It’s Six Nations review week and the season of Lions lists. For Geraint Powell, the tournament confirmed England’s strengths and exposed their weaknesses, but left Wales looking cautious and unadventurous both on and off the field.

 

At the end of any Six Nations, it is always fun for anybody to look back at their predictions beforehand. (https://www.dai-sport.com/six-nations-raw-lions-appeal-red-rose-sharpest/).

I was not too wide of the mark this season, England retaining their  crown without securing back-to-back Grand Slams.  A strange tournament, and one where away wins between five of the teams were like gold dust.  If Wales had closed out their win against England, as they should have, then five teams would have won all their home matches against each other and finished on three wins apiece.

As this is a Lions year, the silly season now begins as everybody selects their Lions Test starting team, Test match day 23 and their full squad for New Zealand on the basis of playing performances in national colours during February and March.  As if a Lions tactical game plan, with the players selected to implement it, and player conditioning in June/July are all somehow irrelevant.

Will Warren Gatland go with the successful Irish approach at Chicago, dogged up front and harrying the All Blacks half-backs in particular, or the more fluid approach of England under Eddie Jones?   Always watch out for low mileage class players, with lengthy early or mid-season injury lay-offs but back in action by March/early-April and likely to be hitting peak form when others are feeling the effects of an over long and attritional nine month domestic Northern Hemisphere season.  The likes of Taulupe Faletau and Billy Vunipola spring immediately to mind in 2017.

The silly season appeared to start early this year, in the 100-minute match in Paris.  Controversy over the anti-concussion HIA protocol now known as the “Honestly injured, Atonio?”, the TV cameras showing him trundle unaccompanied down the player tunnel to begin the head injury assessment on his sore back, a real headache over player welfare rules that World Rugby could do without.  Nothing wrong with teams starting with a destructive scrummaging prop like Rabah Slimani and bringing on a carrier, but a decisive last minute scrum is a risk that must be run when substituting any prop after 50-60 mins.

Referee Wayne Barnes, a barrister by profession, and a referee clearly reluctant to award a penalty try with perceived shenanigans going on around him, lining up the French team doctor for the inevitable subsequent investigation.  A subject, rules to protect players against serious head injury, too serious for abuse and sweeping under the carpet by John Feehan and Brett Gosper.

But events in Paris should not detract from wider concerns in relation to this Welsh team.  Only three new Test caps awarded since the last World Cup.  The inability to convert line breaks into tries specifically, and the attacking threat generally, was disappointing.  Good gritty performances against England (apart from closing out the game) and Ireland (albeit with a gift from Robbie Henshaw), but inconsistency.  The second half performance against Scotland was unacceptable, now fringe players of talent in need of blooding against Tonga and Samoa.  Warren Gatland cannot return quickly enough, in terms of building for the 2019 World Cup.

Many would point to the likes of Sam Davies, Thomas Young and Owen Williams in particular, but also Steff Evans and Keegan Giles.  Wales need to expand the available player pool, and need to know whether these players can step up from the regional tier of the professional game to the ultimate Test tier of the professional game.  Two wins from five, even with two of those defeats late on, is not acceptable to the Welsh rugby public, nowadays.  Gatland has raised expectations, and it is 22 years since the debilitating rugby league drain was finally plugged.

England retained their title but unconvincingly so and missed out on back-to-back Grand Slams at the final fence.  Well beaten by Ireland, a 9-13 Irish win flattering to England, they could have lost to France and should have lost to Wales.  They even struggled badly to adjust to Italy’s “Rennie no ruck” tactics.

But they also comprehensively demolished Scotland.  A work in progress, Eddie Jones may secretly be relieved by the defeat in Dublin as regards managing public expectations at this stage of their evolution towards 2019.  They may have surprisingly few Lions for a team with back-to-back Six Nations titles, depending upon the game plan adopted by the Lions coaching team.  Owen Farrell will certainly be on the plane, barring injury, his match-winning pass in Cardiff ruthlessly exposing the defender.

Ireland had an up and down campaign.  A slow start at Murrayfield could not be retrieved, eventually going down 22-27.  Followed by a 63-10 demolition of Italy in Rome and then their biggest Six Nations win over France since 1975.

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But then defeat in Cardiff, perhaps the decisive moment being  Henshaw not knowing the maul laws right in front of Barnes (a referee who very much knows them).  Followed by “Super Saturday” party poopers, ending England’s quest for back-to-back Slams the day after St Patrick’ Day.  Ireland, one suspects, will be well represented in New Zealand, especially if Gatland veers towards their template that has caused the All Blacks difficulties in recent encounters between the nations.

France were more competitive this season, pushing England hard in a 16-19 opening defeat and (in the 100th minute) overcoming Wales for the first time since the 2011 World Cup.  Still issues, as shown in the defeat to Ireland, and mostly arising from the domestic game.  The form of the exiled Louis Picamoles has raised more questions about domestic player conditioning.  FFR President Bernard Laporte has raised the spectre of central contracts to try and boost the Test team.  The proposed Racing Metro/Stade Francais amalgamation, quickly abandoned, also added to the mix.  And then the controversy over the return to the pitch of  Slimani against Wales, bringing back memories of the Guy Novès/Florian Fritz incident in 2014 and placing both French attitudes over concussion and the HIA procedures in the spotlight.

Scotland were stronger this season with three home wins and competitive in defeat against France in Paris.  But still a 61-21 drubbing at Twickenham, continuing a dismal losing run there going all the way back to 1983.  They might have more Lions than they were expecting, even in the Test team, especially if the defensive frailties of Stuart Hogg are overlooked in favour of his potent attacking threat.  Next year will be the litmus test for them, with France and England at Murrayfield and three away matches.  Vern Cotter will not be leading them, at the exit gate before this Six Nations even began.

And then poor old Italy, whitewashed again and despite the Chiefs region of New Zealand tactics at Twickenham that so confused England for 40 minutes.  What to do about Italy, with none of the improvement that Argentina have achieved since linking-up with the Tri-Nations of New Zealand, South Africa and Australia?  The underpinning Zebre and Treviso teams are still struggling in the Pro12, let alone in Europe.  The talismanic Sergio Parisse will be 34 later this year.  If the Six Nations was a European Championship, rather than a self-contained commercial cartel, the calls to replace them with Georgia would be even louder.  They must do better, but how?  If you know the answer, John Feehan, of the Six Nations committee, would no doubt be glad to hear from you.

Yes it was a funny old Six Nations, this year.