A former England fly-half has emerged as the favourite to become Wales' new attack coach after the Welsh Rugby Union blocked the appointment of Rob Howley.
Alex King is reportedly one of four coaches under consideration to replace the departing Stephen Jones as attack coach, according to Wales Online.
The long-term Wasps fly-half has previously worked with Wales, under Howley during the 2016-17 season.
Gatland is also closing in on a new defence coach with Eddie Jones' former assistant Paul Gustard the likeliest appointment, while former Wales loose-forward Jonathan Thomas is in line to become contact skills coach.
2023 Six Nations fixtures and kick off times confirmed with England handed nightmare start
The 2023 Six Nations fixtures have been announced with England looking to reclaim the Calcutta Cup in round one.
Eddie Jones will be under series pressure following their poor Autumn Nations Series while Wayne Pivac, if he is still in charge of Wales, takes on Ireland at home first game.
Commenting on the announcement, Six Nations Rugby CEO, Ben Morel said: “The 2022 Championship ended in one of the most exciting Super Saturdays in history with an incredible performance by Italy, a Triple Crown win for Ireland and a long-awaited Grand Slam for France.
“Once again, fans had to wait until the final game was played to know who this year’s Champions would be, and the rugby action did not disappoint. The combination of incredible broadcast coverage of the Championship, and the eagerly anticipated return of fans at games, meant that this year’s Guinness Six Nations felt truly special.”
2023 Six Nations Fixtures - Round One:
04/02/2023
- Wales vs Ireland - 14:15 (BBC)
- England vs Scotland - 16:45 (ITV)
05/02/2023
- Italy vs France - 15:00 (ITV)
2023 Six Nations - Round Two Fixtures:
11/02/2023
- Ireland vs France- 14:15 (ITV)
- Scotland vs Wales - 16:45 (BBC)
12/02/2023
- England vs Italy- 15:00 (ITV)
Round Three Fixtures:
25/02/2023
- Italy vs Ireland- 14:15 (ITV)
- Wales vs England - 16:45 (BBC)
26/02/2023
- France vs Scotland- 15:00 (ITV)
Ellis Genge of England Rugby is tackled by Will Rowlands of Wales during the Six Nations Championship match between England and Wales at Twickenham Stadium, Twickenham, London on February 26th 2021. - PHOTO: Phil Mingo/PPAUK
Round Four Fixtures:
11/03/2023
- Italy vs Wales- 14:15 (ITV)
- England vs France - 16:45 (ITV)
12/03/2023
- Scotland vs Ireland - 15:00 (BBC)
2023 Six Nations - Round Five Fixtures:
18/03/2023
- Scotland vs Italy - 12:30 (BBC)
- France vs Wales - 14:45 (ITV)
- Ireland vs England - 17:00 (ITV)
Ireland fan during the six Nations Championship match, between England and Ireland at Twickenham Stadium, London , UK, on the 17th March 2017. (Photo:Dean Lancaster/PPAUK)
How to watch the Six Nations
The Six Nations, as usual, will be available to the UK and Ireland on the BBC. Meanwhile, in the Women’s Six Nations, the partnership with TikTok will continue for another year as the platform looks to build on record-breaking viewership numbers from last year’s Championship.
Rugby fans will be spoilt for choice as the top teams battle it out for the Six Nations crown, and with restrictions lifted the atmosphere at each match will be guaranteed to be special. Six Nations without the fans takes away from the spectacle and we are overjoyed that fans will be packing stadiums across the country. ExpressVPN recently ran a survey on Google Trends examining the popularity of rugby across the UK, and it’s facing stiff competition from golf as being the second most popular sport in the UK. Nail-biting finishes, hard-hitting tackles, and free-flowing rugby at sold-out stadiums will go a great way in boosting the popularity of rugby for fans of all ages.
