Rhys Webb: Six Nations Preview - The Closest Championship in Years

Watch the Guinness Six Nations at your local Greene King sports pub.

England are in a strong place. They’re firing, they’ve built impressive strength in depth, and—crucially—they’ve got combinations that are playing week in, week out together at club level. That cohesion is starting to show. They look settled, confident, and capable of putting real pressure on anyone in the competition.

France will always be France—an absolute joy to watch. Having two of the best players in the world partnering each other again, Antoine Dupont and Matthieu Jalibert , for the first time in a while is massive. Their skill, flair, and ability to produce moments out of nothing means you can never write them off. they are unplayable at the moment.

Ireland’s club form hasn’t quite been at the heights of previous seasons, but the quality throughout the squad is undeniable. With Andy Farrell and Simon Easterby running the show, they’ll be extremely well prepared. They remain one of the most complete teams in the tournament and will be right in the mix.

Wales are entering a new chapter under fresh management. Steve Tandy has already stamped his authority and is an outstanding man-manager. Tomos Williams will be key—pulling the strings and hopefully playing the same natural, instinctive game he’s been producing at Gloucester.
Louis Rees-Zammit is always a threat, and Wales need to get the ball into his hands as often as possible. The big focus will be balance: playing a positive, ambitious style of rugby without overplaying.

Scotland’s club sides—Glasgow and Edinburgh—have been playing some excellent rugby. The question, as always, is whether they can fully transfer that form onto the international stage. If they do, they’re more than capable of causing problems for everyone.

Italy have made real progress over the last few years. They’ve built genuine strength in depth and now have quality right across the board. The big question is whether they can maintain their performance for the full 80 minutes. If they can, they will challenge every team they face.

I’m backing England or France to take the title. This feels like it’s going to be the closest Six Nations we’ve seen for a long time.