All three fixtures take place on Sunday:
England v Ireland – Doncaster
Italy v Scotland – Legnano
Wales v France – Cardiff
France
The Squad:
15. Jessy Trémoulière
14. Cyrielle Banet
13. Coralie Bertrand
12. Morgane Peyronnet
11. Marine Ménager
10. Pauline Bourdon
9. Laure Sansus
1. Maylis Traoré
2. Agathe Sochat
3. Clara Joyeux
4. Safi N’Diaye
5. Audrey Forlani
6. Julie Annery
7. Coumba Diallo
8. Gaëlle Hermet (captain)
Bench:
16. Laure Touye
17. Lise Arricastre
18. Yllana Brosseau
19. Lénaïg Corson
20. Céline Ferer
21. Yanna Rivoalen
22. Camille Boudaud
23. Caroline Boujard
In the regrettable absence of Romane Ménager, the captain has to revert to No 8.
For the rest, French policy is similar to the English with players switching on rotation. The bench could add real problems for the Welsh.
It’s 110 years since a French national side first played against Wales – in Swansea.
Ireland
The Squad:
15. Eimear Considine (UL Bohemian) (14 caps)
14. Lauren Delany (Firwood Waterloo) (10)
13. Sene Naoupu (Old Belvedere) (36)
12. Katie Fitzhenry (Blackrock) (12)
11. Aoife Doyle (Railway Union) (5)
10. Claire Keohane (Railway Union) (2)
9. Kathryn Dane (Old Belvedere) (8)
1. Lindsay Peat (Railway Union) (29)
2. Cliodhna Moloney (Wasps) (21)
3. Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere) (7)
4. Aoife McDermott (Railway Union) (12)
5. Judy Bobbett (Blackrock) (2)
6. Ciara Griffin (UL Bohemian, captain, 31)
7. Edel McMahon (Wasps) (8)
8. Anna Caplice (Harlequins) (13)
Bench:
16. Victoria Dabanovich O’Mahony (Old Belvedere) (2)
17. Laura Feely (Galwegians (14)
18. Leah Lyons (Harlequins) (23)
19. Ciara Cooney (Railway Union) (19)
20. Dorothy Wall (Railway Union) (2)
21. Nicole Cronin (UL Bohemian) (15)
22. Larissa Muldoon (Railway Union) (46)
23. Hannah Tyrrell (Old Belvedere) (15)
It’s good to see Ireland back to winning ways after a longish period in the doldrums. They know they will be up against it this time round, but are developing well enough to aim for a leading position in the Championship this year.
Sadly Beibhinn Parsons will be missing from the rest of the 6N owing to school exam requirements. At the beginning of the campaign the Ireland management can hardly have imagined missing her so much; she has given the attack such a sharp edge. Aoife Doyle replaces her, and Katie Fitzhenry makes her first start this campaign in the centre.
Italy
The Squad:
15. Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi
14. Aura Muzzo
13. Michela Sillari
12. Maria Magatti
11. Sofia Stefan
10. Beatrice Rigoni
9. Sara Barattin
1. Silvia Turani
2. Melissa Bettoni
3. Lucia Gai
4. Valeria Fedrighi
5. Giordana Duca
6. Ilaria Arrighetti
7. Lucia Cammarano
8. Elisa Giordano (captain)
Bench:
16. Giulia Cerato
17. Erika Skofca
18. Michela Merlo
19. Sara Tounesi
20. Francesca Sgorbini
21. Laura Paganini
22. Beatrice Capomaggi
23. Benedetta Mancini
After two away fixtures Italy will be glad to tread home soil at Legnano outside Milan. They welcome back their right-winger Aura Muzzo from a long lay-off through injury. The prop Erika Skofca has the chance of making her 6N debut. The Azzurre came back well in Cardiff to gain their first victory, but if they are to equal last season’s great achievement, they will need to ensure top results from now on.
