The Six Nations definitely has its mojo back
THE MOST COMPETITIVE CHAMPIONSHIP FOR YEARS...
England were denied the Grand Slam on the final day by a superb Ireland team, but still topped the table with 19 points. You could throw a blanket over the rest.
Ireland, France and Scotland were separated only by points difference on 14, while fifth-placed Wales picked up ten points. Italy were obviously blown away, and the less said about the Calcutta Cup match the better, but 2017 will surely be looked upon as the year the Six Nations got its mojo back.
The bonus-point system, introduced on a trial basis this year, helped to make for a thrilling championship as teams were chasing either four tries or trying to cut the gap to seven points or less.
IT’S TIME FOR A RELEGATION PLAY-OFF...
Without a hint of understatement, Italy head coach Conor O’Shea was honest enough to admit he has a lot of work to do to make his team competitive.
At Murrayfield on Saturday, they couldn’t even do the basics right. Fly-half Carlo Canna had a shocker with the boot, while they also managed to squander two giltedged try-scoring opportunities.
But Six Nations chief executive John Feehan has made it clear that, regardless of how bad Italy are, or, conversely, how strong Georgia become, the status quo will remain.
So emerging nations like Germany, Russia, Romania and Georgia, with the latter playing in front of sold-out crowds of 55,000, will remain on the outside.
Slamming the door shut and not introducing at least a promotion and relegation play-off to the Six Nations makes no sense.
In an ideal world, Romania, who beat Georgia to clinch the 2017 Rugby European International Championship title at the weekend, should be readying themselves for a play-off match.
CONCUSSION IS THE ISSUE THAT WON’T GO AWAY...
Scotland had seven concussion incidents in two games. The physicality of the modern-day player, and the intense nature of the hits, means that head injuries are now commonplace. But with debate raging over the long-term impact of such collisions, rugby has to put itself at the forefront of research.
SRU doctor James Robson was one of the first to warn of the dangers of head knocks leading to brain injuries in rugby players.
A veteran of six Lions tours, he’s always been alert to the matter on the pitch and encourages players to come to the sidelines to tell him if they think one of their team-mates has been affected by a collision.
He can quickly tell if there is a problem, whether it be on the pitch or during the graduated return-to-play protocols.
He would certainly have been concerned to see Elliot Daly of England being allowed to return to the pitch after a tip tackle by Scotland’s Fraser Brown. Clearly something wasn’t right and Daly was removed from play again.
There could well be a case for stricter and longer head injury assessments once a player leaves the field of play.
THE QUALITY OF REFEREEING...
It really has been top-class, which isn’t surprising considering the experience of the officials on the Six Nations rota. The stand-out was Frenchman Romain Poite for the way he took charge of the England-Italy game with a mixture of firmness and good humour.
‘I am a referee, not a coach,’ he told England’s clueless Dylan Hartley and James Haskell after they told him they were at a loss to work out how to deal with Italy’s tactics at the breakdown.
Nigel Owens officiated to his usual high standard, with Wayne Barnes another who caught the eye, even though he was caught up in the debacle at the end of the France-Wales game in Paris which ran to 100 minutes.
Every official was firm but fair, and thankfully the high number of red cards which were expected following World Rugby’s tightening of the rules on high tackles at the start of this year never materialised.
TRY OF THE TOURNAMENT...
We’ve all seen superb solo runs when a player goes past four or five defenders to score under the posts. We’ve also seen superb team tries scored after several phases of attacking play that ends with a player diving over in the corner.
But how often in a Test match have we seen a centre standing in the line-out, before taking the ball to score?
That’s why the try of the tournament has to be the cheeky touchdown from Scotland’s Alex Dunbar against Ireland, which is certain to turn up in the What Happened Next section of A Question of Sport for years to come.
Dunbar stood unopposed in the middle of a Scotland line-out and hooker Fraser Brown picked him out with a quick throw, allowing him to crash over and score before Ireland were alive to the danger.
A try that will be remembered for many a long year. Genius: Dunbar’s cheeky try against Ireland was the best in the championship and lit up a 27-22 victory for Scotland
PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT CONTENDERS...
England second row Joe Launchbury was superb and must have played himself into the Lions starting XV.
He excelled at the line-out, showed up well in open play and outplayed Scotland’s Jonny Gray at Twickenham.
His team-mate Owen Farrell kept the scoreboard ticking over for his team with his boot and was the stand-out member of their back division.
Although Conor Murray — who missed the England game through injury — was part of a better Ireland team, it was Rhys Webb of Wales who looked the sharpest scrum-half in the tournament.
Scotland’s Stuart Hogg comes into the mix because of his slick attacking play, scoring three tries and creating three more. He also showed his ability with the boot with a long-range penalty that opened the scoring against Italy.
In the back row, CJ Stander of Ireland was the stand-out player because of the number of hard yards he made.
TOURNAMENT HIGHLIGHT...
From a Scotland point of view, it has to be the victories over Wales and Ireland at Murrayfield. Not far behind is the great reception given to Vern Cotter from the fans as he made a reluctant lap of honour after his final game in charge against Italy.
From a tournament perspective, Ireland’s 13-9 win over England to deny them the Grand Slam was a fitting climax to a brilliant championship.
It may not have been the best game of the tournament, but it was gripping, edge-of-your-seat stuff.
It’s a hard one to admit but, looking at it dispassionately, England’s 61-21 demolition job over Scotland and Jonathan Joseph’s three tries in that game made up the most complete team performance of the Six Nations.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT...
The way England head coach Eddie Jones reacted after his team failed to cotton on to what Italy were doing at the ruck and went in 10-5 down at half-time at Twickenham.
The Italians baffled England by not committing any men at the breakdown beyond the initial tackler, meaning no ruck was formed and offside became irrelevant. Italian defenders could therefore stand between England’s half backs, causing chaotic confusion in the home ranks until they reorganised at the interval.
Afterwards, Jones claimed it was ‘anti-rugby’ and that World Rugby should do something about it.
It was a sorry excuse from a man who should have taken Italy’s innovative ploy on the chin.