Six Nations Predictions: who will win?
The Six Nations rugby competition is around the corner. It is easy to go by what the experts say; however the beauty of the competition is anyone can win it, and there will be many surprises in store. So, the question on many fan’s minds is who will take the trophy home?
The autumn Nations proved that all the teams can play well, however there were weaknesses within the teams that showed. Before the prediction is made, the issue of whether Scotland and Wales must play in England due to restrictions has been resolved. It has been confirmed that restrictions have been lifted for the competition so both nations are to play at their own stadiums. This will allow them the proper home field advantage, which is important in the psyche of a rugby player. So, let’s look at each team and give a prediction.
France:
With a victory over New Zealand, some would say the French are favourites to win the competition, especially with home games against both England and Ireland. This is their big advantage however they tend to lose focus where it counts.
Led by Coach Fabien Galthié he aims to make sure the squad keep their heads during this competition. With young players Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, and Gael Fickou looking to make their mark, France looks to be a formidable team.
However, the lack of experienced players is a double edge sword as the young players may be great someday, they still lack experience.
England:
A bookies’ favourite to take second place in the competition, England still has a long way to go. The fact that they must play Ireland at Twickenham gives them a slight advantage. They cannot afford to waste this opportunity.
England have had quite the poor showing under Eddie Jones, with them finishing fifth in last year’s competition. They have improved their game since as the Autumn Nations will attest, however they have more room to improve, and the Six Nations will test this out fully.
With Marcus Smith improving every game, Manu Tuilagi coming back from injury, topflight pack consisting of Tom Curry, Maro Itoje, Kyle Sinkler and Sam Underhill; England still have a lot to prove, and this competition will see them either ‘sink or swim’.
Ireland:
Like England they still have a lot of room to grow, and the autumn Nations saw the fruits of their labours pay off with a strong attack strategy, and a victory over the All Blacks. A question on the fans’ lips is how much do they have to grow?
The players themselves have spoken about their passion to improve and to show their growth during the competition. However, with a lot of away games especially against an ever-improving England and a tough team in the French, third place seems like a safe bet for Ireland. They are improving match by match but will that be enough come the Six Nations competition?
Wales:
Wales have a lot to prove despite being last year’s winner in the Six Nations. Fans are debating that if it was not for red cards gained by their opponents, would they have been able to have beat Scotland and Ireland to win the competition at all?
Even though they have been plagued with injuries, they do have the drive to push through the opposition to gain a victory, however their ability to also take their foot off the pedal when they are ahead can lead to a disaster for the squad when it counts most.
Scotland:
Despite their defeat from South Africa in the autumn Nations, wins against Australia and Japan show that they have the ability to succeed. They do however have a few weaknesses to iron out.
The fact that they play well in the scrum and have a great attack is nullified by the fact that they give away awkward penalties, and against teams that like to kick such as France and England this can be quite the weakness. They also can freeze in important games however this disadvantage is being weeded out. If they can solve the penalty issue, there is the feeling that they may surprise everyone in the Six Nations.
Italy:
Italy is still a weak team, by any stretch of the imagination. In fact they may do worse than they did last year.
The fact they have a few Under 20 prospects which could be future stars in the making, the best they can hope for is to do better than last year. So, who will win?
This is a tough question to answer. England was the original pick, due to their vast improvement, however due to their showing during the Autumn nations and all the home games they will have which is an advantage, France seems to be the safest bet to win the championship this year, if they just keep their focus. However, if France throws away their home games, then England is a good ‘outsiders’ bet. Italy is definite for the wooden spoon; they are by far the weakest team and still have a mountain to climb before even matching the other teams in the competition.