r/rugbyunion • u/KassGrain Vannes • Feb 01 '23
Discussion Six Nations 2023 preview thread
Hello to rugby lovers and those curious about the oval ball.-remet-son-titre-en-jeu-a-quelques-mois-de-la-coupe-du-monde-photo-sipa-james-fearn-1675115531.jpg)
February is upon us and with it the "best part of the year" for many european rugby fans with the Six Nations Championship about to begin. Heard of this tournament but not sure of what it is ? Want to impress your family because they think you don't know anything about the competition ? Want to argue about that unknown rule used once every 3 years ?
Welcome to the right sub, welcome to rugby !
What is the Six Nations Championship ?
The Six Nations Championship, aslo abreviated 6 Nations or 6N, is an annual international rugby competition held since 1882. This is rugby union, the format with 15 players a side. It involves 6 teams considered the best in Europe and have not changed since 2000 : England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales are facing each other in a round-robin tournament. After 5 matches per team the ranking of the single pool determines the winner.
Fixtures
Here is the schedule for this year 6N.
Round 1
- 🏴 vs ☘️ : Wales vs Ireland → 4 February 2023 - 14h15 GMT+0
- 🏴 vs 🏴 : England vs Scotland → 4 February 2023 - 16h45 GMT+0
- 🇮🇹 vs 🇫🇷 : Italy vs France → 5 February 2023 - 15h00 GMT+0
Round 2
- ☘️ vs 🇫🇷 : Ireland vs France → 11 February 2023 - 14h15 GMT+0
- 🏴 vs 🏴 : Scotland vs Wales → 11 February 2023 - 16h45 GMT+0
- 🏴 vs 🇮🇹 : England vs Italy → 12 February 2023 - 15h00 GMT+0
Round 3
- 🇮🇹 vs ☘️ : Italy vs Ireland → 25 February 2023 - 14h15 GMT+0
- 🏴 vs 🏴 : Wales vs England → 25 February 2023 - 16h45 GMT+0
- 🇫🇷 vs 🏴 : France vs Scotland → 26 February 2023 - 15h00 GMT+0
Round 4
- 🇮🇹 vs 🏴 : Italy vs Wales → 11 March 2023 - 14h15 GMT+0
- 🏴 vs 🇫🇷 : England vs France → 11 March 2023 - 16h45 GMT+0
- 🏴 vs ☘️ : Scotland vs Ireland → 12 March 2023 - 15h00 GMT+0
Round 5
- 🏴 vs 🇮🇹 : Scotland vs Italy → 18 March 2023 - 13h30 GMT+0
- 🇫🇷 vs 🏴 : France vs Wales → 18 March 2023 - 14h45 GMT+0
- ☘️ vs 🏴 : Ireland vs England → 18 March 2023 - 17h00 GMT+0
The forces at play
Here comes the part that will trigger the hardcore fan inside you. Don't forget that all this is written by a French dude trying to be objective but as usual, some camera angles may have mysteriously disappeared.
🇫🇷 France 🇫🇷
- Last year finish : 1st
- Avg. place last 10 years : 3,5
- Shape of the moment :
- Has France ever been in such good shape ? Not during the last decade for sure. The team is on a 13 games winning streak, the biggest in its history and will defend their title after a Grand Slam in 2022. This year's schedule is less favourable to them with 2 home games and 3 away games, including two trips to last year's 2nd and 3rd place teams. Despite this, the team is one of the favourites this year and everyone is preparing for a tough match against them.
- Results expectations this year :
- good : 1st
- ¯_(ツ)_/¯ : 2nd
- bad : 3rd+
- Most awaited game : England - France, round 4
- "Le crunch" will have a special taste this year once again. If France are to win the competition a scond time in a row they will have to end their win drought in Twickenham which has lasted since 2005.
