The return of the Six Nations 2021 tournament brings plenty of excitement to World Rugby as the top European teams continue their camaraderie to contest who will be crowned the Six Nations Champions 2021. With the potential of a British & Irish Lions Tour hanging in the balance, players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales will see the Six Nations 2021 as the ideal opportunity as they contest for a spot in the British & Irish Lions selection.
Following the Covid-19-postponed Six Nations 2020 tournament, there will be strict safety protocols enforced for every side, since last season saw a postponement during the tournament. While there was a lengthy interval last season, tournament organisers hope the Six Nations 2021 tournament will run smoothly amongst the ever-changing global pandemic.
Six Nations 2020 Tournament Review:
Last season, Six Nations 2020 season went down to the last round, as England managed to avenge their first-round defeat against France and eventually triumph in the end; narrowly top of the points table. It was down to point difference which crowned England Six Nations 2020 Champions, with the prestigious tournament concluding on the final day.
In conclusion, no side was able to be crowned grand-slam winners as no team was able to end the tournament without a defeat – yet a 29th Northern Hemisphere title was celebrated by England in the end.
ALSO READ: Maro Itoje: The Future Captain of England Rugby
Six Nations 2021 First Round Fixtures:
Italy v France: Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy
England v Scotland: Twickenham, London, England
Wales v Ireland: Principality Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
Six Nations 2021 Players to Watch:
England: Maro Itoje – Rumored to be the next British & Irish Lions captain, Maro will have plenty of responsibility on his shoulders when he runs out for England this season. His impressive work-rate and barbaric physicality make Maro a key member in the England team and he will be at the forefront taking England over the try line this Six Nations. Will Maro inspire the England pack to a consecutive Six Nations 2021 Championship?
France: Charles Ollivon – The French backrower and Captain will look to overcome last season’s disappointment of ending runners-up in the previous Six Nations Tournament. The elusive French forward will seek to better his previous season’s statistics and pose a huge threat towards other teams in the Six Nations 2021 tournament. Can Captain Ollivon get France to win the tournament for the first time in 11 years?
Ireland: CJ Stander – The South African-born forward has always been one of Ireland’s standout performers for the national side. CJ infamously poses a huge threat at the breakdown and is extremely dangerous with the ball in hand in most of his matches. Will CJ inspire the Irish to top the table in this year’s Six Nations 2021?
ALSO READ: British & Irish Lions Tour 2021 Update
Italy: Tommaso Allan – The elusive backline player has vast experience in playing most positions on the backline. Tommaso is known for being able to create plenty of opportunities for his fellow team-mates and is a posing threat as a very creative playmaker. Can Tommaso inspire Italy to a memorial Six Nations 2021 campaign?
Scotland: Stuart Hogg – The experienced fullback tends to dictate the attacking play in the Scottish backline. Known for his amazing finishing ability, Hogg is rated as one of the best backline players in World Rugby. Can Hogg’s inspirational performances reward Scotland with their maiden Six Nations title?
Wales: Liam Williams – Known for being one of the most exciting players to watch in the Welsh line-up, Williams is renowned for the amazing pace he displays on the rugby field. As one of Wales most experienced backline players, Williams will ensure all Welsh followers’ excitement when he runs with the ball. Will Williams be the player to bring back the glory to Welsh rugby?
Six Nations 2021 Official Squads:
England:
Forwards: Beno Obano, Ellis Genge, Joe Marler, Will Stuart, Harry Williams, Jamie George, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Maro Itoje, Joe Launchbury, Jonny Hill, Courtney Lawes, Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Mark Wilson, Billy Vunipola, Ben Earl.
Backs: Elliot Daly, Anthony Watson, Max Malins, Jonny May, Paolo Odogwu, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Owen Farrell (C), George Ford, Ben Youngs, Dan Robson, Harry Randall.
Head Coach: Eddie Jones
France:
Forwards:Uini Atonio, Cyril Baille, Pierre Bourgarit, Camille Chat, Georges-Henri Colombe, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Mohamed Haouas, Hassane Kolingar, Julien Marchand, Killian Geraci, Bernard Le Roux, Baptiste Pesenti, Swan Rebbadj, Romain Taofifenua, Paul Willemse, Gregory Alldritt, Dylan Cretin, Francois Cros, Anthony Jelonch, Charles Ollivon(C), Selevasio Tolofua.
