Nicknamed the ‘Italian wonder kid’, Ange Capuozzo will compete at his third Six Nations in 2024. Seemingly unstoppable, Italian fans have high hopes that he will soon become one of their best Six Nations players of all-time. Ringrose achieved new heights at the 2023 Six Nations, scoring Ireland’s winning try against France. Commenting on his performance, O’Driscoll praised Ringrose’s ability to disrupt and halt oncoming attacks. But which players could make their mark at this year’s Six Nations?
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Fresh from his mid-season break, Alldritt is expected to lead from the front for France, his power and commanding presence in the pack giving his side confidence. Head coach Warren Gatland believes he can grow into an Alun Wyn Jones-style of leader- the highest of compliments for the young man. Potentially the best scrum-half in England at the moment after an incredible season with Northampton, Alex Mitchell could really come into his own at this tournament. In addition to Ringrose, Irish supporters will be excited to watch new captain, Peter O’Mahony. Farrell will be hoping that O’Mahony can fill the void left by behemoth Johnny Sexton, who retired after the 2023 Rugby World Cup. All eyes will also be on hooker and new England captain, Jamie George.
The Flying Fijians are going to need more firepower to match it with the All Blacks
The Doddie Weir Cup was established in 2018 and is presented to the winner of the game between Scotland and Wales. The cup is named after the former Scotland international lock Doddie Weir who died from motor neuron disease and was created to raise awareness of the illness. Scotland’s star player, Finn Russell (pictured) has been named co-captain alongside Rory Darge for the tournament, with Scotland getting under way against Wales in Cardiff on 3 February. England who got to the semi-finals – the furthest of any of the Six Nations sides – at last autumn’s World Cup, are without several key players for this year’s championship. Dyer has a chance to make the position his own and show Wales fans that the loss of LRZ has given them a chance to see Dyer shine.
- Any match that is not a full international between two member countries does not count at all.
- The main way is by scoring a try – carrying the ball over the opponent’s goal-line, which scores five points.
- The wing is truly prolific personified and a dangerous threat whether he crosses for a try or sets one up.
- Of equal importance to the Hurricanes is the performance of their star centre, Jordie Barrett.
- With Manly bowing out of the premiership race, Woods enjoyed his last ‘Mad Monday’ as a professional rugby league player recently.
- The Centenary Quaich named after a Gaelic drinking dish, the ‘Quaich’ has been presented to the winners of the Ireland against Scotland since 1989 and won by Ireland in 2023.
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With Louis Rees-Zammit making the shock decision to leave rugby and pursue a career in the NFL, there is no better time for Rio Dyer to cement himself as Wales’ fast man. The current line-up is missing many of the team’s biggest names, with Leigh Halfpenny, Dan Biggar, Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric retiring in the last 12 months. Not to mention Louis Rees-Zammit, who has departed the squad for a career in the NFL.
Other Scotland players to watch
- While he hasn’t yet excelled at an international level, with only seven All Black caps, he is one of Super Rugby’s strongest attacking weapons.
- 11 – Rio Dyer – 6.5This felt like a more senior, accomplished performance from Dyer.
- It took until the very last play to secure their win, when Alex Sedrick stiff-armed her way past Australia’s defense and ended up converting her own kick — and she’s not a kicker.
- What was most remarkable was how, despite rotating and changing the team almost weekly, their efficiency remained incredibly high.
- 12 – Nick Tompkins – 4Struggled to provide any strike force through midfield.
In response to these allegations, he FRU has disputed claims the bonuses weren’t paid or that players were left without their paychecks for long periods of time. They have also recently authorised an audit of player payments in response to the allegations made by its star players. List of England national rugby union players is a list of people who have played for the England national rugby union team.
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The 23-year-old has won only eight caps “but this could be the campaign where he really makes a name for himself”, said Wales Online. The Scarlets’ playmaker “remains a work in progress” but is “highly regarded” by the Wales management, and seen as a player with an “extremely bright future on the international circuit”. Last year, with Ireland winning all their matches to secure the Grand Slam, they also won the Triple Crown. There’s not just the tournament winners title up for grabs, the Six Nations teams compete to win various other trophies.
