WHAM, BAM, ... CAN ANYONE WIN THE SLAM?
Home nations legends tackle all the big issues ahead of the Six Nations
WHO’S GOING TO WIN THE TITLE... AND CAN ANYONE CLAIM A GRAND SLAM?
CHRIS FOY: There is an n unpredictable feel about this is year’s Championship. England are re favourites as they have a certain in continuity from a positive World ld Cup campaign. A Slam is not ot beyond them, if they don’t fall at the first hurdle in Paris.
ANDY NICOL: England. If they ey beat France in Paris and then Scotland at Murrayfield, they will have the momentum to win the Slam.
RORY BEST: I have to back Ireland for the Championship but I don’t think there will be a Grand Slam. Ireland have picked a team for the here and now.
TOM SHANKLIN: France. I just think they’re in a good place. Shaun Edwards will firm up their defence, and the work ethic he brings will be invaluable. They are tough up front and their players behind are exciting. There’s maybe a Slam chance — but they have to come to Wales, which is a tough task. If they beat England there’s no reason why not.
DYLAN HARTLEY: Yes, England. They’ve bolstered their squad without ripping up the starting XV. They’ve got continuity from the World Cup with players and coaches.
WHICH PLAYER ARE YOU EXPECTING TO BE STAR OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP?
SHANKLIN: Virimi Vakatawa or Damian Penaud. France centre Vakatawa is the best player in the world at the moment, I think. He is nearly unplayable. Penaud on the wing is phenomenal, too.
FOY: For the greater good of the event, and the sport in Europe, French and Italian revivals are overdue, so perhaps Romain Ntamack can ignite a new era of Gallic flair, or Jake Polledri can become the new talisman for the Azzurri.
NICOL: Antoine Dupont, the attack-minded French scrum-half. He is one of the most exciting players around.
HARTLEY: Damian Penaud of France looks great — if they can get the ball to him. But I’m backing Tom Curry for player of the tournament.
BEST: Caelan Doris. People maybe don’t know a lot about him but he’s been very impressive for Leinster. He’s not the kind of No 8 who runs straight into somebody — he’s smart and picks nice lines.
WHICH GAME ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO WATCHING?
NICOL: Easy. The Calcutta Cup clash between Scotland and England in Edinburgh. The last game between them at Twickenham was a classic. I am sure it won’t be a 38-38 draw again, but it is sure to be exciting.
BEST: Ireland v Wales in Dublin will be my first time back at the Aviva since hanging up my boots. I’m looking forward to it. The Wales game is always a big occasion and generally produces a big performance.
SHANKLIN: There’s so many! France v England on the opening weekend will be massive. After that — Ireland v Wales.
HARTLEY: England v Wales. Both teams have continuity from the World Cup and it’s the best rivalry out there. It’s probably born of mutual respect. It was always the game I loved to play in.
FOY: No need to look beyond the opening weekend. France v England is a fascinating prospect.
HARTLEY: Change is disruptive but change can be a powerful weapon if everyone buys in. Shaun Edwards should be a positive disruption for France. We all want results now but I’m hoping unions are looking at long-term plans.
BEST: It’s a tough one. It should be fairly straightforward for Andy Farrell and Fabien Galthie because they were both involved at the World Cup. They’ll want to put their stamp on it but there’s a bit of continuity. Wayne Pivac and Franco Smith go head to head on day one — and only one of them will get a winning start.
FOY: Galthie has already bedded in with France during the World Cup, so his prospects are good. Farrell needs to put his stamp on the Irish side, not just adopt Joe Schmidt’s ways. Pivac may need time to balance his adventurous instincts with pragmatism at Test level. Smith faces a monumental task with Italy.
SHANKLIN: Farrell and Pivac can rejuvenate their teams. The Wales coaching combination of Pivac, Stephen Jones and Jonathan Humphreys from the Scarlets is exciting. It’s a long time since anyone new has come in. Galthie and Edwards can have the greatest impact on France. They need to get the culture right, though, as something hasn’t been right for years.
