Six Nations Preview (From This Is Wiltshire)

Six Nations Preview

12:30pm Wednesday 3rd February 2010

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WITH the RBS Six Nations fast approaching, the Swindon Advertiser recently sat down with three local rugby figures to discuss each sides’ strengths and weaknesses ahead of the big kick-off this weekend.

Swindon coach Neil Loader and the Supermarine pairing of John Godsell and Sean Millwaters joined the Adver’s Sam Morshead to debate European rugby’s international highlight of the year.

The first topic on the agenda was the English squad, and the focus seemed to concentrate on how Martin Johnson would learn from his lengthy, and trying inauguration.

Morshead: So, how will England approach the tournament?

Godsell: Now Johnson’s actually seen the light and decided to get rid of the old guard, then they stand a good chance. I think they are the most progressive team. But it all depends if he brings in these new faces. He’s got to let them run, and if things go horrendously run then he’ll have to make some changes.

Loader: That’s why he’s got some of the old faces there like Andy Goode - he’ll win you the game just by keeping you at 80 metres.

Millwaters:They have got an amazing amount of young talent in and around the squad.

Loader’re hoping it’s a big change from the Autumn Internationals at least.

Morshead: But how is this team going to perform?

Millwaters: It’s so hard to say because noone’s seen them play at international level.

Loader: I think the back three could potentially be very exciting. I would go for pace - I would go for pace with Cueto and Monye on the wing. But lack of experience, and not playing together, will be the biggest weakness.

Morshead: Are there any other areas of real concern for England?

Millwaters: I think they’ll struggle in the front row, especially if Sheridan’s not fit.

Morshead: And if you’re saying that the Wales England game is where the Championship is going to be won then the front row could be the thing that decides the tournament.

Godsell: He should be playing Dan Cole - he absolutely destroyed Tim Payne in a domestic game recently.

Millwaters: If Cole comes in he might struggle for the first couple of games, because he’s got to remember to breath as the game is so much faster.

Godsell: If Johnson gets the best back row, he’ll win you the game. Easter will play, although he lacks a little dynamism around the ruck and he has to pick Moody.

Millwaters: I wouldn’t pick Moody, I think he’s a spent force.

Morshead: He was one of the most consistent performers for England in the autumn.

Godsell: But Sean would still have Martyn Williams in the Welsh side.

Morshead: Talking about the Welsh, Sean you’re backing them pretty strongly, what do they have which some other teams might lack?

Millwaters: Experience, their front five and excitement in the backs.

Godsell: They basically have the Lions front row.

Loader: And I think Warren Gatland is one of the top coaches in the world.

Millwaters: You’ve just got pure flair in the backline with Lee Byrne and Shane Williams and I thought Tom Shanklin was awesome in the Autumn Internationals.

Loader: They’re an exciting side to watch, they’ve got a quality pack who will win them a lot of possession and we’ll have to see what they’ve got going forward.

Morshead: But if Wales have four or five injuries, then they’re going to find themselves in trouble, where else can you see them struggling?

Loader: They’ve struggled in the past getting the combinations right.

Millwaters: What undoes them is that they sometimes try to play this fast expansive rugby and get turned over and hurt. When they get it right, and retain their own possession, then they’ll trouble anyone.

Loader: They’re also going to struggle at nine, opponents have to put massive amounts of pressure on him.

Morshead: The French seem to be a bit of a mystery since the appointment of Marc Lievremont, how will they fare?

Millwaters: They didn’t have a good autumn, and they haven’t really clicked under Lievremont.

Morshead: He changes his side a lot, he doesn’t seem to go for continuity which surely his side needs to make an impact.

Godsell: There aren’t really any stand out French forwards other than the old guard. Michalak’s been awful, his tackling is awful, and you can say all you like about Gallic flair, but with the French it’s all about attitude. Either they turn up or they don’t turn up. Last season at Twickenham, they were woeful.

Morshead: And who’s their most important asset?

Loader: Harinordoquy, he’s a big bruiser, I like him.

Morshead: And their biggest flaw?

Millwaters: Their selection policy and their gameplan - you never know what it is. That can be a strength but it hasn’t shown to be that in the past year or so.

