Ollie Phillips: Ireland are favourites but the opening round could shape a tight Six Nations
The Six Nations finally gets under way tomorrow and the fixture list has thrown up some fascinating ties to kick off with.
England travel to Dublin to face defending champions Ireland on Saturday, which I think might actually prove to be a blessing rather than a curse as there is little pressure to improve their record of six defeats in their last seven visits there.
Ireland are not used to having the favourites tag, so Joe Schmidt’s team have a new factor to contend with alongside their reputation for starting tournaments slowly.
Eddie Jones has named an exciting side which is full of talent and crucially has its experienced players back at the right time.
The Vunipola brothers, Mako and Billy, are fit and raring to go and along with Manu Tuilagi, who is in for the injured Ben Te’o, they give England a consistent ball-carrying threat.
England have a mobile pack and dangerous runners in the back line so I really hope they go the Aviva Stadium with the intention to get on the front foot.
Ireland’s brilliant form has been built on a precise kicking game and dominance on the ground, so I expect them to test England out with the high ball.
I’m therefore surprised Jones has picked Elliot Daly at full-back ahead of Mike Brown, who is always solid at dealing with kicks. However, I think flankers Tom Curry and Mark Wilson will compete well on the floor and slow Ireland’s game down.
Robbie Henshaw is playing out of position at full-back for Ireland, so the early stages may well see the teams testing each other out aerially.
Crucial tie
The tournament starts tomorrow in Paris, where Wales face France in a match I think will be crucial to shaping the next six weeks.
Warren Gatland said if Wales win he believes they’ll be victorious in the entire competition and it’s certainly a big one, because it would give them confidence and momentum.
If Ireland and Wales both win this weekend it could come down to their final game, when the two meet in Cardiff on 16 March. What an epic conclusion that could be.
First they must get past the dangerous French, who are unpredictable and can always cause damage through the likes of Wesley Fofana, Camille Lopez, Maxime Medard and Yoann Huget.
Scotland have improved massively and in Finn Russell have a No10 who can bring some magic, but I think ultimately it’ll prove a two-horse race.
Ireland and Wales are ranked No2 and No3 in the world and with England going away to both it would be a huge feather in the cap of Jones if they were to win the tournament.
I can’t see any side completing a grand slam, simply because it’s so competitive, which as a fan is exactly what you want. Ireland are rightly the favourites, but if England can upset the apple cart on Saturday then it’ll be game on. I can’t wait.
Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is a director within the real estate & construction team at PwC and founder of Optimist Performance. Follow Ollie on Twitter and on LinkedIn