IIt was hard to put your finger on it, but this year’s start of the Six Nations had a different feel. Perhaps it was the Netflix cameras on every corner that wanted to showcase rugby to a wider global audience. Maybe it had something to do with Eddie Jones not being around to stir the media pot anymore. There was even a solo acoustic guitarist who serenaded the hacks while they chewed their lunch, which was undoubtedly a first.
Or maybe, just maybe, it was a sign of a professional sport collaborating to improve its game. One by one, the head coaches of the participating nations stepped up to the microphone and spoke with intelligence and frankness. Controversial issues such as England’s new waist-high tackle process were openly addressed and not evaded. And the next few weeks, everyone agreed, would be inevitable.
The unspoken reality is that this is rugby’s big chance to shine. With a major World Cup looming in France this year, the game has never had a better chance of winning over floating voters or the uninitiated. Of course, there are sobering player welfare issues to be resolved, but equally, there could hardly be a more enticing championship. Get it right now and the future could be a lot brighter soon.
England’s new head coach Steve Borthwick spoke particularly well, not least about his desire for his players to have no regrets. “As a player, I’ve had the privilege of playing for England 57 times. I have had the great honor of captaining my country 21 times. Now I look back and regret many things I didn’t do. I’ve always tried, but did I ever feel like I brought all my strengths to the pitch? Have I ever felt like I was the absolute best of myself? Do I want to rewind the clock and try again? Yes I would.”
As a direct consequence, he wants his England players to make a conscious effort to seize the moment. “I want to help these young people not to make the mistakes I made. If they are old and don’t have hair like me, I want them to have no regrets. I don’t want them to look back and think, ‘I wish I would have done that.’ Let’s do it. I promise you one thing: we will make mistakes. But whether we win or lose, I want us to be better next week. I will be authentic and not play mind games. I leave that to other coaches.”
However, Borthwick acknowledged that given the strength of many of their rivals, England’s transformation might not happen overnight. While his side start with two home games against Scotland and Italy, Jones’ abrupt departure leaves little time for his successor to reinvent the wheel. “The reality is that we are a bit behind. You saw that in the fall. Every England fan wants this England team to do better than they did back then. I also feel the hunger among the players to get back out there and fix some things.”
Warren Gatland, who won a Grand Slam in his first season as Wales manager in 2008, also suggests there could be a “new coaching leap” for England given the many resources available. “I always think England should be one of the top two or three teams in the world,” suggested Gatland.
Almost in the same breath, however, he made it clear that Wales could improve their own struggles in November with some older players. “If you ask them to run through a wall, they’ll ask, ‘What should we do when we get to the other side?'”
England head coach Steve Borthwick speaks to the media at the start of the Six Nations. Photo: Tom Maher/INPHO/Shutterstock
There will be no lack of motivation in France either. The defending Grand Slam champion has a number of absentees through injury, but his head coach Fabien Galthié, who rocks stark white trainers and dark glasses in front of the cameras outside County Hall in London, is adamant his side will improve in the coming weeks will not rest on its laurels. “Are we defending a trophy or are we striving for a trophy?” he asked rhetorically. “That’s the question we ask ourselves.”
Les Bleus’ visit to Dublin in the second round could well be a crucial date, but Ireland’s Andy Farrell and Johnny Sexton are already challenging their team to live up to the hype surrounding their official ranking as the best team in the world . “The pressure is more internal than anything, but when the pressure starts seeping in from the outside, it’s good for us to deal with,” Farrell said. “We want to get better for what lies ahead for obvious reasons.”
Sexton, who will be able to lead the side in the opening game against Wales in Cardiff, is approaching his last championship as a player with particular zeal. “It’s such a special tournament and so difficult to win.” Scotland, without a title since the last year of the Five Nations in 1999, is in a similarly determined mood, while Italy, the rumored follower, has beaten both Australia and also defeated Wales. Whoever wins this season’s Guinness sponsored tournament should be a captivating sight.
Swing deeper
Much has been said and written about the Rugby Football Union court process, which is due to ban tackles above waist level at all levels in England below the Premiership and Championship from this summer. The lack of prior consultation with clubs concerned and the absence of key supporting details has caused an uproar among those who believe rugby itself is in danger of being torn apart if larger, heavier or less flexible senior community players end up taking on be marginalized.
The obvious answer to this is that unless player safety is a priority, the rugby structure will disappear entirely. Not for the first time, it leaves the sport caught between a jerk and a hard place. Certainly it’s better to ban all above-the-sternum tackles at all levels, including professional rugby, and look for new ways to ensure the game doesn’t simply turn into a bash-fest. After all, it’s the repeated sub-concussive blows, not just the occasional direct head collision, that experts have linked to cases of early-onset dementia. Double tackle ban? A reduction in the number of prolonged goal-line sieges? Twelve players per side instead of 15? At the very least, everyone must recognize that improving tackle technique at all levels is not only desirable, it is absolutely necessary.
one to watch
This Friday marks the 50th anniversary of the best rugby union game of all time. Those of us who were impressionable kids when the Barbarians played the All Blacks in Cardiff 1973 will never forget the inspiring brilliance of Phil Bennett, Gareth Edwards and David Duckham. The repetitions are already chasing a renewed tingling down your spine. The moral of the story? Fill young hearts and minds with enough joy and they will still be zealous disciples half a century later.
Do you want more?
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Rugby authorities hit a new low with unworkable rule changes, says Michael Aylwin
David Duckham was a romantic’s dream and every defender’s nightmare, writes Andy Bull
‘If you could go straight you would go on’: Alex Abbey tells Andy Bull why 55 amateurs are taking legal action against rugby authorities
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