Player tiredness and availability could be key; there are six new laws to consider and Warren Gatland does battle with Steve Hansen againIreland broke the mould in 2014 but before that, as sure as death and taxes, France would win the first Six Nations championship after a Lions tour, often with a grand slam to boot. Related: Rob Baxter challenges Exeter to play like Premiership champions | Robert Kitson Related: Premiership 2017-18: team-by-team preview of England’s rugby union season Related: Ambitious Pro14 looks at Germany, Spain and Canada for further expansion | Paul Rees Related: New Zealand begin to suffer from player exodus to the wealthy north | Paul Rees Continue reading...
After the draw in Kyoto there are tantalising opportunities available to Scotland, Ireland and Wales if they get to Japan in good shape come late 2019There are two years and four months still to go until Japan’s 2019 Rugby World Cup kicks off but at least one leading nation is already doomed to catch the bullet train to premature oblivion. While some tough early pool games can occasionally prove to be helpful in the later stages, England will be fooling no one if they insist a grouping with France and Argentina is exactly what they always wanted.Bill Beaumont, the former England captain who pulled his own country’s name out of the pot, can expect precious few congratulatory messages from home. England...
Warren Gatland and the rest of the rugby union world will be in Kyoto on Wednesday when the groupings are determined for the 2019 tournamentEven Phileas Fogg would have struggled had he been involved in modern-day rugby union. One day Warren Gatland is in London talking up the Lions, the next he is en route to Japan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup draw. Next week he has to be back in Wales, the week after it is Ireland followed by a long wintry trek around New Zealand. If it is Wednesday, it must be Kyoto, in theory at least.There will be precious little relaxation at 39,000 feet either, if the pool draw takes on a deathly complexion once more....
England’s second title in a row said more about the weakness of the opposition in a tournament lacking the subtlety that will be needed by the LionsThe Six Nations is the envy of the southern hemisphere – for its licence to print money rather than the quality of the rugby it inspires. England retained the title but were written off in New Zealand as clunky musclemen who live in a cave, a view compromised by the praise then lavished on Ireland, whose record of two tries in their final three matches was hardly a testament to their perceived verve and guile.Bonus points were trialled this year in order to, in the words of the tournament’s chairman, Pat Whelan, “materially improve...
It was a tournament to savour, with the standard of play and level of ferocity increasing, but unfortunately the Italians are being left behindCome Monday morning the players will be back at work with their clubs, getting ready for the next round of league fixtures.Their schedules leave them precious little time to heal their wounds, even less to rest and reflect on what has gone on these past few weeks. Rugby has never been an easy living but in this Six Nations some of the Tests, especially the three between England, Ireland and Wales, were so ferocious that watching them felt a guilty pleasure. Related: New Zealand media on England loss: ‘Stuffed plastic bags in need of a trolley’ Related:...