FRANCE
France head coach Fabien Galthie also had the tough task of choosing a new captain, with superstar scrum-half Antoine Dupont out of the 2024 Six Nations. Dupont stepped away from the national team for a brief focus on sevens rugby, with the goal of winning gold at the upcoming Paris Olympic Games this Summer. Dupont could also take on former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper at the Games, as the back-row gears up with the Australia Olympic team.
Dupont will be in North America throughout the 2024 Six Nations, as the France Sevens team compete in the Vancouver (Canada) and Los Angeles (California, US) events on the Sevens World Series circuit. In Dupont’s absence, Galthie has selected titanic back-row Gregory Alldritt to lead France throughout the 2024 Six Nations.
The Stade Rochelais number eight led his side to back-to-back Champions Cup titles, and was named 2023 EPCR Player of the Year for his heroics in their latest campaign. Should Alldritt become unavailable for selection, back-rows Anthony Jelonch and Charles Ollivon are the front-runners for the armband, as the duo have both previously captained Les Bleus in recent years. Dupont’s vacancy leaves a void at scrum-half, with Maxime Lucu of Bordeaux-Begles the leading contender for Les Blues’ nine jersey.
Galthie has named six uncapped players in France’s squad, as his side enters a new Rugby World Cup cycle following their home-soil heartbreak. France were ousted in their own tournament by eventual winners South Africa, with the incredible quarter-final being the best match of the competition for many neutral fans.
Galthie’s assortment of debuting talents begins with newly eligible New Zealand-born lock Emmanuel Meafou (Toulouse), as well as second row Matthias Halagahu and back-row Estaban Abadie, who are both representing Toulon in the forward pack. They are joined by scrum-half and potential Dupont replacement Nolann Le Garrec, and fly half Antoine Gibert from the blue and white of Racing 92. Centre Nicolas Depoortere joins Galthie’s group from Bordeaux-Begles.
The stand-out re-calling to the France squad is Paul Gabrillagues, who has not played a test match for Les Bleus in half a decade. The lock last featured on the national stage France’s 2019 Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat to Wales, and the 30-year-old has been steadily plying his trade at Stade Francais in hopes of a comeback to the squad, to build on his 16-cap tally.
2024 SIX NATIONS PREDICTION: 2ND
R1: FRANCE 12 – 18 IRELAND
R2: SCOTLAND 18 – 27 FRANCE
R3: FRANCE 38 – 10 ITALY
R4: WALES 12 – 26 FRANCE
R5: FRANCE 26 – 12 ENGLAND
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ITALY
The ultimate underdogs of the Six Nations, Italy made history back in 2022 as the ended a seven-year long wait for a Six Nations win, in their immortalised 22-21 triumph over Wales in Cardiff. However, the Azzurri were unable to follow this up with a victory in last year’s competition, as they were once again awarded the wooden spoon despite showing promise.
After reaching new heights under Kieran Crowley, Italy have appointed a new head coach to build on the New Zealander’s foundation of milestone wins. With Crowley at the helm, Italy achieved the aforementioned Six Nations curse-ender against Wales, an immense upset over Australia and additional test match wins against Samoa, Japan and Romania. The new appointment is Gonzalo Quesada, the former Argentina fly-half that has since enjoyed coaching stints with Racing 92, Jaguares, Biarritz and Stade Francais.
Quesada has named five uncapped players in his Italy squad, including Exeter Chiefs back-row Ross Vincent. The South African born ‘bolter’ has had a rapid rise to prominence down at Sandy Park, and the 21-year-old would be eager to mix it up against his Exeter teammates Manny Feyi-Waboso, Henry Slade and Ethan Roots, when Italy and England open their Six Nations campaigns in Rome.
The four other uncapped Azzurri hopefuls are made up of two each from Italy’s United Rugby Championship clubs. Benetton have produced prop Mirco Spagnolo and back-row Alessandro Izekor into the national squad, with Zebre Parma also contributing to the front row, in the form of props Matteo Nocera and Luca Rizzoli. The Italian squad should in no way be overlooked, as they aim for an odds-upsetting victory in the coming months.
The most experienced player in the Italy squad is former Harlequins playmaker Tommaso Allan. The adaptable back has 79 caps to his name, with 31-capped prop Pietro Ceccarelli being the oldest squad member at 31-years-old. Like Italy had for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, the squad is made up of a predominantly young contingent, with the likes of Paolo Garbisi and pocket-rocket Ange Capuozzo named in the exciting squad-list.
Speaking of Garbisi, the Italian fly half could well be on his way to the Premiership with the Six Nations presenting an opportune shop window for Saracens fans. Garbisi has been linked with the North London club, amongst a list of potential replacements for Owen Farrell, once the former England captain departs for Racing 92 next Summer.
2024 SIX NATIONS PREDICTION: 6TH
R1: ITALY 18 – 35 ENGLAND
R2: IRELAND 54 – 10 ITALY
R3: FRANCE 38 – 10 ITALY
R4: ITALY 10 – 24 SCOTLAND
R5: WALES 18 – 9 ITALY
QUIZ: Name every Six Nations player to be sent off since 2000
G’day rugby aficionados, Steve here, and we’ve got a ripper of a quiz lined up for you today.
We’re delving into the nitty-gritty of Six Nations history, focusing on those moments when the ref brandished a red card and sent players marching off the pitch.
It’s a real head-scratcher, mate! So, grab your favourite brew, cozy up in your lucky armchair, and let’s see if you’ve got the goods to name every Six Nations player who’s been given the old heave-ho since the turn of the century.
This one’s a corker, so let’s get stuck in and separate the true-blue rugby brains from the weekend warriors.
Cheers, and let the quizathon begin!