“Who will lift the Six Nations tr ophy?”
The former England and Lions fly-half turned analyst
IF THE Autumn Nations Cup was a taste of things to come, thank god the forthcoming Six Nations will broadcast free to air. At least viewers won’t have to pay to watch it. That eminently forgettable competition was a wasted developmental opportunity for a few of Europe’s Test-match coaches.
In theory, with so much more at stake in the higher-profile Six Nations, the styles of the various teams should be even more risk averse. The mantra ‘winning is all’ is ubiquitous. But there is hope. Eddie Jones is the arch contrarian. The louder the media bemoaned England’s kick-and-chase strategy, the less likely he was to alter his game plan.
Given a few months’ break it might just be that he will balance his books a little more. We’ll forget his pronouncements that this cycle is a kicking one and relish the occasional bout of running rugby.
As for England’s main rivals, France are some way towards finding their balance and, as a result, are favourites of many a neutral. Wales are in more of a mess,
