The end of the long drought of international rugby is close at hand. One of the busiest years of international rugby kicks off this weekend when Europe’s blue ribbon event ,’The Six Nations’ gets underway.
2013 Six Nations Preview – part 1
Wales host Ireland in the opener on Saturday, followed by the Calcutta cup match where Englandtakes on the Scots. Then on Sunday, the vastly improved Italians are at home to France on Sunday.
This year’s edition has the added flavour and incentive for the players of the ‘home nations’ participating with the prestigious ‘Lions tour’ to Australia taking place in the summer. Anyone who has had the good fortune of donning the famous red jersey would tell you how special and unique it is to be associated with such a tour. Therefore, many an English, Irish, Welsh, and Scotsman will leave nothing out there & will be sure to dish out their ‘A’ game with a hope of catching the eye of Warren Gatland.
There has also been a change in personnel in terms of coaches and captains for some the participants which makes it all that more intriguing viewing. In this first part, let us look at how last year’s winners Wales, Ireland, and the unpredictable Italians line up, and the key players to look out for.
Wales
The defending champions had quite a bit of lady luck shining down on them last time around with narrow and somewhat fortuitous victories against England, and Ireland. Going into this year’s championship, their form couldn’t be any worse. Since lifting the ‘Six nations’ trophy aloft in 2012, Sam Warburton’s men have now had seven losses on the bounce.
They lost all three tests against the Wallabies down under in the summer – be it by small margins. Then come the autumn internationals, things then went from bad, to absolutely worse. They were well beaten by the now battle-hardened Argentinians, and were shell shocked by a young but spirited Samoan outfit. The All Blacks were the next to visit Cardiff, and by half time the contest was all but over. In the final game against the Wallabies for 79 minutes, it looked as though Wales had finally recorded that elusive win over their tormentors of the summer. However, Kurtley Beale managed to slip away in the dying moment to break Welsh hearts once again. Much has been made about the sides slide in fortune. The Welsh Rugby Union has had some stick for granting Coach Warren Gatland leave of absence to focus on his duties as head coach of the Lions.injuries has had some baring, but the biggest issue was that most their big names such as Skipper Warburton himself, Jamie Roberts, and Rhys Priestland were badly out of touch. They looked very flat in those final games, and the break would have done them good to freshen up. Care Taker coach Rob Howley has his full complement to pick from, with Lee Byrne making a welcome return to the fold. They have a good combination of pace and power, with the physical Alex Cuthbert and George North out wide giving opposing wingers nightmares.
Player to Watch: Much rides on this campaign for Captain Sam Warburton. This competition couldn’t come any sooner as the Cardiff Blues open-side looks to re-capture the form that made him a revelation at the 2011 World Cup. Since then, he has been under threat from Justin Tupuric for his place in recent times. Yet, he is still earmarked by many pundits to be the ideal man to lead the British & Irish Lions. Warburton will have to exert his authority at the breakdown to create a platform for his attacking backs. Still only 23 years of age, one would feel that there is still much more to come from this prodigious loose forward.
Ireland
Though scoring the most amount of points and line breaks than any other teams in last year’s tournament, Ireland were soon knocked out of contention having been surprised by the Welsh at home,before capitulating at Twickenham when the English forwards dismantled their scrum.
In the summer they were whitewashed by the mighty All Blacks in the test series which included an embarrassing 60-nil drubbing in Hamilton. The autumn was decidedly better. In the absence of Brian O’Driscoll, Number eight Jamie Heaslip wore the captains arm band against South Africa. A dream start in the role seemed to be very much on for much of the game against theBoks. However, theirSouthern hemisphere rivals proved too strong in the end. However, the Irish could not be faulted for effort and buoyed by this performance they managed to sign off the autumn on a grand note with a comprehensive win over the Pumas in Dublin.
Coach Declan Kidney will be happy to have the likes of O’Driscoll, Sean O’Brien, and rob Kearney back in Irish colours. Unfortunately, they will be without the services of prolific finisher Tommy Bowe, experience lock Paul O’Connell, and Ulsterman Stephen Ferris. However, the emergence of new stars such as Craig Gilroy has added freshness and spunk to the side. The big news to come out of the camp a few weeks ago was that the reins of captaincy had been handed over to Jamie Heaslip fulltime, despite the return of the mercurial O’Driscoll. However, few could fault coach Kidney for making this call, given that they had to start building towards the next World Cup in 2015. By Brian O’Driscoll’s own admission, that target seems a bridge too far, though he will still remain very much a part of the leadership group for the green machine.
Player to watch: Leinster have been crowned kings of Europe thrice over the last four years. Much of this success is owed to fly half pivot Jonathan Sexton, of whom much will be expected over this championship. The decisions he makes could well determine the fate of his sides prowess. With an impending move across the border to Racing Metro over the summer, Sexton will look to put his creative Centres in space and dictate the tempo of the game. Many have already given him their vote to be the Test fly half for the Lions, and few could argue against that given his sublime form for for club and country.
Italy
The Azurri are the dark horses of this year’s championship. They are at home for their games against France, Wales, and Ireland. Whilst toppling the French may see highly unlikely, the Welsh and Scots will see their games against Italy as more than potential banana skins. Coach Jacques Brunel promised much when he took over at the beginning of the last Six Nations, but was badly let down by a combination of poor kicking – at goal, and off hand, as well as a lack of imagination in mid field. However, they would have been somewhat content to have signed off on a positive note, scalping Scotland in the final game.
Italy has caused their fair share of upsets in recent times. None more so than that famous victory against the much fancied French under Nick Mallet a few seasons ago. However, such ‘flash in the pan’ victories are just not good enough anymore for a side that has come on leaps and bounds from last year. They were very impressive over the autumn, where they stretched the much fancied wallabies all the way. They also have quite a few of their players playing with elite clubs in England and in France. Captain Sergio Parisse plies his trade at Stade de France. Hugely experienced prop Martin Castrogiovanni has been the back bone of the Leicester Tigers pack for many a year now, and centre Masi has been in supreme form with the Wasps. Whilst overhauling England at Twickenham maybe wishful thinking, Brunel will still fancy getting over the new look Scotland, be it on the road. The Azzuri will also consider the home support to make up the 16th man as they plot to ambush Wales and Ireland to create their own piece of history.
Only time will tell if Parisse and co. hold their nerve in those crucial moments that more often than not separates the winners from the ‘also ran’s’.
Player to watch: If one were to pick a world XV, Sergio Parisseis certain to be pencilled in to be your number eight. The Skipper has all the makings – be it ball in hand, defence, or even putting boot to ball. It is somewhat unfortunate, that he find himself in a side with limited attacking prowess at international level. It’s sort of like rugby’s version ofBrian Lara being this superstar batsman in a struggling West Indies side. However, their style of play has been evolving to be more open and this could well be the year that the Azzuri make the climb up the Six Nations leader board.
