Mike Brown in action vs Italy.

It has been announced today that following a pretty severe looking concussion picked up in the England v Italy game in Twickenham 11 days ago, Harlequins and England Full Back Mike Brown will miss the Ireland and England game after failing to pass stage 3 of the return to play concussion protocol.

The incident happened in the 12th minute of the game, when Kelly Haimona placed a nice kick over the top of the English defence line. Italy’s centre, Andrea Masi, runs onto the ball with Mike Brown also coming over to collect and the two clash. It looks like Brown is out cold before hitting the ground.

He left the pitch on a stretcher, looking a bit worse for wear.

The 29 year old will be replaced by Saracens’ Alex Goode for the top of the table clash in the Aviva stadium this weekend.

Speaking about Goode, England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster said “Mike and our medical staff have been diligent during every step of the graduated return to play protocol and they will continue to work to get him back to full health. The most important thing is Mike’s welfare.

“We are of course disappointed to lose him but Alex is an experienced international and in great form for Saracens.”

Everyone here at RBP hope to see you on the field again soon, Mike!

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6. Italy:

Haimona chipping over the top vs Ireland

Here we go again. Italy have yet to record a win, and their play has been pretty
cringeworthy most of the time. There are a lot of young stars in the Italian team, and they have looked really good for brief flashes, but the these moments do not make up for the defensive lapses and general lack of focus that this Italian team shows. On the bright side, Luca Morisi seems to have taken Campagnaro’s notes on announcing yourself as a 13 with his double against England, and Andrea Masi actually looked quite promising as a 12. Italy’s biggest problem lies in finding a quality option at 10. Kelly Haimona has looked dangerous at times, but his poor decision making and prop-esque kicking means that he is holding this side back. Until Italy find a reliable flyhalf, they will continue to struggle.

5. France:

Yoann Huget Under a high ball vs Ireland

The reason why France find themselves so low down on this list is that this list is
based on not only potential, but form as well- and as usual the French have no consistency! To date, France’s backline have scored a grand total of 0 (yes, zero) tries, and never really looked like they were going to against Ireland. We are actually surprised that the French forwards haven’t revolted against Camille Lopez, who seems to enjoy kicking the ball away when his pack goes forward. Poor kicks wasted good attacking opportunities time and time again. The French look more frenzied than traffic around the Arc De Triomphe. Now there was a time when the French turned this chaos into a thing of beauty, with players like Philippe Sella torturing defences with their unpredictability, but those days are gone. If the French of old were a monet painting, the current team is the finger painting that a 4 year old brings home from preschool. Yoann Huget, Wesley Fofana, Scott Spedding, all are incredible, explosive players, but France’s lack of a game plan keeps them from having a major impact on the game. Relying entirely on superior size and strength has yet to work, so France need to be more creative, and utilize Fofana and Lopez to open gaps for Huget and Bastareaud, for if they dont, success will not follow.

4. Wales:

George North touching down in the Millennium Stadium.

Wales have the potential to have the best backline in the tournament. Every player in
this unit is a proven scorer on the international level, they just have been in pretty poor form as of late. Rhys Webb has been torturing defences, and Dan Biggar is a proven and reliable option at 10. The problem the Welsh have been having is that they are constantly being caught behind the gainline, exposing them to turnovers. One part of the problem is that Jamie Roberts wasn’t running into contact at full speed, rather he was ‘stutter’ stepping before going into contact, killing his momentum and making him easier to tackle. He looked better against Scotland, but he still didn’t seem to be running his lines at full speed all the time. Another problem the Welsh seem to be having is consistency. Against Scotland, they went no where in the first half, but in the second, they exploded into life, culminating in Jonathan Davies’ excellent try. Alex Cuthbert has the pace to finish from anywhere, but he has been lacking lately. Liam Williams looked really good against Scotland, and I think that he should hold onto his starting spot, and take over for Cuthbert for the time being. Cuthbert is a very good player, but against Scotland he never really had any sort of impact on the game, and was the same way against England. Wales have all of the parts for a really dangerous backline, now they just need to put together the performances they are capable of week in, and week out.

3. Scotland:

Scotland celebrating their victory over Italy in last years’ Six Nations.

Scotland have a lot of talent in their backline, and have looked really dangerous
throughout the tournament. Their 23 year old flyhalf Finn Russell has looked really good with ball in hand, although his kicks from hand have let Scotland down on a few occasions. Alex Dunbar and Mark Bennett have looked very good, with Bennett looking very dangerous against France in particular. Dunbar and Bennett have also been a threat at the breakdown, picking off isolated runners and winning penalties for their team. Tim Visser has a lot of potential, and Sean Lamont adds a lot of experience to this young side, but the most dynamic part of the Scottish backline thus far has been Stuart Hogg. Hogg found gaps everywhere in the French defence and was heroic against Wales. His try showed just how much pace he has to offer, and he is really coming of age in the Scotland jersey.

