And, it’s back. After a week of twiddling thumbs, the Six Nations returns with a vengeance this weekend.
Italy and Ireland – who can wait for that? France hosting Scotland – go on then!
Oh, and Wales v England, which might be OK we guess.
Join us for it all, as Scrum’s the Word brings an alternative guide to the games.
Warren Gatland with his hands in his pockets as Wales train ahead of their game with England
NEWS FROM ROUND THE NATIONS
ALL HAIL THE AGGRO XV
Ellis Genge, Kyle Sinckler and Ross Moriarty could all be on the same field at tea-time on Saturday when Wales play England in Cardiff.
As before-the-watershed television goes it could move straight onto the BBC banned list.
Niggly, testy, gloriously fizzing – we cannot wait to see it.
England and Leicester Tigers prop Ellis Genge is among the names in our Six Nations aggro XV
SIX NATIONS AGGRO XV
So, inspired by that here is the Six Nations XV we’d love to witness for the pure filth of it all.
Presenting, the Aggro XV…
15 Mike Brown
14 Chris Ashton
13 Mathieu Bastareaud
12 Manu Tuilagi
11 Yoann Huget
10 Owen Farrell
9 Gareth Davies
1 Ellis Genge
2 Dylan Hartley
3 Kyle Sinckler
4 Maro Itoje
5 Courtney Lawes
6 Peter O’Mahony
7 Ryan Wilson
8 Ross Moriarty
WILL IRISH EYES STILL SMILE?
Eddie Jones reckons everyone is talking about Wales – which obviously isn’t true – but hardly anyone is bigging up Ireland any more.
Having lost to England on the opening weekend and beaten Scotland unconvincingly last time Joe Schmidt’s side sit fourth in the Six Nations table.
The so-called ‘best side in the world’ from November’s crown has slipped. But don’t write them off.
They will surely take five points in Italy, moving them to nine – which will put them in touching distance of England if they lose to Wales or above the Welsh if they are defeated in Cardiff.
Then it’s France at home before Wales away, so depending on the Wales v England result they could be right in the mix come March 16.
If England win it’s probably all off, but do not be surprised if Ireland do a 2013 Wales, lose the opening game and win the title come spring.
They are too good a side to slump now.
Ireland were unconvincing in their win over Scotland last time out but they are still a fine team
HALF-BACK TO THE FUTURE!
Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack will play No 9 and 10 for France against Scotland, and so the wheel turns again.
The turnover in French half-backs is extraordinary. According to elite stat-man Stu Farmer, in the last decade France have used – wait for it – THIRTY-SIX (!!!) pairs of 9s and 10s in Tests. Thirty-six, though. Thirty-actual-six.
Ten players have played scrum-half (Sebastien Tillous-Borde, Morgan Parra, Julien Dupuy, Dimitri Yachvili, Maxime Machenaud, Jean-Marc Doussain, Rory Kockott, Sebastien Bezy, Baptiste Serin and Antoine Dupont).
And twelve have played fly-half (Lionel Beauxis, Benoit Baby, Francois Trinh-Duc, Damien Traille, David Skrela, Freddie Michalak, Camille Lopez, Morgan Parra, Remi Tales, Jules Plisson, Antony Belleau and Matthieu Jalibert)
Extraordinary. No wonder they’re all over the place.
As a side-note Jalibert – remember him? – plays his first match for Bordeaux this Saturday since blowing his knee to bits v Ireland after 20 minutes last February.
Antoine Dupont (left) and Romain Ntamack (centre) will start for France against Scotland
STARTING SEAN!
At last Sean Cronin will make his Six Nations debut.
The Irish hooker already holds the record for most appearances as a substitute (58 Tests ahead of Keven Mealamu on 55) and now nine years and 37 tournament caps after his debut in the Championship he finally starts.
We hope his bow in Rome will be worth the longest wait in history…!
SCOTLAND THE BATTERED
Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell, John Barclay, Richie Gray, Huw Jones, Ryan Wilson, WP Nel, Sam Skinner, Lee Jones, John Hardie, Matt Smith, Alex Dunbar, George Horne, Stafford McDowall, David Cherry, Murray McCallum, Jake Kerr.
A pretty handy Scottish bunch, but like the sausages, pizzas and Mars bars in Edinburgh – all battered.
All of these players are injured for the Scots. It’s brutal stuff. So hope of seeing the true Scotland fades again.
Stuart Hogg is one of many Scotland players currently ruled out through injury problems
UNVEIL THE SERIAL HEAD-BUTTER OF CARDIFF!