Backs: Baptiste Couilloud, Antoine Dupont, Baptiste Serin, Louis Carbonel, Matthieu Jalibert, Julien Delbouis, Gael Fickou, Virimi Vakatawa, Arthur Vincent, Damian Penaud, Donovan Taofifenua, Teddy Thomas, Gabin Villiere, Anthony Bouthier, Brice Dulin, Thomas Ramos.
Head Coach: Fabien Galthie
Ireland:
Forwards: Tadhg Beirne, Will Connors, Caelan Doris, Ultan Dillane, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Dave Heffernan, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Ronan Kelleher, Dave Kilcoyne, Peter O’Mahony, Tom O’Toole, Andrew Porter, Quinn Roux, Rhys Ruddock, James Ryan, CJ Stander, Josh van der Flier.
Backs: Bundee Aki, Billy Burns, Ross Byrne, Craig Casey, Andrew Conway, Shane Daly, Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Jamison Gibson Park, Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan, Jordan Larmour, James Lowe, Stuart McCloskey, Conor Murray, Garry Ringrose, Jonathan Sexton (C).
Head Coach: Andy Farrel
ALSO READ: 6 Nations 2020 Weekend Finale
Italy:
Forwards: Pietro Ceccarelli, Danilo Fischetti, Marco Riccioni, Daniele Rimpelli, Cherif Traore, Giosuè Zilocchi, Luca Bigi (C), Gianmarco Lucchesi, Marco Manfredi, Niccolò Cannone, Riccardo Favretto, Marco Lazzaroni, David Sisi, Cristian Stoian, Michele Lamaro, Maxime Mbanda, Johan Meyer, Sebastian Negri, Federico Ruzza.
Backs: Callum Braley, Guglielmo Palazzani, Stephen Varney, Tommaso Allan, Carlo Canna, Paolo Garbisi, Mattia Bellini, Juan Ignacio Brex, Monty Ioane, Federico Mori, Luca Sperandio, Jacopo Trulla, Marco Zanon.
Head Coach: Franco Smith
Scotland:
Forwards: Ewan Ashman, Simon Berghan, David Cherry, Alex Craig, Scott Cummings, Allan Dell, Matt Fagerson, Zander Fagerson, Gary Graham, Grant Gilchrist, Jonny Gray, Richie Gray, Oli Kebble, Willem Nel, Jamie Ritchie, Grant Stewart, Rory Sutherland, Blade Thomson, George Turner, Hamish Watson.
Backs: Darcy Graham, Chris Harris, Stuart Hogg (C), Huw Jones, Blair Kinghorn, James Lang, Sean Maitland, Byron McGuigan, Ali Price, Cameron Redpath, Finn Russell, Scott Steele, Duncan Taylor, Jaco van der Walt, Duhan van der Merwe.
Head Coach: Gregor Townsend
Wales:
Forwards: Rhys Carre, Wyn Jones, Rhodri Jones, Elliot Dee, Ryan Elias, Ken Owens, Leon Brown, Tomas Francis, Dillon Lewis, Jake Ball, Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones (C), Will Rowlands, Cory Hill, Dan Lydiate, Josh Navidi, Aaron Wainwright, Taulupe Faletau, Josh MacLeod, Justin Tipuric.
Backs: Gareth Davies, Tomos Williams, Kieran Hardy, Dan Biggar, Callum Sheedy, Jarrod Evans, Johnny Williams, Jonathan Davies, Nick Tompkins, Owen Watkin, George North, Josh Adams, Hallam Amos, Louis Rees-Zammit, Leigh Halfpenny, Liam Williams.
Head Coach: Wayne Pivac
Writer’s Six Nations 2021 Predictions:
As the Six Nations 2021 tournament draws ever closer, the excitement of one of the oldest international tournaments begins. Naturally, England head into this season’s tournament as firm favourites. The 2019 Rugby World Cup runner’s-up and Six Nations 2020 tournament winners will undoubtedly display plenty of confidence in the England camp under the leadership of Captain, Owen Farrell.
Despite their recent accolades, England face fierce competition, however, their side does have a respectably easy start to the tournament, facing Scotland at home. With the large pool of depth and most experienced coaching staff, I can’t foresee any reason why England should have any issues defending their Six Nations crown. England Coach, Eddie Jones has a 78% overall win success since being England Coach and therefore will go into this year’s tournament full of confidence as international rugby is all set for kick-off on the first weekend of February 2021.
With that being said, I predict that England will be crowned the Six Nations 2021 Champions, along with the converted grand-slam triumph. In second place, however, I believe it will be Fabien Galthie’s French side to seal the deal.
Who do you think will be crowned Six Nations 2021 Champions?
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