Ahead of the Six Nations this weekend, JOE sought the opinions of Malcolm O’Kelly, Johnny O’Connor and Rob Murphy from the Weekly Maul crew to see how the tournament will pan out.
The first step in what could potentially be the biggest year in the history of Irish rugby begins this weekend as Ireland travel to Rome for the opening game of the Six Nations. The World Cup will obviously take centre stage come September but will that reduce the significance of the Six Nations? Not on your life!
Ahead of the competition opener between England and Wales on Friday night, JOE sought the opinion of the experts and who better to ask than the crew from the Weekly Maul, JOE’s Rugby Podcast?
We asked the hard questions of Malcolm O’Kelly, a Heineken Cup winner, Lions tourist and a man with 92 caps for Ireland, Johnny O’Connor, now of Connacht and formerly of London Wasps, who has been capped by Ireland 12 times and Rob Murphy, rugby journalist, host of the Weekly Maul and creator of rugby website, knockon.ie.
Read on to see how the lads think Ireland will fare in the competition, who will catch the eye and the game that they are relishing the most.
To listen to the latest edition of the Weekly Maul, click here and to read Malcolm O’Kelly’s latest column, click here.
JOE: Who will win the Six Nations and why?
Malcolm O’Kelly: It’s very hard to call, but I will go for England as they have the deepest squad and don’t have as many injuries as Ireland. However, I think Ireland could stop them winning a Grand Slam and get a share of the Six Nations in the process.
Johnny O’Connor: It’s difficult enough to pick who’s going to come out on top isn’t it? In terms of form it’s hard to judge who’s best placed coming in because the autumn was so long ago. England had a mixed bag in the autumn beating Australia but losing to South Africa whereas Ireland finished the series OK with a good win over Argentina, who are always a difficult side to play against.
You really don’t know how it’s going to go until the tournament starts but there are going to be a lot of Leinster players playing with Ireland and if they can carry their provincial form into the tournament well then we’ll be in with a great chance. I suppose I’m not really giving a definitive answer here, but it really is hard to tell until after the tournament gets into full swing. It’s hard to look past England and Ireland and even France as well.
Rob Murphy: Ireland. It’s wide open this year and England are understandably favourites but we might just have the edge now that we’ve made the right calls in the front row. Very worried about the decision not to pick a recognised full back in the squad for Italy though.
JOE: Is this the toughest Six Nations tournament in some time?
MOK: I think it is arguably the toughest to call in some time as all the teams have shown glimpses of what they are capable of, but no team has been able to back that up with their performances in recent times. There has been inconsistency from all the countries involved, especially France, who are the present Six Nations Champions
JOC: It’s going to be really tight because there’s no real team standing out that you think are going to dominate the rest, which has been the case in the past. It has been tight enough in the last couple of years and as I said there’s no team that has been setting the bar far higher than anyone else. Italy are probably going to be better than they have been in a while so yeah, it could be one of the toughest competitions in some time.
RM: No, if anything it will be the weakest. Every team has major worries, be it with injuries, form or just a lack of quality. Any team could win it bar Italy. Seriously, even the Scots can do it this time.
JOE: Which is more important: Winning the Six Nations or developing a squad of players with the World Cup in mind?
MOK: I think they go hand in hand and the best way to develop a squad is to create a winning mentality. The enduring nature of the Six Nations has always been such that opportunities arise and at this level, players have to be prepared and focused to take their chance no matter if it is their first or fiftieth test.
JOC: The World Cup isn’t that far out at this stage so you have to ask how much are you going to learn between now and then? In fairness, the Irish management have managed to give pretty much everyone experience; for example, you look at the likes of Mike Ross getting a start in the Italy game.
Mike Ross will start for Ireland against Italy on Saturday, and not before time too.
How many more guys do you need to give experience to? There are also a lot of young guys training with the senior squad as well, getting used to that environment and I’m sure they’re well capable of stepping up if necessary. If you’re going to pick someone outside of the camp at this stage, they’re probably going to be good enough to play international rugby so it’s not going to be a case of someone being thrown in at the deep end.
