WALES
Wales head coach Warren Gatland has made his objective clear for the 2024 Six Nations; he is looking to the future in this new era of Welsh rugby. Gatland’s youthful squad of international inexperience makes the likes of Ireland and England look like veterans clubs. Beginning with the new Wales captain, lock Dafydd Jenkins becomes the second youngest player (since Gareth Edwards in 1968), to lead the nation at just 21-years-old.
Despite being so young in his career, Jenkins has gained valuable leadership experience as Exeter Chiefs captain. The lock set a new Premiership record, as he captained his club in a league match aged just 19 years and 342 days old. The lock leads out a fresh-faced Wales squad, that features 13 players set for their first exposure to the Six Nations Championship.
Beginning with the five uncapped players in the Wales squad, Gatland has called-up a quartet of you Cardiff stars; back rows Alex Mann and Mackenzie Martin plus hooker Evan Lloyd and full-back Cameron Winnett. University of Bath scholar and Bath rugby tight-head Archie Griffin has also been named in the group. The youthful exuberance is further presented in the eight additional players that are gearing up for their first taste of Six Nations action.
The eight players set for their first Six Nations appearances include props Keiron Assiratti, Corey Domachowski (both Cardiff) and Kemsley Mathias (Scarlets), full-back Cai Evans (Dragons), centre Joe Roberts (Scarlets) and lock Teddy Williams (Cardiff), plus Scarlets fly half duo Sam Costelow and Ioan Lloyd. Gatland has also had to deal with a couple of high-profile injuries ahead of the tournament, as his Rugby World Cup co-captains Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake, have both been ruled out of the Six Nations through injury.
There have been two re-callings to the squad, with Ospreys centre Owen Watkin and Cardiff back-row James Botham back in the international set-up. However, most shockingly of all was the announcement that blockbuster wing Louis Rees-Zammit has retired from rugby, in pursuit of an American football career in the NFL. The former Gloucester and British & Irish Lion has accepted a place on the NFL’s International Player Pathway programme, along with former Northampton Saints talent Harry Mallinder, Connacht fullback Darragh Leader and Coventry Rugby lock George Smith.
The new era of Welsh rugby has certainly arrived, after a group of legends retired from test match rugby (or the sport as a whole) on either side of the Rugby World Cup. Beginning with Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric, the two Welsh forward icons stepped down from the World Cup squad in a shocking double-blow, before Rhys Webb headed to Biarritz and Liam Williams, Gareth Anscombe and Cory Hill moved over to Japan. Dan Biggar stepped down from international rugby after Wales’ RWC elimination to Argentina, with a new crop of players steadily emerging through the ranks.
2024 SIX NATIONS PREDICTION: 5TH
R1: WALES 18 – 26 SCOTLAND
R2: ENGLAND 22 – 10 WALES
R3: IRELAND 42 – 16 WALES
R4: WALES 12 – 26 FRANCE
R5: WALES 18 – 9 ITALY
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SCOTLAND
Having long been the Six Nations’ dark horses, Scotland will be looking to put plans into action and record some upset victories in the upcoming Championships. Gregor Townsend’s men will be eyeing up redemption against Ireland, after Farrell’s men halted any further progression than the pool stages of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Spear-headed by the self professed ‘Lionel Messi’ of rugby, Finn Russell, Townsend is yet to name his captain but could well bestow the honour to his charismatic talisman.
Scotland have kept hold of the Calcutta Cup for the past three years, with their recent dominance of England stretching to back-to-back meetings at Twickenham Stadium. Scotland have since taken two other England assets north of the border, in the form of their latest international call-ups Alec Hepburn and Arron Reed. Starting with Hepburn, the Exeter Chiefs prop made six previous caps for England, yet after a three-year stand-down period, has opted to swap nations and play for Scotland for the upcoming Six Nations.
Hepburn qualifies for Scotland through his father, as does Sale Sharks wing Reed, who was also on the cards for an England call-up. Scotland pipped England to Reed’s international commitment, yet could not bring Tom Roebuck or Fin Smith on board. Additionally, Townsend has named Leicester Tigers tight-head Will Hurd in the squad, with the Scotland U20 prop earning a shot at a first senior test cap. Flying fullback Harry Paterson also joins the fray in search of a Scotland 15s debut, having previously represented the nation on the sevens circuit.
Gloucester fly half Adam Hastings has made his return from injury, in time to be named in amongst the Scotland halfbacks. There are three players in the squad with a sole Scottish cap to their names, as Glasgow wing Kyle Rowe and fullback Stafford McDowall are called-up, along with hooker and Warriors teammate Johnny Matthews.
Following the retirement of Stuart Hogg ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Scotland with also be without a further three British & Irish Lions for the upcoming competition. Centre Chris Harris, back row Hamish Watson and prop Rory Sutherland have all been left out, in a trio of big calls from Gregor Townsend.
Scotland have a flooded centre market to explain Harris’ exclusion, yet the shallower depth in the back row from a match fitness perspective (Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey and Rory Darge on injury returns) adds question marks on ‘the Mish’s’ dismissal from the national team. Johnny Gray also remains out of the Scotland fold, as the lock has not yet featured for Exeter Chiefs in the 2023/24 Premiership season.
2024 SIX NATIONS PREDICTION: 4TH
R1: WALES 18 – 26 SCOTLAND
R2: SCOTLAND 18 – 27 FRANCE
R3: SCOTLAND 16 – 20 ENGLAND
R4: ITALY 10 – 24 SCOTLAND
R5: IRELAND 25 – 20 SCOTLAND