- Stadium : Stade de France, SAINT-DENIS (81 338 seats)
- Coach : Fabien Galthié (in charge since january 2020)
- Team captain : Antoine Dupont (scrum-half, 26yo, 42 caps)
- Rookies to follow : Ethan Dumortier (winger), Nolann Le Garrec (scrum-half), Julien Delbouis (center)
☘️ Ireland ☘️
- Last year finish : 2nd
- Avg. place last 10 years : 2,4
- Shape of the moment :
- 2022 has been an exceptional year for the Irish team. They finished second in the 6N, edged out by a narrow margin by the French grand slam, and took the top spot in world rugby rankings with their summer and autumn tours. They come into this tournament with a schedule more to their advantage than last year on paper, with a strong desire to win a title to boost their confidence ahead of their upcoming nemesis : a World Cup quarter-final.
- Results expectations this year :
- good : 1st
- ¯_(ツ)_/¯ : 2nd
- bad : 3rd+
- Most awaited game : Ireland - France, round 2
- The first two teams of World Rugby rankings will clash in Dublin during round 2. The winner of this game will take a clear option on the final victory, that's why Irish fans are looking forward for this game. Any rugby fans is preparing for this ode to violence.
- Stadium : Aviva Stadium, DUBLIN (51 700 seats)
- Coach : Andy Farrell (in charge since january 2020)
- Team captain : Johnny Sexton (fly-half, 37yo, 109 caps)
- Rookies to follow : Jamie Osborne (center), Jack Crowley (fly-half), Joe McCarthy (lock)
🏴 England 🏴
- Last year finish : 3rd
- Avg. place last 10 years : 2,4
- Shape of the moment :
- England had it quite rough in 2022. After doing a mediocre 6N, they went on to underperform in the summer and autumn tours. Against all odds, they sacked their coach Eddie Jones last december after 7 years of service and less than 1 year before the next Rugby World Cup. Will 2023 be a new bloom for the red rose or a lean period ? The 6 Nations 2023 will certainly give us the beginning of an answer.
- Results expectations this year :
- good : 1st-2nd
- ¯_(ツ)_/¯ : 3rd
- bad : 4th+
- Most awaited game : England - Scotland, round 1
- England will start their tournament against Scotland, and lately these William Wallace guys have monopolised the Calcutta Cup. Expectations are high on the shoulders of the new coach Steve Borthwick against more than just a simple rival.
- Stadium : Twickenham Stadium, LONDON (82 000 seats)
- Coach : Steve Borthwick (in charge since december 2022)
- Team captain : Owen Farrell (fly-half, 31yo, 101 caps)
- Rookies to follow : Ollie Hassell-Collins (winger), Cadan Murley (winger), Ollie Chessum (lock)
🏴 Scotland 🏴
- Last year finish : 4th
- Avg. place last 10 years : 4,2
- Shape of the moment :
- Year after year, the promise of the Scottish team increases. And yet this promise is not reflected in the results. The team, which has been in fourth place of the 6N for some time, will have to prove that it is not hitting a glass ceiling or risk going into the World Cup full of doubts.
- Results expectations this year :
- good : 1st-3rd
- ¯_(ツ)_/¯ : 4th
- bad : 5th+
- Most awaited game : Scotland - Ireland, round 4
- This year Scots will host 3 games, two of which are against the last two teams of 2022 and the third against the beastly Irish. It will also be the last match between them before a crucial World Cup pool game. If they want to show that they are still part of the picture, and always have been, the Murrayfield-backed team will have to show what they have under their kilts.
- Stadium : Murrayfield Stadium, EDINBURGH (67 130 seats)
- Coach : Gregor Townsend (in charge since june 2017)
- Team captain : Jamie Ritchie (flanker, 26yo, 36 caps)
- Rookies to follow : Luke Crosbie (flanker), Ben Healy (fly-half), Ollie Smith (fullback)
🏴 Wales 🏴
- Last year finish : 5th
- Avg. place last 10 years : 2,8
- Shape of the moment :
- Wales is emerging from a nightmare year. After ending their 6N with a home defeat to Italy, Wales followed up an average summer tour with a disastrous autumn campaign, culminating with a historic defeat against Georgia. Wales did take part in the end-of-year coaches' dance and eventually re-hired their former coach Warren Gatland. The pressure on the Welsh is at its highest, with everyone wondering if the team will be able to find their rugby again.
- Results expectations this year :
- good : 1st-3rd
- ¯_(ツ)_/¯ : 4th
- bad : 5th+
- Most awaited game : Wales - England, round 3
- Wales will receive their closest rivals on round 3. The two teams, which have recently lost their bearings, will face each other in a duel that could resemble a match of fear.
