Views Dump Italy and go back to Five Nations format
With the Six Nations taking a break this weekend, it’s a good opportunity to reflect on the first two rounds of the Championship without the traditional rose-tinted spectacles.
Let’s start with the positives: Ireland v England was a cracking game that lived up to the hype surrounding it. Now, whether it was better rugby than, say, Leinster v Saracens, is open to question, but it was damned good.
It is almost sacrilege to even suggest that it wasn’t the absolute pinnacle of the game, but I return to my gut feeling that there’s no reason why two club teams comprised of international players should deliver a product that’s weaker just because they’re not wearing their country’s shirts.
It was a New Zealand columnist who coined the phrase about Sir Clive Woodward’s England that they resembled ‘white Orcs on steroids’, and in their first two Six Nations games it was great to see them showing that physicality again. They’ve played proper English rugby, and done well it’s brilliant.
One other thing that needs adding is that I and plenty of others have egg on our faces over the appointment of John Mitchell as England’s defence coach. I didn’t see why we needed to bring him in, but he has to take some of the credit for the improvement in England’s fortunes.
However, let’s consider the other matches played so far. Italy really shouldn’t be in the Six Nations, as they are no more than whipping boys. Scotland and Wales beat them pretty well as they should have done – their presence in the tournament diminishes it. Restoring a Five Nations competition would free up space in the calendar, and make room for a tier-two competition where Italy could play the likes of Georgia, who are ranked two places above them, and Romania, Russia and Spain, who are all hot on their heels.
We’d then find out just how good Italy actually are, and my hunch is that they wouldn’t be a shoo-in to win such a competition. The Italians have lost 19 on the trot, and despite Benetton being second in their PRO14 conference, there are precious few signs that Conor O’Shea is making much progress with his Italian project.
France v Wales was a bit of a joke match: France were decent in the first half, and then donated a win to Wales after the interval – I’m surprised they didn’t check for unusual betting patterns! France went on to show that their first 40 minutes against Wales was a fluke by being abysmal at Twickenham – nearly every Gallagher Premiership side would have disposed of them with some ease.
Scotland and Ireland simply showed that neither of them are as good as they were projected to be. Ireland looked as though their hammering at the hands of England had shaken them to the core, and the Scots did their usual flatter to deceive type of performance – they maybe could and should have won, but typically they didn’t.
It’s important to take a reality check, because a lot of what is said and written about the Six Nations is so over the top as to be ridiculous. When it’s good, as it was in Dublin, then it can be enthralling, but the overall standard so far has been average at best, and that has been the reality for many years.
Yes, there are some potentially stirring encounters still to come: England’s trip to the Principality Stadium, and then on the final day, Ireland’s visit to Cardiff and the Calcutta Cup at Twickenham. If England can win in Cardiff then the Championship is theirs for the taking, and the Grand Slam very likely.
Another Six Nations bugbear to add to my list: after next weekend’s round of games, there’s another rest weekend, before Rounds 4 and 5 – why? The Premiership and the Top 14 manage to play several weeks in a row, and their clubs have a much smaller pool of players to choose from.
I’m afraid I see this as typical Six Nations arrogance, and they would do well to have a look at the RWC schedule. Each of the teams will play their four pool games over a threeweek period, with the next three weekends featuring the quarters, semis and the final. Seven games over six weeks, and they’ll manage to cope with that, whereas the Six Nations drag out their five matches for seven weeks.
Everyone is trying to manage the congested rugby schedule, so isn’t it time the Six Nations organisers did their bit?