February 6th is now only a month away and that means this year Six Nations kicks off with France vs Italy at the Stade de France. After an embarrassing World Cup for much of the northern hemisphere (cough…England…cough) what should each Six Nations country/supporters/media expect of their teams in the coming tournament? Obviously every player and supporter wants their team to win the whole tournament, but here’s My Ignorant Opinion on what should be some more realistic aims for each of the team. Part One focuses on England and France:
England
Oh England…my heart says I want you to win a Grand Slam, or at least the tournament for the first time since 2011 but my head says otherwise. With England, and in part thanks to our beloved media, there is always expectation around the team. While our Celtic neighbours often regard this as arrogance (it partly is frankly) there is reason for this expectation – after all, we have the best funded union, the biggest pool of players, and even codified the damn sport. But this expectation surrounding England is exactly what made our crashing out of our own World Cup so embarrassing – we’re asking too much. Now with a new head coach, Eddie Jones, things look good for England. However, it’s too soon to ask for a tournament win!
England’s focus this year should, frankly, not be on winning the tournament. It’s way too early after a regime change for that, our focus should be on winning our home games. Twickenham was once seen as a fortress, an unconquerable field on which the hosts could not be defeated. This World Cup blew that illusion out of the water. For the sake of England Rugby’s future this illusion needs to be rebuilt – how better than beating Ireland and Wales at Twickenham. We only have two games at home in this tournament and they should be our target. Ireland and Wales (to me) are the teams most likely to win this year so this target is still a large one. If England defeats Ireland and the Welsh at home I’ll be happy (even if they do something stupid like lose to Italy beforehand). If we beat Ireland and Wales and have already won against the Scots and Italians then we should MAYBE consider having a chance of beating the French to win the tournament in our last game. However, restoring Twickenham should be the focus of our campaign.
France
Despite what we like to think on both sides of the Channel, France and England have a lot in common, we have a shared history and rivalry. This Six Nations France and England have even more in common – both have had a regime changes, both have a huge amount of talent and both were humiliated in the World Cup. Yes France might not have drowned in the Pools like England did but losing 62-13 to the All Blacks was nothing short of a massacre.
So what should France aim for this Six Nations? The same as England pretty much. France should be aiming to win at home. France play Italy, Ireland and England at home. Taking those scalps will lay down a significant marker, while at the same time not putting unrealistic expectation on the French side. I’m not saying France can’t or won’t win the whole tournament. It’s always hard to tell which French side will play, even more so under a new head coach (Guy Novès). But realistically French supporters and the French media should not expect a tournament win this year.
Final Thoughts
2016 is a year of renewal for both the English and French national sides. It’s unfair to expect either team to win when, essentially, this tournament will be each coach’s first experiment with their teams. That’s not to say either side will not go on to win the whole tournament – both have the talent, resources and capability. However, realistically fans shouldn’t EXPECT a win. Both sides should aim to keep their home wins intact, this year mid-table mediocrity should not be seen as a crisis for either side.
my ignorant opinion 