrell as kicker when he was struggling with an injury that affected his kicking was idiocy given Marcus Smith was on the pitch. Were it not for Thomas du Toit’s moronic red card, England would have had no way back in this match, and even then, the last 10 minutes were more panicked play than structured attack.

And if you want a final indictment of Eddie Jones and his coaching, you just have to look at the build-up to Etzebeth’s try. England dealt with the restart and eventually won a penalty against Faf de Klerk, only for Jonny Hill to manhandle the scrumhalf after the whistle, resulting in the penalty being reversed. With England under pressure, Curry was forced to illegally intervene and was righty carded as the team were already on a warning for repeated infringements. Then when South Africa were stopped on the England try line, the players around the ruck were too busy appealing to the referee to deal with the ball spurting out of the ruck and Etzebeth recovering and stretching for the line.

Discipline starts with the coach. If they can’t get that right, and then pick completely the wrong tactics, then it’s time for them to move on. The sooner England are away from Eddie Jones, the better.

Dominant

The South African scrum is one of the most feared weapons in Test rugby, and for good reason. Such is the strength in depth of the Springbok front rows, there are genuine debates over whether the starting front row or bench are better. England has one of the strongest scrums in World Rugby, so to see them demolished so effectively just shows the quality of the Boks.

But you still see the Boks get it wrong sometimes, as they get pinged before the ball comes in for putting too much pressure on. In the case of most teams, you could understand wanting to push things to get a slight advantage ahead of the ball coming in, but if any team has the quality and the weight of pack to just hold off a moment, they will probably still be able to dominate the scrum, while if anything, it will likely then highlight the opposition’s own attempts to get an advantage before the ball comes in.

In a closer game, that could be the difference between a win and a loss.

This year, I’m doing Movember a little different with my Movember Marathon.

You can find all the details on my announcement.

Visit my JustGiving page for updates or if you would like to donate.

Help me to change the face of men’s health!

Thoughts from the world of sport and the Schmoedown

Scotland

Wales

Ireland

France

Italy

France

England

Scotland

Wales

Ireland

England

France

Ireland

Italy

Scotland

Wales

Ollie Lawrence

Joe Marler

George McGuigan

George Ford

Ollie Hassell-Collins & Cadan Murley

Alex Dombrandt

Anthony Watson

The Missed Opportunities

Steve Borthwick

Scott Robertson

Mark McCall

Rob Baxter

Richard Cockerill

Eddie’s England

Dominant