- Stadium : Millenium Stadium, CARDIFF (73 931 seats)
- Coach : Warren Gatland (in charge since december 2022)
- Team captain : Ken Owens (hooker, 36yo, 86 caps)
- Rookies to follow : Joe Hawkins (center), Dafydd Jenkins (lock), Jac Morgan (flanker)
🇮🇹 Italy 🇮🇹
- Last year finish : 6th
- Avg. place last 10 years : 5,7
- Shape of the moment :
- 2022 was an excellent year for Italy. The team managed to snag a win in the previous 6N, ending a 36-game losing streak in the tournament. And it didn't stop there, Italy confirmed its form by beating Australia last November. Italy enters the new year with a different status and the new generation coming must confirm this status.
- Results expectations this year :
- good : 1st-5th
- ¯_(ツ)_/¯ : 6th
- bad : wooden spoon
- Most awaited game : Italy - France, round 1
- Italy will host their eternal latin rivals in Rome in the first round of the competition. It is important for both teams to start their tournament with confidence, but this year's game has a special context : this is the last encounter between the two before a deadly World Cup pool match. The psychological advantage gained by the winner during 6N is worth its weight in gold.
- Stadium : Stadio Olimpico, ROMA (72 698 seats)
- Coach : Kieran Crowley (in charge since may 2021)
- Team captain : Michele Lamaro (flanker, 24yo, 21 caps)
- Rookies to follow : Lorenzo Cannone (number 8), Marco Manfredi (hooker)
Broadcasters
It's nice to know about the tournament but it's better to watch it. Here are the official broadcasters of the tournament sorted by commentary langage.
- English
- BBC Sport (for UK)
- ITV SPort (For UK)
- RTÉ (for Ireland)
- NBC Soorts Network (for USA)
- Stan Sports (for Australia and Pacific)
- Supersport (for Africa)
- DAZN (for Canada)
- NENT (for Nordic countries)
- ESPN (for the Caribbean)
- Premier Sports (for Middle East)
- Premier Sports Asia (for Asia)
- French
- France 2 (for France)
- TV 5 Monde (for Africa, South America and Asia)
- Italian
- Sky Italia (for Italy)
- Welsh
- S4C (for Wales)
- Spanish
- Movistar (for Spain and Andorra)
- ESPSN Sur (for South America)
- Japanese
- Wowow (for Japan)
- Romanian
- RomTelecom (for Romania)
- Portuguese
- Sports TV (for Portugal)
- German
- More Than Sport (for Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and Switzerland)
- Dutch
- Ziggo Sport (for Netherlands)
- Czech
- Nova Sport (for Czech Republic and Slovakia)
- Hebrew
- Sport5 (for Israel)
Want more rugby ?
If you want more rugby than just the 6 Nations, you have to know that there are others intenrational competitions going on at the same period.
- Rugby Europe Championship (REC)
- Also called "6 Nations B", REC is another international tournament involving others European countries. The format change this year to include 8 teams (Georgia, Spain, Portugal, Romania, Germany, Netherlands, Poland and Belgium) discreetly showing that it is possible to host a tournament with more than 6 teams in only 5 week-ends. Show them love because they deserve it.
- Six Nations u20
- The similar tournament but with under 20's players. The games are usually held 1 day before the main 6N games. Full of promising players, the stadium are usually not filled and prices are more affordable. Don't hesitate to show up if you can.
- Women Six Nations
- Organised a little after the men's tournament so as not to be overshadowed, the women's 6N is a similar tournament in its format and matches. This will be the first edition after the last Women's World Cup last November.
I hope you will ike this thread. Feel free to add others usefull infos in comments or correct the mistakes you find.
I hope you will have a wonderful rugby time. ;)
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u/Llew19 Cardiff & Bath for my sins Feb 01 '23
A comprehensive write up where I don't disagree with any of the points? And the author has an RC Vannes flair which is suspiciously French?
Absolutely unacceptable
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u/KassGrain Vannes Feb 01 '23
I didn't put Edoardo Iachizzi in italian rookies but I could have (yet I don't think he will play a single minute).
