6 Nations Power Rankings

The 6 Nations returns this weekend, and as always, it has been an unpredictable ride so far. France appear to be finding their feet under new head coach Guy Noves, and England are looking good under Eddie Jones. With the upcoming rounds of the tournament promising yet more excitement, here are our power rankings.

6. Italy

No surprises here. Again the Italians have made a dramatic improvement, with young flyhalf Carlo Canna proving to be a great find, but once again it’s just not enough. A brave loss to France was compounded by a humiliating bludgeoning to England. With Canna and Edoardo Gori, as well as Michele Campagnaro all stepping up, we are left to wonder where the Italians would be if the likes of Josh Furno or Luca Morisi were healthy, or if Samuela Vunisa were included. As always, the Italians seem to be just out of reach of being competitive, but once again the fruits of their labor evades them.

5. Scotland:

Scotland have drawn very close to Ireland, but their path so far through the championship is worryingly familiar. Narrow loss in round 1? Check. Fight hard in tight battle with Wales? Check. Scotland need a big result when they travel to Rome this weekend, or heads may roll yet again. With a talented side, and a very good coach, the pieces are there for Scotland to succeed, but thus far they haven’t been able to keep them together. The World Cup gave hope of a Scottish renaissance, but as yet, they remain in the dark ages. That said, with the form of Tommy Seymour, and a really good center pairing in Duncan Taylor and Mark Bennett, the Scots may yet escape the Wooden Spoon.

4. Ireland:

Before I start, we would like to say that the “demise of Irish Rugby” at the national and provincial level has been vastly blown out of proportion. That said, Ireland’s injuries have left them scrabbling as they try to keep pace. That said, some of their key players have stepped up and offered hope. Jamie Heaslip is reminding Irish fans of what first saw him into the side, and CJ Stander’s competitive nature is bringing out the best in him. Andrew Trimble has proved himself to be a defensive force on the wing for Ireland, and Jack McGrath’s workrate has made Cian Healy a distant memory. Still, the absence of Peter O’Mahony, Iain Henderson, Mike Ross, Sean O’Brien, and Tommy Bowe made a huge impact on Ireland’s first two games. Now with Jared Payne increasingly unlikely to play, and Mike McCarthy recovering from his terrifying concussion, Ireland may have to throw uncapped duo Ultan Dillane and Stuart McCloskey into the fires of Twickenham.

3. Wales:

The early departure of Dan Biggar had a major impact on Wales against Ireland, something made clear from the start against Scotland. His return, as well as the return of Dan Lydiate to the back row should really lift this Welsh side in their crucial match against France. Many of Wales’ players are in the best form of the season, with George North and Taulupe Faletau putting in heroic shifts against both Ireland and Scotland. Rob Evans has been a phenomenal find for Wales at loosehead, giving Wales a fearsome front row with both himself and Samson Lee. Wales need to win out if they want to win the Championship, but this is something that is firmly within their grasp. If they can keep Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies in their current form, Wales will remain a major threat to both England and France.

2. France:

France did not start the tournament well. The bottom clenching finish against the Italians was not exactly a confidence builder to start Guy Noves’ career with Le Blues. However, the French have rebounded nicely, showing great patience to beat Ireland in round two. They may not be playing the Champagne rugby that many expected to see them return to, but they have produced their own moments of brilliance. Virimi Vakatawa has taken to 15s like a fish to water, and remains a dominant attacking threat whenever he touches the ball. Maxime Medard has been excellent from fullback, and there can be no denying that Yacuba Camera is developing very well for France. We all want to see France play the attacking game we used to love, and with Jules Plisson and Francois Trinh-Duc in the squad, they have the players to do just that, but the question remains “which France will turn up?”

1. England:

Comfortable wins over Italy and Scotland were to be expected, but the English start the tough part of their schedule this weekend against Ireland. Upcoming tests after Ireland will be in the form of France and Wales, two very solid outfits. Jones will probably want to settle his backline sooner rather than later, but his experimentation persists (for now). After two weeks of the Ford Farrell axis, there are rumors of Elliot Daly stepping in at inside center, and we are unsure of who will be starting at 10. What we are sure of, is that they will have front foot ball, with England’s pack in outstanding form at the moment. George Kruis and Billy Vunipola have been everywhere for their side, and this has raised the English level of play dramatically. Jones continues to find good youngsters in his setup, with Jack Clifford and Paul Hill growing into the international game quite quickly. At the moment, England are in the driver’s seat, and they remain my favorites to win the title.