NICOL: The Six Nations is a unique tournament and it will be tough for all of them. Some may argue Farrell was No 2 under Schmidt, but even that step up won’t be easy.
WILL WORLD CUP FINAL DEFEAT UNDERMINE OR MOTIVATE ENGLAND?
HARTLEY: England don’t need to look at the World Cup, but if anything that experience will help them. Guys like Curry and Sam Underhill are now household names and there will be some new blood to add to the mix.
FOY: The early indications are of a collective desire to move on and build from a high base, harnessing the pain of their near miss. The squad is young but powerful and experienced, with Championshipwinning credentials.
NICOL: It is nearly the same squad as it was in the World Cup, so losing the final to South Africa will motivate them heading into the tournament. For the Saracens boys, it will be a relief to be on international duty.
BEST: I don’t see it as a big deal. They’re continually developing. Their mantra was always about the World Cup and they didn’t quite get there, so it’s left them room to achieve something.
SHANKLIN: Often you get a lot of change after a World Cup, but England still have a lot of youth. No one has retired. They are in a good place. It will be interesting to see how their combinations at back row and 10 and 12 work. Underhill and Curry were an amazing combination in Japan, but might be split up. Owen Farrell and George Ford are England’s best combination at 9 and 10. Losing Billy Vunipola and then not bringing in a like-for-like replacement is strange. The Saracens saga might upset them, too.
ARE WALES CAPABLE OF DEFENDING THEIR TITLE AFTER LAST YEAR’S SLAM?
SHANKLIN: Of course they are. The time was right for Warren Gatland to leave and it’s good to
have a fresh voice now. Pivac will try to be more expansive but that only works if you have the quality of players available. Losing Jon Davies is a massive blow, but hopefully we can see the best of George North at centre. If they beat Ireland away in week two, then momentum is with Wales. They need to stay injury-free though — if they lose Dan Biggar that will be it.
BEST: It’s going to be very tough. Very few teams have done back-toback Grand Slams and there’s a reason for that. With the turnover of coaches they’ve had, it will be difficult. A lot of their players haven’t played a lot of rugby since the World Cup and they have got tough trips to Dublin and Twickenham.
HARTLEY: They’ve got the talent, sure. I’m looking forward to seeing Alun Wyn Jones go another five games on the bounce. The man is an absolute workhorse. It will be interesting to see what they do with someone like Louis Rees-Zammit. They’ve always had a good starting XV, but do they have the depth?
NICOL: If Gatland was still there I would say absolutely. No disrespect to Pivac, but I can’t see them defending their title. The players haven’t really changed, but the coach has. It will be interesting to see how they go.
FOY: Gatland was adept at wringing every drop from limited resources. That is the challenge for Pivac. He has a core of veteran Lions and an inspirational captain, but a title in this transitional phase may be unrealistic.
AFTER WORLD CUP WOE, CAN SCOTLAND AND IRELAND REVIVE QUICKLY?
NICOL: Ireland remain a quality side who underperformed in the World Cup. They will get better. Scotland struggled in the World Cup and will struggle even more in the Six Nations without Finn Russell.
BEST: The Irish boys have had some good form in Europe, so I think they’ll bounce back and show a lot more of themselves. It’s by and large the same team and they’ll have a bit of a point to
prove. Scotland haven’t had the same coaching freshen-up and Glasgow haven’t been great. With the disruption of Russell, there’s a lot of pressure on Gregor Townsend and Stuart Hogg, but they’re not a team to underestimate. FO Y: Scotland are devastating when they click, but Russell’s ejection from the squad adds to their problems. Confidence will need rebuilding. Ireland have so much class but also doubts about the half-back axis of Conor Murray and Sexton. SHANKLIN: You’d like to think both can. It’s a blow to Scotland to lose Russell, but Hogg, Adam Hastings, Darcy Graham, Sean Maitland and Rory Hutchinson are on form. I always worry whether their forwards have enough grunt, though. For Ireland, John Cooney should have started ahead of Conor Murray at scrumhalf, but the Leinster guys like Jordan Larmour and Garry Ringrose are in great form. You can’t underestimate either. HARTLEY: Farrell’s pinned his colours to the mast with Sexton as captain. That’s a statement he wants to win and win now. He could have come in and ripped up the old guard but he didn’t. Sexton makes them tick, like Russell does for Scotland. I like Russell’s style of play but you can’t miss training like he did. For him not to be there to ignite their backline is a blow and someone needs to get to the bottom of it.
