Six Nations 2021 preview: Le Crunch to decide the title?
The Six Nations is back in 2021 - and there are subplots aplenty
Credit: Guinness Six Nations/INPHO
It’s that most magical time of year again - when the Six Nations returns to our screens.
There will be blood, there will be thunder, and there will be Eddie Butler montages to stir the soul of even the hardest-hearted of men.
The subplots are writ large across the sky as the yearly rugby fiesta approaches - will anyone topple the dominance of England? Will the French Revolution under Fabien Galthie and Shaun Edwards continue apace? Will Wayne Pivac find the magic formula and kickstart his Wales tenure? Will Italy win one this year?!
What we can say with absolute certainty, however, is that it is going to be a firecracker of a tournament in 2021.
The disrupted 2020 edition left some among the game’s faithful a little bit cold, especially after some uninspiring performances when all teams were Covid-rusty and subject to classic September and October weather.
But there are myriad reasons to believe this year’s fixtures will take us back to the heavenly heartland that the Six Nations has always been and light our souls on fire again.
Here are The Flanker’s predictions for the 2021 Six Nations, as well as our ones to watch for a very intriguing tournament.
England
England claimed the Six Nations title and the Autumn Nations Cup in 2020 - can they repeat the trick?
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It’s been a tricky time for Eddie Jones over the past few days, with a number of withdrawals from his Six Nations squad coming just days after announcing his initial 28-man outfit. Joe Marler and Joe Launchbury pulled out at the start of last week while Sam Underhill was later ruled out due to a hip injury.
With Mako Vunipola also sidelined and Kyle Sinckler banned, it creates a selection headache for Jones with Ellis Genge the only outstanding loosehead remaining in the squad for their first match against Scotland.
Secretly, however, Jones may relish introducing some new blood into a team which was solid, if unspectacular, during their Autumn Nations Cup campaign last year. Uncapped duo Paulo Odogwu and Harry Randall are well-earned call ups and will hopefully get a chance to shine at some point over the next two months.
Jones has signalled he will look to play a more expansive style of rugby going into this championship and, with only two away matches to play during the tournament, England look like the favourites for the 2021 title.
One to watch: Jack Willis
With Underhill’s departure from the squad, the gauntlet has been laid down for last year’s Premiership Player of the Year. If given the opportunity to start, Willis has a chance to finally stake his place in the England back row that so many think he deserves.
Something to prove: Elliot Daly
Like the other Saracens players in this squad, there is a worry Daly could be undercooked heading into the championship. On top of this, an average autumn campaign has led to some calls for Daly to move from fullback or be omitted from the squad altogether. He now has a big chance to prove the naysayers wrong.
Christy O’Brien
The Flanker prediction: 1st
France
Although credit must go to Head Coach Fabien Galthie for transforming France’s fortunes since stepping up to the role last year, it is Shaun Edwards who has revolutionised the team.
Undoubtedly the world’s best defence coach, Edwards has added steely grit in keeping out opponents to couple with the undoubted flair France have always possessed.
Although captain Charles Ollivon, Bernard Le Roux and Francois Cros are all brilliant options in the loose forwards, the real talents lie behind the scrum.
Damien Penaud, Vincent Rattez and Teddy Thomas are the spiciest of back threes with Gael Fickou and Virimi Vakatawa a superb centre partnership.
In Antoine Dupont, they also have the best scrum half in the world in The Flanker’s opinion with the Toulouse star a crackerjack around the fringes and an astounding support runner. Expect Les Bleus to make a serious title tilt.
One to watch: Cameron Woki
The rangy back-rower has impressed for Bordeaux-Begles this season where he is a brilliant tackler and breakdown operator while proving a good option as a lineout jumper. Woki’s work rate will provide that fantastic back line the platform on which to perform.
