NORMALLY IN A World Cup year, the Six Nations feels like a time for the head coaches to fine-tune a few things or maybe even have one last little experiment to satisfy a nagging question in their minds.
Usually, there is a sense of continuity as each side looks to create even greater cohesion in their team and squad.
And that’s true again for Andy Farrell, Gregor Townsend, Fabien Galthié, and Kieran Crowley.
For the two other Six Nations bosses, though, the next few weeks are about kick-starting a brand-new era. Warren Gatland has been sprung back into the Wales job and England have appointed Steve Borthwick to turn their fortunes around with the World Cup only seven months away.
The four-year ‘World Cup cycle’ has been a major trope in rugby, whether it was a good way of planning or not, but recent signs are that this is changing. Don’t forget that Eddie Jones – sacked by England last month – has taken over the Wallabies gig too.
Perhaps the fact that Rassie Erasmus took on the Springboks job 18 months before the last World Cup and led them to glory in Japan has been foremost in the thoughts of the powers that be in Wales, England, and Australia. Erasmus showed that things can change drastically in a short space of time, but seven months much tighter. Gatland, Borthwick, and Jones really don’t have much scope for making mistakes this year.
Whatever about the big show in France this autumn, the change-up for Wales and England adds a new layer of intrigue to this Six Nations, particularly given that Gatland’s men welcome Ireland to Cardiff next weekend for the opening game of the championship.
Gatland being in charge of the Welsh makes this feel like an altogether more difficult fixture already. During his previous spell as Wales boss from 2007 until 2019, Gatland’s teams were hard to beat. Visits to Cardiff were brutal battles and he will be looking to restore that hard edge, which faded away under Wayne Pivac.
After leaving Wales in 2019, Gatland took over as head coach of the Chiefs in his native New Zealand. The Waikato franchise had a very tough first season with Gatland, losing all eight of their 2020 Super Rugby Aotearoa games.
He then went on sabbatical to lead the 2021 Lions tour of South Africa, which was unsuccessful, before returning to the Chiefs in a new position as director of rugby. Gatland oversaw much-improved performances there over the last two years but now he’s back in Europe.
There’s no doubt about his calibre as a Test-level coach, but the landscape has changed since he’s been away from the top table. International rugby is wildly competitive at the moment, so the job of bringing together a strong Welsh team despite the flaws in the country’s rugby structures will be even tough than before.
In fairness, Gatland still has some excellent players to work with. He will lean on veterans like hooker Ken Owens, announced as his captain, but newer faces like Jac Morgan, Joe Hawkins, and Tommy Reffell offer a fresh edge.
One other point of doubt around Gatland is the fact that his coaching team is different now. Shaun Edwards was a huge part of Wales’ success in the first Gatland era but he’s now helping to drive France to new heights. Gatland tried to get Rob Howley back, but the WRU blocked that one, so he has settled on the well-travelled Alex King and former Connacht assistant Mike Forshaw as his attack and defence coaches.
Ireland will embrace the prospect of consigning Gatland to a losing start to his second tenure and we just know that Johnny Sexton would love to prove a point after being left out of the last Lions tour.
The run of fixtures has Ireland completing their Six Nations schedule at home to Borthwick’s England on Paddy’s weekend and it will be intriguing to see what condition the English find themselves in at that stage.
Borthwick’s squad has been hit by injuries before the action is underway, with the likes of Luke Cowan-Dickie, Courtney Lawes, and Elliot Daly sidelined, but there is excitement about a fresh start after the departure of Jones.
Borthwick had been part of the England set-up very recently under Jones, working as his forwards coach until 2020, having done the same role for Jones’ Japan prior to that, but he’s still in just his third season as a head coach. It’s a huge step up for him so soon into his career as the main man, although he could be helped by starting with Scotland and Italy at home. Momentum is everything.
The reports on his coaching are overwhelmingly positive and he won the Premiership at the second time of asking with Leicester, but there is nothing like the pressure and stress and challenge of coaching in Test rugby. Suddenly, Borthwick is managing the biggest egos and pitting his team against some of the very best coaches in the world. The 43-year-old has excelled as an assistant coach but would probably acknowledge that he’s still in the infancy of his head coaching journey.
The team around him will be crucial, with the impressive Kevin Sinfield a particularly close ally in his role as defence coach and spiritual leader. The rugby league legend is only in the second season of his union coaching career, but already commands huge respect.
Nick Evans is an interesting choice as attack coach for this Six Nations, given that his philosophy seems to be in sharp contrast with Borthwick’s. That points to an open-mindedness on Borthwick’s part and maybe his England team will surprise us all with their style. The expectation is that they will focus on being ultra-solid, set-piece-focused, a and have an excellent kicking game. Evans’ creative mind could add a few flourishes of attacking brilliance on top of that.
Whether Owen Farrell or Marcus Smith starts at 10 is a key question, but it is clear that Borthwick – even with injuries accounted for – has elite playing talent in his squad, talent that hasn’t fired to its maximum potential at times over the past season or two. England open with a Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland in Twickenham and it promises to be a riveting encounter.
As Ireland continue their Six Nations preparations in Portugal, the schedule ahead is bookended by meetings with the two sides who have opted for upheaval with their coaching staffs. It only adds to the anticipation.
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