Six Nations: Bold predictions ahead of the action including a Grand Slam
The 2024 Six Nations has arrived and begins this week with three intriguing clashes making up the opening round, beginning with a possible title decider between France and Ireland.
Ahead of the tournament, Planet Rugby has selected five bold predictions that may or may not take place but make for a great discussion during rugby’s greatest championship.
France to win Grand Slam despite key absentees
Les Bleus are without their crucial half-back pairing headlined by their talismanic captain Antoine Dupont, who will be playing for France’s Sevens side instead as he pursues his Olympic dream.
Dupont’s influence on the French team cannot be overstated. The scrum-half’s ability to not only control a match but bust it wide open has been second to none in the game for quite some time. He is tracking to be an all-time great – if he is not already – and any team would miss him.
However, there are strong candidates to replace him including Maxime Lucu, who has filled in over recent seasons with aplomb. He is superb in his own right, although, it is near impossible to reach Dupont’s level of influence. It is a great chance for him to shine.
The side is also still without Dupont’s partner in crime, Romain Ntamack. However, Les Bleus is blessed with the playmaking skill-set of Thomas Ramos who no doubt will be near the top of the points-scoring charts come the end of the campaign. If Fabien Galthie does not decide to deploy him at 10 there is always the option of the mercurial Matthieu Jalibert.
Ultimately France still boast tremendous depth and could go on to win a Grand Slam as they did in 2022.
Wales being winless
Turbulent is the best way to describe the state of Welsh rugby over the last 18 months and that continued in the build-up to the Six Nations with superstar wing Louis Rees-Zammit making a dramatic switch to pursue his NFL dreams on the eve of the squad announcement.
It is another season of damage control for Warren Gatland who has turned to Dafydd Jenkins to skipper the side at just 21 years old, making him the country’s second-youngest captain in history after the great Sam Warburton.
The side is going through a period of transition with many of the old guard calling it a day and those who remain are generally unhappy with financial conditions in the country.
All this together make them vulnerable in the championship. Of course, these types of issues have galvanised teams in the past but with the quality of the other teams in the competition, it could be a nervous campaign for Welsh fans.
Gatland is vastly experienced as a coach and knows exactly what is coming for his men, the question is, will his charges be ready to avoid a winless campaign? The other five nations will have something to say about that.
Johnny Matthews top try-scorer
Johnny ‘five tries’ Matthews has become somewhat of a cult hero for Glasgow Warriors in recent times owing to his prolific try-scoring form.
As the nickname suggests Matthews managed a whopping five tries in a match for his club and has been a constant threat since. Whether he is benefiting from a strong maul drive or just popping up in the right spaces, he just always seems to be able to get over the line somehow.
Of course, this is a tremendously bold prediction given the try-scoring prowess of a star like Damian Penaud of France or the brute force of Scotland’s Duhan van der Merwe, who will likely be near the top of the list come the end of the championship.
Italy to stun England
Wales have not been the only side with a hiccup before the tournament with England having to deal with their record points-scorer and captain Owen Farrell opting to step away from Test rugby and sign a deal to play in the Top 14 with Racing 92 from next season.
This opened the door for Marcus Smith to really push for the fly-half starting spot, however, that has not gone as smoothly as anticipated after the playmaker left training on crutches this week having picked up a leg injury. The extent of his injury hasn’t been revealed.
Another big loss for the Red Rose is the retirement from Test rugby of veteran Courtney Lawes who, almost frustratingly, is in outstanding form for Northampton Saints at the moment.
This makes it tricky for Steve Borthwick to rebuild whilst Italy are entering a new era with Gonzalo Quesada at the helm. His experience in France proves he is a quality coach and he will need to harness the energy and excitement of a fresh start with a famous win against England in Rome.
Jack Crowley to kick start a new era and finish as top points scorer
In the Ireland camp, the biggest change is the departure of arguably their greatest player in history, Johnny Sexton, who hung up his boots after becoming the country’s top points-scorer of all-time.
The Sexton void is nearly impossible to completely fill but Munsterman Jack Crowley’s rise in the Irish ranks over the last two seasons has been brilliant to see. The fly-half seems to have it all and could really come into his own if given the keys to the ship.
There will be plenty of points-scoring opportunities in the competition given the quality of the side and expect composed Crowley to cash in.
It will fascinating to see how Ireland go in their new era so to speak and don’t be surprised if Crowley makes a name for himself this Championship.