2. Ireland:

Tommy Bowe breaking through a tackle vs France

Ireland also have a very dangerous backline, they just haven’t been able to fully
unleash it. What makes this Irish backline so dangerous however is not only the ability to create line breaks, but also the fact that nearly every player in the backline is capable of reversing the field with well placed kicks. Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne really haven’t sparked as a centre pairing, but Schmidt’s consistent selection of these two over the likes of Keith Earls, Luke Fitzgerald, Darren Cave, and Stuart Olding says a lot about what they are capable of. The back three of Simon Zebo, Tommy Bowe, and Rob Kearney offer an excellent kick chase, as well as being some of the most explosive backs in the tournament. Conor Murray has to be considered
with the likes of Aaron Smith for best 9 in the world, as he has become a key leader in the Irish backline, and his excellent box kicking has given Ireland a great platform time and time again. The return of Johnny Sexton is a huge boost to the Irish team. At the moment he is the worlds in form flyhalf, and even after 12 weeks out, his man of the match performance against France was nearly perfect. With some time to work together, and the return of Sexton, expect this Irish backline to improve over the coming weeks, and start to become a major threat in time for the World Cup.

1. England:

Mike Brown in action vs Italy.

The English backline should not work. It has been made of leftovers, the
players that have survived what has turned out to be a very attritional start to 2015.
Jonathan Joseph and Luther Burrell have taken over in the centers due to the injuries to Brad Barritt, Manu Tuilagi, and Kyle Eastmond, and remarkably, Joseph has scored three tries and looked really dangerous whenever he has had the ball. Ben Youngs and George Ford were waiting behind Danny Care and Owen Farrell, but now they form one of the most dangerous partnerships in the tournament, and have been able to flawlessly control every game they’ve played in. Anthony Watson has been really good under the high ball, and dynamic with ball in hand, and even though England are now without Mike Brown due to concussion, they have plenty of talent to call up with Alex Goode or Semesa Rokoduguni set to play a major role against Ireland. Johnny May has become a controversial selection, but his incredible pace makes him a danger to any team, and he set up a great try for Danny Cipriani last week as well. As painful as it is for many to accept, England’s backline has been the best in the 6 Nations so far, and a lot of that is down to the good play of George Ford. Ford has looked really dangerous with ball in hand, and his goal kicking has been excellent. If he continues to play like this, England could be a major contender for the World Cup this year.

Who has the best back line in your mind? Let us know!

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2 games into the Six Nations, we’ve seen some great action so far and it’s set to get even better. Here at RBP, We’ve ranked each team by the strength of their packs.

6. Italy:

Typically the pride of the Italian team, Their scrum has really struggled. Italy’s ageing
stars in the pack can be likened to a classic Italian sports car – for a while it was a thing of beauty and brought you a huge smile, but now it wont start and the depreciation means you’re bankrupt. An injury weakened Irish pack handled the Italians comfortably, and a very banged up English scrum demolished them. Against Ireland, the lineout was woeful, and while it improved against England, that wasn’t enough to makeup for their poor work in the scrum. Young players such as Josh Furno and George Biagi offer some hope for the future, but the likes of Parisse, Ghiraldini, and Castrogiovanni are rapidly ageing. If Jacques Brunel cannot get the scrum sorted soon, Italy will struggle mightily to get out of the pool stages come World Cup time.

5. Scotland:

Despite all of their improvements under Vern Cotter, the scrum remains one of
Scotlands problem areas. They were bullied by the French pack for some patches, and never really got the upper hand against the Welsh. Euan Murray really solidified them against France, but was unavailable against Wales for religious reasons and his absence was very noticeable. Scotland’s lineout has looked really impressive and they tortured both Wales and France in this area, however they will be without the height of Richie Gray who has suffered an arm injury. His brother, Jonny, was actually more impressive to us, but the biggest disappointment about Richie’s injury was that it means the “two shades of Gray” pairing is at an end. Scotland’s pack is really strong in the loose, and constitutes a major threat in the lineout, but until they get the
scrum sorted, they will remain unable to contest at the highest level and will stay challengers for the wooden spoon.