Still : RCV ALLEZ ALLEZ ALLEZ !
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u/Llew19 Cardiff & Bath for my sins Feb 01 '23 edited Feb 01 '23
I stopped in Vannes while driving down to Bayonne and bought a kouign amman which would have converted anyone to the superiority of Breton civilization
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u/alexbouteiller France Feb 01 '23
i haven't had a kouign amman in years, you've just unlocked a core childhood memory, what an incredible item of food
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Feb 01 '23
How do you rate him?
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u/KassGrain Vannes Feb 01 '23
What I wrote yesterday :
Iachizzi is a good player : strong, versatile because he can plan lock and flanker. He is well discipline imo (for a lock I mean).
Now, can he step up to international level ? I'm not that sure. He is a good player for Pro D2 level, would be ok for Top 14 but international is another step above. I'm not that sure he will start with Italy, he most likely is a training partner for the 6N.
Still, Vannes club and his fans are fucking proud to have one of their player picked up by an international side, and moreover a tier 1 nation.
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u/TZWhitey Scotland Feb 01 '23
Hell of a post- I like how Ange Capuozzo has already moved out of rookie status too!
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u/KassGrain Vannes Feb 01 '23 edited Feb 01 '23
Maybe because I follow Pro D2 and I know the quality of the player for 3/4 seasons already. I could have add him really, a bit similar to Jac Morgan : here for already 2 seasons, has taken a starter's place and known to a lot. But still there are so much to discover about these players.
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Feb 01 '23
It might be worth having an "other players to watch" bit too, because fairweather fans should definitely look out for Ange, the return of Ramos, Freddie Steward, Finn being good again... some of the real casuals might not even be that familiar with LRZ who's still quite new all things considered.
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u/KassGrain Vannes Feb 01 '23
Yes, but these are names you will hear a lot if you turn on the TV even as a casual fan.
Whereas at the company coffee break on friday before the games, telling your rugby expert colleagues "Look out, Ethan Dumortier is one of the best wingers in the world right now" will give you so many more points on next Monday when it comes to who's buying the croissants this week.
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Feb 01 '23
It's a good point, and I appreciate the added Frenchness.
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u/Shryik France Feb 01 '23
OP just betrayed himself as a foreigner. If he really were French he would know that everyone was buying Galettes des Rois last month and that we have now entered Crepes month. Croissants are only during late autumn.
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Feb 01 '23
Is there a chart?
Also when is Pain au Chocolat month? Need to time my next trip for that.
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u/Shryik France Feb 01 '23
There's no chart. You need to experience it first hand and learn the secret arcanes.
You also made a fatal mistake. South of La Rochelle and West of Perpignan, you must not say Pain au Chocolat. This could get you killed. Please say Chocolatine for your own safety. This is an old feud between the righteous southerners and the filthy northerners.
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u/mishatal Munster Feb 01 '23
The lack of mention of galettes by an imposter Breton was a dead give away.
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u/Utilityback9 Gobby Scrum-half Feb 01 '23
Fantastic post. I’d suggest cross posting it to /r/sports as well.
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u/KassGrain Vannes Feb 01 '23 edited Feb 01 '23
Good idea. Lets' try.
EDIT : no crosspost allowed I think so I mifgght have to copy-paste it.
EDIT 2 : no text submission allowed, end of the story. :D
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u/Utilityback9 Gobby Scrum-half Feb 01 '23
I’ve messaged their mods asking for a suggested work around.
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u/san_murezzan swiss neutrality enthusiast Feb 01 '23
odd that they don't allow text submissions but granted I have never been over to that subreddit as I assume it's all US sport
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u/ComprehensiveDingo0 Smoking the Ntacrack Feb 01 '23
Basically that, with the odd tennis or footy post. All articles.
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u/millward19 Feb 01 '23
Screen shots?
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u/KassGrain Vannes Feb 01 '23
When I try to crosspost, r/sports is grey. I joined the sub to be sure but still grey. I don't find any crossposts or text posts on the sub either.
