The new leaders of the bookmakers’ favorite team to win the Six Nations were keen to downplay their qualities.
Eddie Jones said he was enjoying his honeymoon period as England coach, still waiting for the first big blow-up in the squad, while captain Dylan Hartley, their most experienced player by far, admitted he was “not the finished article, I need help.”
The kind of help Hartley was referring to at the tournament media launch this week was in regard to skills, though it could also have been about his poor disciplinary record. More than a year’s worth of suspensions caused his suitability to be the skipper to still be questioned two days after his appointment, and prompted answers from the straight-backed hooker as prickly as his haircut.
Hartley’s appointment prompted a rush of betting at William Hill on England as the favorite for the title and a Grand Slam, which didn’t put off Jones calling their first opponent, Scotland, “the form team of Europe,” presumably because the Scots reached the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals and England didn’t.
Jones admitted he was still finding out what makes each of his players tick, but was sure enough to pick three uncapped players who could receive testing debuts on Feb. 6 at Murrayfield in front of “65,000 crazy Scots.”
Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw hopes that crowd plays its part because “we want to make Murrayfield not a nice place for teams to come and play us.”
The Scots haven’t beaten England for eight years, but they are riding a wave of confidence after making the World Cup quarters, which ended in controversial fashion.
A year after being whitewashed in the Six Nations, the Scots have stated they are aiming for the title they haven’t won this century, and can’t afford to get caught up in the usual anti-English jingoism that comes with Calcutta Cup games.
“We can’t go into it with clouded minds, we need clear minds to win this game,” Laidlaw said.
Defending two-time champion Ireland announced a clear mind for star flyhalf Jonathan Sexton, who passed concussion protocols and trained on Tuesday after suffering another head injury in the Champions Cup last weekend. He will be available for Ireland’s Six Nations opener against Wales on Feb. 7 at Lansdowne Road, coach Joe Schmidt said.
Schmidt admitted he was concerned about Sexton’s long-term health, but trusted the medical advice on Sexton, who was stood down for 12 weeks a year ago after four concussions in quick succession, and took another head knock against France at the World Cup.
“All we can do is go on the best medical opinion,” Schmidt said. “If there are people who question that, it’s a disappointment and a reality.”
Schmidt was impressed by how Wales “picked themselves off the ground” to beat England at Twickenham in the Rugby World Cup last September, and doesn’t expect anything less than a fight to the finish next week.
There’s pessimism in Ireland about its chances of a hat trick of Six Nations titles after all three provincial teams – all former European club champions – failed to reach the Champions Cup quarterfinals.
“Have you seen our record?” Wales coach Warren Gatland asked. Neither of the two Welsh provinces made the quarters either, and a Welsh club hasn’t reached the final for 20 years.
Like the Welsh players, Gatland expected the Irish players to have their enthusiasm renewed by rejoining the national setup, and reminded of their past achievements.
It’s been six years since France last won the championship, and its last appearance anywhere was a record 62-13 hiding from New Zealand in the World Cup quarterfinals. But new coach Guy Noves was bored of the reminders, and preferred to look ahead.
“I have no defeats with my team,” he said. “We have good players who can bounce back, and bouncing back is what we must do.”
After years of underwhelming rugby from France, Noves was, like England counterpart Jones, trying to return the team to its strengths and restore pride. It was less about ambition, than taking responsibility on the field.
“The players must not only take pleasure on the field but also give pleasure,” Noves said.
They have the pleasure of hosting the tournament opener on Feb. 6 against Italy, which will try to give leaving coach Jacques Brunel a suitable send-off.
Expectations aren’t high, as usual. Especially after the squad included 10 new caps, and will have limited training together.
“Every single year people ask if we deserve to be in this tournament, and every year we must show that we really deserve to play,” Italy captain Sergio Parisse said.
“The only way we can be credible as a team is by performing well. We know it’s going to be really, really difficult to get victories in the first two matches against France and England, but we will try to build confidence for the matches afterwards.” Foster Niumata, London, AP
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