As the dust settles on the 2022 Six Nations, it is now time to fully round up the tournament. I will be grading each side’s tournament and where they lie going forward. The tournament this year has been split in half – three teams looking to positive horizons, three teams staring down the barrel of a very negative gun. For all sides, fresh challenges lie ahead, not least with South Hemisphere tours to contend with this summer.
France – A
No question with this one. France were the best team in the tournament, followed closely by Ireland. They showed their full catalogue of what they are about this year – flair fuelled antics against Scotland, physical dominance over Ireland, edging their way past Wales with a bone-shattering defensive display and a clinical performance against England. They possess all the ingredients, and they finished off the recipe with joie de vivre in Paris when securing a first title since 2010. We are used to flair and a take no prisoners approach in attack, but France’s defence really came to the fore this year. A lot has already been made of Shaun Edwards’ impact, but it is not without good reason. France conceded the second least tries in this competition, with seven. The mentality shift has also been a true testament to the senior players and coaching staff – there has been no stereotypical French implosion, no wild punches or elbows; just hard work.
The Grand Slam was richly deserved, and it is exciting to see what is to come next from France. They face Japan in a two-test away series this July, which will give them the opportunity to grow their depth, whilst facing competitive opposition. Japan’s erratic style coupled with a fair share of physicality will be the perfect challenge for this French team looking to kick on. This French is so well balanced, they just need to continue to unearth the gems. We saw how well their ‘lesser’ players can perform; their third team took England all the way to extra time at Twickenham in the Autumn of 2020. Les Bleus are now on an eight game winning streak and are showing no signs of letting up. This French train is certainly rolling, and it will take a gargantuan effort for them to be stopped.
Ireland – A
As I posited in an earlier blog, how might this tournament have panned out if Ireland played France in Dublin? Could we be talking about Ireland as Grand Slam winners? Such a hypothetical question could be seen as a waste of time, but it is the fine margins which make elite sport so exciting. Ireland were such a well-rounded team this year, packing a punch with skill thrown into the mix. Andy Farrell has clearly focussed on the side’s attack, with all of their players offering a running and offload threat. However, Ireland did squander some chances, especially at Twickenham, where you felt they left some points out there for all their attacking impetus. Despite this flowing threat going forward, Ireland’s defence was typically mean. The men in green only conceded four tries all tournament, two of those being scored by France. This side is very well balanced, like France, but just lack that ruthless, clinical edge that France seem to have right now.
Up next for Ireland is the small matter of a three-test series down in New Zealand. Ireland may have got the better of the All Blacks in Dublin in November but facing the mystical Kiwis on their home patch is a different prospect altogether. It will be interesting to see whether Farrell takes any rookies with him down under, as he has largely played his strongest possible teams so far in his tenure. Even his starting line up against Italy featured a mere two inexperienced players in Mike Lowry and Ryan Baird. Experimentation and away trips to New Zealand rarely go hand in hand, but it could provide a baptism by fire for some young bucks. Robert Baloucoune is one such player who Farrell might deem ready for a trip to New Zealand. The classic critique laid at Ireland’s door is whether they will be able to do it at the World Cup, which they have always failed to do. This is a new look Ireland team, with much less emotional baggage than previous iterations. Many of the players who lost to Japan at the 2019 World Cup are no longer in the setup, either due to their careers ending or new blood taking their place. Ireland are in a great spot now, and they will be able to kick on.
