We look at each team's prospects ahead of the start of the 2015 Championship
Thursday 5 February 2015 20:54, UK
The 2015 Six Nations is almost upon us. Who will take the opportunity to make a statement heading into this year's World Cup?
Last season: 2nd (W4, L1)
Head coach: Stuart Lancaster
Captain: Chris Robshaw
Ground: Twickenham
Sky Bet odds: 2/1
Fixtures: 6 Feb: Wales (a), 14 Feb: Italy (h), 1 Mar: Ireland (a), 14 Mar: Scotland (h) , 21 Mar: France (h)
Last year, England narrowly missed out on the Six Nations title with Ireland edging them on points difference by 10.
Stuart Lancaster’s men lost the opening encounter 26-24 to France in Paris but managed to win every game thereafter, so glory for England in this year's competition may well depend on getting off to a winning start.
Unfortunately for them, it doesn’t get any easier this time around - their first outing of 2015 will be against Wales at the Millennium Stadium.
Lancaster has endured intense scrutiny leading up to the Six Nations. With a home World Cup looming, he has had to field relentless calls for the inclusion of Steffon Armitage while the fast-tracking of rugby league convert Sam Burgess has split opinion as much as the George Ford v Owen Farrell fly-half debate.
Those issues - for now at least - have been put to bed as Lancaster opted not to pick Armitage for the tournament. He gave Burgess a chance with the Saxons and a late injury to Owen Farrell has tightened Ford's grip on the No 10 jersey.
For England, this Six Nations will be a test of their depth. Lancaster and his coaching staff will want to create healthy competition for places and with a lengthy list of injuries, fringe players have the chance to stake their claims in Cardiff. If they do well, the coaches will be left with a selection headache about who to leave out rather than who to include.
Player to watch: Alex Corbisiero.
Though Joe Marler has gotten the nod against Wales, the return of expert scrummager Corbisiero will be a welcome one for Lancaster. The Northampton loosehead was influential for the British and Irish Lions in 2013 but since then has been plagued by injuries. He has made a return to action this year and looks to be close to his best already.
Dewi's prediction: 2nd. England are being forced to play a more expansive game due to injuries and I’m very excited to see the results that produces.
Last season: 4th (W2, L3)
Head coach: Philippe Saint-André
Captain: Thierry Dusautoir
Ground: Stade de France
Sky Bet odds: 6/1
Fixtures: 7 Feb: Scotland (h), 14 Feb: Ireland (a), 28 Feb: Wales (h), 15 Mar: Italy (a), 21 Mar: England (a)
In a World Cup year, we still have no idea what France are going to do. With the amount of talent at their disposal, Philippe Saint-André should have a team of world-beaters. They have forwards who love to scrummage and skilful backs who can attack from anywhere. Unfortunately, it has not quite gelled for them as yet but they showed glimpses in the November Tests of exactly what they can do.
A convincing win over Fiji was followed up by the morale-boosting win over Australia in which they showed not only great attacking flair but the defensive nous required to weather a Wallaby fight back. They were unable to finish their autumn schedule on a high as they were beaten 18-13 by Argentina, who are fast becoming Les Bleus' bogey side.
France have both Ireland and Italy in their World Cup group and will be looking to get the advantage here, but key for France in this Six Nations is developing an established half-back pairing. Clermont’s Camille Lopez should be the man to guide France from the No 10 berth but it is the identity of his partner that Saint-André needs to get right. With Sébastien Tillous-Borde out injured, Lopez's club-mate Morgan Parra could be given another chance to cement his place.
Player to watch: Teddy Thomas.
The Racing Metro flyer is a joy to watch and possesses all the qualities we love about Les Bleus – natural flair, the willingness to run and the brilliant finishes. Yes, there may be a few question marks surrounding his defence but the 21-year old winger already has four tries in two Test matches and looks destined to become a try-scoring machine.
Dewi’s prediction: 5th. Saint-Andre needs to figure out if he’s going to be a coach like Toulouse’s Guy Noves, who trust his side to do their own thing or Toulon’s Bernard Laporte, who demands excellence through his own methods.
Last season: Winners (W4, L1)
Head coach: Joe Schmidt
Captain: Paul O’Connell
Ground: Aviva Stadium
Sky Bet odds: 13/8
Fixtures: Feb 7: Italy (a), Feb 14: France (h), Mar 1: England (h), Mar 14: Wales (a), Mar 21: Scotland (a)
The reigning Six Nations champions are the team to beat following a superb 2014 during which they won nine of their 10 Test matches. Despite a crippling injury list, Joe Schmidt inspired his side to victories over two of the southern hemisphere’s big guns in November and hopes are high for a first ever semi-final appearance at this year’s World Cup.
Ireland’s injury clouds are clearing, with Sean O’Brien and Iain Henderson making timely returns, but problems remain at fly-half. Jonny Sexton has been named in Schmidt’s squad for the opening two fixtures but he remains a doubt for the France game. Paddy Jackson is out of the whole tournament, and there are question marks against Ian Madigan’s game-management after an ineffective display for the Wolfhounds last weekend.
Schmidt has a strong group of players that is capable of getting the job done in Rome on the opening weekend, and the New Zealander will hope to have the likes of Sexton and Cian Healy back when France and England visit Dublin.
Ireland have huge momentum behind them following last year’s success and given Schmidt’s tactical acumen, back-to-back titles is a real possibility.
Player to watch: Robbie Henshaw.
