The Six Nations, a European rugby tournament between six nations, kicked off on February 1st, with the first three matches seeing Ireland, the reigning champions aiming for their first three consecutive victories since the tournament was made into a six-nation tournament in 2000, as well as rivals France and Scotland, all starting off with victories. Former Japan national rugby player Masataro Onishi spoke about the highlights of the second round, which begins on February 8th, his outlook for the future, and notable matches. All Six Nations matches are broadcast live on WOWOW.
--In the first match of this Six Nations, France beat Wales 43-0, Scotland beat Italy 31-19, and Ireland beat England 27-22.
There is data that Ireland and Scotland are strong in opening matches, and Ireland in particular has won 19 of 26 opening matches since 2000 (the first year of the Six Nations), marking a win rate of 73%. In the end, the higher-ranked teams won all three matches, but in terms of content, I felt that all the teams showed a higher level of unity and maturity than last year, and the matches were very intense.
--The opening match between France and Wales was a very one-sided affair.
After losing, Wales is in such a dire situation that rather than changing something, they need to change everything. Other factors include the lack of talent and absolute leadership, and the financial difficulties of the Wales Football Association. Veteran fullback Liam Williams, who played for Kubota Spears Funabashi and Tokyo Bay in League One last season, is once again playing for the national team, but this could also be seen as an indication that young players are not emerging. Wales will come to Japan in July to play two games against the Japanese national team, so I hope Japanese fans will see what kind of rugby they will play in this tournament.
--In contrast, France started off with a landslide victory, making it the best start of their season.
France is packed with talent everywhere, from key players to veterans to leaders, and both wingers (Louis Bielle-Bialet and Theo Atisogbe in the first round) played with particular ease. Their physical strength and the backs' ability to develop were the result of the high level of the French league "TOP14," and they played some very entertaining rugby to watch. Captain SH (scrum half) Antoine Dupont is showing a performance that makes you feel he is the best number 9 in the world. They will play each game well, and beyond that, they will surely have their sights set on their first Rugby World Cup victory. It will be interesting to see how that feeling is conveyed to the team in the future.
--Next up was the Scotland vs Italy match, which Mr. Onishi commented on. Scotland got off to a good start with a hat trick from centre Huw Jones.
All three players who have scored hat-tricks in the past Six Nations have been Scottish players: CTB Huw Jones, who scored this time, WTB Duan van der Merwe in the match against England last year, and SO (stand-off, now FB) Blair Kinghorn in the match against Italy two years ago. More than the hat-tricks themselves, the change in Scotland's style is reflected in the way they have changed to a style in which the ball is spread and the outside players score points. In the first round, WTB Darcy Graham also did a good job just before scoring a try. If more tries like these from outside players continue to be scored, they will be able to play good rugby against any opponent.
--Italy, which has been on the rise in recent years, lost, but they fought well and kept the score tied until halfway through the game.
Italy's physical strength is second to none in the Six Nations. This match proved that once again, but I think they lacked a little vision of how to fight until the end for 80 minutes, not 50 or 60 minutes. However, there is no doubt that they will be a really tough opponent for the opposing countries. CTB Tommaso Menoncello, who was named as a player to watch before the match, showed his physical sharpness, strength, and speed at key points, but as he was last year's tournament MVP, they were more cautious than before, saying "We have to stop him." As a result, they sometimes became lax in marking CTB Juan Ignacio Brex next to him. I would be happy if Japanese fans could get to know the good Italian players, including these two CTBs.
--In the third match of the first round, Ireland faced England, and Ireland came from behind to win, getting off to a good start towards becoming the first team to win the Six Nations three times in a row.
Both teams were well-established. Ireland in particular was well-established, and their team combination was also excellent. Although England was leading in the first half, I think the current strength of Ireland is due to their ability to always return to their strengths, such as set pieces, and to continue playing calmly. The most impressive stat was that they succeeded in all 23 lineouts with their own ball. This is not something that is easy to do, and it shows the current strength of Ireland. At fly-half, I think reserve player Jack Crowley is more highly regarded within the team, but Sam Prendergast started. Considering the past when it was difficult to find a replacement for retired absolute playmaker Jonathan Sexton when he was injured, I think they gave game time to the inexperienced Prendergast this time.
--Even though they lost, England was in the lead at one point against a strong Ireland team.
The new captain, LO (lock) Maro Itoje, was not bad either, and as a team, it was not a case of "we lost so we were no good", but rather I felt that they have become much stronger. It was a game that I think they are in the process of growing, and I think they were able to gain confidence. They also aggressively went forward in defense and put pressure on the opponent. The key point was whether they could do that consistently until the end, but it has been a recent tendency for England to lose at crucial moments, so if they can win these close games in future games, they should be able to regain their original competitive strength. I think there are still many chances if they can get a chance to rise up in the remaining games.
--The second round will feature three matches: Italy vs. Wales, England vs. France, and Scotland vs. Ireland. Which matches are you looking forward to?
First up is Italy vs Wales, which I will be commentating on. Italy, who sadly lost in the opening match, will be thinking that they absolutely must beat Wales, and Wales will also be thinking that they must win this match against Italy, so it will be a match that both sides will be under pressure to not lose. Wales lost all five matches in the last tournament and have lost 13 test matches in a row, so if they lose to Italy, there is a possibility that they will lose all two Six Nations tournaments in a row, so this is a very important match in that sense as well.
--The second match is England vs France.
The two teams have always been rivals, but I think it will depend on how England can keep up the pressure on France with their early forward defense. The game will be played at Twickenham (Allianz Stadium, England's host stadium), and France will likely receive a lot of booing from English fans. I don't think England will have many easy chances to score, so how they control the game when it gets tight and who is in the fly-half in that situation will be important. I think it will be a close match with the winner decided by three penalty goals.
--Scotland vs. Ireland is a match between two teams that both started off with a win.
These two teams often face each other in the Rugby World Cup and are long-time rivals, so this match may be the most interesting. However, in recent years, it seems that Scotland has a weak point against Ireland. In fact, I think that Ireland is more stable as a team.
--If Ireland wins, they will be one step closer to winning the Six Nations title three times in a row.
At the moment, I think that the chances are high, but the biggest key to winning will be Ireland vs France in Round 4. Ireland has a slight advantage because the match will be held in Dublin (Aviva Stadium in Ireland), but either way, I expect Ireland and France to lead the way in this tournament as well.
*......All Six Nations matches will be broadcast live on WOWOW. The schedule is as follows (all will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW Live and WOWOW On Demand):
<Round 2> Italy vs Wales (February 8th, 11pm) ▽ England vs France (February 9th, 1:30am) ▽ Scotland vs Ireland (11:45pm the same day) <Round 3> Wales vs Ireland (February 22nd, 11pm) ▽ England vs Scotland (February 23rd, 1:30am) Italy vs France (11:45pm the same day) <Round 4> Ireland vs France (March 8th, 11pm) ▽ Scotland vs Wales (March 9th, 1:30am) ▽ England vs Italy (11:45pm the same day) <Final Round> Italy vs Ireland (March 15th, 11pm) Wales vs England (March 16th, 1:30am) ▽ France vs Scotland (4:45am the same day)
