by Paul Cook –

The final round of last year’s Six Nations produced arguably the single greatest day in the sport’s history, such was the drama, excitement and quality of rugby on offer across three nail-biting try-fests. It’s fanciful of course to expect a similar denouement to this year’s version, but a look at the draw, the relative challenges faced by each side and the parity across the board of the main contenders, tends to suggest that it may indeed come down to the wire once again.

While individual glory for each nation is uppermost in their minds, it is also a chance for Northern Hemisphere rugby en masse to restore some much needed pride after the travails of last year’s World Cup. The fact that the semi-finals were contested purely by those sides that make up the Rugby Championship was a major slap in the face for the European powerhouses, and hopefully a wake-up call to arms that they have to change both their approach and their mindset if they are to trouble the All Blacks, Wallabies, Springboks and Pumas anytime soon.

As a result, it is hoped that the competition as a whole may not require those last day mathematical conundrums to elicit a more expansive, attack-based mantra. Both Ireland and Wales for example, certainly strike you as sides that would benefit from a slight shift in emphasis to help unlock opposition defences and make good on their estimable power, set-piece capability and well-executed structures.

England were on the right path until they retreated back into their shells when it really mattered last September and it will be interesting to witness their priorities under new coach Eddie Jones, who has already called for a return to their set-piece values of old. France too, are an intriguing prospect under new management with Guy Noves, who was the gun for hire 10 years ago when Toulouse were in their pomp, but may be beyond the salvation job necessary for Les Bleus at this point in time.

With Joe Schmidt, Warren Gatland and Vern Cotter still with their hands firmly on the tillers of Ireland, Wales and Scotland respectively, and Jacques Brunel enjoying (?) one last hurrah with Italy, this will be the first championship to contain no head coach from either the UK or Ireland – a sad fact in itself. Schmidt is aiming for a record breaking third title in a row, Gatland for a third successive post-World Cup Grand Slam and Cotter for confirmation of Scottish progress under his tutelage with tangible results.

Fifteen matches set against the backdrop of some of the greatest cities in the world, all preceded by the most stirring, heartfelt and spine-tingling anthem renditions you will ever experience. Forget your bonus points, this is seven weeks of old school rugby, rarely bettered in terms of atmosphere, a sense of history and the ability to offer the once warring tribes of Europe a chance to renew hostilities.

Let battle commence…

************************************

New men on the block – Skipper Dylan Hartley and coach Eddie Jones

ENGLAND

It’s no understatement to say that English rugby was in a tailspin following their unprecedented demise at their own World Cup. The jingoistic – and somewhat blinkered – fervour that had many foreseeing a place in the final four at the very least for the Red Rose, was soon replaced by angry indignation at their failure to even get out of their pool – the first host nation to suffer such a disgrace. Head coach Stuart Lancaster bore the brunt of most of the criticism for his team selection, tactics and for the whole Sam Burgess debacle, while his support staff were also called into question for their relevant, and perhaps undue, influence on proceedings. The subsequent fallout and inquisition led Lancaster to fall on his sword, while ‘Burgess-gate’ came to an unsavoury conclusion for player, coaches, national team and club side Bath alike.

Named as England’s first foreign head coach, Eddie Jones has been tasked with restoring English rugby back to the pinnacle of the global game. What he could have inherited was a basket case, rudderless and fractured by self-doubt and in need of a major overhaul. But in reality, England really weren’t that far away under Lancaster’s tutelage, and World Cup implosion withstanding, they have the talent pool at their disposal to kick-on and be a major force. The European success achieved this season by those club sides providing the bulk of the squad – a record five English teams have reached the Champions Cup Quarter-Finals – has served as a timely reminder of the quality at Jones’ disposal. Many people have pegged this tournament as the start of a transitional period, but if they can come away from Edinburgh with the spoils in the opening weekend, no matter the manner of victory, they will have a platform from which to build, grow and perhaps prosper, quicker than expected.

DRAW: It doesn’t get any tougher for Eddie Jones’ men than a start at Murrayfield against a confident and historically fired-up Scotland. The result, if not the performance, should go a long way towards determining the success of the rest of England’s tournament. Win, and they likely go in to the two seismic home clashes with Ireland and Wales unbeaten after the expected dispatching of Italy in Rome in week two. Lose, and they will be playing catch-up for the remaining five weeks.

ONES TO WATCH: With seven debutants named in the initial squad, it will be interesting to see how many are given the chance by Jones to show their wares across the competition. Jack Clifford may just be England’s answer to their scavenging no.7 quandary, while powerful and athletic loose forward Maro Itoje, has been whetting the appetite’s of those in the know for a couple of years now. Most importantly perhaps, all eyes will be on the controversially appointed skipper Dylan Hartley, as he embarks on a period in his career that will ultimately define his rugby legacy. Should he rise to the challenge, perform to his absolute best, maintain his discipline and lead by example, his long history of disciplinary misdemeanours will begin to fade from selective memory banks. Implode under the spotlight yet again however, and his time at the top levels of the game will be over. England expects.