Godsell: They either they play a team of bruisers with route one rugby, or they try something special which, when it goes right is unstoppable, but when it goes wrong they don’t know how to put it right.

Morshead: Italy went through something of a renaissance a couple of seasons ago, but they seem to be going backwards a little now, is that the case?

Loader: They’ve got a pack that will match anybody in the tournament, but the strength in depth might not be there. The three-quarters will let them down, they have no gamebreakers there.

Millwaters: I think they’ll try and play some rugby, Nick Mallett has done some wonderful things in his time. He’s got a couple of unknowns in there like Quentin Geldenhuys, whose a big tall lad, and they’ve got a great catch and drive.

Loader: But outside the scrum they haven’t got anything. They’ll keep it ugly.

Morshead: Biggest strength?

Loader: Forwards, pure and simple.

Morshead: And frailties?

Godsell: They’ve got no half-backs, no connection between the front men and the three-quarters.

Morshead: I know Neil is tipping Ireland for the title this year. Some say that they are too old, what’s the general verdict here?

Millwaters: They’re going to be very much there or there abouts.

Loader: I think they’re still strong, in O’Driscoll and Kearney they have real quality in the backs.

Godsell: I don’t think their front three is all that good. O’Connell in the second row has had his day as well.

Millwaters: Experience counts for a lot and this side has been playing together for a long time.

Morshead: There’s a lot of creativity in there as well.

Godsell: In their back row of Heaslip, Ferris and Wallace they have three players who could really influence any game. Wallace is a natural predator and Heaslip and Ferris are a quality engine room.

Morshead: But there must be one element of the side which we can pin point as a little insecure?

Godsell: If you get in O’Gara’s face, he can really pop.

Loader: He has the ability to either win or lose you a game, as we saw on the Lions tour.

Millwaters: You would think teams will just single him out. He can’t really tackle. He hasn’t been anywhere near the player he was four or five years ago in the past two years.

Morshead: So what’s their strength?

Loader: With Ireland they have plenty of options for replacements in the backs, which most of the other nations don’t have.

Godsell: They have an abundance of really superb players who you forget about who don’t make the first 15.

Millwaters: And they’ve got one of the best finishers in world rugby at the moment in Tommy Bowe.

Morshead: And where will they be exposed?

Millwaters: I think their weakness is going to be their half-back combination.

Godsell: If any side gets their back row in amongst them then they’re going to have a big chance of getting one over them.

Morshead: Andy Robinson is certainly working wonders up in Scotland, and after their massive autumn win over Australia, do they stand a chance of causing an upset?

Millwaters: They’re certainly a far better team than they were, but I don’t think that they’re going to ask too many questions.

Loader: It’s going to be hard up at Murrayfield. If you look even at the Heineken Cup results, when any side has gone up to Edinburgh or Glasgow, they have been made to work hard for any result.

Millwaters: They’ll struggle at home and be weak on the road.

Morshead: Where are they most effective?

Godsell: They have a good half-back combination in Blair and Parks.

Loader: When you look at their squad list you think that they rank slightly above Italy in terms of talent, but Murrayfield is going to be a lot harder to go to than Rome.

Millwaters: They’ve got a good front row unless they play on a Sunday. Euan Murray won’t play on Sundays because of his religion.

Godsell: They are probably the overall team, a side which gels together, whereas everyone else has a number of individuals.

Loader: Scotland, like Ireland and Wales, have players coming from three or four pools of talent, which is an advantage.

Morshead: And where can they be exploited?

Loader: They just aren’t quite at the same level as Ireland and Wales We asked each of our panel to give their predictions for this season’s tournament, and the result was as follows.

Interestingly none of the four table predictions were the same.

Loader, who has personal affinity with Italian rugby after his spell coaching Rugby Parma, was the only member of the quartet not to put Italy in bottom spot.

Strangely, all four decided that the French would struggle this time around.

Loader

6. Scotland

5. Italy

4. France

3. Wales

2. England

1. Ireland

Millwaters

6. Italy

5. Scotland

4. France

3. England

2. Ireland

1. Wales

Godsell

6. Italy

5. Scotland

4. France

3. Wales

2. Ireland

1. England

Morshead

6. Italy

5. France

4. Scotland

3. Ireland

2. England

1. Wales

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