As the countdown gets ever closer to the launch of the grand old championship in Marseille on Friday week, it is almost possible to pick a team nobody has heard of: The Otherwise Engaged Six Nations XV.
Those nailed-on include a veritable den of Lions, a few household names as well as the sport’s supreme superstar, Antoine Dupont. While he gives the rest a chance by saving his energy in pursuit of sevens gold at the Paris Olympiad, so many have opted out that only two positions remain open: hooker and tighthead.
The majority have put themselves out of bounds, not merely by cashing in with cl...