Six Nations
Wales have suffered a further injury blow with the news that hooker Matthew Rees will miss the Six Nations opener away to Ireland and next week’s home match against Scotland.
Ireland coach Declan Kidney has made three changes to the team that played Wales in Ireland’s final 2011 Rugby World Cup match for this weekend’s Six Nations opener.
New Italy coach Jacques Brunel has changed nearly half of Italy’s squad for his Six Nations debut against his home nation France on Saturday.
Scotland coach Andy Robinson is to hand uncapped Edinburgh winger Lee Jones a debut against England in the RBS Six Nations opener at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Wales came from nowhere to win it in 2008 with a Grand Slam to boot. Ireland emulated them twelve months later, France followed suit in 2010 and last year England made it to the top of the pile before their World Cup implosion.
There is nothing to beat the RBS 6 Nations and not merely because of its capacity to spread the title around. Four different champions in successive years had last happened long before the Five became Six, a sequence completed in 1982 when Ollie Campbell’s fusillade of seven goals swamped a lone Scottish try to guarantee Ireland the Triple Crown and, ultimately, the championship.
Ireland coach Declan Kidney picked five uncapped players on Monday in his final 32-man squad for his team’s Six Nations opener against Wales.
The All Blacks’ Rugby World Cup-winning coach Graham Henry has described England as “world champions at wasting talent” and as playing a game based on fear.
Twenty-seven-year-old Edinburgh Rugby hooker Ross Ford has been appointed Scotland captain for the opening match of the Six Nations Championship – against England at Murrayfield.
Wales have named a 35-man training squad for the 2012 Six Nations, with inside centre Gavin Henson and full-back Lee Byrne both included.
England Caretaker Coach Stuart Lancaster has revealed his revised England Elite Player squad which has nine players who have no Test Experience.
The British and Irish Lions have revealed that three of the current Six Nations coaches will effectively be on trial for the Lions head coaching job to be announced later this year.
Almost time for the Six Nations competition. First games will be played in four weeks time. Here is some History of the Championship.
Played annually, the format of the Championship is simple: each team plays every other team once, with home field advantage alternating from one year to the next.
Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss and unlike most other rugby union competitions the bonus point system is not used.
Wesley Fofana (photo) and Yoann Maestri are in line to make their international debuts after being picked for France’s RBS 6 Nations squad by new head coach Philippe Saint-André.
Clermont centre Fofana has impressed both domestically and in Europe and could start alongside club colleague Aurélien Rougerie while Toulouse’s 23-year-old man mountain Maestri is one of four second rows named.
Centre Steven Shingler is the surprise inclusion as one of six new faces in Scotland’s squad for the opening two matches of the 2012 RBS 6 Nations.
Despite being born in Swansea and playing for Wales Under-20s, Shingler qualifies for Scotland through his mother Jeanette and his impressive form for English side London Irish has prompted Andy Robinson to include him in the 36-man squad.
STUART LANCASTER last night sentenced his England squad to community service – after giving Danny Care the boot for drink-driving.