Three games are played on the weekend of 1 & 2 February 2014 in the start of the 2014 RBS Six Nations tournament.

On Saturday it’s Wales vs Italy at 16:30 SA Time (14:30 GMT) at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and thereafter it’s France vs England at 19:00 SA Time (18:00 Fr Time, 17:00 GMT) at Stade de France, Paris.

On Sunday it’s Ireland vs Scotland at 17:00 SA Time (15:00 GMT) at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

ALL THREE MATCHES are broadcast on TV in South Africa and ALL THREE matches will have their LIVE GAME ARTICLES here on Rugby-Talk.

The Six Nations is the prime International Test tournament in the Northern Hemisphere and is a short and powerful competition where each team plays the other 5 sides only once. The winner of the tournament is decided on Log Points at the end of the tournament.

Wales are defending champions, in fact they are double defending champions and will try to make 2014 their hat trick season.

In 2013 France had a nighmare season, ending with the wooden spoon.

 

Wales vs Italy:

Rugby365 reports that no side has ever claimed a third successive Six Nations, but Wales are in line to do so, following their Grand Slam in 2012 and taking the crown with just one defeat last season.

No one has claimed three outright Championships in a row since it all began in 1883, although Wales did gain three consecutive titles in the Five Nations between 1969-71, with the 1970 crown being shared with France.

It seems as though a poor start to the Championship does not faze the Welsh either – tripping up as they did at home to Ireland in round one last season, but still going on to claim the silverware.

They became just the ninth side since it all began in 1883, and the first from Wales, to win the title outright after losing their opening match, and the only ones to do so in the Six Nations since France in 2006.

The Championship begins at Millennium Stadium on Saturday, with the current Six Nations title holders Wales playing in the opening fixture for the third time in the last four years.

Italy are the visitors who will attempt to double their tally of previous away wins in the Championship.

Italian coach Jacques Brunel said he is hoping for a “strong performance” from his side against Wales on Saturday.

Italy followed up a promising 2013 Six Nations campaign with a mediocre tour of the Southern Hemisphere in June last year and an even more worrying series of displays in the November Tests.

However Brunel, who steered Italy to a fourth-place finish last year, indicated his side should not be under-estimated.

“A win would be beautiful and obviously the result counts, but a strong performance on the field is what most interests me,” Brunel told media as he unveiled his team for the Millennium Stadium clash.

“The statistics show that Wales are the strongest side in Europe, but I think we have a team that can give a good account of itself.

“Wales’s potential is very high but I’m hoping we can stand up well throughout the game.”

Staying faithful to a formula which has had varying degrees of success for Italy over the past two years, Brunel has selected a team infused with youth as well as experience as he continues to build towards the 2015 World Cup.

No.8 and captain Sergio Parisse will help marshal an experienced scrum which, together, boast 587 caps.

Flank Mauro Bergamasco, who is back at openside, returned to Italy’s squad in November for a 37-31 defeat of Fiji, having sat out the second Test, a 20-50 defeat to Australia.

Both Parisse and tighthead prop Martin Castrogiovanni will pick up their 102nd caps for Italy respectively, only one shy of the national record of 103 held by retired prop Andrea Lo Cicero.

Wales have already forgotten their year-end defeats at the hands of South Africa and Australia – their eighth in a row against the Wallabies.

“We’re all looking forward to the Six Nations – it’s what we’re measured on,” captain Sam Warburton said last week, in a worryingly insular analysis.

The comment, admittedly a throwaway line during an on-stage interview at the tournament’s launch, was reminiscent of the 1987 World Cup, when Wales were thrashed by New Zealand in the semifinals and a leading administrator said it did not really matter because at least they had beaten the English in the quarters.

The Northern Hemisphere game has come a long way since then, and most players, coaches and administrators know that they have to strive to compete with New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

Warburton, on the bench on Saturday having not played since November with a shoulder injury, said the hat-trick target had been brought up as his team sat dejected in their Cardiff dressing room after their latest Australian defeat.

“Shaun Edwards [assistant coach] talked about three in a row after that Australia match,” he said.

“He said to look for positives and to go away and play ourselves into the squad for the Six Nations where we would have a chance to create history.”

With few injuries and a squad packed with players who helped win the title last year and grand slam in 2012, not to mention the bulk of the victorious British and Irish Lions side, Wales certainly look equipped to justify their position as narrow bookmakers’ favourites.

Italy averaged more possession (18 minutes and two seconds) than any other side this season, subsequently
making more carries and metres than any other side in last season’s Six Nations. The Azzurri also finished the tournament with the best line-out (90 percent) and scrum (91 percent) success rates.

