The week that many rugby fans look forward to has at last arrived, with the 2024 Six Nations tournament getting underway under the lights of Marseille on Friday night as France host defending champions Ireland. With so much change happening between last year’s Rugby World Cup and now in all six camps, it promises to be one of the most enthralling and intriguing editions of the showpiece event in recent history.
This tactical analysis will preview all of the action, bringing readers a glimpse at what can be expected from each of the six teams and a player from each squad to look out for as the weeks go on who could be key to their nations’ hopes of achieving their pre-Championship aims.
England
It might be a cliché in sport, but it is the truth as far as England are concerned; this is the start of a new era for them. Following the retirements of several stalwarts of the last few years at the end of the World Cup (or in the weeks after its conclusion) there has been a need for head coach Steve Borthwick to look to the future and to include some new and largely untested talent in his squad for this year’s tournament.
Whilst there are many who will be worth keeping an eye out for, some of those who could really make a name for themselves include flankers Tom Pearson and Ethan Roots (the latter of whom will make his debut against Italy after being named in the starting XV) and late injury replacement Max Ojomoh, all of whom have been in fine form for their clubs this season. It is not a done deal that they can transfer that form onto the international stage, but the confidence that they have been playing with will give fans hope that they can take to this level like ducks to water.
The fact that there are so many fresh faces that will need time to adjust to the demands of the international game means that disjointedness and mixed performance levels should be expected, and that could lead to England staying out of the title race. However, a third place finish is not beyond them (assuming that France and Ireland once again finish in the top two places), and it would not be a disaster for them if they did end up in that position in the table.
Key Player: With so many new names in the camp, the onus will be on those more experienced members of the squad to lead from the front, and one of those who will need to show his quality is scrum-half Danny Care. The Harlequins half-back has belied his age this season and remains his side’s first-choice nine, and his sniping runs could be critical to getting over the gain line and allowing England’s main ball-carriers to work their magic. He has been named on the bench for the trip to Rome but his knowhow could be something that England really benefit from if Italy prove to be tougher to break down than expected.
France
Whilst France will be many people’s favourites to lift the Six Nations trophy this year, there are currently a few question marks around Les Bleus which could hinder their title bid. The biggest of them is undoubtedly how they will cope without their conductor-in-chief Antoine Dupont, who has opted to chase his dream of representing his country at the Paris Olympics Sevens tournament this summer and so has ruled himself out of selection for Toulouse (for the time being) and France’s XVs squad.
Add to that the absence of fellow playmaker and clubmate Romain Ntamack, who continues to struggle with injury problems, and it is clear to see why many are looking at France as a slightly unknown quantity.
They do have alternative options who can step in and who will help to negate those key absences, with Bordeaux duo Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert starting against Ireland in their Championship opener whilst Racing 92 scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec is capable of finding space around the field through kicks and passes, but it will still be interesting to see if anyone is able to truly replace what Dupont brings every time he steps out onto the field.
Key Player: Whilst number 8 Gregory Alldritt, who has been named as captain for the tournament, is always a dependable player in attack and defence, it is hard to look past Damian Penaud when identifying a player who could make the difference for France. The winger has looked really sharp in the Top 14 following his summer switch to Bordeaux from Clermont, and his ability to both stay wide and to cut inside could be critical in giving France another distributor in the middle of the park.
Ireland
Given the slight uncertainty around what France could look like this year, the team that would appear to have the best chance of winning the Six Nations and of defending their title are Ireland, with them still a side to be feared despite their quarter-final exit at the World Cup.
When watching Andy Farrell’s team, what has always been apparent is their ability to play free-flowing rugby and to make everything appear so effortless. This is largely due to the advantage of having so many members of the squad featuring for the same side, with Leinster always the most-represented province. This is not to say that the other three Irish domestic sides are secondary to the Dubliners, because there are some major parts of the Ireland jigsaw that feature for either Munster, Ulster or Connacht, but there is no doubt that it does help to have so many players who know like clockwork how each other operates.
There will be an added incentive in the Irish mindset this time around to win the tournament, with it being their last Six Nations with Farrell at the helm for a year due to him focusing on the British and Irish Lions in 2025, and so there is no doubt that they will want to deliver another title for him. Many are expecting that they will succeed in attaining it and that Farrell will temporarily depart his role with yet more silverware on his CV.
