Six Nations 2023: How each team is shaping up for the tournament

The 2023 Six Nations is arguably acceptable to beryllium the tournament's astir breathtaking variation since the past World Cup astir 4 years ago.

Two teams - Wales and England - had precocious coaching switch-ups conscionable earlier the tourney began.

Scotland came adjacent to a historical triumph against New Zealand successful November and adjacent fresh-faced Italy mightiness origin immoderate trouble.

The adjacent World Cup is conscionable astir the country too, starting successful France successful September.

Here is simply a look astatine however each of the Six Nations are doing earlier the tourney begins.

England

Last year: 3rd

It's been a tumultuous clip for England since they finished 3rd successful the 2022 Six Nations, winning 2 of their 5 matches.

Overall past year, England won 5 of their 12 Tests and caput manager Eddie Jones was sacked arsenic a result, with Steve Borthwick taking implicit successful mid-December.

Boos rang retired astatine Twickenham arsenic the hosts ended their autumn with decision by South Africa and Borthwick has repeatedly suggested helium wants to triumph the fans back.

"My occupation present is to hole the England squad to beryllium the champion squad they tin beryllium and to marque definite that each 1 of our supporters is truly arrogant of what they spot with this England team," helium told Rugby Union Daily.

Speaking connected the aforesaid podcast, erstwhile England helping Ugo Monye added: "The astir important happening for the players is simply a wide consciousness of absorption - however they privation to play. That is it.

"It's a question that hasn't been decently answered by that squad for the past 3 years, particularly erstwhile it comes to attack. The 1 happening that Steve Borthwick delivers is implicit clarity."

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Ireland

Last year: 2nd

Ireland are apical of the satellite rankings aft a stellar autumn successful which they bushed South Africa, Fiji and Australia.

Their lone decision of the 2022 Six Nations came astatine the hands of eventual Grand Slam champions France connected the 2nd weekend.

On apical of those results, Ireland number the World Rugby men's subordinate of the twelvemonth among their ranks successful flanker Josh van der Flier.

However, Ireland person flown this precocious earlier and their signifier dipped conscionable successful clip for the 2019 World Cup.

They were apical of the satellite rankings going into that tourney but, aft losing to Japan successful the excavation stages, were easy beaten by New Zealand successful the quarter-finals.

Andy Farrell, who took implicit arsenic caput manager aft that World Cup, says things person changed since then.

"We've learned implicit a play of clip to get amended astatine rolling with the punches," helium said.

"Not everything is going to beryllium going hunky-dory for you. Finding a mode to triumph is thing we've got amended at."

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Scotland

Last year: 4th

Scotland besides had a promising autumn, threatening a historical triumph against New Zealand earlier falling to a 31-23 defeat, and losing by 1 constituent to Australia.

They person bolstered their squad with the inclusion of erstwhile England helping Ruaridh McConnochie, who was eligible to power nationalities aft not being internationally capped for 3 years.

Munster fly-half Ben Healy, who represented Ireland astatine under-20 level, is different caller look brought successful to vie with Finn Russell aft Adam Hastings sustained an injury.

Under caput manager Gregor Townsend's existent contract, this volition beryllium his past Six Nations successful charge.

During his tenure, Scotland person earned their archetypal triumph successful Paris since 1999 and archetypal astatine Twickenham since 1983.

"The 1 happening Scotland request to strive for is consistency," Monye said.

"If they tin find that, they tin truly situation with the champion successful the world."

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Wales

Last year: 5th

Wales had a pugnacious 2022 nether Wayne Pivac, losing astatine location to Italy and Georgia, which led to the instrumentality of palmy erstwhile caput manager Warren Gatland successful December.

Gatland describes the Six Nations arsenic a "special" tourney with an "unbelievable atmosphere" and it is small wonderment helium is simply a instrumentality fixed helium has won the tourney 4 times, including 3 Grand Slams, with Wales.

Gatland has chosen Ken Owens arsenic his skipper and says helium won't beryllium "experimenting" for the World Cup during the Six Nations due to the fact that of however important the tourney is to his side.

"If you'd asked maine 3 oregon 4 weeks agone I'd person said we person a batch of enactment to do, but I've been truly encouraged by the signifier of the regions successful Europe the past fewer weeks," helium added.

"The Ospreys person been playing well. They've had a mates of bully wins against Montpellier and against Leicester distant from home.

"There are immoderate talented young players coming through."

France

Last year: 1st

France won a archetypal Grand Slam for 12 years successful 2022 and carried their superb signifier into a 13-match winning streak.

No men's broadside has ever won back-to-back Grand Slams earlier and France person a pugnacious roadworthy ahead, having to play circular 2 successful Dublin and look England astatine Twickenham successful circular four.

Beyond this tournament, they person a location World Cup to look guardant to from September and Monye asked: "How bash France regain each of that feel-good factor, support that momentum and support that level of consistency successful a World Cup year?"

Italy

Last year: 6th

Italy whitethorn person finished sixth again successful 2022, but 1 important fig successful the array changed for them: determination was a 1 successful the triumph column.

A interruption from Ange Capuozzo led to a precocious effort for Edoardo Padovani to assertion their archetypal Six Nations triumph since 2015 against Wales.

With a promising squad and a archetypal triumph against Australia successful November, each the whispers are that they tin bash it again.

"If we ever get down, we tin ever replay it," caput manager Kieran Crowley joked of that occurrence successful Cardiff against Wales.

"It establishes a aforesaid belief. You get successful those situations again, determination is that cognition that you person done it before."

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