After the sterile Autumn Nations Cup, low-risk rugby union has to be ditched in order to win over fresh convertsThe Six Nations starts less than two months after the conclusion of the kick-and-chase festival that called itself the Autumn Nations Cup. The sterile environments in empty stadiums stripped heat and passion from matches, but the general unwillingness to run from deep was not a symptom of Covid-19 but the continuation of a trend towards defence and low risk.Even the Scotland head coach, Gregor Townsend, who as a player was known for his daring and invention, said he did not think style was important and that the best way to give supporters a lift was to win. He felt the lack...
Emphasis on physicality and defensive kicking unlikely to provide much relief for viewers of this year’s championship International rugby, as Danny Cipriani reflected last week, has become a war of attrition and territory, a physical grind that repudiates risk and makes for dull viewing. All that threatens to be unpredictable about the looming Six Nations is whether it will go ahead in its entirety, with the French government concerned about exposing its citizens to the Covid-19 variant that has boosted transmission rates in the UK and Ireland.The championship will be mentally and physically demanding for players who for eight weeks will largely remain with their squads, housed in a bubble and unable to leave their hotel without permission, even for...
The Rugby Football Union celebrates its 150th birthday and the Six Nations champions will want to deliver a fitting tributeCandle manufacturers in the Twickenham area have never had it so good. The Rugby Football Union, the oldest international rugby body in the world, is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its formation this year and the big birthday will be marked by the wearing of a special-edition vintage kit against Scotland early next month.It was the Scots who provided the opposition for the first international fixture ever played, on the cricket field at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh on 27 March 1871, which also produced England’s first defeat. In those days games were played on a Monday and the teams consisted of...
No crowds will be permitted, so we might wonder if broadcasting revenue is sufficient reason to press on with the 2021 championshipAt what point during a pandemic, with death rates spiralling upwards, does playing professional sport cease to be a good look? As the temporary morgues fill up and hospital staff find themselves under ever more intense pressure, should we really be concerned about England’s selection options against Scotland in just over three weeks? Talk about a parallel universe.Hold that thought as we wait to learn whether the Six Nations, as the organisers still insist, will kick off on 6 February as scheduled. At the very least it will involve multiple cross-border journeys over seven weeks by players, coaches, officials,...
Despite the disappointment of the delayed Six Nations finale, the sport still served up some memorable moments in 20201. It will soon be 2021. Continue reading...