The 2020 Six Nations could not have come sooner. With the Rugby media dominated by one topic for weeks on end now, this tournament will hopefully provide a new focus.
Only days away…which match are you most excited for?#GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/vd9D4QXcad
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) January 27, 2020
Plenty of new faces
It’s a new decade and this tournament will bring a lot of new faces. Four of the six teams have new coaches in place, who will all want to set the tone for their reign.
Wayne Pivac takes control of the current Grand Slam holders and will be desperate to establish himself out of Warren Gatland’s shadow. He has already taken charge of one match, against the Barbarians, but this was more about departing figures than the next generation. He will hope that his new selections such as Louis Rees-Zammit, Nick Tompkins and WillGriff John will push the squad on to more Six Nations success.
Elsewhere, Italy, France and Ireland are all under new management and all need to register a good campaign following World Cup disappointment. Fabien Galthié has very clearly ushered in the younger generation for France and there is considerable excitement around the team he could field.
Arguably Andy Farrell is under the most pressure as incoming Ireland coach, following a very disappointing 2019 for the men in green. With Leinster conquering all before them domestically, you would expect them to be competing for the 2020 Six Nations title.
2020 Six Nations to overshadow off-field drama
It will not be a completely fresh conversation of course. With seven Saracens players in the England squad, there will be debate about their mental capacity to compete. However, there at least cannot be any discussion about the assembly of any team in the Six Nations; instead debate about selection, tactics and performance, as is to be expected.
The English Premiership is now on hold for the next two weeks. Exeter, Harlequins, Sale and Saracens will compete in the Premiership Rugby Cup semi-finals, but these games will fly below the radar of most.
So sit back and enjoy the annual battle of Europe. Grab a friend who doesn’t normally watch Rugby, and enjoy the experience. Club Rugby needs a little rest.
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Main image credit: Embed from Getty Images