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That didn’t change in 2021, a year of which he earned a World Rugby Player of the Year nomination, and one could argue Hooper can feel hard done by that he wasn’t the outright winner of the award. Antoine Dupont needs no introduction, and few would disagree that he is the best player in the world right now. Not only can he display his skills on a 15s stage, but he has also started his 7s career with a bang, scoring a try on his debut for France. So far in his career, he has won the Six Nations with France and three top 14 titles with Toulouse.
Wales drop out of top 10, Fiji climb back in
The Leinster player has also shown his abilities down the wing during the 2024 Six Nations, including with a fast-paced try against Italy in round two – which also displayed his power. He has cemented himself into Andy Farrell’s side and has already won a Grand Slam title. No. 8 Ardie Savea was named World Rugby’s Player of the Year in 2023 after picking up a silver medal at the Rugby World Cup. Savea’s standout performance in the tournament held in France came in the quarter-final, where his scoring prowess aided his team to victory over Ireland. He has also added his leadership skills to the All Blacks, captaining the team on multiple occasions.
- This issue is quite concerning for the Flying Fijians as they are one of the best Tier 2 nations in World Rugby and, quite frankly, don’t deserve to be labelled as such.
- Now, if he impresses new head coach Gonzalo Quesada, Varney could be the danger man as Italy look to fire in attack like they never have before to challenge the likes of Wales, England, and Scotland.
- In addition to Ringrose, Irish supporters will be excited to watch new captain, Peter O’Mahony.
- And, as his impressive attacking stats prove, he is a player who can “turn a game on its head with a single moment of brilliance”.
- “Always, if I was unsure, I’d always ask a question and then they always said there’s no dumb questions, you know.
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ESPN surveyed league executives, coaches and scouts to help us rank the top 10 players at 11 different positions, from quarterback to cornerback and all positions in between. This was the fifth edition of these rankings, and as usual, several players moved up or fell off last year’s lists. We got ex-England captain Chris Robshaw to speak about leadership, where he explained all the different leaders and captains in a rugby squad. The former back-rower picked out Ireland skipper Peter O’Mahony, who led his country to another Six Nations title in 2024. Russell is “a fly-half known for his attacking instincts”, said Rugby World. He can produce a host of “kicks, flicks and tricks to create try-scoring opportunities for himself and his team-mates”.
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- Previous captain Owen Farrell is unavailable, saying he wants to “prioritise his mental wellbeing”, so Jamie George takes over the role, leading the squad as the new captain.
- He has been the man, the one, a king with headgear for a crown, the very best of this whole damn sport.
- Men’s and Women’s World Rugby Rankings are calculated using a ‘Points Exchange’ system, where sides gain or lose points based on the match result.
- Close to the end of this I realised I was wincing while reading your rants.
- He was once a good footballer who could play in the halves and slowly he turned himself into what he is now, which is a great half.
- Handrè Pollard is the definition of a clutch player – always there to depend on in the tough moments.
Nothing too flashy, he continued to find his close-in runners and – mostly – his areas when box kicking. 15 – Cameron Winnett – 8Didn’t https://just-bet.org/bet/ merely catch high balls and hoof them back. He showed maturity and composure, looking up with the intent to impact the game.
Surrounded by other young exciting forward talent in the new England setup, Martin is perhaps the most exciting of the lot. Somewhat of a throwback in his style of play, Kremer is the enforcer in a gnarly Argentine pack that never takes a backwards step. A true headhunter on defense, the giant center smashes opponents with an unrelenting velocity, while in attack, he has the glint of the great Waisale Serevi about him.
- As for Easter, he looked a bit further back and selected one of his former teammates, Lawrence Dallaglio.
- He has won the Rugby World Cup twice, and in the 2023 campaign he was key in turning momentum in South Africa’s favour in their quarter-final against hosts France.
- 4 – Dafydd Jenkins – 4.5A totem at the line-out, he lacked enough grunt to punch holes through the rush defence.
- Dragons wing Rio Dyer is proving himself to be a favourite with Wales head coach Warren Garland, and it’s not hard to see why, when he plays every game like it could be his last.
- Singled out as one to watch by Italy great Sergio Parisse, the uncapped Izekor is a colossus of a back row who stands 6’5” tall and weighs well over 17 stones.
- Born in France, Capuozzo qualified for Italy through his paternal grandparents.
- When preparing for the big games, the team wanted their minds to be focused on that game, rather than underlying pay disputes.
