A capsule look at the rugby teams in the Six Nations

ENGLAND

World ranking: 7

Captain: Maro Itoje

Coach: Steve Borthwick

Schedule:

R1 at Ireland

R2 vs France

R3 vs Scotland

R4 vs Italy

R5 at Wales

Recent Six Nations history:

2020 1st

2021 5th

2022 3rd

2023 4th

2024 3rd

Prospects: More disappointment. Too bad Bill Sweeney can't put on some boots. The England CEO in the middle of the scandal over pay and bonuses he didn't want, refuses to resign despite a grassroots revolt led by, weirdly, the referees. But Sweeney's cussedness and staunch attitude are attributes sorely needed by the England team. Coach Steve Borthwick survived 2024 despite a 5-7 win-loss record, the same record that got Eddie Jones fired in 2022. Borthwick's biggest reaction was to change captain from hooker Jamie George to lock Maro Itoje. Unlike George, Itoje is an 80-minuter and more likely to reach the 2027 World Cup. But when George was replaced in all three tests against New Zealand last year, England was leading. Itoje, a serial penalty-donor, failed to finish the job. Borthwick also made poor substitutions and England suffered from its blitz defense, whose chief architect Felix Jones resigned last August. Twelve tries were conceded in the autumn to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa but England has doubled down on the blitz. Another issue is flyhalf. The maverick Marcus Smith carried England's exciting attack in the autumn but Fin Smith showed ability to involve the entire backline, which will miss injured wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and fullback George Furbank.

Quote: “We have fallen short over the last year in the final stages of games. While I think we are on a positive trajectory, it requires more to get the results you want. We need to work harder.” – Maro Itoje

FRANCE

World ranking: 4

Captain: Antoine Dupont

Coach: Fabien Galthie

Schedule:

R1 vs Wales

R2 at England

R3 at Italy

R4 at Ireland

R5 vs Scotland

Recent Six Nations history:

2020 2nd

2021 2nd

2022 1st

2023 2nd

2024 2nd

Prospects: Predicted champion. Call it the ‘Dupont Effect.’ With Antoine Dupont back in harness, France's expectations are Eiffel Tower-high. After he was voted the best Six Nations player in 2020, 2022 and 2023, he took a hiatus from test rugby a year ago and became the world sevens player of the year with a Paris Olympics gold medal to prove it. Dupont's gift of golden inspiration will be boosted, coincidentally, by the trial of a law which protects scrumhalves from interference at the base of rucks, mauls and scrums. As long as Dupont is on the field, France won't have a problem going to Dublin in round four for what is expected to be the title-deciding matchup again. Who will be with him is France's issue for now as each new day seems to produce a new injured player. Struck down in the past month have been backs Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou and Jonathan Danty, and forwards Reda Wardi, Charles Ollivon, Anthony Jelonch, and Thibaud Flament. Only Ollivon is out for the entire tournament. On the plus side, flyhalf Romain Ntamack returns from a torn ACL before the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Ntamack will reunite with his Toulouse mate Dupont in the halves and bump their goalkicking clubmate Thomas Ramos back to fullback.

Quote: “I'm happy to be back in this beautiful tournament. We've got a lot of ambition for this tournament, we have the potential to win it and I'm excited about that.” – Antoine Dupont

IRELAND

World ranking: 2

Captain: Caelan Doris

Coach: Simon Easterby

Schedule:

R1 vs England

R2 at Scotland

R3 at Wales

R4 vs France

R5 at Italy

Recent Six Nations history:

2020 3rd

2021 3rd

2022 2nd

2023 1st

2024 1st

Prospects: Title or bust. A coach temporarily leaving a national team to focus on the British and Irish Lions is a very modern move. Andy Farrell, held in high esteem, leaves a huge void as Ireland goes after the first tournament three-peat in 52 years. Wales in 2013 proved under stand-in Rob Howley that the title can be won without the Lions coach, at that time Warren Gatland. Long-time defense coach Simon Easterby has the reins on the two-time defending champion and all of the comments in the buildup have been business-as-usual reassurance. But a scratchy autumn series showed Ireland's considerable powers are waning and some stars are living on reputations. The team's significant old guard has been retained it seems for one last hurrah, including a possible Lions tour of Australia. Leinster has 23 players in the squad thanks to beating all-comers in the Champions Cup and United Rugby Championship so far. Leinster's form has elevated rookie flyhalf Sam Prendergast compared to pedigreed Munster rival Jack Crowley, who has reliably been there and done that. Ireland is barely managing to cover the injury absence of key prop Tadhg Furlong while hooker Dan Sheehan and wing James Lowe returned from lengthy injury layoffs only last weekend.

