Ireland lifted their first ever home grand slam last year in Dublin
Rugby’s Greatest Championship is back, 30 matches spanned across Six capital cities millions cramming into stadiums and millions more watching back home as Ireland, France, Scotland, England, Wales, nd Italy battle it out for the Six Nations.
For the first time in a long time, we are on the verge of a tournament where there are no strings attached. No Lions tours or World Cup places to play for just five matches for each side to rewrite history.
Big names are absent while big statements need to be made following last year's World Cup horror show so here is what you need to know ahead of the 129th edition of the tournament.
Defending the Crown
Peter O'Mahony captains Ireland in their Grand Slam defence
Ireland are here with a point to prove. The biggest being that no irrational change was needed following another World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of New Zealand. The side will runout without Jonathan Sexton for the first time in 15 years as he puts his feet up and allows a growing batch of barnstorming fly half's to take his role.
Jack Crowley is in for the opener against France in Marseille but will be keenly watched by Leinster’s Harry Byrne and Ciaran Frawley in hopes of swooping in to lead their country to another Grand Slam.
Andy Farrell’s men will also be led out by a less-than-new face captaining the side as Peter O’Mahony takes the armband.
Many were shocked that it wasn’t given to a younger star as barring a miracle at 34 the Munster captain is unlikely to see the World Cup of 2027 in Australia. Traditionally Ireland crashed and burned out of rugby world cups but defeat to a New Zealand side producing their best performance in years following a domination from Ireland over the previous three can be forgiven as the fine margins of the peak of World Rugby.
However, his head coach’s attitude in recent months displays the idea that the only problems that need to be fixed drastically cannot be done now as those changes will not take shape until they line up for the World Cup opener three years from now.
Ireland’s year is about consistency. Proving to themselves that they are still the team that won 16 successive matches before that defeat. A two-test tour of South Africa follows this tournament in the summer and a feisty Autumn Nations campaign will likely feature visits from the Springboks, New Zealand, and Australia.
This Six Nations also brings a time to breed depth as Calvin Nash of Munster slots in on the wing for the injured Mack Hansen and will likely remain there for the rest of the tournament.
The unpanicked attitude of this Ireland squad could bode well with a target on their back but there is the opportunity with the three fixtures at home that they could lean towards complacency. Managing that will prove just how settled this Irish side are.
The Redeem Team
France hit the road to claim back the title they won in 2022
With the Stade De France going under renovation ahead of the Summer Olympics Fabian Galthie’s men are taking a literal road trip to redemption following their agonizing one-point exit at their home World Cup to South Africa.
Antoine Dupont has departed so Mathieu Lucu comes in at nine backed up by the exciting Ronann La Garrec. But apart from that change, France are the same powerhouse that has sent shivers down the spines of opponents in recent years. An injured Anthony Jolonch is imminently replaced by Francois Cros. And the heartbreak of Roman Ntamack’s injury continues as the star will not be seen back on a rugby pitch until after the tournament has concluded following an ACL tear against Scotland in a World Cup warm-up.
Though their trips around Lyon, Bordeaux, and Marseille will look to win those who turned their backs following the World Cup on side it also allows for the French public to connect with their heroes who were headline news virtually every day during the tournament.
France wants revenge and is prepared to create a war path to get it in this year's tournament. This is much less the festival of rugby and more a chance to prove their credentials as the World's best side.
Going into the tournament head coach Galthie spoke about the importance of getting this year right stating ‘"Defeats are part of the journey, as are obstacles. We like it, pressure, requirements, it's not a problem for us, we're here for that. We're solid."
Consistency is King-horn
Rory Darge claims the Scotland captaincy alongside Finn Russell
Following their crushing defeat to Ireland that sent them packing from the World Cup at the earliest possible opportunity Gregor Townsend’s Scotland have a fresh look that if you’ve tuned out of the sport in recent months will leave you scratching your eyes.
Captain Jamie Ritchie has been missing in action for Edinburgh and there for loses his captaincy and very well could lose his place in the match day squad as the competition to run out as Scottish flanker is tougher than ever.
In his place steps Finn Russell and Rory Darge as co-captains. The full four-year rebuild ahead of Australia is ready to kick into action following the SRU nearly letting Gregor Townsend walk away from the job last year.
As always, they have made a few acquisitions over the winter with Sale Sharks winger Aaron Reid heading up north to the birthplace of his grandparents to play for Scotland.
Major injury news comes in the form of Scrum Half Ben White who injured himself playing for club side Toulon in the weeks leading up to the tournament.