Italy also had the most carries, the most metres gained, and threw the most passes last season.

Eight of the nine tries that Wales scored in the Championship came in the second half of their matches. They only conceded one themselves after the break.

Wales had the best defence overall, missing just eight percent of the tackles they attempted.

Wales also had the best rucking statistics last season, securing possession from 97 percent of all the rucks they set up.

Players to watch:

For Wales: Outstanding backs such as Leigh Halfpenny, Jamie Roberts, George North and Rhys Priestland are always worth the entry fee. However, the revamped pack will be under greater scrutiny – especially the loose trio of Taulupe Faletau, Justin Tipuric and Dan Lydiate.

For Italy: You simply can’t look at Italy without more than just a cursory glance at captain fantastic, Sergio Parisse. Luke McLean, at fullback, will also get a share of the spotlight, as will flyhalf Tommaso Allan – a problematical position for the Azzurri.

Head to head: There aren’t any more intriguing than when Taulupe Faletau (Wales) face off to Sergio Parisse. And then there are the scrums – spearheaded by veteran tighthead props Adam Jones (Wales) and Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy).

Recent results:
2013: Wales won 26-9, Rome
2012: Wales won 24-3, Cardiff
2011: Wales won 24-16, Rome
2010: Wales won 33-10, Cardiff
2009: Wales won 20-15, Rome
2008: Wales won 47-8, Cardiff
2007: Italy won 23-20, Rome
2006: Wales and Italy drew 18-all, Cardiff
2005: Wales won 38-8, Rome
2004: Wales won 44-10, Cardiff

Prediction: Wales have won just two of their last five matches, against Argentina and Tonga in November, but the Welsh’s only defeat in their last 10 Six Nations matches came at home to Ireland at this stage last season. Italy have been victorious in Round One of the Six Nations on just three previous occasions, all in Rome against Scotland in 2000, Wales in 2003 and France last year. Wales have won their last six clashes against Italy, whilst the closest the Azzurri have come to winning in Cardiff was in 2006 during an 18-all draw. The stats favour a Welsh win and so do we – Wales by about 15 points.

Teams:

Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Scott Williams, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 George North, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (Captain), 4 Luke Charteris, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Paul James.
Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Ryan Bevington, 18 Rhodri Jones, 19 Andrew Coombs, 20 Sam Warburton, 21 Rhys Webb, 22 James Hook, 23 Liam Williams.

Italy: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Angelo Esposito, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Leonardo Sarto, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse (Captain), 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Michele Rizzo.
Replacements: 16 Davide Giazzon, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Lorenzo Cittadini, 19 Joshua Furno, 20 Francesco Minto, 21 Tobias Botes, 22 Luciano Orquera, 23 Tommaso Iannone.

Date: Saturday 1 February
Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 16:30 SA Time (14:30 GMT, 15:30 Italian Time)
Expected weather: The roof is to be closed, but it looks set to blow a gale on Saturday. Scattered showers through the weekend, some heavy and thundery, and possibly wintry over hills. High of 7°C and a low of 5°C).
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Glen Jackson (New Zealand), Francisco Pastrana (Argentina)
TMO: Iain Ramage (Scotland)

 

France vs England:

Rugby365 also reports that France will be looking to put last year’s woes behind them when they take on England in their Six Nations opener in Paris on Saturday.

Coach Philippe Saint-Andre’s team endured a horror tournament last year in which they finished last, and only managed to notch two victories in total in 2013.

By contrast England only lost two matches last year – to Six Nations champions Wales and world champions New Zealand – and they have lost just one of their last seven Six Nations encounters with France.

England coach Stuart Lancaster has named the same pack that played against New Zealand in their last match last year, but the backline has a somewhat new look to it with wing Jack Nowell and outside centre Luther Burrell earning their first Test caps.

Saint-Andre named a backline debutant of his own in the form of flyhalf Jules Plisson, although the rest of the backline has a settled look to it.

However, with rain predicted for the Stade de France on Saturday this match is likely to come down to the performances of the respective forward packs.

France appear to have the edge in terms of experience in this area, with a number of seasoned campaigners up front, but the England pack have proven that they cannot be taken lightly and have the added benefit of continuity.

With both teams blooding new players there is an air of uncertainty hanging over the match, but no matter who is playing there is seldom very much to separate the sides so expect another hard-fought encounter.

Players to watch:

For France: All eyes will be on debutant flyhalf Jules Plisson, but he has a welath of experience outside him in the backline with the likes of fullback Brice Dulin and centre Wesley Fofana able to punch holes in any defence.Big No.8 Louis Picamoles will look to get his side on the front foot and up front it will be up to captain Pascal Pape and experienced tighthead prop Nicolas Mas to tame the England pack.

