Showing posts with label Nations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nations. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Six Nations 2014: Surprise Stars Who Must Maintain Momentum

The Six Nations championship is one of rugby's great equalisers, where those names billed as the best and brightest can often crumble under pressure of shouldering their country's dreams.

However, that platform has a flip side, providing some of the competition's lesser-known participants with an opportunity to impress on Europe's biggest stages in the Northern Hemisphere's premier international contest.

Read on for a breakdown of those names whom some may not have thought would star quite so brightly but have gripped the opportunity afforded to them and controlled it with relative comfort two weeks into the campaign.


Chris Henry, Ireland

With Sean O'Brien currently absent through injury, there was some concern over who would plug the void left at open-side in Joe Schmidt's squad.

Luckily, Ulster's Chris Henry has been a force all on his own, arguably one of the best players of the tournament thus far and holding a very astute account of his own talents on the flank.

In fact, we'll revise that talk of O'Brien's injury, given what Rugby World's Charlie Morgan had to say about Henry's great graft:

The breakdown tactician has been a bother to every side he's come up against, making a collective 21 tackles in his two games against Scotland and Wales, not to mention scoring the first try of his team's 26-3 thumping of the reigning champions.


Luther Burrell, England

Regardless of how reliable he might be on the club scale with Northampton Saints, Luther Burrell nonetheless had an air of enigma about him coming into this year's Six Nations.

With no previous international experience to speak of, England's centre conundrum could have easily continued were Burrell the latest to crumble under the weight of a national team jersey, but it's been far from the case.

Scoring on his debut, a 26-24 loss at the Stade de France, the 26-year-old got off to a flying start under Stuart Lancaster, only made to look even better by the fact that he followed that up with another important try against Week 2 opponents Scotland.

If England are to indeed salvage any attempts at challenging for 2014's Six Nations title, Burrell could be the most vital part of their chain, his well-timed lines and fluid passing currently keeping the team afloat.


Michele Campagnaro, Italy

Admittedly, Michele Campagnaro is included on this list almost entirely due to a rampaging display in Week 1 against the Welsh, but what a thrilling performance it was from the 20-year-old.

Clocking up more than 100 carrying metres and scoring two tries in his first Six Nations appearance, Campagnaro was a marvel at the Millennium Stadium, of which ex-England centre Will Greenwood certainly took note:

If the Azzurri are to have any hope of changing their fortunes, which currently see them yet to claim a point in the competition, Jacques Brunel will need all his aspiring starlets up to the task of their more senior adversaries.

Campagnaro has already shown that despite his age, he's well able to tussle with the bruising veterans of the continent, even if a 30-10 thrashing at the hands of France in Week 2 speaks somewhat more negatively of his impact.

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Sunday, February 9, 2014

France vs. Italy: Date, Time and TV Info for Six Nations 2014

France will be looking to carry on the momentum from their last-gasp victory over England, when they meet Italy on Sunday.
The hosts had looked like they were heading for defeat in the opening game of the RBS Six Nations, however, a moment of brilliance from teenage centre Gael Fickou rewrote the script and capped his side's 26-24 victory just three minutes from time.

This signaled France's first win in the competition and showed intent from their young guns that winning is firmly on their minds.

No such good fortune for Italy, though, who lost 23-15 to a tough Welsh side and the ever-influential Leigh Halfpenny, who scored two conversions and three penalties to lead his side to victory in their first-round fixture.

Wales, who are in pursuit of their third Six Nations title in a row, showed no mercy to Jacques Brunel's youngsters, who are now rooted joint-bottom of the table following defeat.

Odds certainly favour the hosts, who will go out looking to take top spot, with Yoann Maestri set to continue his good form.

Michele Campagnaro and Tommaso Allan, both 20 years old, keep their places after fine performances last time out.

Who will win?
France
Draw
Italy
When: Sunday, 9. Feb
Where: Stade de France, Paris
Time (U.S): 10 a.m. ET
Time: (U.K): 3 p.m. GMT
Watch: (U.S): Not Available
Watch: (U.K): BBC
Live Stream: Not Available
Odds (via SkyBet): France (1/50), Draw (33/1), Italy (16/1)

Top Storyline: Can Brunel win it with kids?

Marco Vasini/Associated Press/Associated Press/Associated Press
Jacques Brunel instills faith in his youngsters.
Italy coach Brunel looks set to stand by his youngsters as his side look to make their mark on this year's competition.

The side, who lost their opening match, were handed a life lesson as they were downed by a resilient Welsh outfit.

And Brunel, who spoke with the RBS6Nations website, knows that he is asking plenty of his young guns—but knows that they can rise to the occasion:

I expect our young players to play at a higher level than they have done before. Just as I trust them by giving them a role in the starting XV, they have to reward my trust with solid performances. We gave an interesting performance against Wales and there's no reason why we cannot take another step forward against France.

I'm hoping we can look to last year's win in Rome for inspiration and that we can play to our full potential. If we play as I know we can, we have every chance of beating France. We hope that on Sunday we can remain in the game as long as possible but we will need to play a perfect game.

Credit where it is due to Brunel, as he sticks to his guns and allows the future of Italian rugby to rear its head in fierce competition.

Certainly, it's unexpected that the side will come out of this year's competition with any title chance, however, the real story going forward for the side will be who will continue to gel and regroup; win together and lose together, both during and after this tournament.

Prediction: France 23-26 Italy.

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Ireland vs. Wales: Date, Time, Live Stream and TV Info for Six Nations 2014

Irrespective of context, Ireland and Wales always make for an enticing collision; it just so happens that this year's context is as heated as ever to make matters all the more promising.
Having both begun their Six Nations tournaments with victory, the European giants are now set to meet in Dublin, with the winner taking an upper hand in any pursuit of championship silverware.
A 2012 win at the Aviva Stadium set Wales on their way to claiming tournament success that year, but will the visiting outfit be able to stage back-to-back wins in Ireland territory?

Date: Saturday, Feb. 8
Time: 2:30 p.m. GMT/9:30 a.m. ET
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Viewing Info: BBC One
Stream: BBC Sport website

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Thursday, February 6, 2014

Six Nations Championship 2014: Predictions, Analysis for Remainder of Tournament

The opening weekend of this year's Six Nations action served in answering several questions regarding the title-challenging credentials of some of the championship hopefuls.

Wales, France and Ireland all started the tournament with wins at home and as a result are in the driving seat for eventual glory at the end of the campaign.

As Planet Rugby pointed out in December, this year's table had no truly outstanding favourite in its build-up:

No clear winner ahead of Six Nations.
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