4. Wales:

Its hard to believe that Wales can be found so far down this list. Less than 2 years ago,
5 of the starting 8 in the Lions pack were Welsh. But so far in this tournament Wales haven’t found their familiar solidity in the set piece. England and Scotland got the better of Wales in the lineout, and England smashed Wales in the scrum. The individual parts are definitely there for Wales, Alun Wyn Jones, Gethin Jenkins, but to be an attacking platform that was feared like before, they need to learn how to work together without their anchor for many years, the now retired Adam Jones. Wales have a really solid back row, and Justin Tipuric is a great impact player to bring off the bench. Rhys Webb is scoring a lot of tries, and a large amount of that is down to the great work of his pack. His try against England showed what the Welsh pack is capable of. A great shove, then Faletau drew two defenders before putting Webb over for a great score. Give them a year or two and they’ll be back to their full strength.

3. France:

Guess what holds France out of the top two… Unbelievably its their inconsistency! Who would have guessed it! France has some truly massive players, and finally have some consistency in the selection of their scrum, but they have a few issues. Firstly, that consistency thing, well they’ve stupidly thrown it right out the window. Pascal Pape, their experienced lock and a true leader on the pitch, has been banned for 10 weeks for his cheap shot on Jamie Heaslip. Also their lineout has struggled. This could be due in part to the immense size of all the players in the French pack, which means they are harder to lift. Additionally, the simplicity of the French game plan means that their forwards struggle to cross the gain-line for extended periods of time. Lastly, France’s scrum really only becomes dominant when they bring on their massive subs. Players like Romain Taofifenua, and Uini Antonio make a huge impact, but their impact is limited because they are only on the field for 20 or 25 minutes, probably not able to last longer. France face a big test against Wales, and their performance will go a long way in determining whether or not France finally right the ship.

2. Ireland:

Ireland are finally getting healthy, and the return of Sean O’Brien, Cian Healy, and
Iain Henderson, has been a welcome sight for Irish fans and fans of the sport. That said, we were more nervous about O’Brien or Healy getting hurt, again, than the result. Ireland’s scrum has been solid, in that it hasn’t been dominant, but hasn’t given away many penalties either. Rory Best and Paul O’Connell have the lineout working as reliably as a wood burning stove. In the loose, there hasn’t been much in terms of flash, but you get the sense that every player in this team knows their role and quietly executes it. The most impressive part of the Irish team has been the consistency despite injuries. Throughout the Autumn and the beginning of the tournament, Ireland were without big names, but players like Jordi Murphy, Jack McGrath, and Rhys Ruddock, stepped up, which is a huge credit to Joe Schmidt and the rest of the Irish coaching staff for helping to develop the younger players. Tommy O’Donnell had his turn when O’Brien went down pregame against Italy, and he took it really well, capping the day with a try. If Ireland continue to discover talent like this, you can expect them to go far come the World Cup.

1. England:

Against Wales and Italy, England were dominant. Dan Cole has returned to his
old form, and Joe Marler is rapidly becoming a major force. Dylan Hartley has put his
discipline issues to bed, and he may finally have become the player Stuart Lancaster
hoped he would be. Thats not to say that he is totally forgiven, but he is heading in the right direction. George Kruis and Dave Attwood both have admirably filled the roles of Courtney Lawes and Joe Launchbury, and England’s lineout is one of the best in the competition. The backrow of Haskell, Robshaw, and Vunipola has looked really good. Vunipola carrying is back to the level it was on a year ago, and Haskell has looked menacing with ball in hand. Haskell may want to break the habit of running into the posts however. What is most impressive about this English pack is the strength in depth. Almost none of the starters from the November tests remain, and yet the pack is still just as dominant. It really is a testament to the quality that England have on offer and bodes well for the upcoming World Cup. It will be interesting to see who stays and who goes when the likes of Launchbury and Ben Morgan return from injury, but for now, Lancaster seems confident in the side that he has selected.

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February. For some, this means love, hearts and chocolate. For rugby fans all over Europe, it’s time for the Six Nations! Never before have the six giants been so close, with only a points difference of eight separating the men in green and the men in white last time. One try, one moment of brilliance. Can a simple act of excellence from Lancaster’s rookies help England claim their revenge from the experience of the Irish bulldogs?

Ben Morgan crashing over to score the opening try of the England vs Australia match in November.