IS IT TOO SOON FOR THIS EXCITING FRANCE SIDE TO CHALLENGE FOR THE TITLE?
SHANKLIN: No, I think they will win it. It will be interesting to see how they take to Edwards — it was easier with Wasps and Wales because we know him from rugby league and speak English. If France get it right, I can’t see many weaknesses.
HARTLEY: They are dark horses as always. Which France are we going to see? Being such a young team, I know we are going to see enthusiasm and a hard ‘Edwards’ edge. They are clearly building so we shouldn’t judge on the here and now — even though we will!
NICOL: They are the unknown quantity and how they perform in their first match against England will set their agenda.
BEST: They’ll struggle to win a title but in a season or two they’ll be very good. They are capable of beating England this weekend and Edwards will bring some steel. The great thing about young players is they have no preconceived ideas of who is going to win, so they’ll just go out and play.
FOY: Eddie Jones certainly thinks it is too soon for them — having highlighted their inexperience. He has a point. They are raw and unfamiliar in many places, but there is so much talent and physical presence. They will claim a big scalp or two, at least.
CAN ITALY WIN A SIX NATIONS MATCH FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2015?
HARTLEY: A hundred per cent. They will push most teams and cause an upset somewhere. The challenge is, can they back it up week-on-week?
The fact Sergio Parisse is coming in at the end for his last tournament will add a few per cent. Benetton play some great rugby in the Pro14, so that could carry over to international form.
BEST: They’re evolving. Franco Smith has shown with Treviso that he can get the best out of the players at his disposal. If you don’t get away early, especially in Rome, they can be a handful.
SHANKLIN: You want to say yes but I can’t see it. Their squad doesn’t cut the mustard — it’s not strong enough. It would be great if they won a game, but I can’t see it unless there is a red card.
FOY: No. Sadly, it is hard to see the Italians troubling anyone. Again. Their professional club sides have improved, but the national side have shown no signs of emerging from their slump.
NICOL: I hope not as the only one they have a chance in is against Scotland! Seriously, I really can’t see them picking up a win.
WHICH ARE BEST CITIES AND STADIUMS TO PLAY OR WATCH MATCHES IN?
FOY: Edinburgh, Paris and Rome are all wonderful destinations, with options aplenty in terms of sightseeing, eating and drinking. As for the venues, the Principality Stadium in Cardiff — especially with the roof shut — is the world’s finest rugby arena. Murrayfield is also atmospheric when it is full and fervent. Twickenham is often (not always) too corporate.
NICOL: The best stadium to visit is the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. The atmosphere in and outside the ground, which is in the city centre, is fantastic. I used to always love playing France in Paris, although when I went back there to watch games I realised it was out in the middle of nowhere.
BEST: Dublin is No 1, obviously! Cardiff a close second. The Principality Stadium is always full, always very passionate. The bus journey in is full of noise and you’re escorted in by police on horseback. The stadium is right in the city centre, so post-game you don’t lose any of the atmosphere.
SHANKLIN: I think of it socially now! Murrayfield and the Aviva in Dublin are mine ( aside from Cardiff!) You’re close to the pitch and close to town for the nightlife!
HARTLEY: Best place to win — Wales. Worst place to lose — Wales. I’ll let you work it out.