The Six Nations Championship is an annual rugby union competition between the national teams of six countries: England, Italy, Ireland, France, Scotland, and Wales. This 2023 contest is the 129th edition, including all its previous competitions when it was played as the Five Nations Championship and the Home Nations Championship. France came into the tournament as the defending champions after winning the Grand Slam in 2022.
Though there were many intriguing developments in the recent Six Nations tournament, the fact that Ireland beat an improved Italy team 34-20 in Rome has dominated the headlines. After a rough week for Warren Gatland’s side, England easily beat Wales 20-10 in Cardiff. On Sunday, France and Scotland played out a classic in Paris, with France winning in the end, 32-21, to keep their championship chances alive.
With two more rounds, there are speculations about who will win the grand slam. Will Ireland keep going strong and eventually win the Six Nations 2023? Will France keep their title despite still being 5 points behind Ireland? This write-up covers everything you need to know.
Ireland leads the competition, but the race is on
Since the 2017 Six Nations tournament, Ireland has reached the top rugby rankings worldwide. On July 18, they became undisputed champions after defeating the All Blacks for the first time in New Zealand and winning the series 2–1 a week later.
They have maintained that lead ever since, going undefeated in November with three victories, two of which came against the Springboks and the Wallabies. Ireland only suffered two losses in 2022: their opening test in New Zealand and a six-point defeat in a tight Six Nations match at the Stade de France.
Ireland’s successes are partly due to their coaching team, with Andy Farell as the head coach. While Joe Schmidt was in charge of Ireland, they won three Six Nations titles. However, the quality of rugby they played pales compared to what the team has produced under Farell’s leadership. Its forward pack is outstanding and dynamic, and it has developed into a formidable mauling force in both attack and defence. Their half-backs are unstoppable, and their midfield and defensive units have been superb.
While every Irish player has a role on the field, a few have been crucial to their success. One of these is Caelan Doris. After two rounds, he proved to be one of the best players in the Six Nations, with outstanding performances against Wales and France. The team’s captain, Johnny Sexton, played a significant role in their series win in New Zealand and the Triple Crown. Ireland would need all their key players to beat Scotland and England.
Can England break Ireland’s undefeated record?
On March 18th, Ireland will play England at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The 2023 Six Nations Championship will conclude with this game. Even though Ireland claimed a 32-15 bonus point victory over England in 2022, many punters believe England will beat Ireland in the final match. If you’re also interested in wagering on this possibility, you can find the best online bookies through nogamstopsites.bet.
With a disappointing opening loss to Scotland, England’s Six Nations campaign was shaky. Despite this, England remained in the running this season after a convincing Round Three victory against Wales. This placed them in a three-way tie in the Six Nations rankings with 10 table points. With Wales, they had to work for their triumph, taking an 8-3 lead into halftime before scoring twice in the final 35 minutes to win by 20-10. Sadly, they failed to get a winning bonus point, which may have made a big difference in their ranking.
For England to triumph in the Six Nations, they must win their final two matches. This is an ambitious goal, considering the team still has to play the defending champions, France, and the world’s top-ranked rugby team, Ireland. Yet, even if they were to win the match against Ireland, they would still need the bonus points and the point differential to move in their favour.
Scotland is always a threat to the front-runners
After opening the tournament with excellent bonus point wins over Wales and England, Gregor Townsend’s side is currently in second place with 10 points, five points behind tournament leaders Ireland. Despite their loss to France on day three of the tournament, Scotland still has a chance of winning the trophy for the first time since 1999.
To achieve this historic feat, Scotland must win their final two games against Ireland and Italy. However, to beat Ireland, they would have to win by more than seven points and prevent Ireland from making four or more tries. They will also need to score four or more tries themselves to earn all five possible points to tie for first place with Ireland.
Scotland has star players that can lead the team to a win. Russell is the uncontested leader of this team, having earned 67 caps. In the match against the Wales XV, the fly half performed a flawless game (35-7). Russell played quarterback for his team and threw three assists their way.
France could be a surprising factor for the final straightaway
France is feeling the pressure of winning the Six Nations again. As evidenced by their recent loss in Ireland and shaky showing against Scotland, this pressure appears to be taking its toll on them. They have a tight match against England in round 4 because both of their starting No.3s are suspended, and Romain Ntamack is under criticism for his recent performances as a fly-half.
The team no longer appears to follow the game plan that guided them successfully. Regardless, France is a top-tier squad, considering they were down a man for 70 minutes against Scotland due to Mohamed Haouas’s charge but still managed to win thanks to Gael Fickou.
Final Thoughts
With Middleton set to depart England after the Six Nations, there’s speculation on how the English women’s rugby team will fare, but before then, fans and bettors look forward to which team will be the 2023 champion.
Considering Ireland’s splendid performance so far, the team is the absolute favourite for the title. If Ireland beats Scotland on Sunday, they will have 19 points, putting them well over Gregor Townsend’s team. If France and England, tied at 10 points, draw on Saturday, that could be enough for Ireland to win the title. Even if both teams score four tries at Twickenham, they will still be behind Ireland.
However, if either team wins with a bonus point, Andy Farrell’s squad has a significant advantage in the standings heading into the game. That would matter more than a head-to-head comparison, even if Ireland and a second team had identical records.
