Six squads have been secretly warming up, preparing all manner of new conjuring tricks to confuse the opposition. It’s been a wall of silence.
Correction
Only five squads! Sean Lynn has still to unveil his choices – for understandable reasons.
He was appointed just before the 2025 version kicked off, stating at once that he had taken on a difficult job. And so it proved: no wins in five games. His eye has been on the Celtic Challenge, where Gwalia stand a close second to Clovers, and Brython have scored their first victory.
We wait to see the results of his findings. His cause isn’t helped by the sudden departure of Belinda Moore from her post as Head of Welsh Women’s Rugby.
Novelties
We have two new head coaches in place, Sione Fukofuka with Scotland, and Francois Ratier with France.
Both are highly experienced across different continents, but have yet to savour the 6N competition at first hand.
Their approach adds great excitement to a new season.
Venues and Crowds
Two boards are showing their belief in the tournament by booking their national stadium for the first time; Ireland at the Aviva, Dublin and Scotland at Murrayfield.
The Scots had already filled the neighbouring Hive Stadium, and were delighted to announce over 19,000 tickets had already been booked this time. That is well over twice the size of last year’s crowd.
The Red Roses are hoping to attract even more than the 58,000 who watched the France game at Twickenham in 2023.
Warm Weather Alternative
Let’s give the W6N a new name, the WWA.
The 6N organisers have set the schedule even later this year, which means further away from the men’s version. It can breathe its own air (a first heatwave in mid-April?), and gain even bigger audiences. Kick-off 11 April.
Prospects
We’re most unlikely to see a change at the top of the charts.
England
The Red Roses have three gaps to fill from a full-strength side of 2025: Abby Dow is missing from the right wing. The coaching staff will have been paying the closest attention to the competing alternatives. There is no lack of talent, but they will be looking for far more than mere pace, elusiveness and finishing power. And if Claudia Moloney-Macdonald is fit and well, other candidates may well be disappointed.
Abbie Ward and Lark Atkin-Davies have more important dates in their diaries, but there are plenty of able replacements.
France
Les Bleues are the big unknowns; not so much the players themselves as their style of play.
They have come so desperately close to defeating the Red Roses in the 2020s that we shouldn’t be shocked by a win on French soil this year. But Ratier has to make tricky choices: how many old hands to retain who have known only defeat across the past seven years, and which talented newcomers can make the leap to glory?
He has shown one conservative approach: Manae Feleu is retained as captain, now alone after the retirement of Marine Menager.
Ireland
It’s significant that the RFU was prepared once more to offer the Allianz for the Ireland match.
They are the one nation most obviously capable of upsetting the old duopoly, France and England.
They have outstanding players in their midst and a wily operator in charge. Scott Bemand is, I reckon, the longest serving of the six coaches, although he took over the reins only in 2023. They are astonishingly young in that sense; not in any other.
Of the three Celtic bosses Bemand is the one who needs to glance at the Celtic Challenge the least. But when he does, he sees young players queuing up to challenge for a place.
Scotland
Sione Fukofuka has now been adopted by a third nation, after his start in Australia and his top job in the USA.
His first task is to ensure he maintains the progress achieved by Bryan Easson.
At their best the Scots are unrecognisable from their elder sisters of a decade ago. In the old days a missing figure like Lisa Thomson would have been hard to replace adequately.
This week Meryl Smith returned to the game after a long injury lay-off. Back alongside Emma Orr, she can provide the side with the sort of punch and penetration every team seeks in the centre.
We shouldn’t be surprised to see a handful of CC players find preferment, for example Holland Bogan and Hannah Ramsay. Their presence at the training sessions in Edinburgh can only benefit the older hands by reminding them their places aren’t guaranteed.
I see Leia Brebner-Holden’s possible absence as a cause for concern. After Caity Mattinson retired it’s hard to spot really talented candidates for the 9 shirt.
Italy
For many Italian pundits the outlook is far from sunny.
They see a lack of a fruitful pathway to the top and a consequent lack of young talent coming through to demand inclusion. Quality coaching is seen as a further drawback.
Last year I commented on the massive experience of the squad, evidence of the lack of competition for starting places. Fabio Roselli has promoted two young prospects, Sara Mannini and Alia Bitonci; he needs many more.
At their best they can thrill like the French, but Roselli and his staff must work on recurrent failings.
Which brings us back to Wales.
Sadly for all Welsh fans, rugby news seems to centre on them. Hardly any of it is good.
Moore’s departure seems symptomatic. She took on her job in Cardiff on a strictly short-term basis. But her move back to England at this juncture adds one more doubt about positions of authority. Her success in post has remained strictly limited.
We can only wish Sean Lynn all the best over the coming weeks.
The balloon goes up on 11 April. The nations to enjoy three home fixtures are France, Ireland and Wales.
This could turn into the most exciting, the most watched W6N of all.