Every time Wales play England in Cardiff, some bloke head-butts the away team’s bus…
…or so you’re made to believe.
It’s an oft-told tale in these weeks, that a Welsh fan is so tanked up and emotional when he sees the white 12-wheeler rumbling along that he decides to plough his bonce into the side of the coach as it travels along Westgate Street.
Over the years – as far as we can see – Lewis Moody, Ben Kay, Austin Healey, Chris Ashton and Ben Youngs have all regaled the story. We’re sure many more have on the after-dinner circuit too.
And this week Danny Care was at it, telling a BBC podcast a similar story.
Maybe it does happen every time, maybe it’s a different guy for each? Does he have a helmet? Or one of those daffodil hats? How old is he now if it was the same man from circa 2001, 2011 and 2017? How sore is his head? What’s the point? Or is it just an easy story to tell for a bit of fun in a big week?
So many questions, so little answers… what is for sure, like talk of Welsh grannies flipping the middle finger, and everyone in Tescos queuing up to offer players advice over the west side Severn Bridge, it is probably massively exaggerated.
Danny Care, pictured in England training last February, featured on a BBC podcast this week
STATCAVE
21-16 — The last two Wales v England games in Cardiff – in 2015 and 2017 – ended with exactly the same score. 21-16 to England.
33 defeats in Italy’s last 34 matches against Tier One opposition, and they have lost 19 Tests in a row since beating South Africa in November 2016.
One more try assist and Conor Murray will draw level with the best assisters in Six Nations history – Jonny Wilkinson and Ronan O’Gara (both 16).
1995-96 — The last time Scotland won two away Six Nations games on the bounce, when they beat Ireland and Wales away. They beat Italy to end the 2018 Six Nations and go to Paris this weekend.
Three points scored by Wales in their last two home second-halves against England. They lost both games in the Six Nations despite leading at half-time.
1999 — The last time Scotland won at the Stade de France. Gregor Townsend – now the Scotland head coach – scored in a 36-22 victory.
Fly-half Gregor Townsend celebrates after scoring a try for Scotland in Paris in April 1999
SIX NATIONS MATCH GUIDES
FRANCE v SCOTLAND
Stade de France, Saturday 2.15pm, LIVE on BBC One from 1.45pm
France: Ramos; Penaud, Bastareaud, Fickou, Huget; Ntamack, Dupont; Poirot, Guirado, Bamba, Vahaamahina, Lambey, Lauret, Iturria, Picamoles.
Bench: Chat, Falgoux, Aldegheri, Willemse, Alldritt, Serin, Belleau, Medard.
Scotland: Kinghorn; Seymour, Grigg, Maitland; P Horne, Laidlaw; Dell, McInally, Berghan, Gilchrist, J Gray, Bradbury, Ritchie, Strauss.
Bench: Brown, Allan, Fagerson, Toolis, G Graham, Price, Hastings, D Graham.
Prediction: France
WALES v ENGLAND
Principality Stadium, Saturday 4.45pm, LIVE on BBC One from 4.15pm
Wales: L Williams; North, J Davies, Parkes, Adams; Anscombe, G Davies; R Evans, Owens, Francis, Hill, AW Jones, Navidi, Tipuric, Moriarty.
Bench: Dee, Smith, Lewis, Beard, Wainwright, A Davies, Biggar, Watkin.
England: Daly; Nowell, Slade, Tuilagi, May; Farrell, Youngs; Moon, George, Sinckler, Lawes, Kruis, Wilson, Curry, B Vunipola.
Bench: Cowan-Dickie, Genge, Williams, Launchbury, Shields, Robson, Ford, Cokanasiga.
Prediction: England
ITALY v IRELAND
Stadio Olimpico, Sunday 3pm, LIVE on ITV from 2.15pm
Italy: Hayward; Padovani, Campagnaro, Morisi, Esposito; Allan, Tebaldi; Lovotti, Ghiraldini, Ferrari, Ruzza, Budd, Tuivati, Mbanda, Steyn.
Bench: Bigi, Traore, Pasquali, Sisi, Zanni, Palazanni, McKinley, Castello.
Ireland: Kearney; Earls, C Farrell, Aki, Stockdale; Sexton, Murray; Kilcoyne, Cronin, Furlong, Dillane, Roux, O’Mahony, O’Brien, Murphy.
Bench: Scannell, McGrath, J Ryan, Henderson, van der Flier, Cooney, Carty, Conway.
Prediction: Ireland
