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It’s England’s Six Nations to lose, and I fancy France to beat Ireland handsomely

Eddie Jones and England visit Italy on Saturday in the final round of Six Nations fixtures
Eddie Jones and England visit Italy on Saturday in the final round of Six Nations fixtures

Everyone is thankful for competitive live sport like the Six Nations Championship at the moment.

And the fact that the final round of fixtures on Saturday will decide the winner makes it even more exciting.

Away from all the increasingly gloomy news in other areas of life, we have a Six Nations finale and a great new tournament, the Autumn Nations Cup, to look forward to.

You can be sure that everyone at all of the unions will be crossing everything that it can all go ahead.

England travel to Italy for their last game and, realistically, I think it’s their title to lose. 

Italy are a very poor side who are lucky to still be part of the Six Nations. 

I can’t see any other outcome than the bonus-point win that England are seeking.

If anything, you have to hope it isn’t too one-sided for the sake of the tournament.

Last weekend’s cancelled fixture against the Barbarians would have been a chance for England to sharpen the blade.

We all know what happened there. But while they may be slightly rusty, Italy will be too. 

I think Eddie Jones has been shrewd in his squad selection. 

The likes of Wasps pair Jack Willis and Jacob Umaga deserve to be around the set-up.

But their inclusion also brings fresh impetus and keeps everyone else on their toes.

It reinforces the message that there is no room for complacency.

Points difference could decide this year’s Six Nations winner.

So England can’t go to Rome and expect to play Sevens rugby, chucking it around and having a good time.

If they are disciplined and professional early on, however, they should build a big enough lead to cut loose.

Ireland living off past glories

Ireland’s clash with France on Saturday evening is a belter of a climax to the championship.

France are a quality side and I think Ireland will struggle to get the win they will surely need.

The Irish have a proud Six Nations record but have not been playing that well lately and are living off past glories.

They have brought in Robbie Henshaw for some extra defensive savvy and physicality in the middle  

But with backs like Romain Ntamack, Virimi Vakatawa and Antoine Dupont, France have threats everywhere.

And coach Shaun Edwards has addressed their achilles heel, a tendency to switch off defensively.

This promises to be a cracker in Paris. My feeling is that France will win handsomely.

Lions subplot adds spice

If all that weren’t enough, there’s an interesting sub-plot to keep an eye on too.

As the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa draws nearer, coach Warren Gatland will be mulling who to include in his staff.

So while coaches are always under pressure, those keen to put their hand up for selection may feel the spotlight more sharply in the next few weeks.

Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance, experts in leadership development & behavioural change. Follow Ollie on Twitter and on LinkedIn.