Henshaw looks to have nailed down the No 13 jersey following two superb performances in the November wins over South Africa and Australia. The 21-year-old Connacht star is a physical presence, a dogged defender and the creative side of his game has shown significant improvement under Brian O’Driscoll's mentorship. O’Driscoll believes Henshaw can become ‘a seasoned campaigner’ at centre for Ireland, and who are we to argue?
Dewi’s prediction: 3rd. Munster and Ulster have waned in recent times but there is still fire in the belly and they need to prove that they can produce good performances consistently over long periods.
Last season: Wooden Spoon (W0, L5)
Head coach: Jacques Brunel
Captain: Sergio Parisse
Ground: Stadio Olimpico
Sky Bet odds: 500/1
Fixtures: 7 Feb: Ireland (h), 14 Feb: England (a), 28 Feb: Scotland (a), 15 Mar: France (h), 21 Mar: Wales (h)
Two years ago, Italy had their best ever Six Nations - winning two games and finishing fourth. Alas, they seem to have been in reverse since then and look favourites to pick up the wooden spoon once again. They do have three home games and will be definitely be targeting a shock when they take on Scotland at Murrayfield but, ultimately, could well go winless for a second year on the trot.
They had a disappointing autumn during which they won only one of their three Tests – a win against Samoa was followed by defeat to South Africa and a narrow loss to Argentina. Italy like the forward-based game and in Martin Castrogiovanni they have one of the best props in the business. He may be heading towards the end of his career but the former Leicester man will give his all for the Azzurri jersey.
They also possess some attacking options in the backs with the likes of Michele Campagnaro and Luke McLean but while there is no doubting their pride and passion, they still lack that real strength in depth that is needed in international rugby.
Player to watch: Sergio Parisse.
There is no question that he will go down as one of the best No 8s of his generation and if anyone can inspire Italy’s young troops, it is him. Injury has ruled him out for a lot of this season but he is looking back to his best for Stade Français and always stands out with his hard work and exceptional skill.
Dewi’s prediction: 6th. If all their players played at 50 per cent of the performances of Sergio Parisse, they could be in the top three.
Last season: 5th (W1, L4)
Head coach: Vern Cotter
Captain: Greig Laidlaw
Ground: Murrayfield
Sky Bet odds: 28/1
Fixtures: Feb 7: France (a), Feb 15: Wales (h), Feb 28: Italy (h), Mar 14: England (a), Mar 21: Ireland (h)
Scottish rugby is back and feeling good about itself following a dark period - Glasgow Warriors are earning plenty of plaudits these days for their performances under Gregor Townsend and rivals Edinburgh are also on the rise.
Head coach Vern Cotter has also made a positive impact as Scotland head into the Six Nations on the back of a promising autumn series during which they rediscovered their scoring touch in wins over Argentina and Tonga.
The New Zealander has selected a youthful squad with seasoned back rowers Kelly Brown and John Barclay surprise omissions but his own experience in the Top 14 with Clermont will come in handy for the opener in France.
Scotland possess an array of exciting backs such as Glasgow trio Finn Russell, Mark Bennett and Stuart Hogg. Their scrum remains a concern, however, and they are light at fly-half following injuries to Duncan Weir and Ruairidh Jackson.
Three games at Murrayfield can take some of the sting out of trips to Paris and Twickenham and if Scotland are able to make home advantage count, it would represent another step in the right direction.
Player to watch: Finn Russell.
The 22-year-old has been pulling the strings from fly-half in an exciting Glasgow side and looks capable of becoming a firm fixture at international level. Russell is a menace with ball in hand and isn’t afraid to attack the line while also bringing a good kicking game to the table. The pressurised environment of the Six Nations is another huge test for the youngster but experienced half-back partner Greig Laidlaw should take some of the weight off his shoulders.
Dewi’s prediction: 4th. Utilising Gregor Townsend’s Glasgow vision alongside Vern Cotter’s stubborn Kiwi edge could make Scotland a surprise package.
Last season: 3rd (W3, L2)
Head coach: Warren Gatland
Captain: Sam Warburton
Ground: Millennium Stadium
Sky Bet odds: 3/1
Fixtures: 6 Feb: England (h), 15 Feb: Scotland (a), 28 Feb: France (a), 14 Mar: Ireland (h), 21 Mar: Italy (a)
Wales are fortunate enough to be able to call upon some of the big names of world rugby in the form of Leigh Halfpenny, George North and Jamie Roberts - all of whom are fit and available; a luxury not enjoyed by all coaches in the competition.
However, perhaps the most startling exclusion from any of the squads was that of veteran prop Adam Jones, who promptly announced his retirement from international rugby after failing to make Warren Gatland's squad in January.
Wales struggled in the opening stages of the November internationals - enduring yet another agonising loss to Australia and surrendering another lead to the All Blacks in the closing stages. The team appeared to click in the end, earning a 12-6 victory over the Springboks in their final fixture of the year.
This year, Gatland has assembled a vastly talented squad filled with Lions and capable of dismantling the world’s best - a large number of those players are enjoying club success in Europe. Whether they are able to gel together and start the Six Nations as well as they finished last year will be the key to their success.
Wales have always been blessed with talented backs but Gatland is developing a formidable pack with young players such as Jake Ball and Samson Lee making positive starts to their time on the international stage.
Player to watch: George North.
North has scored the most tries in the Champions Cup this season with seven already to his name – four of them coming in one game against the Ospreys. A strong runner with ball in hand, the Saints player can trouble any tackler at close quarters and also has the speed to take advantage of space.
Dewi’s prediction: Winners. I hope they don’t peak early but that’s their danger. They will be too good for everyone in the Six Nations but I'm not sure if it will be enough for the World Cup.
