Fixtures
15 April
14.15 Wales v England Cardiff Arms Park
16.45 Italy v Ireland Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma (17.15 local time)
16 April
15.15 France v Scotland Stade de la Rabine, Vannes (16.15 local time)
The tournament resumes after the Easter break. The game of the round will be at Parma, where Italy have the chance to get their show on the road and move closer to securing the vital third place which would qualify them for Tier 1 of the WXV.
That new tournament has still to make its mark, but it may well finish up overtaking the 6N in popular interest; at least it has world-wide significance. Its scope and potential is truly breathtaking.
The underlying weakness of the 6N is laid bare in these three Round 3 fixtures. Even this far in advance each result seems all too predictable. As things stand, Parma and Vannes should enjoy home wins; Cardiff is all too likely to see another England romp, despite the great improvement in Welsh performance and confidence.
The six squads have the chance to lick their wounds after two punishing rounds, and much will depend on injury calls.
Wales v England
Wales won’t admit it, but when England come to town, they’ll be looking to ‘put in a performance’, which is rugby code for ‘we aren’t going to win, but we want to do much better than last year’.
They are an outstanding example of how things can change for the better in no time. I remember a Siwan Lillicrap interview at the Stoop in 2020 after her side received another towsing from England. She, poor woman, was in pieces. Now the atmosphere is quite different, and she, now a media star, is full of the joys of spring.
The advance of Sisilia Tuipolotu from lock to tight-head may be the most significant pointer to the outcome of the game. England will have a battle holding the Welsh pack at the set-scrum. Of course they have other resources available, but it all starts up front.
With Keira Bevan and Elinor Snowsill in good form behind the pack, the red shirts can pose a few problems.
But England tore Italy apart in Round Two with a team that bore little resemblance to any Fifteen you might have jotted down on the back of an envelope two months ago. It was an all-round performance that should cause the Welsh management’s deep thinkers some concern.
As usual, Simon Middleton underlined areas of discontent – no coach will ever admit to 100% satisfaction. In the Black Ferns game at Northampton last year Zoe Harrison kicked 7 out of 7; Last weekend Holly Aitchison, Lagi Tuima and Emma Sing managed 4 out of 12.
The XV that turns out at the Arms Park may well show several changes, as injuries heal and competition awaits the starting XV of Round Two.
France v Scotland
Scotland still haven’t solved the problem of turning close-run affairs into victories – or at least, not since the dramatic game against Ireland that qualified them for the World Cup. It will help them enormously if any of their leading injured absentees can return in time for the trip to Brittany.
They can expect little joy there, as the French are even more set on an unbeaten run than ever. Their eyes are fixed firmly on their visit to Twickenham at the end of the month. Every step between now and then will be a gauge of their progress.
Carla Arbez has settled nicely into the pivotal position of No 10, vacated by Caroline Drouin. There she is helped by a return to top form of her half-back partner, Pauline Bourdon. Bourdon was not merely lively, with two tries, but honourably unselfish as she shipped on a scoring pass to Gabi Vernier, rather than strolling over the line herself for a hat-trick.
France are building anew: Arbez, Axelle Berthoumieu, Charlotte Escudero and Manaé Feleu are all under 24. After the retirements of four big names and the disappearance of others to the world of Sevens, these are the outriders of the new generation. It’s easy to imagine them slotting into a World Cup squad in two years time.
Bryan Easson too has introduced youngsters, but in his case to replace injured regulars. Only Hannah Smith was a first-choice player to retire last season. They showed promise, but a lack of consistent Scottish competition at international level was revealed in moments of hesitation and faulty decision-making.
Italy v Ireland
Italy have had the rough end of the draw, playing France then England in the opening rounds. They were well aware of the imbalance of their schedule, so probably set out their stall to produce the best they could against the two market leaders, then strike out for three successive wins to complete the cycle. Of the three games, only the Scotland tie is away from home, thus increasing their chances of success.
Raineri is still in the initial stages of developing the squad he really wants, but their performance against the Red Roses was enough to give real hope for future success. Ideally he needs to find to find more players to compete for places in a team that is ageing.
This was Andrea Di Giandomenico’s concern for several years, but the reintroduction of Sara Barattin shows how difficult both coaches have found it to bring young talent into the squad. New national structures, such as the newly renamed Eccellenza elite league will help, but not overnight. It has just eight clubs, with two, Parabiago and Treviso, claiming between them one victory in 26 matches.
Ireland’s plight has been widely documented, the IRFU coming in for biting criticism.
They suffered a record defeat against France (53-3) and now have two away games left, in Parma and Edinburgh, before hosting England. Not a rosy prospect.
Overall the performance in Cork was better than a week earlier; the pack was more settled, and the introduction to the 6N of 19-year-old Dannah O’Brien at 10 revealed a player who may well fill the one position that has not been adequately occupied for years.
It leaves Greg McWilliams wondering which sector of the Irish game to improve first. While the Prem 15s is at rest, he may have (nearly) all his squad together at training sessions, which will be a blessing. Unlike the France and England staffs, he hasn’t had the opportunity to work through the fine details of attack and defence that are so essential for success.
An underlying worry is the very slow progress since the calamities of the 2017 World Cup in Dublin and Belfast. As we look back across those five years, it’s hard to pick out positive steps taken by the IRFU to improve matters. Even the introduction of contracts was poorly handled. They were divided between 7s and 15s players – probably due to lack of sufficient funds.
As nations across the world step up their support for their elite women’s sides, Ireland risk falling further behind. Only immediate, positive action can help them. There are fine players in the squad, both young and old, but not enough to ensure results against sides they used to beat regularly.