For England: Fullback Mike Brown should be a threat from the back, and he may be under added pressure considering the inexperience of the two wings. Flyhalf Owen Farrell will be expected to give the team direction and livewire scrumhalf Danny Care’s speed could cause the French defence some headaches. Captain Chris Robshaw will do the hard yards with support from Tom Wood in the loose, whilst the likes of Courtney Lawes and Dan Coles will be lynchpins in the set-pieces.

Head to head: Both Mike Brown and Brice Dulin were impressive in the year-end Tests in November so they will look to carry that form into the Six Nations. In midfield the big battle will be between Wesley Fofana and Billy Twelvetreeswho are both powerful centres. Louis Picamoles and Billy Vunipola will want to make an impact from the back of the scrum with support from blinside flanks Tom Wood and Yannick Nyanga. Pascal Pape and Courtney Lawes will be the key men in the line-outs whilst at scrum time England loosehead Joe Marler will have his work cut out against Nicolas Mas.

Recent results:
2013: England won 23-13 in London
2012: England won 24-22 in Paris
2011: France won 19-12 in Auckland
2011: England won 17-9 in London
2010: France won 12-10 in Paris
2009: England won 34-10 in London
2008: England won 24-13 in Paris
2007: England won 14-9 in Paris
2007: France won 22-9 in Marseille

Prediction: England are by far more consistent but do not have much experience in the backline so we are backing France to pull off a win at home by five points.

Teams:

France: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Maxime Medard, 10 Jules Plisson, 9 Jean-Marc Doussain, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Bernard Le Roux, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Pascal Pape (Captain), 4 Alexandre Flanquart, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Thomas Domingo.
Replacements: 16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Yannick Forestier, 18 Rabah Slimani, 19 Yoann Maestri, 20 Antoine Burban, 21 Damien Chouly, 22 Maxime Machenaud, 23 Gael Fickou.

England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Luther Burrell, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Danny Care, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Chris Robshaw (Captain), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements: 16 Tom Youngs, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Dave Attwood, 20 Ben Morgan, 21 Lee Dickson, 22 Brad Barritt, 23 Alex Goode.

Date: Saturday 1 February
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
Kick-off: 19:00 SA Time (18:00 Fr Time, 17:00 GMT)
Predicted weather: 70% chance of rain, 30 kph wind, high of 11
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Alain Rolland (Ireland), Stuart Berry (South Africa)
TMO: Jim Yuille (Scotland)

 

Ireland vs Scotland:

Rugby365 reports that the Irish will be determined to hand coach Joe Schmidt a dream Six Nations debut when they welcome Scotland to the Aviva Stadium on Sunday.

The former Leinster mentor enters his first Six Nations championship, having replaced Declan Kidney after last year’s disastrous northern hemisphere campaign in which Ireland finished an abysmal fifth.

Given the shambolic 2013 season, there’s little room for regression, and while an improved campaign is expected, Schmidt and his charges’ will not have an extreme amount of pressure on them.

It’s an ideal situation to be in for a highly successful provincial coach as he starts to rebuild a talented national side and take the first steps towards moulding them into champions.

The reinvigorated Irish are full of optimism after pushing the All Blacks to the limit last time out, and they have spoken at length about the goal of starting 2014 where they left off in the 2013 season finale at the selfsame Aviva Stadium.

Schmidt, a real student of the game, has injected the high-level tactical nous into the Irish set up that it lacked during the Kidney era and the players seem to be embracing the fresh set of ideas.

With it being Schmidt’s maiden Six Nations, and the last in the legendary career of Brian O’Driscoll, Ireland will come out firing in Dublin. An imposing green wave awaits the visiting Scots and the teams’ contrasting history of starting the championship elevate the challenge to a tsunami.

The Irish are traditional fast starters and will be gunning for their ninth first-round victory in the last 10 years. Scotland, conversely, have just once kicked off a Six Nations season with a win – a 20-16 triumph over France in 2006.

The Scots’ dire away record in the competition – they have won just one of their last 17 matches on the road, a 23-20 win over Ireland in 2010, which was their only victory in Dublin since 1998 – and poor recent form – having won just two of their last eight Tests, against Italy and Japan – and it’s clear that the underdogs face an ominous opening assignment.

Scotland will dismiss these worrying facts and take heart from prevailing in the teams’ last encounter. Last year’s 12-8 victory at Murrayfield will fuel the Scots, but it will simultaneously serve as a reminder to Ireland that they cannot afford to take Scotland lightly.