SQUAD: Forwards – Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs); Jamie George (Saracens); Dylan Hartley (c) (Northampton Saints); Kieran Brookes (Northampton Saints); Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers); Paul Hill (Northampton Saints); Joe Marler (Harlequins); Matt Mullan (Wasps); Mako Vunipola (Saracens); Maro Itoje (Saracens); George Kruis (Saracens); Joe Launchbury (Wasps); Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints); Jack Clifford (Harlequins); James Haskell (Wasps); Matt Kvesic (Gloucester); Chris Robshaw (Harlequins); Josh Beaumont (Sale Sharks); Billy Vunipola (Saracens); Backs – Danny Care (Harlequins); Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers); Owen Farrell (Saracens); George Ford (Bath); Elliot Daly (Wasps); Ollie Devoto (Bath); Sam Hill (Exeter Chiefs); Jonathan Joseph (Bath); Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs); Semesa Rokoduguni (Bath); Anthony Watson (Bath); Marland Yarde (Harlequins); Mike Brown (Harlequins); Alex Goode (Saracens)

************************************

Rory Best is coach Joe Schmidt’s new captain

IRELAND

Go back only five months and the justified mood of expectation around Irish rugby circles was palpable. Heading into a World Cup on their doorstep across the Irish Sea, with a squad that could boast back-to-back Six Nations titles and a coaching ticket that was fast becoming the envy of everyone else in the Northern Hemisphere at least, there was genuine belief that they were on the verge of making history as the first Irish side to reach the semi-finals at the global game’s big dance, if not whispers of going all the way and on to infamy. But while the pre-tournament obsession applied to the pool-deciding clash with France was justified by victory, they were perhaps a tad guilty of looking ahead to a date with their final four destiny, and were subsequently brought back down to earth with an unceremonious bump in the Quarter-Final by Argentina. They certainly weren’t helped by the injury-enforced absences of Messrs Paul O’Connell, Jonathan Sexton and Peter O’Mahony, and the suspended Sean O’Brien on the day. But it was the manner of defeat, the Pumas carving a previously miserly defence to shreds in a 43-20 victory, that caused the massed ranks of green in the stands such consternation.

Since then, the colossal figure of O’Connell has called it a day on the international stage, revered defence coach Les Kiss has departed to cut his teeth with his first head coaching role at Ulster, star flyhalf Sexton has struggled to recapture his dazzling best while battling a succession of concussion issues and Irish provincial rugby has seen a dramatic downturn in performance with 2016 the first time in 21 years that no Irish side has reached the last eight of the Heineken/Champions Cup. Add the names of Iain Henderson, Dan Tuohy, Marty Moore, Cian Healy, Tommy Bowe, Mike Ross and Luke Fitzgerald to that of O’Mahony on the treatment table and the lack of confidence emanating from the emerald isle is perhaps understandable. The Irish rugby media’s mantra is ‘In Joe We Trust’. Should Schmidt somehow cajole his side through all these current mental and physical hurdles towards an unprecedented hat-trick of titles, expect an imminent statue in his honour outside Aviva Stadium.

DRAW: They won’t want to be admitting it to themselves but this Sunday’s opener at home to Wales (Monday 2am AEST) is absolutely vital in terms of setting the tone for the rest of Ireland’s campaign. Win, and confidence will surge, belief will be renewed and the visit to the Stade de France the following weekend will seem far less threatening. Lose, and the doubts will remain, while the clash with Les Bleus will accelerate to a code red.

ONES TO WATCH: Having qualified for Ireland under the residency rule the day after the World Cup final, the form of Munster captain CJ Stander has meant his selection in Schmidt’s initial squad was a no-brainer. How much game time he gets in a competitive backrow is less certain. With propping strengths at a premium for the first two rounds at least, the ability of both Nathan White and Tadhg Furlong to remain competitive on the tighthead side of the scrum could prove decisive if Ireland are to remain in the picture before they head to Twickenham in week three.

SQUAD: Forwards – Rory Best (c) (Ulster); Sean Cronin (Leinster); Rob Herring (Ulster); Richardt Strauss (Leinster); Finlay Bealham (Connacht); James Cronin (Munster); Tadhg Furlong (Leinster); Jack McGrath (Leinster); Nathan White (Connacht); Ultan Dillane (Connacht); Mike McCarthy (Leinster) Donnacha Ryan (Munster); Devin Toner (Leinster); Seán O’Brien (Leinster); Tommy O’Donnell (Munster); Rhys Ruddock (Leinster); Josh van der Flier (Leinster); Jamie Heaslip (Leinster); CJ Stander (Munster); Backs – Kieran Marmion (Connacht); Conor Murray (Munster); Eoin Reddan (Leinster); Paddy Jackson (Ulster); Ian Madigan (Leinster); Jonathan Sexton (Leinster); Robbie Henshaw    (Connacht); Luke Marshall (Ulster); Stuart McCloskey (Ulster); Jared Payne (Ulster); Keith Earls (Munster); Dave Kearney (Leinster); Andrew Trimble (Ulster); Simon Zebo (Munster); Rob Kearney (Leinster)