Quote: “The challenge is to stay ahead of the pack and prepare as well as we can and try and play as well as we can. Speaking to the players, you can sense that they are up for the challenge. Facing England at home in the first round sharpens everyone's mind.” – Simon Easterby

ITALY

World ranking: 10

Captain: Michele Lamaro

Coach: Gonzalo Quesada

Schedule:

R1 at Scotland

R2 vs Wales

R3 vs France

R4 at England

R5 vs Ireland

Recent Six Nations history:

2020 6th

2021 6th

2022 6th

2023 6th

2024 5th

Prospects: One win, at least. A year ago the Italians beat Scotland and Wales and drew with France in Lille after Paolo Garbisi's penalty hit the post. How do you top the best Six Nations you've ever had? The anticipation is ramping up. More than 150,000 tickets already have been sold for the three home games in the 70,000-seat Stadio Olimpico. There were less than 5,000 left for the crunch Wales game next week, and the campaign-closer against Ireland was a near sell-out. The same three home games in 2023 — Wales, France, Ireland — drew 153,800. The team is trying to temper expectations by defining success as improving set standards. But the bar was set low during a strange autumn: Italy was crushed by Argentina, labored past Georgia and gave New Zealand a tough time. Since then Benetton Treviso, supplier to the Azzurri of 16 players including formidable centers Tommaso Menoncello and Juan Ignacio Brex, has built on the feel-goods by becoming the first Italian club to reach the Champions Cup playoffs. Tommaso Allan, the team's record Six Nations scorer, has returned after withdrawing a year ago, Ange Capuozzo has been in great form with Toulouse but Louis Lynagh is out after knee surgery.

Quote: “This year will be more difficult than last year. In 2024 we achieved great results. We will have pressure and expectations, we will have to get used to it. I can't wait to start again. I like that our fans are excited.” – Gonzalo Quesada

SCOTLAND

World ranking: 6

Captains: Finn Russell and Rory Darge

Coach: Gregor Townsend

Schedule:

R1 vs Italy

R2 vs Ireland

R3 at England

R4 vs Wales

R5 at France

Recent Six Nations history:

2020 4th

2021 4th

2022 4th

2023 3rd

2024 4th

Prospects: Potential unfulfilled again. Sione Tuipulotu may be a loss Scotland can't recover from. Tuipulotu's pectoral injury in club training in mid-January has knocked him out of the Six Nations and possibly the British and Irish Lions for which he was considered a certain test starter. But for Scotland, the captain was not just the best No. 12 in Europe but also major relief for Finn Russell. Tuipulotu's vision and skills took the pressure off Russell that piles back on him now that he'll have an apprentice outside him along with being retagged co-captain with Rory Darge. The absence of no-retreat lock Scott Cummings due to a broken forearm is another blow. The now-or-never narrative about Scotland has been expressed for years. But Scotland hasn't been in title contention on the last weekend in this century. It can't be satisfied with just beating England, which it has done four straight times. The biggest hurdle has been Ireland, against which Scotland has lost the last 10 contests. A good schedule has Scotland warming up against Italy for Ireland’s visit.

Quote: “Injuries happen and that's why you create depth over a longer period. We have some really good 12s in our squad that now have an opportunity they probably didn't think was coming along. We're backing them to go and grab that opportunity.” – Gregor Townsend

WALES

World ranking: 11

Captain: Jac Morgan

Coach: Warren Gatland

Schedule:

R1 at France

R2 at Italy

R3 vs Ireland

R4 at Scotland

R5 vs England

Recent Six Nations history:

2020 5th

2021 1st

2022 5th

2023 5th

2024: 6th

Prospects: Competitive but ... . Warren Gatland starts his 17th Five/Six Nations with his neck on the chopping block. After the historic misery of losing every test in 2024, Gatland has been reinforcing Wales. Taulupe Faletau, Liam Williams and Josh Adams — a combined 255 caps, 40 more than the entire Wales XV who went down swinging against South Africa in November — plus former captain Dafydd Jenkins are available after missing the autumn. In the backroom have come charismatic Wales great Adam Jones to oversee scrums, and Andy McCann, the mental skills and performance specialist whose return was hailed by Sam Warburton and Jamie Roberts. But it's still a novice squad: 19 of the 35 have 10 caps or less. They need time that a proud rugby nation is unwilling to give. The one specialist flyhalf is uncapped; the four tighthead props share 23 caps. Since 2020, Wayne Pivac and Gatland have debuted nearly 50 players to unearth talent that is hard to find in regions that are struggling and in an under-20 team that is a perennial loser. Wales' problems go far deeper than Gatland, the nation's longest-serving coach who believes he can revive hopes. But the Six Nations schedule doesn't aid Wales' chances of ending a record 12-test losing streak.

Quote: “What he (Gatland) is good at, and certainly was when I was a player, was that backs-to-the-wall narrative. He brings players and teams together in a very short space of time and gets results out of them. He is exceptional at that. I am backing him to pull it round.” – Adam Jones, assistant coach

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Foster Niumata, The Associated Press