When the 2019 6 Nations begins on February 1st, England will be looking to erase the memories of a hugely disappointing campaign just under a year ago.
They will compete in what could be the most hotly-contested championships in years, with each of the six sides offering a unique challenge.
Eddie Jones’ side look as competitive as ever, following a
largely successful set of Autumn internationals at the end of last year. They
recorded three wins from four, including a thrashing of Australia that
demonstrated how dangerous they can be when things come together.
The only setback was a narrow 15-16 defeat to southern
hemisphere giants New Zealand, from which England could still take a vast
number of positives.
They will face a similarly monumental task when their 6
Nations campaign begins at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday at 16:45. England will
face an Ireland side ranked number two in the world, who have not lost in the 6
Nations in Dublin since 2013. Joe Schmidt’s men have won their last 12 home
games, beating every tier-one nation.
Jones selected his 36-man squad last week, and England fans
will be pleased to hear that second-row Joe Launchbury and flanker Brad Shields
were included despite injury scares just days before. Shields’ return is
much-welcomed after fellow back-rowers Chris Robshaw and Sam Underhill were
ruled out through injury.
The group travelled to Portugal last week for their training
camp.
Another huge boost is that rampaging number 8 Billy Vunipola
will be involved in international rugby for the first time since breaking his
arm three times. The 26-year-old has scored twice in three games for Saracens
since returning.
Centres Jonathan Joseph and Manu Tuilagi were included in the backs, offering much-needed variety in the 12 and 13 positions. Bath’s Joseph returns after just one appearance in an injury-hit 9 months, but is still joint top try-scorer for England under Jones.
Perhaps the only concern for Jones is whether relatively inexperienced
hookers Jamie George and Luke Cowan-Dickie will be able to fill the void left
by co-captain Dylan Hartley. Hartley will miss at least the first couple of
rounds with a knee injury.
Key man: Owen Farrell
England hearts will have dropped when Owen Farrell pulled
out of Saracens’ Heineken Champions Cup pool match with Glasgow. His importance
to the national team cannot be understated.
Fortunately, successful surgery on his thumb will see him
return in time for the England’s opening fixture, and the decision to omit
Danny Cipriani from the squad emphasizes Eddie Jones’ confidence in the
fly-halves fitness.
Farrell is quickly establishing himself as one of the best
players in the world, and has been outstanding yet again for Saracens this
season. If he plays at 10 at the expense of George Ford as expected, he will
need to replicate the intelligence and kicking prowess that has left him at the
top of the Premiership points-scorer standings.
With Farrell at his dazzling best, England have every chance of a championship victory. His leaderships skills will also be under scrutiny, after he was handed sole-captaincy following Hartley’s omission.
One to watch: Henry
Slade
Centre Henry Slade made his England debut in 2015, but it
wasn’t until the November tests last year that he established himself as a
regular starter.
The 25-year-old started three of the four games England
played at Twickenham, and his assured performances in a white shirt have left
Eddie Jones with a difficult decision in the centres.
With previous favourite at 13 Jonathan Joseph returning, as well as Manu Tuilagi, Jones will have a choice of silky footwork, raw power, or defensive expertise.
Exeter Chiefs star Slade said: “Every time I’ve played for
England, I’ve felt more comfortable and confident on each occasion. I feel like
I played better as the autumn went on and, hopefully, I can continue in that
vein going into the Six Nations.”
Should Slade get the nod in Ireland, he has every chance of building
on his classy performances in the Autumn, and could be a key part of England’s
title challenge.
Team to beat: Ireland
Although every game in the 6 Nations is colossal, few would
disagree that England’s opening game will be the toughest. Ireland’s 16-9
victory over the All Blacks in November will have no doubt turned the heads of
their 6 Nations rivals.
Lead by inspirational hooker Rory Best, they have arguably
their strongest squad in years, and have every chance of back-to-back Grand
Slam’s.
To get a sense of the challenge England face, it is important to consider this; Ireland were named Team of the Year at the World Rugby Awards in November; their squad includes World Player of the Year Johnny Sexton; they are managed by Coach of the Year Joe Schmidt.
Despite the arsenal of talent at Ireland’s disposal, England
boss Eddie Jones was bullish about his side’s chances.
“Ireland have got to carry the weight of pressure,” said Jones.
“I am not too worried about Ireland, to be honest. All we can do is prepare as best we can. What people think, whether we are underdogs or favourites, doesn’t affect us.”
Should England leave Dublin with a victory on Saturday,
there is every chance that their clash with Wales could be a Grand Slam
decider.
But of course, as seen with England’s remarkably
disappointing 5th place finish last year, no result is a foregone
conclusion in the 6 Nations.
Dark horses: Scotland
Scottish fans may be sick of their side being branded as a
potential ‘surprise package’ before almost every 6 Nations, but 2019 may truly
be the year they compete with the ‘big boys’.
Although they were beaten by Wales 21-10 in November, Gregor Townsend has assembled a side over the last year and a half that has become much harder to beat.
This was highlighted earlier in the Autumn tests when they
narrowly lost to South Africa, despite a tremendous effort.
Captain Greig Laidlaw picked out fly-half Finn Russell, who
has been in scintillating form for Racing 92 this season, as Scotland’s key man
ahead of the tournament.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live’s
Rugby Union Weekly podcast, the scrum-half said: “At times, we’re
going to have to look to Finn for answers and he needs to be able to give them.
I believe now he’s at that point to be able to do that.
“His skill-set is phenomenal, his passing game is
wonderful and his kicking game is really good as well – sometimes people forget
about that. He’s got good variety and is a good attacking weapon for us.
With a very winnable opener against Italy at Murrayfield on Saturday, followed by trip to an inconsistent French side the next week, Scotland have every chance to be in the top half of the table heading into round three. When England meet the Scots on March 16th in the final game of the 6 Nations, there could potentially be more to play for than just the Calcutta Cup.
