To Paris, to set the table for rugby union’s immoveable feast. This is a year of change for the men’s international game with the introduction of the new Nations Championship and “Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry” series reshaping a long-established calendar, but the Six Nations’ place of permanence in the schedule remains. It is 26 years since Italy’s arrival marked the last significant alteration to an annual championship quite unlike any other; in these times of tinkering to all but a select few sporting properties, the fact that calls for radical overhauls have rather fallen silent speaks to this tournament’s evergreen quality.
Springing perennially out of the gloom, another fine crop of contenders poke their heads out of the winter flowerbed. This is a campaign bookended by Paris rendezvous primed to be pivotal in the overall reckoning – defending champions France opening against Ireland and closing against England. While Scotland, Italy and Wales will have their say, either could be a potential grand slam decider. “We know the last seven Six Nations Championships have gone down to the last round of fixtures,” said Steve Borthwick, the England head coach. “We want England fans flooding across the Channel to Paris to come and watch the team in a massive encounter on the final round with the opportunity to achieve what we want.”
