I see this as the key match of the opening round of the Six Nations. It’s high time a third nation threatened the supremacy of the duo England-France. Ireland are the likeliest candidates, and they are at home in Belfast, where les Bleues have not yet played a 6N match. The Teams: Ireland: 1 O’Dowd,
Sean Lynn had little room for manoeuvre in constructing his first Welsh side, but he has taken the bold steps you would expect of him. He has solved the No 10 dilemma by placing Kayleigh Powell at 12, giving the attack a double edge at its source. Both Powell and Lleucu George have a powerful
All the six staffs have three goals in mind as they approach a new Six Nations: the first round, the campaign as a whole and the World Cup beyond. Let’s say John Mitchell has his eye firmly on that last one. Nobody could have guessed the 23 he has selected for the Italy game. The good
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
Now we know who will represent England in the coming 6 Nations. What we don’t know is who will go on to enjoy a home World Cup. This is John Mitchell’s choice: Forwards Zoe Aldcroft (captain, Gloucester-Hartpury, 58 caps) Lark Atkin-Davies (Bristol Bears, 62 caps) Sarah Beckett (Gloucester-Hartpury, 35 caps) Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears, 66
While the competition will be as tense and dramatic as usual, the 2025 version acts as a pointer towards even bigger events in the World Cup. More of the same? I fear so. But one heartening feature of last year’s competition was the narrowing of margins in the fifteen results. The proof (in descending order):
Fabio Roselli has surprised me, if nobody else, by announcing a restructured squad to represent Italy in the first two rounds of the Six Nations. I published my thoughts on 5 March (http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2025/03/05/roselli-reveals-his- hand-the-italy-squad/) about the 30 names he listed then. Now he extends it by six, adding five uncapped players, which, given my concerns,
The Guinness Women’s Six Nations is the biggest annual event in women’s rugby and kicks off a landmark year for the sport. The Captains and Head Coaches from all six international teams gathered in London to introduce the 2025 edition of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations The women’s Championship continues to grow year on year,
Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz have published the names of the 32 players to represent France in the coming Six Nations championship. They are: Forwards Rose Bernadou, Axelle Berthoumieu, Manon Bigot, Yllana Brosseau, Léa Champon, Célia Domain, Charlotte Escudero, Madoussou Fall Raclot, Manae Feleu, Téani Feleu, Hina Ikahehehgi, Clara Joyeux, Taina Maka, Ambre Mwayembe, Séraphine
Fabio Roselli becomes the first 6 Nations head coach to announce his choice of 30 players (see list below). The same features as last year strike me. Only one uncapped player, 20-year-old Alia Bitonci, gains a place. In stark contrast the number of caps across the rest of the team is huge; nine players have
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