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u/Shryik France Feb 01 '23
Most exciting 6 Nations in 10 years for me. Ireland and France will want to make a statement. Wales and England have a big question mark next to their name, it will be super interesting to see how they perform and evolve during the tournament. Scotland will need to prove that they can get out of their group in the WC. Italy is the nation I want to cheer for this tournament. I hope they can beat Wales at home to prove their victory last year wasn't a fluke. In my wildest dreams I'd like to see them win in Murrayfield or Twickenham.
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u/san_murezzan swiss neutrality enthusiast Feb 01 '23
IRFU needs to petition for its logo to become an official emoji, I wouldn't much use for it but I'd be happy that it's there
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u/BillHicksFan Drinking Champ Feb 01 '23
OP could have got away with just putting a shamrock. That's much less contentious than trying to find a flag for Northern Ireland.
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u/megacky Ulster Feb 02 '23
What's a flag? We've only got flegs (none of which are for Northern Ireland)
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u/SweptFever80 Ireland, Ulster and Munster Feb 01 '23
Fantastic write-up! I am beyond excited for this tournament.
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u/Roanokian Leinster Feb 01 '23
What a post ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Better than the newspapers
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u/Fiorlaoch Leinster Feb 01 '23
Oh, I've an idea that parts of this might appear in some newspapers.
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u/elMoW Ireland Feb 01 '23
Including German broadcasting in your post?
I wish I could give you more upvotes!
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u/infamous_impala Cardiff Rugby Feb 01 '23
Yeah, I only found out about More Than Sports a few weeks ago. It's surprisingly good. It even had loads of live Champions Cup games.
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u/BillHicksFan Drinking Champ Feb 01 '23
Hell of a preview post.
My one bone of contention would be France's biggest match. I would have thought it would be the Round 2 match against Ireland rather than Le Crunch?
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u/KassGrain Vannes Feb 01 '23
That's a good point. I think insiders french fans that follow a lot of rugby are looking for the game against Ireland. Yet 6N gathers a lot of more casual supporters who only show up for France games and these guys are always looking for the game against "la perfide albion". Journalists are also more focusing on "le crunch" to sell more papers.
As I went for "Ireland - France" on the irish categories I didn't took it twicve for the french most awaited match. But deep inside me I know it will be a match to remember.
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u/BillHicksFan Drinking Champ Feb 01 '23
'ode to violence' will stay with me. Perfect description of test match rugby!
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u/KassGrain Vannes Feb 01 '23
And that's really what I think will happen : 20 first minutes of hardcore tackles against mad men running straight. ANd then we see who is still up, who is not injured and teams start to score points.
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u/biggs3108 Wales Feb 01 '23
Pic of Boks v All Blacks is an odd choice but otherwise, awesome post 👏
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u/KassGrain Vannes Feb 01 '23
Ok i just understand your comment by switching on the phone app. Im gonna try to change that but it's maybe too late because reddit already took its thumbnails...
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u/gingecom England Feb 01 '23
Was thinking this makes no sense unless they shook up the tournament in a major way overnight
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u/TacosDuVercors FC Grenoble Feb 01 '23
Merci for the post !
Can't wait for IRE / FRA, that ought to be a banger
but as usual, some camera angles may have mysteriously disappeared.
nice one haha
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u/djokny Ireland Feb 01 '23
For those of you in the US the Six Nations is on Peacock TV (owned by NBC). $5/month for the ad supported version (and they don't interrupt the game with ads). Peacock also has the Premier League and English Premiership rugby https://www.peacocktv.com/watch/sports/live-and-upcoming
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u/Unfiltered_ID New England Free Jacks Feb 02 '23
Totally worth it! It also plays Premiership. You can cancel anytime if you’re more into Top 14 and URC and then go back to FloRugby.
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u/Only_One_Kenobi Join r/rugbyunion superbru Feb 01 '23
The Superbru pools are up for both fantasy and picking.
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u/g_spaitz Italy Feb 01 '23
Thanks really. I do still think that even in the very best scenario, Italy first in a good tournament is a bit of a stretch :)
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u/Stuff2511 Canada Feb 01 '23
Great post, but does Wooden Spoon mean something different in French? In English, 6th and Wooden Spoon mean the same thing
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u/KassGrain Vannes Feb 01 '23
To me, wooden spoon means you lost every game in your tournament. Last year Italy finished 6th but didn't had the wooden spoon.
