THE JOY OF SIX
REVAMPED TOURNAMENT SET TO REPLACE AUTUMN TESTS?
RADICAL proposals for a revamped Six Nations, that would be started in autumn 2020 and completed in March 2021 have been mooted.
Rugby, like all sports, is facing significant uncertainty and staring down the barrel of fixture chaos due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Currently, the likes of England and Wales are scheduled to go on their respective summer tours to Japan and New Zealand, though they are a looking increasingly unlikely.
Plans for southern hemisphere nations to travel north for their traditional November Tests are also in doubt.
If those autumn matches can’t go ahead, RFU chief executive Bill
Sweeney has revealed that a revamped Six Nations is forming part of contingency plans.
He floated the prospect of a Six Nations beginning in the traditional autumn window of 2020 and forming part of the 2021 Championship as part of a home and away series.
Sweeney didn’t elaborate on the details, but there would be scope, in such a scenario, for teams to play each other twice in a 10-game tournament.
Five rounds of matches could be completed in the autumn before players return to domestic action, with the final five rounds of the same tournament being completed in the traditional February/March window.
“It’s possible,” Sweeney told BBC
Radio Four.
“The south are having the same conversations.
“If we weren’t able to travel to each other, they’d want to do something to fill their gap and we’d want to do something to fill ours.
“We’re looking at a range of different contingencies but an obvious one is: Do you stage a Six Nations in the autumn, but link it into the Six Nations the next year and have a home and away series?”
He added: “Nothing is ever easy but these are exceptional circumstances.
From a geographical point of view, obviously the travel is not so bad, we’re used to playing each other, we know how the logistics work.”
At this stage, these are just ideas being floated around various boards and committees. The uncertainty this virus carries makes it impossible to make any concrete plans at this stage.
For example, England and Wales are still preparing as though their summer tours are going ahead, despite how unlikely it may seem.
But if a chain of events fall into place, an extended Six Nations Championship would be a mouthwatering prospect for fans and broadcasters.
IT’S nearly three years since the socalled ‘Geography Six’ caused a storm when they were called up to the Lions squad midway through the tour.
Coach Warren Gatland summoned them to protect his Test 23 from having to be on the bench during midweek matches between the Tests against the All Blacks.
It was a pre-planned move that arguably made lots of sense but the problem was the players given the prestigious honour of a Lions call-up were chosen largely for geographical reasons.
Two players were brought from Scotland’s tour of Australia and four from Wales’ trip to New Zealand, where they faced Tonga in Auckland, before moving on to Samoa. The plan was based on logistics and convenience as the six didn’t have far to travel to join his squad.
The decision provoked outrage in some quarters, with Gatland being accused of devaluing the Lions jersey because most of the six weren’t considered to be “next in line” if there was to be a permanent call-up.
They were all named on the bench for the 34-6 midweek win over the Chiefs in Hamilton and the 31-31 draw with the Hurricanes in Wellington, but only Scotland pair Finn Russell and Allan Dell managed brief appearances as substitutes.
Gatland later admitted being rocked by the criticism and claimed it had persuaded him to only replace players in those fixtures who had suffered injuries.
So what become of the infamous Geography Six who faced unfair derision from some? We examine their subsequent careers and assess their chances of becoming bona fide Lions in South Africa next year...
TOMAS FRANCIS
Almost got on for the Lions against the Hurricanes for a flagging Dan Cole, stripping to his playing kit and prowling a touchline, but it wasn’t to be as the England prop saw out the game.
Francis’ Wales career trajectory rocketed afterwards as he established himself as Gatland’s first-choice tighthead. He improved his all-round game and was a key figure in last year’s Six Nations Grand
Slam and a record 14-match winning streak.
The 27-year-old became the cornerstone of the Wales scrum and, arguably, the key moment of last year’s World Cup from a Welsh point of view occurred when he departed with a serious shoulder injury during the semi-final with South Africa.
The Springboks, as they did while trouncing England in the final, were able to capitalise on the loss of Francis by turning the screw at vital scrums to win penalties or shove Wales backwards.
Francis’ cap tally stands at 48, but he was badly missed as he recovered from the surgery he had following the global showpiece with scrum issues being a real thorn for Wales in the Six Nations.
2021 LIONS PROSPECTS: Has been a massive hit since 2017 and will be a genuine contender to make Gatland’s party for South Africa if he can regain fitness and form. GARETH DAVIES
He was Wales’ first-choice scrum-half under Gatland after Rhys Webb became ineligble following a move into exile with French club Toulon.
Davies revelled as he took his international try count to 14 in 53 appearances with his sniping runs and poacher like instincts as he proved a master of the interception.
Gatland and defensive guru Shaun Edwards also used him to rocket out of defence and put pressure on the opposition outside-half.
Davies had an eye-catching World Cup but didn’t hit the same form in this season’s Six Nations as Gatland’s successor Wayne Pivac employed different attacking and defensive tactics.
Pivac couldn’t make up his mind on who was his starting choice with Davies vying with Tomos Williams before being ditched from the matchday 23 for the postponed clash with Scotland with the now eligible Webb being recalled.
2021 LIONS PROSPECTS: Gatland knows what he can do and scrum-half is a potentially problem position which you can safely say is currently wide open when it comes to candidates.