England from this Saturday puts his crown at stake in the Rugby Six Nations in an edition marked by the pandemic. If the virus already altered the tournament last year (the fourth day began to be played in March and ended in October), in this edition, without an audience at the moment, it was not even clear until three days ago if the French Government would allow the XV to be played of the Rooster. The Six Nations will be played, there will be France and there will be bubbles, but not those of the French ‘champagne rugby’, but those that will try to isolate the teams to avoid contagion, a challenge in a tournament that travels to six countries for five weekends.
XV de la Rosa has suffered the scourge of covid (even his coach, Australian Eddie Jones, was isolated), but even so part with the favorite band after winning the previous edition for the golaveraje. To keep the crown he must have a better debut at Twickenham against Scotland (17.45 h. Let’s go) than he had last year in Saint-Denis, although it is true that his reaction that afternoon (from 24-0 to 24-17) ended up giving him the title.
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It escaped a France that he aspires to make up and dedicate it to Jean-Pierre Bastiat, emblematic captain, who died this week at 71 years of age. In the final of the last Autumn Cup, in December, they only yielded to England in extra time, and they showed that their young squad has options to reign again, which they have not achieved since 2010. The debut (15.15 h. Movistar Deportes ), before an Italy that hasn’t won the tournament since 2015 (and in Rome since 2013), it must be placid.
For Sunday there is an exciting Wales-Ireland (4:00 pm Movistar Deportes) which faces two teams at Twickenham who can legitimately dream of victory. The blow of the dragons last year (they defended the crown and finished fifth) turns this edition into a revalidation, with the captain Alun Wun Jones back at one call after a ligament injury and, yes, Josh Adams’ discharge for skipping protocols while attending a family party last week. Ireland took last year as a transition year and reached the last day with options for the title, so in this they can aspire, if they improve away from Dublin, to repeat the success of 2018.