Also out in France, and injured, is Blair Kinghorn who has managed to make himself a bit of a superstar in Toulouse. Kinghorn joins a back line featuring Thomas Ramos and Ange Capuozzo as the 22-time French champions have been blitzing through opposition. Kinghorn himself bagged a try on his debut and has been open about how much the experience has helped his game.
And of course, Finnley Russell, The Bath fly-half has been a sensation as he dragged the west country outfit out of years of obscurity and right up to the top of the Gallagher Premiership. His co-captaincy alongside the 23-year-old forward Rory Darge is the mix of bonkers creativity and mature stability that this Scotland side needs to find if they want to match the likes of Ireland and France.
Game management is where this tournament was lost for them last season as a very winnable game that saw Josh Van De Flier taking Ireland's lineouts as he was the only one that had ever had a go at them before and Garry Ringrose being carted off to hospital unconscious still couldn’t be capitalised upon by Gregor Townsend's men.
They start with a trip to Cardiff where they haven't won in over 2 decades so get that right and it could very well be a year to remember for the Murrayfield masses.
Mr & Mr Smith
Fin Smith starts on the bench for England's opener against Italy on Saturday
It’s all changed in Steve Borthwicks England camp following the retirements of Courtney Lawes, Ben Youngs, and, Jonny May from international rugby after their World Cup Bronze medal.
The traditional Saracens and Leicester sweep of the England squad has been swapped for a rotation of stars from all 10 premiership clubs with the large majority coming from Northampton and Bath after their impressive first halves of the season.
Following Owen Farrell’s sabbatical for mental health reasons, the main talking point has been surrounding the ten shirt. Coming into this week Harlequins Marcus Smith seemed nailed on to start before leaving England's training base in Girona on crutches.
The masses called out for Northampton Saints Fin Smith to take his place. The 21-year-old's addition to the squad was as much a move based on his form as it was to deter Gregor Townsend from sniffing around him having recently found out he has Scottish Grandparents.
Rather bafflingly it wasn’t Smith who received the call-up and instead, the shirt was handed to the out-of-form George Ford who is given the chance to prove himself away from a Sale Sharks side whose most attacking rugby involves running 20 meters sideways as they've dropped 5 places in the table since Christmas.
Smith’s time will undoubtedly come but Steve Borthwick seems in no rush to move on from the mistakes of last summer and instead revel in the fact that on just 10 months' work, his side was 2 minutes away from a successive World Cup final.
That loss to the Springboks stung, but it left English rugby with a renewed hope that needs to be proven over this tournament.
When The Kids Come Out
Rio Dyer will replace Louis Rees Zammit on the wings after his last-minute departure
Injuries, retirements and adventures to the NFL have made Warren Gatland's build-up to his 17th Six Nations campaign less than ideal.
The Welsh squad is filled with youth as the effects of not developing to replace the likes of Sam Warburton, Jamie Roberts, and Alun Wyn Jones are beginning to take effect. So much so that Louis Rees Zammit rang his head coach an hour before he was due to announce his squad for the tournament to let him know that not only would he not be playing for Wales, but he would also be quitting the sport of Rugby Union all together to try his hand at the NFL. He leaves his duties on the wing in the more than capable hands of Rio Dyer, however.
Wales are led into the tournament by 21-year-old Daffyd Jenkins, who is the youngest Welsh captain in half a century. He comes in to replace the injured Jac Morgan who was a superstar during their World Cup campaign.
There is a rebuild, its aim is 2027, and that’s public for all to see. Getting off on the right track after a dogged few years for the sport is critical. It starts with welcoming Scotland to Cardiff on Saturday afternoon. Scotland has not won in the Welsh capital for two decades and it provides Gatland and CO with the perfect opportunity to start their tournament right.
New Beginnings
Michele Lamaro is the only returning Six Nations captain for 2024
Italy needed to break free from Kieran Crowley following their horrific World Cup campaign and have managed to replace him with former Stade Francais head coach Gonzalo Quaseda.
The Argentian was part of the French back-room staff during their grand slam win of 2010 and subsequent turbulent run to the final of the World Cup the following year where all coaching staff were sacked by the players following a pool stage loss to Tonga and coached themselves through the knockouts.
There doesn’t necessarily need to be a change in personnel for Italian Rugby just a change in mindset. They're heading in the right direction but under Kieran Crowley that was being generated by general fear of being heckled by the coaching staff. That showed late on in matches where safe decisions were taken and stress-drawn mistakes saw wins run away from them.
Quaseda and the subsequent success of club side Benetton Treviso will look to play with confidence this year and close the gap even further than they have done in recent years. Few players are missing with the biggest addition being Tommaso Menoncello who missed the World Cup due to injury.
The Azzuri are interchangeable with Wales going into the tournament and will more than anything be looking to compete over 80 minutes and convert that to points in the table.