Something to prove: Matthieu Jalibert
Mattieu Jalibert has big shoes to fill to replace Romain Ntamack
Credit: Christophe Archambault/AFP
Jalibert is an astounding talent but with Romain Ntamack missing the start of the tournament, he will want to prove he should be talked of in the same breath as the Toulouse number 10. A beautifully lithe runner who attacks the gameline, he will look to unlock the talents outside him throughout the tournament.
Tom Hitchenor
The Flanker prediction: 2nd
Ireland
With Andy Farrell’s honeymoon period well and truly over after more than a year in the job, many fans of the Emerald Isle will be looking for their team to close the gap to England and France for this year’s Six Nations.
They will be forced to do without Jacob Stockdale, who was injured against Munster earlier this month, and John Cooney, who Andy Farrell appears not to be a fan of in any way shape or form and in this writer’s opinion was inexplicably excluded.
In his place Farrell has called up uncapped Munster scrum-half Craig Casey, but the squad looks like a continuation of the Joe Schmidt era. Jonny Sexton is again selected as captain and Munster and Leinster players dominate the squad despite Ulster’s fine Pro 14 form.
Ireland will be without Jacob Stockdale but will still look to challenge at the top of the table
Credit: Dan Sheridan/INPHO
Their first two games, Wales away and then France at home, will be crucial to their tournament hopes. Two wins would put them firmly in contention, while two poor results would lead to growing questions over Farrell’s leadership.
One to watch: Jordan Lamour
Injured before his country’s October and November games last year, Larmour is now back to full fitness and will likely be Farrell’s first-choice fullback. With Ireland's issues against kicks behind well-known, Larmour needs to combine defensive acumen with his outrageous attacking talent to take the next step and cement himself in the national side.
Something to prove: The 9-10 partnership
Both Sexton and Conor Murray did not show their greatest form during 2020, and the omission of Cooney and likely benching of Billy Burns will be brought up more and more the worse results get. With Sexton aged 35 and Murray 31, both these players need a big tournament to secure their final chance of a Lions spot come the summer.
Christy O’Brien
The Flanker prediction: 4th
Italy
What to do with the plucky Italians. The Flanker has already explored the possibility of Georgia replacing them in the Six Nations while a promotion and relegation element to the historic tournament has also been discussed.
The recent Autumn Nations Cup saw a decent performance in a 17-28 defeat to Scotland but drubbings against France and Wales will have been a disappointment to the Azzurri.
Italy have shown definite improvement but have yet to turn that into results
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Led by combative hooker and captain Luca Biagi, expect Italy to battle and bring a lot of passion but lacking that killer finesse and quality to open up drilled defences.
Their set piece is not as imperious as it once was but David Sisi, Sebastian Negri and Johan Meyer are excellent back row options for Head Coach Franco Smith.
The Italians are more than capable of inflicting a shock on their day - and will be targeting a home game against Wales on March 13 - but the wooden spoon looks an almost formality at this stage.
One to watch: Paolo Garbisi
Since the great Diego Dominguez retired in 2004, Italy has lacked a top drawer playmaker. Garbisi looks the real deal with the 20-year-old combining great distribution skills and a strong running game. Improvement to his tactical kicking and game management will naturally come with experience but Garbisi could be in the blue 10 shirt for years to come.
Something to prove: Playing a full 80 minutes
It’s almost something of a cliche in rugby circles but Italy needs to make sure they deliver a full 80-minute performance in this year’s Six Nations. For whatever reason - be it fatigue, the quality off the bench, game management - they never seem to see games through despite quite often having good spells in matches.
Tom Hitchenor
The Flanker prediction: 6th
Scotland
The return of Finn Russell could have a serious say in Scotland’s campaign
Credit: Getty Images
It seems like there are always the same questions being asked of Scotland each year - can they sustain the steps forward they’ve made and turn them into tangible results?
The phrase ‘consistently inconsistent’ feels like a comfortable pair of slippers for the men north of the border, with results like the impressive win over a France side seemingly bound for a Grand Slam in last year’s tournament thrown into the historical melting pot with some very average ones - see their exit from the 2019 World Cup without so much as landing a punch.
