Starting off with England, a team that have strengthened their defence, yet failed around the outside edges to resist the excellent skills in attack that New Zealand and Australia displayed. Ollie Sleightholme’s 3 tries from 4 games presents a promising start to his international career. Itoje raises his carrying and lineout work, arguably even to equal his 2019 World Cup form, providing a performance that reflects the resilience of the team in these tough matches against the historical giants of the game.
Freddie Steward dominated the air against South Africa, battling for the fullback role with George Furbank who captained Northampton Saints to their 23/24 Gallagher Premiership victory. Furbank could feature as a second receiver, while Steward may utilize his strength under the high ball. However, South Africa reinforced the strength and depth of their back-to-back World Champion team to extend beyond the grasp of England and Scotland, with Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi leading from the front, as always. (ENG 20-29 SA) (22-24 NZ) (37-42 AUS)
Scotland’s wingers Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe compete for the nation’s try scoring record, with each rising to the top spot in each match, mainly through their destructive performances against Fiji and Portugal. Yet they were unable to beat the Springboks, still showing signs of improvement and consistency is needed. (SCO 57-15 FIJ) (15-32 SA) ( 59-21 POR)
The Italians fail to start their campaign well against Argentina.
Holding firm in their second occasion, to win in the second half against the resilient Georgians. (ITA 18-50 ARG) (20-17 GEO). The Los Pumas thrive versus Italy but struggling to maintain Rugby Championship form against an Ireland team which conceded many penalties. All the while, the team in green were not firing on all cylinders in the new World Cup cycle, falling short to the All Blacks in Dublin. (IRE 13-23 NZ) (22-19 ARG)
New Zealand executing to the highest degree against the English and Irish, with new All Blacks such as Wallace Sititi and Cortez Ratima performing well. Although uncharacteristically falling short of winning at the Stade de France, (FRA 30-29 NZ) to Les Bleus. A team solidifying their foundations additionally with the large win over Japan (52-12).
France are needing a resurgence from their devastating one-point loss in the World Cup quarter-final against South Africa.
Finally, Wales have struggled to find their footing, losing first to Fiji for the second time (WAL 19-24 FIJ) and following suit in their match against Australia, the odds stacking higher and higher into the second half, resulting in the (WAL 20-52 AUS) win for the Wallabies. The green and gold reinforcing their base at the end of the international season, squeezing England at the death with newly capped Max Jorgensen, after a difficult Rugby Championship.
Which teams will perform in the Six Nations 2025? Can sides overcome failure and hardship to regain momentum and begin to build winning squads leading up to the 2027 Rugby World Cup?
