The pundits
The experts on their nations’ chances – and the matches that could be key to success
Dan Mullan - RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Images
- Michael Potts
Alan Quinlan on Ireland
Ireland flanker – 27 caps, 1999-2008
Alan Quinlan Getty Images
Ireland have been contenders for years. That’s probably not the case this year. There is a bit of a negative feeling around the team. There are several familiar faces in the squad, a lot of players on the wrong side of 30, but it’s also still a very good core group.
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It is a unique situation when you lose your coach for much of the year with the British and Irish Lions, but Andy Farrell is very well respected and an inspirational figure, so the hope is that Ireland can find a bit of spark again.
Andy has decided to keep a lot of the tried-and-trusted players in there with a belief that he’s going to get them performing at a high level again.
Jamison Gibson-Park is the cog that connects forwards and backs — and when he plays really well, he can unlock defences, pick passes out.
As they won’t go in with the favourites tag, there’s a bit of pressure off Ireland. A minimum target is to finish third and win their home games. Anything less would be really disappointing.
Key match: France v Ireland
Alan Quinlan hosts the podcast Off the Ball and co-hosts Munster’s The Red 78
Dan Biggar on Wales
Wales fly half – 112 caps, 2008-23
Dan Biggar Getty Images
Wales are a bit of a mess off the field, going from one soap opera to another. And they haven’t won a game in the Six Nations for two years. We have Steve Tandy and a new coaching group, but this is a really tough one for him.
Louis Rees-Zammit gives Wales a focal point, an x-factor feeling when he’s on the ball. When his name is on the team sheet, there’s a little bit
more confidence, and a bit of fear in the opposition. Is he enough on his own to get Wales out of it? Absolutely not.
There has to be some progress. If Wales can avoid a third consecutive wooden spoon, beat Italy in Cardiff and not get blown away in games, that would be classed as an improvement.
I’m disappointed the fixtures have fallen as they have, with England away to start, then France at home. The Italy game has to be the one on Super Saturday. It’s Wales’s best chance of getting a victory in a shoot-out for fifth and sixth place.
Key match: Wales v Italy
Ben Youngs on England
England scrum half – 127 caps, 2010-23
Ben Youngs Getty Images
England are probably favourites. There’s been a nice upward trend, an attacking philosophy while still keeping the sort of pragmatism you
need at Test level.
With England, there’s obviously an expectation. I’ve been there when you’ve had a few losses, but you never feel that far away, you just need momentum to turn those narrow losses into wins — that’s what they’ve done.
After last year’s Six Nations, they got the wind in their sails and carried that form against Argentina and into the autumn. I’m really optimistic, there are a lot of reasons to be upbeat and positive.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has had injuries and not the consistency, but that guy is electric. He gets excited every time he touches the ball.
He might be a real breakthrough and people will start recognising him as a world-class winger.
I think the grand slam will come down to the France game – a winner-takes-all in Paris. I’m going to back England to win it.
Key match: France v England
Ben Youngs hosts the For the Love of Rugby podcast
Jim Hamilton on Scotland
Scotland lock – 63 caps, 2006-15
Jim Hamilton Getty Images
I have been saying this is Scotland’s year for the last few years because of the profile of the squad.
If you look at some of the stuff that we’re doing, it’s better than it’s ever been, in terms of the physicality, the attacking shape that we’ve got and the quality of athletes we are producing, but it just hasn’t transferred to the tournament. The coach, Gregor Townsend, will be the first to say it needs to transfer into a tournament now.
We are bigger and better than just Finn Russell. Kyle Steyn is a world-class player, the leading winger in Scotland and one of the best wingers in the northern hemisphere. He’s struggled with injury, but he’s back to his best now.
We’ve always got one or two big games in us, but you’ve got to be better than one or two games. I may come back and eat my words, but I’m quietly confident for third.
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Key match: Scotland v England
Jim Hamilton hosts the podcast The Rugby Pod
Authors
Michael PottsSport Editor
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.
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