The visitors possess a physical pack that can potentially turn the Test into a dogfight, and in British and Irish Lions duo Sean Maitland and Stuart Hogg they have two game breakers.

Veteran Ireland hooker Rory Best says they are steeling themselves for a brutal physical encounter.

“It’s a strong team. Their back row especially are very abrasive. They have a strong front five, so from a forwards point of view it is never easy playing Scotland.

“And with the team they have picked and the pack of forwards they picked, it is going to be very much a case of rolling up the sleeves and preparing for battle on Sunday,” said Best.

“If you look at their back three, they have two Lions there. They play some really nice rugby. They are very dangerous on the fringes and certainly from my point of view, you are looking at that pack and the breakdown is massive.

“We talked about their back row but also with Jim Hamilton and some of their front row, they are very, very dangerous over the ball if you let them get in.

“It’s going to be very tough to slow their ball down. They are big men, they carry hard and they are physical around there. It is a great challenge.”

Best added that along with the breakdown battle, the contest at line-out time will be crucial after the Scots had the ascendency in the set-piece last year.

“They did fairly well against us last year at Murrayfield and he [Hamilton] is a good line-out operator, but we have Paulie [O’Connell] there now who is a brilliant line-out operator,” said Best.

“We need to make sure when they are moving around and getting up we are accurate. That is throw, lift, catch. Everything needs to be right and on the money.

“Scotland are a team that are going to test you in the line-out. It’s called a Test match for a reason. It is to test yourself against the best and Scotland are up there.”

Players to watch:

For Ireland: Jonathon Sexton will be a pivotal player in the No.10 jersey and it will be interesting to see whether he receives cheers or jeers from the Dublin crowd following his high-profile move to France. Brian O’Driscoll will also be in the spotlight as he’s been for most of his career, and it will be important for both him and Ireland that he turns in a solid performance first up. In the pack, Cian Healy, Paul O’Connell and Jamie Heaslip will lead the charge.

For Scotland: Stuart Hogg has been the centre of attention since it was confirmed that he will make his comeback this weekend after missing the November internationals through injury. Much will be expected of him, but it remains to be seen whether or not he’s undercooked. His Lions teammate Sean Maitland will be looked upon to provide some much-needed x-factor, while Greig Laidlaw will be the key player for the visitors.

Head to head: Both key clashes will play out in the forwards as the teams vie for clean ball and set-piece superiority. In the first instance, Sean O’Brien and Kelly Brown will spearhead the teams’ surge at the breakdown. Meanwhile, hard-nosed veterans Paul O’Connell and Jim Hamilton will square off in a titanic line-out battle that promises to be as physical as it will be technical.

Recent results:
2013: Scotland won 12-8, Edinburgh
2012: Ireland won 15-9, Dublin
2011: Ireland won 21-18, Edinburgh
2010: Scotland won 23-20, Dublin
2009: Ireland won 22-15, Edinburgh

Prediction: As aforementioned, Scotland have the pack that can make life difficult for the hosts. If they manage to frustrate Ireland at the breakdown and deliver in the set pieces, they have an ace goal-kicker that could kick them to victory. Ireland, though, are the favourites for a reason. They are more well-rounded and thus pose more threats across the park, not to mention they have home ground advantage and the Schmidt and O’Driscoll factors. Ireland by nine.

Teams:

Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 David Kearney, 13 Brian O’Driscoll, 12 Luke Marshall, 11 Andrew Trimble, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Chris Henry, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 5 Paul O’Connell (Captain), 4 Devin Toner, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Martin Moore, 19 Dan Tuohy, 20 Tommy O’Donnell, 21 Isaac Boss, 22 Paddy Jackson, 23 Fergus McFadden

Scotland: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Alex Dunbar, 12 Duncan Taylor, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 8 David Denton, 7 Kelly Brown (Captain), 6 Ryan Wilson, 5 Jim Hamilton, 4 Tim Swinson, 3 Moray Low, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Ryan Grant.
Replacements: 16 Pat MacArthur, 17 Alasdair Dickinson, 18 Geoff Cross, 19 Richie Gray, 20 Johnnie Beattie, 21 Chris Cusiter, 22 Matt Scott, 23 Max Evans.

Date: Sunday 2 February
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Kick-off: 17:00 SA Time (15:00 GMT)
Expected weather: Partly to mostly cloudy and windy with a high of 8°C and low of 2°C. SSW winds at 25 to 40 km/h.
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
TMO: Carlo Damasco (Italy)