Wales come into this year’s Six Nations Championship with little to no hope, but don’t let that put you off. Fans will still flock from all over the country, Cardiff will still be buzzing and the Principality Stadium is guaranteed to be electric.
After a generally disappointing set of autumn internationals, the Welsh squad, who will be without captain Sam Warburton, will be looking for inspiration as they take on the five other nations which make up the annual tournament.
As ever, it’s a difficult one to call this year. England and Ireland are particularly strong again, with the former handing out an emphatic thrashing to the Wallabies and briskly seeing off Argentina and Samoa. Ireland too had an impressive autumn, hammering the Springboks 38-3.
But the big talking point is the rise of the current Scotland side, who were denied by a match-saving tackle on Lions full-back Stuart Hogg in the dying minutes against New Zealand as Scotland pushed for a historic victory over the All Blacks. Gregor Townsend’s side then dusted themselves off and went on to trounce Australia just weeks after.
Wales did the Northern Hemisphere proud with victory over the Springboks too, but did so with less conviction than their closer-to-home rivals.
France come into the competition with little confidence also, having lost to New Zealand and South Africa before only mustering a draw against Japan. Italy, who are always a potential banana skin when in Rome, lost to both Argentina and South Africa and managed just one victory over Fiji.
It’s England who currently hold the title, but they will have to travel to Murrayfield this year and they can expect fierce competition once more. For Wales, there will be three home games to enjoy.
The tournament kicks off for Warren Gatland’s side on the Sat 3 Feb as they host Scotland at the Principality. You’d expect we will discover a lot about this Wales side’s chances after that game. Should they be victorious, they might just rediscover their mojo. Should they lose to a potentially destructive Scotland side, you fear the worst for the rest of the tournament.
Later on in the tournament, Cardiff plays host to our friends from Italy on Sun 11 March before the French are in town the following weekend for ‘Super Saturday’ on 17 March. A full fixture list is below.
Wales are two flankers down in Sam Warburton and Dan Lydiate who have both been ruled out for the season. It was a surprise when Gatland opted to include Taulupe Faletau in his Six Nations squad, but Wales will be happy to have that option should the No. 8 recover quickly. George North has recovered from a knee injury to take a place, but the 39-man squad is little larger than usual – as Wales will be expecting to lose a few through injury. Jonathan Davies remains out.
As for favourites England, they are going to be without Nathan Hughes, and would have welcomed the return of Billy Vunipola after a long-term knee problem were it not for an elbow fracture also. Elliot Daly and the ever-controversial Manu Tuilagu look set to miss the entire tournament, too. Scotland should have Stuart Hogg fully fit and ready for the opener, alongside former captain and scrum-half Greg Laidlaw.
Ireland No.8 Jamie Heaslip is out, but Ireland have fared just fine since his last appearance against Wales in 2017. France, with all their problems, will be without last Six Nation’s top scorer Camille Lopez and powerhouse centre Wesley Fofana.
It’s a genuinely finger-licking prospect of a tournament. So many questions are about to be answered. Can England continue to steamroll into 2018 having lost just one game since Eddie Jones’ appointment? Can Wales find their feet and use home advantage to rejuvenate their fans? Is it finally Scotland’s year? Can Ireland win the title back from England? Who is going to be burdened with the wooden spoon? Enjoy the buzz of Cardiff during the Six Nations. Win or lose, the Welsh will be out and numbers and when they are, it’s a sight to behold!
Sat 3 Feb, 14:15 – Wales v Scotland, Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Sat 3 Feb, 16:45 – France v Ireland, Stade de France, Paris
Sun 4 Feb, 15:00 – Italy v England, StadioOlimpico, Rome
Sat 10 Feb, 14:15 – Ireland v Italy, Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Sat 10 Feb, 16:45 – England v Wales, Twickenham, London
Sun 11 Feb, 15:00 – Scotland v France, Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Fri 23 Feb, 20:00 – France v Italy, Orange Velodrome, Marseille
Sat 24 Feb, 14:15 – Ireland v Wales, Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Sat 24 Feb, 16:45 – Scotland v England, Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Sat 10 March, 14:15 – Ireland v Scotland, Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Sat 10 March, 16:45 – France v England, Stade de France, Paris
Sun 11 March, 15:00 – Wales v Italy, Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Sat 17 March, 12:30 – Italy v Scotland, StadioOlimpico, Rome
Sat 17 March, 14:45 – England v Ireland, Twickenham, London
Sat 17 March, 17:00 – Wales v France, Principality Stadium, Cardiff
words STUART FAGG