These players can light up the women’s tournament
Vicky Fleetwood
With Marlie Packer out injured, England need Vicky to step up. Those are certainly big shoes to fill, but every time I have seen Vicky over the past year she has impressed me. Despite having 65 caps to her name, Vicky is yet to make a role her own – as demonstrated by the fact she played at both hooker and flanker last year – but her energy and pace make her extremely difficult to stop. She may not have Marlie’s raw power, but Vicky needs to make the most of her own attributes, particularly that pace honed during a career as a junior hurdler, to make the No7 shirt her own.
Laure Sansus
Burst on to the scene last season and made a huge impact, so much so that France have moved regular scrum-half Pauline Bourdon to No10 to accommodate her. That is a sizeable vote of confidence, as Bourdon was a nominee for 2019 World Player of the Year, but is justified from what I have seen. Sansus (right) reminds me of a young Danny Care in the manner in which she runs with the ball in two hands, sniping around the fringes and is capable of sliding a grubber through an overstretched defence. Her vision will cause England real problems this weekend.
Jade Konkel
When I think about Scotland, Jade (right) leaps out as the player I want to watch. She is a brilliant all-round athlete, having played basketball for the Highland Bears and won gold medals with the Army Cadets at discus and shot, while I gather she is a black belt at the martial art Goshin-ryu Kempo, too. She is a wonderful leader and ball- carrier, and is better for having played in France and England. Before every game she writes ETT – which stands for Empty The Tank – on the tape around her wrists, and that sums her up. I would have loved to play with her.
Enya Breen
Ireland really need someone to lift their spirits after a torrid couple of years and Breen (left) could be just that person. She has just three caps and as such is untainted by an eighth-place finish at the 2017 World Cup and a run of three victories in the past two Six Nations tournaments. In May she was named Rising Star of the Year at the All-ireland League Awards and she scored against Wales in November, so hopefully the hard-running centre can justify the excitement around her during this tournament.
Giada Franco
Has just been named captain and also moved to Harlequins, so Franco is making huge strides. Last year Italy made history by finishing second in the table and achieving something neither they nor their men’s team had done before. That success is definitely in part down to the rise of Franco. She always stands out as a player worthy of respect, with her physicality and fearlessness hugely impressive. As a young back- row player she will only improve at Quins, and she will continue to be a breath of fresh air in an Italy side who have shown they can do it.
Jasmine Joyce
Joyce was the only non-english player in the Great Britain Sevens team at the Rio Olympics, and she is looking really strong since returning to Xv-a-side after a stint in Australia with the University of Adelaide. The Wales wing is deceptively strong and has that key ability to brush through would-be tacklers, one which she has certainly honed through her time in Sevens. Wales have a much-changed side, but I am optimistic about what they and Joyce can achieve. The key is getting the ball to her and creating a solid platform in the forwards.