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secondhonestly, what word comes to mind instantly when evaluating the Six Nations 2020? ‘Unsatisfactory’ would definitely be high on the list, on and off the field. Raise your hands to everyone who turned off their televisions on Saturday night feeling gloriously elevated by the quality, plus the occasional French flourish, of last weekend’s games, let alone filled with vivid memories to sustain you through the lockdown. I did not think.
Of course, there were notable exceptions. It was impossible to see Ben Youngs celebrating his 100th appearance for England with two attempts, for example, and remain immune to the poignant nature of his crowning glory in Rome. Not long ago, the popular Young retired from a Lions tour to help support his ailing brother and sister-in-law, and his selfless efforts over many years are now receiving due rewards.
No one could glimpse the depth of excitement experienced by English rookie Tom Dunn, who belatedly won his first international match at the age of 27, and even tried to suggest that international rugby now means less to its participants. As England celebrate their third title in five years, even so, the 2020 tournament delivered a disturbing glimpse of the future, one that the game’s guardians must pay attention to.
Because, even as Owen Farrell’s team picked up their trophy in their Teddington ‘bubble’ after returning from Italy, the communal roots that sustain the world’s oldest championship have rarely been so threatened. Covid-19 has undermined a number of family rituals and activities, but none more radically than the Six Nations.
2020 Six Nations XV: A Bouthier (France); G Fikou (France), V Vakatawa (France), O Farrell (England), J Adams (Wales); R Ntamack (France), A Dupont (France); C Baille (France), J George (England), Z Fagerson (Scotland), M Itoje (England), J Ryan (Ireland), J Ritchie (Scotland), C Ollivon (France), J Polledri (Italy).
The final table has England on top but, aside from their unfortunate loss at Murrayfield, France was the most impressive player. Both outlets choose themselves, as does Virimi Vakatawa, while Anthony Bouthier dons jersey number 15 as a reward for his sensational old-school spiral punt against England in Paris. Gaël Fickou is not usually extreme, but he also has to be included somewhere.
Only one representative from Wales, Ireland and Italy summarizes their respective modest campaigns, but the inclusion of Jamie Ritchie and Zander Fagerson reflects Scotland’s steady improvement up front.
Strip the fans, the pilgrimages to some of the world’s greatest cities, the pre-match aftershocks, the majesty of the anthems and the passion that swirls in the stadiums and where, other than provincialism, can you find joy? ?
Pray it’s only a temporary problem, but it’s only three months until Six Nations of 2021 begins and the odds that the virus will have completely packed up your gear and vanished by then seem remote. Will we continue to hear deaf musicians murdering national anthems, the quintessential passion killer, or watching Wales play somewhere other than Cardiff’s National Cathedral? If so, it could be said that international rugby could lose more than any other sport.
Even more troubling than the absent choirs, regimental goats, and daffodil hats, it could be argued, is the increasingly mechanical spectacle. As one insightful colleague observed over the weekend, how much would today’s game benefit from the distinctive pops of vibrant color once provided, among others, by the sadly late JJ Williams? When Gaël Fickou gloriously displayed a flat-footed Irish forward from the outside in Paris to set up the brilliant Antoine Dupont for his crucial score against Ireland, it was a rare exception to the generally mundane rule.
This is less of a problem when the audience is entirely made up of rugby obsessives more capable of appreciating the nuances of a perfectly organized maul driven or a clever teeing off. However, it would be hard to blame someone who chose Wales-Scotland as their first high-level rugby experience if they decide not to bother again. Even allowing for the disturbing wind, it was as soul-nourishing as industrially reclaimed hamburger meat scraped off the floor and stuffed into a week-long bap.
Because the biggest health risk from gambling is not Covid-19, not even England wins every year, but the apathy or indifference of the spectators. Already struggling financially, rugby cannot allow its prime-time television audiences to be endlessly subjected to delays in the Groundhog Day scrum, lengthy goal-kicking preparations and arcane discussions of laws. As highlighted on these pages before, the game now operates on such a technical knife edge, especially around the ruck, that it is becoming nearly impossible to referee and just as difficult to play. All the thudding and fumble at close range can be exciting, up to a point, but less so when there’s little apparent desire, or ability, on either side to try something different.
None of this is meant to rain on the England parade, but the context is important. Did you watch the latest New Zealand Bledisloe Cup Masterclass in Sydney? Even as Richie Mo’unga split and Caleb Clarke continued to show off every inch of the game’s next big superstar, the difference in pace and execution between the All Blacks and virtually every Six Nations team was again marked. It’s been a year since England completely surrendered New Zealand in a World Cup semi-final, but it is the defeated team that appears to have kicked the most from Japan.
France 24-17 England
England’s campaign began in February with a reprimand defeat in Paris. Fabien Galthe’s inexperienced team proved they could be contenders again, rushing to a 17-0 lead and holding on to victory.
Scotland 6-13 England
Ellis Genge’s attempt with 10 minutes remaining helped England win a battle of attrition in a muddy Murrayfield and keep their title hopes alive.
England 24-12 Ireland
Ireland traveled to Twickenham in hopes of showing off their grand slam credentials, but early attempts by George Ford and Elliot Daly set the tone as England dominated and showed hints of their World Cup form.
England 33-30 Wales
With Boris Johnson in the crowd at a packed Twickenham, England took an 11-point lead at halftime but had to hold on after Manu Tuilagi’s red card. With one match left for England to play, the coronavirus outbreak brought the tournament to a halt.
Italy 5-34 England
Almost nine months after the defeat in Paris, England scored an extra points victory behind closed doors in Rome. It was enough for their first title since 2018 as neither Ireland nor France were able to get the result they needed to win the trophy.
Admittedly, this has been a year like no other in Europe and Eddie Jones’s preparations have been less than ideal. But aside from Tom Curry, Henry Slade, Maro Itoje and Ellis Genge, how many of your twentysomethings from the World Cup look better players 12 months later? Ireland and a troubled Wales can’t boast too many either.
Scotland is showing signs of progress but will have to continue to do so if it wants to conquer Twickenham in the opening weekend of the 2021 Six Nations, just on the horizon. If that accessory simply heralds another mediocre, flat championship, the alarms will really start to sound.