During the Autumn Internationals, England came extremely close to wins against New Zealand and South Africa; only for the two giants to show why they are currently the best in world rugby. It is safe to say that England divided opinions – some fans were extremely impressed by how far England has come under Lancaster, Rowntree and Farrell while for others it was the same old England. So close but so far. I believe that with an injury free campaign (unfortunately we already know that Joe Launchbury, Courteney Lawes, Ben Morgan and Manu Tuilangi will miss at least a portion of the Six Nations) and a reduction of basic errors, England can win the Six Nations. Although written off by some pundits due to the fact they have their two most difficult games away from home (Wales and Ireland), the experience of Chris Robshaw and lessons from previous heartaches (30-3 to Wales in the final weekend of the 2013 Six Nations) should pull them through. Perhaps George Ford will morph into the next Jonny Wilkinson over the upcoming two months? With only seven months and nine matches to go until the World Cup, a successful Six Nations will be more coveted than ever!

Jamie Heaslip, Ian Madigan, and Peter O’Mahony celebrating vs Australia in the autumn internationals.

Ireland had a tremenduous Autumn campaign with unexpected wins against both South Africa and Australia, resulting in them claiming 3rd place in the IRB world rankings. Under Joe
Schmidt, youth and experience have been mixed beautifully with Jamie Heaslip and Johnny Sexton perfectly primed to take the lead from Paul O’Connell after what will likely be his
final world cup, later this year. Intelligent, creative, simple. These three words summarise Ireland perfectly under Joe’s leadership. Although I am an England supporter, I do
recognise Ireland as the largest threat out of the five other teams to claim the Six Nations crown. With seven straight wins in a row and eight victories in their last ten matches,
Ireland are definitely regaining the dominance they had in the famous Six Nations campaign of 2009. Four provinces, one nation. They are certainly answering Ireland’s call!

Mike Phillips in Action.

George North, Leigh Halfpenny, Jamie Roberts. These three players will be instrumental in Welsh success. A hard earned, forwards dominated win against South Africa gave much needed encouragement for a side that had only beaten any of the ‘big three’ once in the 27 games beforehand. Rugby is as much mental as it is physical; meaning that that win could give Wales the momentum needed to defeat England on February 6th and continue to eventually win the tournament. Personally, I believe that Wales will finish third and ultimately fail to qualify from the pool stages of the upcoming World Cup. However if Wales decide to focus on a similar forward, physical style, then they may surprise many and replicate their successes of 2011 in the World Cup and their Six Nations win in 2013.

Yoann Huget running in a try vs England, 6 nations 2014

France. What a transition between 2011 and now. From being one point a first World Cup win to winning just five of their eleven matches last year and 4th and 6th place in the last two Six Nations campaign. The last four years have certainly been ones to forget, despite a decent result against Australia in their penultimate game of 2014. However, you can never rule out a side with Thierry Dusautoir, Wesley Fofana and Mathieu Bastareaud. Realistically, I can see France having to endure another difficult campaign, perhaps clinching fourth place from a courageous and ever improving Scotland side.

Scotland in action vs England, 6 nations 2014.

Deep deep with in us, we all love an underdog. It is simply in our nature. We were treated to a surprising and certainly encouraging display from Scotland against New Zealand. Although it was a much weakened All Black side, history wouldn’t have seen it any differently had they won. Usually seen as nothing more than candidates for the Wooden Spoon and last year branded ‘an embarrassment to one of sport’s greatest tournaments’, Scotland have displayed moments of brilliance in recent years and have beaten Australia and South Africa more times than Warren Gatland has with Wales. Despite this, the likelihood is that Vern Cotter will struggle to transfer his leadership success that lead the Crusaders to a Super 14 winning campaign to his squad. Fourth is ambitious but not unachievable. Realistically, they will be battling, once again, for the Wooden Spoon.

Sergio Parisse, Martin Castrogiovanni and Michele Rizzo during the national anthems vs Wales, 6 nations 2014.

At the turn of the millennia, we welcomed Italy into the Six Nations. Unfortunately, they have won ten Wooden Spoons and never finished in the top three. Despite this, their physical style and pure hunger has meant some difficult games against them (19-15 loss vs England, 22-15 win vs Ireland). Yet again, I feel that Italy will be in the middle of a fight in the bottom three. However, if they can salvage wins against France and Scotland then fourth place could be salvaged. Although they have not been boasting much success in their time in the Six Nations, they are certainly a team of surprises and excitement!

I believe that this Six Nations will be the tightest we have ever seen (apologies for the cliché). The battle for first will be between Ireland and England (their match on March 1st should be a colossal one) while the bottom three places will most likely be contested between France, Scotland and Italy. Third place is probably the only certainty with Wales holding that position, in my opinion. Then again, the Six Nations wouldn’t be so special if it didn’t have its surprises. Who’d have thought that France would come last two years ago or that Ireland would lose to Italy? I just hope that this year proves as entertaining, captivating and sensational as previous years and sets up a platform for a Northern Hemisphere team to win the World Cup!

By Vincent Masterson

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