The fight to put themselves back among the big boys has been a constant flow of one step forward, one step back over the years - but just to completely undo all of that expectation management, there are plenty of signs that this squad is ready to take the next step.
They arguably boast the best flanker combination in the tournament in Jamie Ritchie and Hamish Watson, they are welcoming back one of the world’s most talented operators in Finn Russell, and are integrating new talent that lends an exciting edge to their back division.
With all that in mind, there is a continuing sense of now or never for this generation of Scotland players - but away trips to the two best teams in Europe may leave them once again looking at an unflattering table finish.
One to watch: Cameron Redpath
His inclusion, as someone it was known Eddie Jones had his eye on, is a major boon for Scotland and was the topic of most of the buzz following the squad announcement. His skill, vision and endeavour have already impressed his club side Bath, and he is someone who, if he gets off to a strong start in this tournament, should start to form a dangerous relationship with Finn Russell and could find himself occupying a 12 shirt for years to come.
Something to prove: Bringing the pieces together
It seems like the Scotland squad, in terms of personnel, has grown in quality and depth over recent seasons, but there has not yet been the sense that those players have found the magic formula. Russell’s rollercoaster year set them back a step in terms of the post-World Cup rebuild, but now with him back in the fold and playing some of his best-ever rugby at Racing, they have the best opportunity to put that talent together with a traditionally strong set-piece and a dynamic back-row unit to finally produce what they appear capable of.
Jack Colwill
The Flanker prediction: 3rd
Wales
It’s fair to say Wayne Pivac would have envisaged a few more tangible successes coming out of his first 12 months in charge of Wales. A very disappointing Six Nations performance last year starkly highlighted the quality of the job Warren Gatland did in guiding them to a World Cup semi-final, and quite how much work he still has to do.
He has certainly taken the first step in terms of making the squad his own, overhauling some personnel and bringing through talented youngsters like Callum Sheedy and Louis Rees-Zammit, clearly indicating he is thinking for the long-term.
The problem with that attitude in a job that comes with the pressures that his does is that unless he produces performances and results that keep the fans satisfied, he may never get the chance to fulfil that long-term goal.
The performances over the course of 2020 did not win him much confidence and this Six Nations campaign now looms as one where Pivac’s team needs to make crucial steps towards getting the country back on side.
However, it is one that he is going to find very difficult amid a squad down on confidence and currently does not look like it can contain the best teams well enough to secure wins when it matters.
One to watch: Dan Lydiate
Veteran flanker Dan Lydiate returns to the Wales squad but can he help turn fortunes around?
Credit: Sky Sports
The headline from Pivac’s selection was the return of 33-year-old Dan Lydiate, the chop tackle specialist of years past. Out of the frame for a few years, Pivac has clearly turned to him to add some steel to a green defensive unit as well as to re-ignite his partnership with Justin Tipuric that was one of the key components of the Gatland era. If successful, it will free up one of Wales’ best assets in Tipuric to wreak havoc and play his natural game. If not, they will be stuck with a guy a yard off the pace of Test rugby who cannot compete with his younger adversaries. Watch with interest.
Something to prove: Playing with conviction
Under Pivac over the last 12 months, Wales have simply allowed games to get away from them. In many games (including the 42-0 win over Italy) they lost the possession battle and spent the majority of the game defending, and on the occasions that they have held more of the ball, including the defeats against England and France in the Six Nations, they failed to make that possession tell. Wales fans are used to seeing a team that defends hard and attacks with confidence, and currently they are doing neither - they are conceding too many points through allowing teams to attack on their own terms, and when they get ball in hand they lack pace, penetration and imagination. The first step is to get this team backing themselves again, but a far from straightforward fixture list leaves them not a lot of time to do it.
Jack Colwill
The Flanker prediction: 5th
