The countdown to the Rugby World Cup is well and truly on. We’re just ten months out from France 2023 and teams are wrapping up their preparations.
The Autumn Internationals are providing us with plenty of insight on how the best in the world handle pressure against tough opposition but the real measuring stick, for European sides at least, will be the 2023 Guinness Six Nations campaign. Often regarded as the best annual rugby competition in the world, this edition promises to live up to that moniker. France and Ireland are a cut above the rest right now and the likes of England, Scotland and Wales are all likely to give them a good run for their money. Even Italy are stepping up to the plate off the back of a monumental win in Cardiff this March and a very strong showing this Autumn. There are real hopes that if these teams can maintain their form, the World Cup might once again be making a trip North for the first time since 2003 next October. With that said, here’s an early look at what we can expect from each side in the next edition of the Guinness Six Nations Championship.
England
Eddie Jones’ side are a team in the middle of a rebuild, still searching for the finishing touches to take them to the next level but they have all the pieces they require to complete the jigsaw. Marcus Smith is one of the most scintillating, talented young prospects in the game and has taken to the International game like a duck to water. Meanwhile, in the pack the Roses have an embarrassment of riches with Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, Sam Simmonds and more often dominating collisions and imposing their will at the breakdown. However, inconsistencies have plagued them for the last two years. While they are coming off the back of just a second series win in Australia, underwhelming Six Nations campaigns and shock defeats against Barbarians and Argentina have done little to convince England fans that they can go all the way next year. Jones is still the man at the helm of English rugby for the time being but they will need a strong showing against Ireland and France next February to turn the tide and make one last push in their bid to claim their second World Cup 20 years on from Martin Johnson’s immortals.
France
France sit second in the world rankings but Fabien Galthie’s side could just as easily hold the top spot. France are the favourites to lift their first Rugby World Cup according to these betting sites. Les Bleu have rediscovered that winning feeling in the last two years as they continue to dispel the unwanted habits of the last decade. ‘Which France will show up?’ was the question that loomed over them for years like a dark cloud that wouldn’t shift but mercurial talents such as Romain Ntamack, Charles Ollivon and the best player in the world Antoine Dupont have helped lift that cloud and the spirits of the French rugby nation along with it. France claimed their first Grand Slam in over ten years this March and they are on a winning run stretching back all the way to March 2021. They’re in great shape to claim back-to-back Six Nations titles for the first time since 2007 and with a World Cup in their backyard in September to look forward to, the sky’s the limit for Galthie’s men.
Ireland
Andy Farrell’s side are world number one courtesy of their first series win in New Zealand this Summer. It marked the first time an International team turned over the All Blacks on their home patch since 1994. The milestone tour will go down in Irish rugby lore as the stuff of legend and it provides good cause to believe that Ireland are more than capable of breaking their unwanted streak of quarter-final exits in World Cup tournaments in France. Farrell has built a side that can physically dominate anyone on the planet, with a brutal defence and enough attacking flair to dismantle even the most arduous resistance in the world game. Johnny Sexton is still in great form despite his long tenure at fly-half and while finding his replacement will be a concern for the national team in the long term, he has more than enough legs to see the Irish over the line this February. Ireland vs France in Dublin is shaping up to be a titanic tussle for the title.
Italy
The Azzurri have long been the whipping boys but there is a glimmer of hope for Italian fans that the tide is turning. A monumental victory in Cardiff over a subpar Wales marked their first win in the competition since 2015 and they have followed it up this Autumn with their first ever win over Australia in a nail biting 28-27 victory in Rome. There is a lot of work to be done to keep this run of form going and move off the foot of the Six Nations table, but with an exciting academy overachieving at youth level and the men picking up results, the future's looking brighter than ever for Italian rugby.
Scotland
Gregor Townsend’s men find themselves at a crossroads heading into the Six Nations campaign. For many years Scotland were the side that showed promise but couldn’t get over the line and while in recent years they have done well to dispel that moniker they find themselves recently slipping back into old habits. A narrow defeat to Australia at Murrayfield signified their first loss to the Wallabies for six years and a heartbreaking loss to New Zealand two weeks later was another all too familiar case of so close yet so far. Combine this with the ongoing Finn Russell saga and there remains a lot to fix for the Scots ahead of the Six Nations campaign. Faced with the task of navigating the toughest group in France next September, Townsend will need to find the solution sooner rather than later and the Six Nations provides the perfect opportunity to do just that.
Wales
For the longest time Wales were the side that saved their best for the Six Nations but now they have morphed into the most unpredictable entity in World Rugby. When Warren Gatland ended his legendary stewardship over Welsh Rugby, few expected Wayne Pivac to live up to the standards set by his predecessor. However, Welsh fans were left overjoyed and somewhat surprised as he claimed the Six Nations title, albeit with a lucky streak threaded throughout their campaign. Pivac has struggled to replicate his early success since. A singular test win on South African soil the only result of particular note with his run littered with poor performances and a propensity to save their best only for must-win occasions. Wales need to find consistency and Pivac finds himself in desperate need of a successful tournament in February if his side are to go into the World Cup with any prospect of lifting it.