Key Player: There are always several names to look out for in the Irish lineup, but the one that always has an impact is Bundee Aki. He demonstrated at the World Cup just how vital he is to their tactics and has been in good form for Connacht in the URC this season, with his strength enabling him to continually get over the gain line or to secure tries, and he has always been a difficult player to stop. Fans will be hoping that he can continue to play at the same level as he showed in France last year, beginning with the potential title-decider at the Stade Velodrome on Friday night.
Italy
For Italy, it really is a case of waiting and seeing what they will look like, with them under new leadership in the shape of former Argentina fly-half Gonzalo Quesada following the departure of Kieran Crowley after the World Cup, and they are therefore an unknown quantity at this moment in time.
The Azzurri’s squad as a whole has remained largely unchanged from Crowley’s time in charge, with Quesada making a point of stressing that his intention is not to rip things up and to start again but to simply build on the foundations that the New Zealander had already laid down, which will reassure fans that they will not be taking too many backward steps as they adjust to his ideas.
Quesada has also been clear that his key mantra will be to retain the attacking style that proved to be so popular under his predecessor, but to ensure that they don’t sacrifice points by leaving themselves too open whilst getting up the pitch, which previous analysis of their matches has shown to be their downfall. In that regard, the early signs are good, and it will be worth watching as the Championship goes on to see if he can get that balance right and how.
Key Player: As well as retaining a vast majority of the squad from the World Cup, Quesada has made the decision to keep flanker Michele Lamaro as his captain. The Benetton player is quickly becoming a critical player in the Azzurri’s ranks and someone that the rest of the team look to when they need a moment of inspiration, with his passion and desire on the pitch always abundantly clear. If Italy are to continue to prove to their doubters why they deserve to stay in the Six Nations, his ability to not only carry and tackle well but also to lead from the front will be vital.
Scotland
For Scotland, there has undoubtedly been a change in the air in the last year or so, with Gregor Townsend’s side really finding their rhythm and demonstrating what they can do when in full swing.
In many ways, this has come down to them succeeding in finding the right combinations around the field as they try to be effective both with and without the ball, and one area that has proven to be especially tricky for them to work out is their centre partnership. So many players have been tested in those positions but it has never worked out for them, until last year when Glasgow Warriors duo Sione Tuipolotu and Huw Jones made the roles their own.
Despite stiff competition from Glasgow teammate Stafford McDowall and Bath’s Cameron Redpath this year, it looks almost certain that they will continue to be the first choices in the midfield (they have already been confirmed as starting against Wales on Saturday), and there is no doubt that getting that area of the team right has allowed everything else to fall into place.
They were placed in a really tough pool at the World Cup, with them coming up against South Africa, Ireland, Tonga and Romania, and so, despite a few disappointing performances, it was always going to be a tough task to qualify for the knockout stages. However, they have shown enough progression in the last year to demonstrate that they will once again be a force to be reckoned with, and they can be backed to yet again create problems for opponents and to push for a place in the top two all the way.
Key Player: Whilst there will be a few players to look out for in the Scottish ranks, the one that never fails to turn up is fly-half Finn Russell. The Bath player can be backed to conduct the orchestra from the middle of the pitch once again, and the fact that he has now been appointed as co-captain (alongside flanker Rory Darge) means that he will have an even greater sway in the dressing room and on the pitch. That could be crucial when it comes to dictating tactical elements of their play and enabling them to have the strongest possible chance of breaking their opponents down.
Wales
Out of the six sides in the Championship, Wales are perhaps the one that have experienced the most disruption during the build-up to it, with the number of players unavailable to them through either injury, ineligibility or retirement reaching double figures.
As a result, their tournament squad has a very different look to it and there will be plenty of new faces for their fans and the wider Six Nations following to get quickly used to, and, like England, that could lead to their performances being a little up and down as they adjust to a new environment and head coach Warren Gatland works out where best to fit them into his tactics.
This is not to say that Wales should be written off though, and far from it, with them moving in the right direction following Gatland’s return to the nation, and it would not be a surprise to see them ask a few difficult questions of their opponents as the weeks go on. However, a title bid doesn’t appear likely at this moment in time, with the absence of so many stars likely to count against them at times, and so simply getting wins on the board and working on settling their new players into their system are good targets for them to have.
Key Player: With so many new names around the field, the main focus will be on providing the team with a central focal point to gravitate around during matches, and one player who is capable of providing that is Tomos Williams. The Cardiff scrum-half, who will join Gloucester in the summer, has been named on the bench for the visit of Scotland on Saturday afternoon, but his attacking nature and ability to either find a teammate or to take matters into his own hands at breakdown situations could be key in getting Wales onto the front foot.