England – C
This was nearly a D, but in comparison to Wales it would be remiss to give them both a D as Wales only won one game. I have discussed England’s issues in depth the last few weeks, so please look back at my previous weeks’ blogs to see my views on England’s performances of late. The long and short of it is that England are simply confusing, disjointed and stunted in attack. There have been some brilliant individual performances for England this tournament, but they have simply not translated to brilliant team performances. Even the two wins, over Italy and Wales, were uninspired and impotent going forward. England only scored eight tries over the tournament, which was four fewer than last year; a campaign where England finished fifth. Speed of ball is going to be a key area where England need to improve to kick their attacking game into gear. Ben Youngs’ delivery from the ruck is simply too slow, whereas Harry Randall provides zippier ball. If Eddie Jones does not want to sacrifice Youngs’ multitude of caps and experience, he could have Youngs on the bench with Randall starting. Randall to start and set the tone, Youngs to come on and see out the game. A side by side of Youngs’ versus Randall’s ruck speed from the first three fixtures of the tournament shows that Youngs might overall have more ruck speed below three seconds, with 71.6% of passes being below three seconds in comparison with Randall’s 65.7%, but Randall moves the ball quicker in attacking areas. From England’s 10 metre line onwards, Randall’s speed is significantly quicker, particularly in the opposition’s 10 to 22 metre lines, where 78.1% of his passes from the ruck are below three seconds. Randall knows when to choose to be quick, whereas Youngs seems to be much more one note. There is still room for Youngs in the wider England squad, especially as England are lacking leaders. However, for this attack to be fixed, a quicker 9 is needed. No side has ever won a World Cup without a world class (or close to world class) scrum half, much like how no football team has won a World Cup without a world class, or close to world class, goalkeeper. If England go into the World Cup with Youngs as their nailed on starting scrum half, then I fear for their chances of going all the way.
The biggest talking point from England’s Six Nations now seems to be the RFU’s statement in support of Eddie Jones and England’s performance during the competition, saying they have made progress. England may have jumped from third to fifth this year, but they still only won two games and finished 11 points behind Ireland in the final table. The RFU made a serious mistake by releasing this statement and seemingly blindly backing Jones and England. Bill Sweeney, RFU chief, has been interviewed since and he mercifully admitted the tournament was “really disappointing”. Despite statement-gate, calls for Jones’ head are unfounded. The RFU are not going to sack Eddie Jones, mostly because they probably cannot afford to. Jones is still contracted until the end of next year, and reportedly is paid £750,000 per year. After two years of Covid-related cuts and loss of profit, the RFU are in a precarious position financially. To fire Jones and have to pay him off would be a risk for the RFU. Should Jones be sacked? I do not think so. This was a disappointing Six Nations, but the last Six Nations a year out from a World Cup in 2018, England finished fifth before going on to make a World Cup final. Jones is attempting to build. The tour to Australia this summer provides an opportunity for more building and for some players to return from injury. It is difficult to see the building blocks, but I am keeping the faith for now.
Scotland – C
After such an encouraging start, Scotland went out with a whimper. A mere two wins coupled with off the field issues made this a disappointing tournament for Scotland. They had a lot of big injuries, especially to Jamie Ritchie, but Scotland are a confusing side like England. On another day, they would have beaten Wales in Cardiff and the picture would have been very different. However, the dismantling at the hands of France and a poor display in Dublin mean this has been a tournament to forget for Scotland. They conceded 15 tries across the competition this year and have looked stale in attack at times. A shakeup is needed, potentially with new playing personnel brought in to inject some energy. Their tour to Argentina this summer is the perfect time to experiment and give out some caps. England’s now famous tour to Argentina in 2017 saw Tom Curry, Charlie Ewels and Mark Wilson come to the fore. Scotland could use this as an opportunity for youngsters and international exiles to perform.
Scotland’s poor discipline, both on and off the pitch, has been a key competent in this disappointing effort. In 2020, they conceded 45 penalties across the tournament, then in 2021 54. This year, they conceded an eye-watering 61 penalties. Finn Russell has almost been a poster boy of this, seeing yellow in Cardiff and ultimately being dropped for Ireland after being involved in the infamous pub trip. Scotland clearly have a culture issue; this is not the first time drinking and breaching team protocols has dominated the headlines for this side. To have captain Stuart Hogg involved this time, is a damning statement on Gregor Townsend’s authority. Will Hogg be Scotland captain come next year’s competition? I am not so sure. Jamie Ritchie is the obvious candidate to captain the side in Argentina this summer and beyond is Hogg is relieved of his duties. Scotland, like England and Wales, are in a precarious position. They need a culture shift to get the most out of this talented squad.