Despite representing England at age group level, Arron Reed will make his debut for Scotland at the upcoming Six Nations. The Sale Sharks winger had reportedly garnered the interest of Steve Borthwick before being snapped up by Gregor Townsend. Emmanuel Meafou will be looking to make a statement at the 2024 Six Nations. Standing at 6 foot 8 and weighing 145 kg, this commanding lock is a firm favourite amongst Toulouse fans. At just 20 years old, Cunningham-South is already forging a fierce reputation.
They will have to do so without the “talismanic figure” of Johnny Sexton, who has retired. Jack Crowley looks likely to take over as the new playmaker at No. 10 and experienced Munster flanker Peter O’Mahony is the new captain, reported Sky News. And with the key games against France and England being away from Dublin, back-to-back Grand Slams would be a “real achievement”, said the paper. Scotland also won the Calcutta Cup last year – the oldest trophy in international rugby is presented to the winner of the Six Nations England vs Scotland match.
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A superb tactician, George will take the place of Owen Farrell at this year’s Championship. Unless you’re a London Irish or Harlequins fan, then Chandler Cunningham-South is a name you might not know. However, he could become a familiar face following the 2024 Six Nations. Praise is due for Cyril Baille as well, who is the solitary front rower in the top ten.
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A force on both sides of the ball, the 23-year-old will be looking to transfer his impressive form for Benetton on to the Test arena. His significant size in the backrow opens up a whole world of possibilities at set piece for Los Pumas – in particular, his explosive power getting off the ground quickly for lineouts and kickoff receipts. Not since the great Joe Rokocoko has New Zealand Rugby had a winger who ties together immense physicality with guile to the level of Telea.
Another pair of players that are unsurprisingly right up near the top of the most valuable list given how significantly they influence the clashes they feature in. A powerful duo assume the responsibility of being the top-ranked players in 2024 with Antoine Dupont unavailable. The 21-year-old arguably is Borthwick’s most viable long-term option, given his ability to combine what the England coach traditionally has favored with a strong running game.
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The Centenary Quaich named after a Gaelic drinking dish, the ‘Quaich’ has been presented to the winners of the Ireland against Scotland since 1989 and won by Ireland in 2023. The four home nations also compete for various trophies, including the the Millennium trophy which has been given to the winner of the Six Nations match between England and Ireland since 1988. The trophy itself looks a little bit like a Viking helmet with horns. The Triple Crown is given to the team that defeats all the other original home nations and only England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland are able to win it. A match is split into two 40-minute halves – the aim of the game is to score more points than the other team through tries, conversions, penalty kicks and drop goals. Scotland’s last championship title was the 1999 Five Nations and their last two World Cup campaigns have ended at the pool stage.
A position in parentheses indicates that the player debuted as a substitute. He’s earned 129 Super Rugby caps and 85 international caps for a reason. Second to one other hooker higher in the list, he looms as one of the All Blacks’ strongest competitors.
Fiji will be against one of the best rugby teams in the world and it will be a difficult match as it always is – but they may be without some big names. Some of the well-known stars from the team last year came from England and France; they didn’t have to come and play for Fiji, their salaries in England and France are enough to make them millionaires in Fiji. Instead, they decided to play for their country, and the least that FRU could do is make sure they are compensated for their sacrifice.
The Week is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. In 2022 Ireland beat England, Wales and Scotland but didn’t win the Six Nations tournament overall. Ireland were crowned Six Nations Grand Slam champions in 2023 thanks to a bonus point win against England in Dublin. One of the most important rules of the sport is that the ball can only be passed backwards. Finally, a player is allowed to attempt a drop-goal in play for three points.
Rugby World Cup hosts France have six players in the top 20, starting with full-back Thomas Ramos in 16th place with hooker Julien Marchand in 13th. Given the hoopla in NZ over O’Mahony sledging Cane, if Ireland had simlarly abused NZ players and supporters after one of the matches in the test series we can assume the uproar would have been heard from space. In short, NZ rugby did not take responsibility for the disrespect shown to Irish players, Irish supporters and Ireland. In a year where the All Blacks struggled to reach the lofty goals they expect of themselves, Ardie Savea stood head and shoulders above his peers as the best New Zealand had to offer. The unrelenting loose forward’s powerful ball-carrying, committed defence and immense work ethic have made him an integral player for the Kiwis, as reflected by his captaincy appointment for the Rugby Championship.