Scotland
The Squad:
15. Chloe Rollie (Harlequins)
14. Rhona Lloyd (Loughborough Lightning)
13. Hannah Smith (Watsonians)
12. Lisa Thomson (Darlington Mowden Park)
11. Megan Gaffney (Watsonians)
10. Helen Nelson (Loughborough Lightning)
9. Mairi McDonald (Hillhead Jordanhill)
1. Leah Bartlett (Loughborough Lightning)
2. Lana Skeldon (Darlington Mowden Park)
3. Mairi Forsyth (Corstorphine Cougars)
4. Emma Wassell (Corstorphine Cougars)
5. Sarah Bonar (Loughborough Lightning)
6. Rachel Malcolm – captain (Loughborough Lightning)
7. Rachel McLachlan (Darlington Mowden Park)
8. Jade Konkel (Harlequins)
Bench:
16. Molly Wright (Watsonians)
17. Panashe Muzambe (Edinburgh University / Watsonians)
18. Lisa Cockburn (Darlington Mowden Park)
19. Siobhan Cattigan (Stirling County)
20. Louise McMillan (Hillhead Jordanhill)
21. Sarah Law (Darlington Mowden Park)
22. Rachel Law (Edinburgh University)
23. Evie Tonkin (Darlington Mowden Park)
Philip Doyle is looking for consistency in his selections, but is pleased to welcome back from injury two major contributors, Hannah Smith and Megan Gaffney. Let’s hope the pack can give their potent backs some real go-forward.
Wales
The Squad:
Kayleigh Powell;
Caitlin Lewis,
Megan Webb,
Kerin Lake,
Lisa Neumann;
Robyn Wilkins,
Keira Bevan;
Gwenllian Pyrs,
Kelsey Jones,
Cerys Hale,
Georgia Evans,
Gwen Crabb,
Alisha Butchers,
Bethan Lewis,
Siwan Lillicrap (capt)
Bench:
Molly Kelly,
Cara Hope,
Ruth Lewis,
Robyn Lock,
Manon Johnes,
Ffion Lewis,
Courtney Keight,
Lauren Smyth
The coaching trio make five changes: Megan Webb and Caitlin Lewis both make 6N debuts. Welsh fans will be hoping for a decent showing against a strong French outfit, but two losses out of two already mean the team faces an uphill struggle this season.
England
The Squad:
15. Sarah McKenna (Saracens, 30 caps)
14. Abby Dow (Wasps, 11 caps)
13. Emily Scarratt (Loughborough Lightning, 87 caps)
12. Amber Reed (Bristol Bears, 55 caps)
11. Jess Breach (Harlequins, 12 caps)
10. Katy Daly-McLean (Loughborough Lightning, 112 caps)
9. Leanne Riley (Harlequins, 35 caps)
1. Vickii Cornborough (Harlequins, 51 caps)
2. Lark Davies (Loughborough Lightning, 24 caps)
3. Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears, 33 caps)
4. Poppy Cleall (Saracens, 38 caps)
5. Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury, 18 caps)
6. Sarah Beckett (Harlequins, 15 caps)
7. Vicky Fleetwood (Saracens, 74 caps)
8. Sarah Hunter (captain, Loughborough Lightning, 121 caps)
Bench:
16. Amy Cokayne (Harlequins/RAF, 48 caps)
17. Detysha Harper (Loughborough Lightning, 0 caps)
18. Shaunagh Brown (Harlequins, 15 caps)
19. Harriet Millar-Mills (Wasps, 53 caps)
20. Amelia Harper (Loughborough Lightning, 2 caps)
21. Natasha Hunt (Gloucester-Hartpury, 52 caps)
22. Zoe Harrison (Saracens, 22 caps)
23. Emily Scott (Harlequins, 36 caps)
With Hannah Botterman sustaining an injury, the one significant selection is the uncapped Detysha Harper (prop) on the bench. She was twice named as a non-playing reserve in the Autumn internationals. It indicates that the search is still on for front-row forwards to strengthen the one palpably vulnerable aspect of England’s game, the front five.
It’s good to learn that Lydia Thompson and Kelly Smith are both fit again, but that doesn’t ease the selectors’ problems. Wingers rarely find themselves added to the bench.
The least we can do is hope for better playing conditions for all the players. Four teams won’t forget Round Two in a hurry.