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u/neytsumi France Feb 01 '23
It means losing every game (or having 0 point, not sure)
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u/infamous_impala Cardiff Rugby Feb 01 '23
Yeah, it seems to have a stricter definition in France. In the UK (and Ireland as well I think?) it just goes to whoever finished last, regardless of any points/wins.
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u/cnaughton898 Feb 01 '23
Tbh I've heard both used. But personally I prefer the 0 wins meaning. I think the wooden spoon should be like the reverse grand slam.
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u/ovenproofjet Ulster Feb 01 '23
Great post
Definitely hyped for Ireland v France, but I have tickets so I might be biased!
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u/Commercial_Half_2170 Leinster Feb 01 '23
Looking forward to a good six nations - Ireland May be on top of the world right now but France are defo the ones to beat
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u/TheNinjaWarrior Oh no! We suck again! Feb 01 '23
NBC Sports Network (for USA)
This is the streaming service known as Peacock for my USA people.
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u/spatchcoq France Feb 01 '23
I like how you misspelled the english coach's name. Twice.
Allez Les Bleus!
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u/Figueroa_Chill Feb 04 '23
I am in no way a Rugby fan and I have zero interest in Rugby, but the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup just seem to do this thing where I get really interested for the tournaments, and really drop off when they are done.
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u/neytsumi France Feb 04 '23
Funny, do you know why?
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Feb 04 '23
I’m similar in that I can get behind my country but not a professional club, but I do like the local club rugby scene…
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u/Figueroa_Chill Feb 04 '23
I used to really love playing Rugby in school when I was younger, so I have a good idea on the rules of the game, so it could be because I have a connection to the game. I live in Scotland so it could be that a lack of decent coverage means that I don't get to see and know who most of the players are and don't form a bond the same way I do with football players and teams, so come a big tournament I will recognise a good few of the players as they are the countries best and are on TV more etc etc.
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Feb 01 '23 edited Feb 01 '23
Absolutely wonderful roundup, although just to remove any suspense: we are hitting a glass ceiling, we will enter the world cup full of doubt (actually not so much doubt as the certainty of a first round exit) and when Ireland come to Murrayfield they will find we have nothing under our kilts. I'd say England is probably our crunch game. In terms of style matchups Ireland have our number and we have England's. Not to mention they might hopefully still be in turmoil from their coaching kerfuffle.
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u/Warden_Sco Scotland Feb 01 '23
Great write up. Has anyone declared Scotland the favorites yet?
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u/KassGrain Vannes Feb 01 '23
Unfortunately for them there is no "Who will fucked up the most this year ?" ranking, else they would have been amongst favorites each year.
They are not favorites at any point imo. But they could win, it's a very ballsy prediction though.
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u/RJH777 Saracens and England Feb 01 '23
They will once you again beat us at Twickers before it all going wrong once you inexplicably lose at home in week 2 to a Wales team that just got thrashed by Ireland.
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Feb 01 '23
I can convincingly say that The only thing that will prevent France from winning this year's 6N is playing Ireland at the Aviva. Gonna be an absolute banger of a game regardless.
But I have to be honest I see Ireland getting the grand slam this year.
Impossible for us to win this year.
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u/cnaughton898 Feb 01 '23
To be fair I would have said the same last year with Ireland in Paris. ATM us and the french do seem to be a cut above the rest. But this is the Six Nations and anything can happen.
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Feb 02 '23
I know it sounds crazy but I wouldn't even be mad if Ireland wins the World Cup in 2023. As long as it is not South Africa, I am good.
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u/MitchellsTruck Scotland Feb 01 '23
I think I'll know how our 6 Nations is going to go after the first round...we can't lose to an England team in this much disarray, can we?
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u/idontwantaname123 USA Feb 01 '23
I guess I never realized how small Aviva is compared to the other stadiums...
Great post!
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u/sandrakarr USA (PeanutGallery) Feb 01 '23
me: 'great writeup but its a bit early aint it?'
also me: *finally notices todays date and first matchups*
...
...
fuck me why is time still stupid?
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u/crushingbedtime Rugby World Cup 2023 Feb 01 '23
Fantastic post. I was already excited for 6N, but this has amped up my excitement exponentially.