Wales – D
For Wales, this Six Nations has turned into something of a nightmare. The reigning champions going into Week One, Wales were dispatched in devastating fashion in Dublin in the first week. From there, we knew this would be a tricky tournament for the Welsh. Whilst things looked much better from there, with a win over Scotland and encouraging performances against England France, everything came crashing down with that famous loss at the hands of Italy. Italy were great, but this was a historic loss for Wales. Will it signal widespread change? I do not know, but Wales fans would surely hope so. The national side has long papered over the cracks of Welsh rugby’s problems. For the regions, the last few years have been dangerously poor. None of them won a game in either European competition this season and they are continually being destroyed in the United Rugby Championship, sitting all four sitting in the bottom half of the table. Tom Shanklin was lambasted for questioning where the next generation of Welsh talent is coming from, but with the u20s also finishing fifth in their competition and losing to Italy, his ponderings are certainly well founded.
The Welsh playing personnel are a quandary unto themselves, especially with some strange calls from Wayne Pivac. Taine Basham was the go-to man early in the tournament, but was parachuted out of national team selection after some of his shortcomings were exposed. Louis Rees-Zammit was criminally underused. Josh Adams was arguably thrown under the bus with his selection at outside centre in Dublin. Will Rowlands, despite being a standout performer this year, was cruelly dropped for the Italy game to rush Alun Wyn Jones back for his glorified testimonial. Wales need to urgently attend to their midfield and back row. Nick Tompkins and Taulupe Faletau are seemingly nailed on in both areas respectively, but the other members are up in the air.
Welsh rugby needs a reset. The regions and WRU need to unite in their common interests of development and success. France only recently managed to create a solid working relationship between the clubs and the national side. The warring FFR and French clubs laid down their weapons, and the benefits have now come to fruition. Furthermore, more investment in youth structures would massively benefit Wales. With their u20s performing poorly and a reliance on older players in the national side, younger players must be the priority. However, Pivac himself will have a balancing act this summer when looking at a younger side. Wales travel to South Africa this summer for three tests; this is notoriously not a place to chuck in youngsters. The regions have been doing particularly badly against South African URC sides, so Wales will need to dig deep to hope for an encouraging tour.
Italy – C
Go with me on this. This grade is relative to Italy’s level. If France had a tournament where they performed well in some games but only won one game, they would get a D. Italy, however, have not won a Six Nations fixture for seven years. They looked better in their losses this year than usual and put in some good performances. For that reason, they are deserving of their C grade (relative to their usual position). I would also argue their C is a much more positive one than that of England and Scotland – Italy exceeded expectations in their results and performances, whereas Scotland and England wanted much more than they achieved. Italy’s triumph in Cardiff was a wonderous sight and I am excited to see what is next from the Azzurri. They had encouraging moments in most of their games, showing more physicality and attacking nous than usual. Kieran Crowley has done a great job so far with the side and deserved his moment in Cardiff. This side are building, and this victory feels like the first step in a really positive journey. Italy’s u20s also had a great tournament, finishing fourth whilst claiming three wins, beating England, Scotland and Wales. There is a plethora of young talent coming through Italy right now. Benetton are improving, despite some shaky results in recent weeks. This country has a lot to be excited about from its rugby team and I hope they kick on. Next up for Italy are fixtures against Canada, the United States and Argentina. These matches will be an opportunity to see where Italy are and a chance to experiment with some youngsters. Canada recently beat Belgium, but lost to Portugal and Chile. The United States’ last game was an ugly 104-14 loss to New Zealand, but they were without a lot of first team players, so this is not truly reflective of the danger they possess. Argentina are always an dangerous proposition, but this will be a good test for Italy to assess their progress.
In another positive, Italy’s first win after 36 consecutive losses may put any talk of South Africa joining the Six Nations on hold. I wrote recently of how damaging South Africa’s inclusion would be for the competition and Italian Rugby, so hopefully this win will keep the private equity firms and SARU at bay for a little longer. This win should be celebrated as a building block to an even more competitive Six Nations for Northern Hemisphere rugby. The relegation arguments will not have gone away, especially with Georgia winning the Rugby Europe Championship yet again. However, Italy are working hard to prove their worth and I believe they would beat Georgia in a playoff fixture regardless. These are exciting times for European rugby.
Thank you very much for joining me for one final time to discuss the Six Nations 2022. We will back on Off the Presses with more blogposts soo. For now, thank you for reading over the last few weeks and see you soon.
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