************************************

Experience and know-how – Sam Warburton and Warren Gatland have been there and done it before

WALES

While England and Ireland deal with the sheer unknowns of coaching changes, post-World Cup blues, international greenhorns and injuries, Wales come into this competition with the most settled and experienced group, and the confidence of a solid, if unspectacular, World Cup campaign behind them. They fell just short at the Quarter-Final stage to South Africa, but that performance, alongside their come-from behind defeat of hosts England and a stoic display against the Wallabies, illustrated the strength-in-depth available to head coach Warren Gatland given the debilitating number of top-line players who were in injury rehab at the time. Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb are still frustratingly unavailable but the enforced introduction of so many ‘understudies’ in such crucial matches, has left Gatland with a squad that is already well-versed in the pressure cooker environs of test match rugby.

They also have the weight of history behind them, having not only lifted the Six Nations trophy in the last two post-World Cup years of 2008 and 2012, but also achieved the holy grail of a Grand Slam on both occasions in the process. That feat would seem unlikely this year given the draw and the quality of their opponents, and there must be a question mark against skipper Sam Warburton, given he has mustered only an hour of football since the World Cup, and concern over the form of George North, who has struggled across the chalk only twice this year as part of a dysfunctional Northampton Saints attack. But a side that averages around 106 kilos per man is used to getting its own way and it’s hard not to see them firmly in the mix come March 20th, especially if they put some width on the ball to compliment their power runners.

DRAW: With three very winnable home games against Scotland, France and Italy to come at the newly renamed Principality Stadium (formerly Millennium), it is the trips to Dublin and London in weeks one and four that seem likely to determine Welsh fortunes this time out. Victory over Ireland should confirm them as the team to beat for the rest of the competition, while Twickenham should hold no fears after the World Cup heroics in the same stadium against the same opposition, although they will be wary of an English backlash. If it all comes down to points differential on the final day once again, the visit of the struggling Azzurri to Cardiff should put them in the box seat for another title.

ONES TO WATCH: They’re certainly not new kids on the block but the exploits of experienced trio Alun-Wyn Jones, Jonathan Davies and Justin Tipuric should make for fascinating viewing in their own way over the next few weeks. Jones is in arguably the form of his life, the Ospreys skipper a standout week-in, week-out in the Pro 12 and the cornerstone of a hardy Welsh pack. Davies is a long-time favourite of Gatland and will be champing at the bit to restore his international reputation after injury ruled him out of the World Cup, while the form of Tipuric over the last 12 months – so often the odd man out amongst the talented quartet of himself, Warburton, Dan Lydiate and Taulupe Faletau – finally seems to have earned him a starting berth in one of the most complete backrows in the game.

SQUAD: Forwards – Scott Baldwin (Ospreys); Kristian Dacey (Cardiff Blues); Ken Owens (Scarlets); Rob Evans (Scarlets); Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs); Paul James (Ospreys); Aaron Jarvis (Ospreys); Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues); Samson Lee (Scarlets); Jake Ball (Scarlets); Luke Charteris (Racing 92); Bradley Davies (Wasps); Dominic Day (Bath); Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys); Josh Turnbull (Cardiff Blues); James King (Ospreys); Dan Lydiate (Ospreys); Ross Moriarty (Gloucester); Justin Tipuric (Ospreys); Sam Warburton (c) (Cardiff Blues); Taulupe Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons) Backs – Aled Davies (Scarlets); Gareth Davies  (Scarlets); Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues); Dan Biggar (Ospreys); Rhys Priestland (Bath); Cory Allen (Cardiff Blues); Jonathan Davies (Clermont); Tyler Morgan (Newport Gwent Dragons); Jamie Roberts (Harlequins); Hallam Amos (Newport Gwent Dragons); Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues); Tom James (Cardiff Blues); George North (Northampton Saints): Gareth Anscombe (Cardiff Blues); Matthew Morgan (Bristol); Liam Williams (Scarlets)

************************************

WEEK ONE (All times AEST)

Sunday 7th February

France v Italy 1.25am, Stade de France

Scotland v England 3.50am, Murrayfield

Monday 8th February

Ireland v Wales 2am, Aviva Stadium

WEEK TWO

Sunday 14th February

France v Ireland 1.25am, Stade de France

Wales v Scotland 3.50am, Principality Stadium

Monday 16th February

Italy v England 1am, Stadio Olimpico

WEEK THREE

Saturday 27th February

Wales v France 7.05am, Principality Stadium

Sunday 28th February

Italy v Scotland 1.25am, Stadio Olimpico

England v Ireland 3.50am, Twickenham

WEEK FOUR

Sunday 13th March

Ireland v Italy 12.30am, Aviva Stadium

England v Wales 3am, Twickenham

Sunday 14th March

Scotland v France 2am, Murrayfield

WEEK FIVE

Sunday 20th March

Wales v Italy 1:30am, Principality Stadium

Ireland v Scotland 4am, Aviva Stadium

France v England 7am, Stade de France

In Part 2 we run the rule over Scotland, France and Italy…