Here are two really juicy fixtures for teams who all feel they have a point to prove.
Saturday, 22 March
Ireland v France (Kingspan Stadium Belfast), KO 13.00 (GMT)
Scotland v Wales (Hive Stadium Edinburgh), KO 16.45
The One-thirty Show
For the two home sides the question is: can they be sure of maintaining last year’s progress? They are both in optimistic mood, but tomorrow is another day, as the philosopher said.
The Belfast match will be intriguing. Les Bleues are all too aware they have been below par for a while; their co-captain, Manaé Feleu, has admitted as much. Finding the reasons why is the hard bit. My simplistic view is that they indulge in too much risk-taking, handing over easy possession. Others may claim that basics are to blame, passes poorly timed and received, line-outs a lottery, and so on.
The co-coaches have been pretty ruthless in omitting players who till recently were seen as vital elements. One result is a squad that contains only three players with 50+ caps, Agathe Sochat, Gabrielle Vernier and Pauline Bourdon Sansus. And they are without leading first-choice players such as Annaëlle Deshayes and Romane Ménager.
Not for the first time, I fear for the future of the two co-coaches. It’s high time they produced some worthwhile results. At least les Bleues have been firmly in charge of recent ireland matches. At their best they are world-class, with threats from the back-row, at half-back where both Bourdon Sansus and Lina Queyroi offer threats with their running nd licking; and out wide, with Marine Ménager a regular try-scorer.
By now Ireland should have adjusted to their new-found success, but it will be put to the test in this first round. Once more Scott Bemand has to make do without the services of Sam Monaghan. But they managed well enough last year in third place, admittedly only a sliver ahead of the Scots and nine points behind Saturday’s opponents.
Of the three nations participating in the Celtic Challenge, the Irish came off by far the best. Most of their leading players will be match-fit and used to manufacturing wins. They recognise that the CC was a whole step below the level they can expect in Belfast, but Bemand and his staff took the opportunity to oversee the deployment and tactics of the Wolfhounds and Clovers to ensure maximum unity.
The time-worn cliché about ‘a nice blend of experience and youth’ fits the Irish as well as anybody. Youngsters like Aoife Wafer, Erin King and Dannah O’Brien made their mark last year, and, with nine rounds of the CC completed, should prove even more of a threat.
This match is my pick of the weekend. An upset is just possible.
The Tea-time Show
Bryan Easson is not one to push the boat out, so he has avoided making over-ambitious statements in public. What he says to his squad may be quite different. He will surely expect them to see off Cymru, especially after their away win in Cardiff last year.
That marks a huge change from past expectations. Across the span of the 6 Nations the Scots had finished bottom time and again.
Easson has to put up with a number of non-availabilities, Emma Orr, Meryl Smith, Sarah Bonar and Emma Wassell among them. One of the squad’s great assets recently has been the competition for places; we will see just how well they can mask these regretted absences.
No fewer than nine uncapped players are involved. Only time will tell whether they are truly worth their place or merely filling the gaps left vacant. Scotland fans will be hoping they become national heroes.
All eyes will be glued on the Welsh shirts to see what improvements Sean Lynn has been able to make in the tiny envelope of time he has had. He will have laid emphasis on self-confidence, which has diminished almost to vanishing point over the past couple of years.
In his new post he doesn’t have the advantrage his club, Gloucester-Hartpury, had in acquiring the services of top signings from elsewhere. He has to make do with the ingredients already available in the larder. He has included nine players from the Celtic Challenge. We will soon see which, if any of them, he selects, and how well they can raise their game to international standards.
I sense that the targets he sets his players will be modest and sensible. One central issue will be whether fifteen individuals can really operate as a well-oiled machine, all aware of the common goal and how to achieve it. That has been noticeably absent from recent Cymru sides. Scott Bemand has achieved a new found confidence in the Irish team; Lynn is well placed to do the same for Cymru, but needs more time to work his magic.
They have a tough programme. After the trip to Edinburgh they host England then take on France away. That will test their resilience to the utmost.
In the longer term there is another Scots-Welsh fixture on the horizon, at the World Cup.
UK Coverage
Ireland v France – BBC Two Northern Ireland, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app
Scotland v Wales – BBC Two, iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app