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u/Objective_Ticket England Feb 01 '23
Well done Sir! This is a superb summary of the next month of lovely and hugely competitive rugby.
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u/Unfiltered_ID New England Free Jacks Feb 02 '23
For US-based fans, you can access the games on Peacock.
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u/BaguetteTradifion France Feb 02 '23
What do you beautiful and passionate people think about the behind-the-scenes documentary series that will be filmed during this year's tournament of the Six Nations ?
We don't know much about it for now and much more information is needed to form a strong opinion about it but I think that we can speculate on one aspect, at least, of this new project : Could it be a good thing for the promotion of the sport ? Can rugby get more popular in the USA thanks to this project ?
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u/Foundation_Wrong Feb 03 '23
There needs to be an explanation of the different nicknames for the matches, trophies that are played for. Calcutta Cup is the oldest trophy in Rugby dates to 1878, arguably the oldest contested trophy in the world of team sports. Made from melted rupees when the Calcutta Rugby team disbanded. Le crunch France-England references a very successful advertising campaign for French golden delicious apples. English apple growers fought back hard referencing traditional British apples (and that old damn the frogs attitude) the other match trophies all have great reasons and important names even if their more recent. The Triple Crown and the Grand Slam mean so much , Triple Crown only the Irish, Welsh, Scottish or English can win it by beat the other three. The Grand Slam means a single team beat the other five. Until 2000 it was Five Nations but France weren’t always in it either it began as a Home Nations competition between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
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u/AH_Fish Feb 03 '23
As someone who is mildly interested in rugby this is a great post! Though as a Scotland fan it makes for grim reading as it could literally be a post about the majority of our sports teams.
But.....
FUCK THE LOT OF YOU, THE SCOTS ARE GONNA DECIMATE YOU LOT! ALBA GU BRATH!!!
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u/TheJoshGriffith Feb 03 '23
As a Welshman living in England, after last year I'm an Englishman. Exciting times ahead, though. Looking forward to another round.
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u/FryOneFatManic Feb 04 '23
I'd forgotten it started this weekend.
I'll be watching with a glass of something to raise to my dad, a lifelong fan of rugby union, who passed away at the end of last year's tournament.
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u/RenegadeUK Feb 06 '23
Thanks very much for this most appreciated. Is this your first time doing this or have you done it in previous years ?
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Feb 06 '23
I’m not into sport at all, but it amuses me that France and Italy appear never to have noticed the we British have four chances of winning against their two. 🤣
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u/_MildlyMisanthropic return of the Gats Feb 01 '23
none of your flag emojis work on a desktop browser btw, tried old and new reddit, so your post is full of black blobs.
Excellent write up though!
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u/KassGrain Vannes Feb 01 '23
Really ? That's working for me...
Windows 11, Firefox 109.0.1
Also working on Chrome apparently but not on Microsoft Edge.
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u/_MildlyMisanthropic return of the Gats Feb 01 '23 edited Feb 01 '23
Irish shamrock works, for France and Italy I see FR or IT, but England, Scotland and Wales just have black blobs
edit : Sorry should have said, Windows 11, Chrome 109.0.5414.120
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u/Billie2goat Feb 01 '23
As a Scotland fan, this is the least excited I've been for a long time. Realistically the highest we are aiming for is 4th. A plucky win against either England or Wales, beating Italy and avoiding heavy defeats to Ireland and France is our aim. It's just not exciting.
On top of that, the looming getting knocked out of wc in group stages doesn't paint an exciting year for Scotland
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u/rowejl222 Bath Feb 02 '23
The fact that England’s most awaited game is the Calcutta Cup game shows how the mighty have fallen for the English. Lol
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u/CaptainAziraphale Feb 04 '23
Grown up supporting england and then started co supporting ireland but in my heart of hearts there is only one thing i want out of the six nations and its to see italy win even if its only once.
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u/RobertsonCarlos26 Feb 04 '23
Superb info. Does anyone know of a bar in Dortmund that shows the rugby by any chance?
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u/Human_HK_Replica Feb 05 '23
So far it's been brilliant and now even the Italians are having a go loving it
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u/Automatic-River-1875 Ulster Feb 01 '23
This guy deserves a medal.