1 month ago
England
Coach John Mitchell Captain Meg Jones Last year’s finish Grand slam champions
England are connected a precocious aft winning nan World Cup and will return to nan transportation against Ireland connected Saturday for nan first clip since they were crowned world champions successful September. There person been immoderate changes to nan squad, including nan retirements of Abby Dow and Emily Scarratt arsenic good arsenic Tatyana Heard’s ft wounded and nan pregnancies of Zoe Stratford (formerly Aldcroft, nan captain), Abbie Ward and Lark Atkin-Davies. Scarratt is now England’s onslaught and backs coach and 7 of nan 38-player squad are uncapped. Though they are depleted, England are patient favourites and while galore whitethorn deliberation nan Red Roses do not person thing other to conquer, their new captain, Meg Jones, has outlined their target for this tournament. “We could beryllium nan first men aliases women’s squad to triumph a Six Nations aft a World Cup triumph truthful that is decidedly a situation we are very alert of,” she said.
Key player Jones is among nan astir influential successful nan squad, but Alex Matthews, nan Gloucester-Hartpury back-rower, is now a vice-captain and has been a portion of 2 World Cup winning campaigns.
Prediction Every instrumentality will foretell England will triumph each of their matches and return location nan trophy for nan eighth twelvemonth successful a row, moreover if done gritted teeth. The Red Roses look for illustration an unstoppable instrumentality and are connected a winning tally of 33 games. Grand slam again
France
Coach François Ratier Captain Manaé Feleu Last year’s finish 2nd
The fearfulness of being 2nd champion hangs complete France each twelvemonth because they cannot find a measurement to flooded England. But what mightiness beryllium worrying them this twelvemonth is that different teams are catching up and truthful they could decorativeness little than second. They utilized to beryllium a shoo-in for a expansive slam decider pinch nan Red Roses, but Ireland will beryllium different large challenge. France’s betterment seems to person stalled complete nan past fewer years. While awesome astatine times – losing by a constituent astatine Twickenham past year, for example – they person not made strides. However, François Ratier took complete arsenic caput coach successful January and truthful nan squad is besides a small spot of an unknown. Ratier said: “Our nonsubjective is to proceed expanding nan squad’s depth, fostering patient and demanding title astatine each positions.”
Key player Pauline Bourdon Sansus brings France’s performances to nan adjacent level; unbelievably fast, a calm leader and awesome astatine crippled management. A existent menace astatine No 9.
Prediction France will squeak past Ireland but England will again person their measurement travel nan last round. 2nd
Ireland
Coach Scott Bemand Captain Erin King Last year’s finish 3rd
Ireland person progressed hugely complete nan past fewer years, pushing nan Red Roses for nan first half-hour of their 2025 Six Nations fixture, and finishing third. At nan World Cup they were awesome and unfortunate not to make nan semi-finals aft a arguable crippled against France successful nan past 8 erstwhile they let gaffe a 13-0 lead to suffer 18-13. Ireland are welcoming backmost a fewer faces. Erin King returns aft wounded and has been appointed skipper pinch chap back-rowers Dorothy Wall and Aoife Wafer disposable erstwhile again. However, nan helping Amee-Leigh Costigan is pregnant pinch twins and misses nan tournament, while nan erstwhile co-captain Edel McMahon is injured. Ireland will trial England, though nan task is simply a small much difficult arsenic they play them successful nan opening crippled successful beforehand of what will beryllium a grounds Women’s Six Nations crowd.
Key player King is now nan skipper but moreover earlier having specified a pivotal activity domiciled she was 1 of Ireland’s champion players. Her anterior cruciate ligament wounded was cruelly timed and meant she missed retired connected nan World Cup, but she will beryllium keen to deed nan crushed running.
Prediction Ireland person gone from spot to spot complete nan past fewer years and they are nan main challengers to France and England. Power is still an issue, but they will proceed to improve. 3rd
Italy
Coach Fabio Roselli Captain Elisa Giordano Last year’s finish 4th
Fabio Roselli has had a bumpy commencement to his tenure arsenic Italy’s coach. He was appointed successful 2025 and his first tourney was nan Six Nations, erstwhile his broadside hit Scotland and Wales and pushed France close. That 34-21 conclusion gave fans hopes for really acold they could spell successful nan Rugby World Cup, but it was a disappointing tourney for them. They were knocked retired successful nan excavation shape aft managing to hit only debutants Brazil. They mislaid to France, and South Africa caused a immense upset to hit nan Azzurri and scope nan quarters for nan first time. Roselli has balanced his squad pinch acquisition and caller talent pinch 9 uncapped players. The caput coach has besides put an accent connected starting quickly and implementing their ain style.
Key player Michela Sillari is connected way to go nan 4th Italian female to scope 100 caps. She is connected 94 and has been a stalwart for nan squad since winning her first headdress successful 2012.
Prediction Should amended again, but improbable to replicate past year’s finish. 5th.
Scotland
Coach Sione Fukofuka. Captain Rachel Malcolm. Last year’s finish 5th
Scotland are starting a caller era this Six Nations pinch their caput coach, Sione Fukofuka. While nan unit person been getting to cognize their players and mounting retired their goals, they person been deed pinch bad news. Evie Gallagher, nan No 8, has been ruled retired of nan tourney pinch injury. Four different players from nan World Cup – Lisa Cockburn, Caity Mattinson, Beth Blacklock and Jade Konkel – person retired aft nan squad reached nan quarter-finals. Konkel was a cardinal fig and nan captain, Rachel Malcolm, says her beingness successful campy has been missed: “She is an unthinkable teammate to person connected nan pitch, but she is besides 1 of nan astir caring disconnected nan pitch. She is that personification to put an limb astir you successful nan difficult time. To not person her and her quirkiness is thing we each miss already.”
Key player Emma Orr is simply a barnstorming centre who regularly gets complete nan gainline. The Bristol Bears backmost is besides a menace astatine nan breakdown pinch 11 turnovers this PWR season.
Prediction A successful result for Scotland would beryllium if they vanished third. They person not vanished supra 4th since 2005 and while they person nan value to do so, rising 1 spot from past twelvemonth is nan astir apt outcome. 4th
Wales
Coach Sean Lynn. Captain Kate Williams. Last year’s finish 6th
Last play was not what nan coach, Sean Lynn, would person wanted successful his first twelvemonth successful charge. They vanished bottommost of nan Six Nations and exited nan Rugby World Cup successful nan excavation shape aft losses to Canada, Fiji and Scotland. When asked what occurrence would look for illustration successful this year’s Six Nations, Lynn said: “We will beryllium looking astatine our consistency. Consistency of performances and past if nan results travel past brilliant. Consistency successful nan group piece, defence, everyone knowing their process. Then our attack, I want america to beryllium brave and exciting.” Unfortunately, 2 of nan players who would person been cardinal to consistency are injured. Alex Callender and Nel Metcalfe will beryllium sidelined for nan tourney and truthful nan squad must strive to deed their targets without immoderate cardinal influences. A boost for nan broadside comes pinch the inclusion of Alisha Joyce, who gave commencement to a son, Ralphie, successful November.
Key player Lleucu George has been pulling Gloucester-Hartpury’s strings for nan past fewer seasons and a batch of colleagues will look to her erstwhile nan squad is nether pressure.
Prediction Positive results are not expected, pinch a woody spoon apt again, but an betterment to their performances would correspond success. 6th.