RM: For France it’s all about the World Cup, Six Nations is their FBD League/O’Byrne Cup this time around. For England, they need to build a winning mentality going into the World Cup like they had in 2003 so it’s crucial. For everyone else, a Six Nations Championship is a rare prize so they can’t but focus on it.
JOE: What Irish player do you think will most catch the eye during the tournament?
MOK: Sean O’Brien. He has been on top form this season, is a great ball carrier and a real work horse. He is a game-winner.
JOC: It has to be Sean O’Brien. He’s catching the eye so much at the moment; there hasn’t been anyone like him in a long, long time. He’s producing the goods in every single game, it doesn’t matter who he’s playing against or how big they are he’s just able to run over people. He’s a pretty amazing athlete to be fair and I’m looking forward to seeing how he performs for Ireland in the competition.
RM: Fergus McFadden. Now that he’s got a chance I think he can shine, he runs brilliant lines, has a high skill level and is an exciting prospect.
JOE: Outside of the Irish team, what player do you expect to have a big impact?
MOK: Ben Youngs, the English scrumhalf. He is a real talent behind a strong pack and you can expect some real magic from him.
JOC: Ben Youngs for England is a pretty talented player. He has loads of pace and offers a real threat from the back of the scrum and could go onto have a big impact in the tournament.
RM: Jonathan Davies of Wales, the most impressive player I’ve seen on my travels in the Magners League over the past two years. He’s got it all and he’s a big reason why the Scarlets have one of the best backlines in the Magners League.
JOE: Judging by his selection for the Italy game, has Declan Kidney been too loyal to players like Donncha O’Callaghan and Tomas O’Leary?
MOK: I think Deccie has to weigh up experience against form perhaps and bring new players in slowly. I think we can expect Deccie to give Jennings and Cullen a decent amount of game time, but I think O’Leary and O’Callaghan offer a real physical edge that could be important against Italy.
Tomas O’Leary and Donncha O’Callaghan were a tad fortunate to make the cut for the Italy game
JOC: It’s not for me to say really. You make your decisions as a coach and sometimes you give guys a second chance and give them a chance to repay the faith you have shown in them. A lot of players receive loyalty well and if a coach is loyal to you and gives you the chance when the chips are supposedly down, you tend to repay that sometimes. The team selection is Declan Kidney’s call and although I might not have necessarily gone with the same team, he’s in charge at the end of the day and I’m sure he’s taken his decision for a reason.
RM: Declan Kidney is no Eddie O’Sullivan that’s for sure. By that I mean he does try new blood and does so consistently but one thing is for sure, when it comes to the big games, the Six Nations games, he gets a lot more conservative and who are we to criticise him on that? The man brought us a grand slam in his first year after seven years of ‘close but no cigar’.
JOE: Have Ireland got the squad to cope with the current injury crisis?
MOK: I think it has really stretched the squad and it is disappointing not seeing Ireland’s first choice back three out there. However, it is great for development purposes to see Luke at 15 and a new capper in Ferg McFadden as both these players are exceptional talents.
JOC: I would think so. You’d imagine that the likes of Stephen Ferris and Tommy Bowe might be back soon so if we can just get through the first weekend and reassess where the squad is at, I’m sure we’ll be well able to cope.
RM: In the Six Nations yes, In the World Cup no.
JOE: What game are you most looking forward to in the competition?
MOK: Ireland v England in the Aviva Stadium. This match has that extra bit of excitement for the players involved and I think this is evident watching the clashes between the teams over the years.
JOC: Definitely Ireland v England. If the two teams go well in the tournament, they could be playing for the tournament or maybe even the Grand Slam and it’s at the Aviva Stadium on Paddy’s weekend so there should be an awesome atmosphere.
RM: The best rivalry in the competition on a Friday night in Twickers, England v Wales, a crew of fellow rugby mad buddies, a six pack of beer, some cheese and onion jumbo size crisps with a sweet and sour dip and I’m settled in for the evening. Can’t wait.
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