Men’s six nations 2026 predictions

As we look ahead to this years six nations, I lay out my predictions for this years tournament.

I think this years wooden spoon will unfortunately go to Wales, they’re currently in the middle of rebuilding and could be sold onto Osprey’s owners and the Welsh side just haven’t been on top of their game in the past few years.

In fifth place I predict Italy, they get stronger every year but just haven’t quite got the depth that other teams have in their squads. I think they’ll give the other teams a run for their money but will struggle to create results.

In fourth I predict the Ireland side to have a bad campaign. They have been looking strong in the autumn but due to too many injuries I just don’t believe they will be able to deliver against the likes of England and France. 

In third place I’ve predicted the Scotland squad to have one of their best performances in recent years. The squad looks strong and has depth and they’re one of the few teams with barely any injuries. I think they could cause upset in both their home games against England and France, but be picked to the post through bonus points.

In second place I predict France, they look strong but with Penaud and Fickou I just don’t know how the younger generation will perform. They have the strong likes of DuPont and Bielle-Bairrey but I think England will come out on top in Paris.

This years winners I predict will be England, they just look so unbelievably strong at the minute, but I don’t believe they will get a grand slam. I think Scotland will be the team to stop them with a home advantage at Murrayfield the England squad have failed to win there in recent years. 

Biggest try scorer I believe will be Louis Bielle-Bairrey, he is such a strong player and is breaking records all over. I can’t see anyone going over that line more than this French powerhouse.

Most turnovers I believe will go to Scotland forward Ewan Ashman. He had an unbelievable autumn campaign and he’s a force to be reckoned with in the scrums.

I believe the BKT rising star award will go to Henry Pollock, he had a brilliant lions campaign last summer and goes from strength to strength, he’ll be an important part of the England squad this year. 

A look ahead to six nations 2026

As the 2026 six nations begins this evening, we look ahead to one of the most exciting tournaments in years. With all teams suffering from huge injuries or losing their big hitters, the competition couldn’t be tighter.

Tonight we look to Paris as France take on Ireland in the opening match. Both teams missing huge names. 

Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou and Gregory Alldritt faced being left out of the 42 man squad and they have lost their world class prop Uini Antonio as he unfortunately suffered a heart attack last week, causing immediate retirement. 

But Ireland are also in a deficit due to injury with Tadhg Furlong, Hugo Keenan, Ryan Baird, Andrew Porter and Mack Hansen missing out. But also have lost Bundee Aki due to a suspension after a match in the URC resulted in him arguing with match officials post-game. 

This is the first time the championship has began on a Thursday, this is due to the Winter Olympics opening ceremony being televised tomorrow evening and broadcasters did not want them clashing.

Ireland currently rank fourth in the world with France ranking in fifth. But France see the return of their skipper Dupont after he missed last years tournament due to injury. 

The remaining two matches of week one will be played on Saturday. With Italy playing Scotland in Rome on Saturday afternoon and England playing Wales at Twickenham in the evening.

Italy are also facing a few injuries this year with Tomasso Allan, Sebastian Negri and Ange Capuozzo being amongst those missing out. Italy have looked to be on the rise in recent years but with them missing their big hitters how will they perform with their new young talents. 

Scotland look strong even though they are also missing a few of their squad due to injury but still have a lot of their big hitters. Dave Cherry and Jamie Dobie amongst those potentially missing out on the game in Rome. But can Scotland beat Ireland away for the first time in 9 years, they came close to beating France in their last game at Murrayfield, but a controversial call cost them the game and the championship. 

Wales are facing big challenges this year, with reports that the WRU are being bought over by ospreys owners the future of Welsh rugby hangs in the balance. But the team see the return of young powerhouse Louis Rees-Zammit after his short career over in America to pursue NFL. 

England look the strongest they ever have in years. After a successful autumn campaign they come into the tournament ranked 3rd and the highest of any of the 6 nations countries. They have a few injuries but still have their big hitters in the squad. 

This years tournament will certainly be an exciting one and I cannot wait for it to get started. 

RWC week 5

The RWC 2025 reached its penultimate week with two incredible semi finals. Canada dominated over New Zealand causing one of the biggest upsets of the tournament. It’s the first time the black ferns have been beaten in a major tournament since 1991.

England also won their game over France but not without France putting up a good fight. 

Friday marks the final, where England and Canada face each other in twickenham. With it being England’s home tournament they are the firm favourites to win, but I certainly wouldn’t rule Canada out. 

Canada have had an incredible RWC campaign, having to crowdfund just to get themselves over to England. And they also had to leave behind their kicking coach, as they couldn’t afford to bring them over. And now one of their own has been nominated for player of the year, the incredible Sophie De Geode. 

Two of my five stars to watch have been nominated for awards. Sophie is nominated for player of the year and the amazing Braxton Sorensen-McGee has been nominated for breakthrough player of the year.

This RWC has been amazing and hopefully means the women’s game will continue to soar and more girls will take up the sport in years to come. 

RWC Week 4 review

A weekend nothing short of drama in the quarter-finals but we have our semi-finalists. Canada will face the black fernes for what could be the most exciting game of the tournament. And England will face France in a six nations showdown. 

It started with the black fernes winning over South Africa in one of the best games so far. South Africa came out storming the first quarter of the match and continued to fight until the very end of the game. But once the black fernes scored their first the floodgates opened for them. 

Canada sailed through against Australia, i was expecting more from Australia but they just couldn’t seem to get over the line but put up a worthy fight against a very strong Canadian side.

France just scaved through against Ireland in the most dramatic game of the weekend. Ireland were winning 13-0 at halftime, but France came out fighting in the second half. But the match with filled with controversial calls by the referee’s and mistakes made by France that were not picked up. The most notable of these was Axelle Berthoumieu’s bite on Ireland’s Aoife Wafer which was not initially picked up but Axelle has since been banned for 12 matches, the minimum punishment for this type of incident. 

How did the break out stars do? Sophie De Goede continued her streak of amazing games with 1 try and 4 successful kicks. Braxton also continued her incredible debut world cup with 2 tries and 2 successful kicks. Sadia played all 80 minutes in an incredible game against Scotland. Caitlyn also played 80 minutes in a thrilling game against Canada. Unfortunately Edel didn’t play in the game against France, a game which has been the biggest talking point this week.

RWC 2025 week 2 review

The RWC has finished its penultimate week of pool games sealing the knockout stages for a lot of the countries. 

The only position still to be decided stands between Australia and USA which will be decided this weekend. But Australia have a tough ask as they face pool A leaders, England. 

Despite finishing bottom of their pool, Brazil had a memorable day scoring their first every World Cup try. It was scored by Bianca Silva who went the distance of the field to make a memorable moment for her country. 

After two weeks Canada’s Julia Schell tops the scoring board, scoring 30 points in two games. She also has scored the most tries, getting herself over the line 6 times. 

And how did my 5 standout players get on? They had a pretty good second round. 

Braxton made the dominant performance I hoped she would. She was named player of the match after scoring a hatrick and converting 4/6 overall tries scored in the game. 

Sophie was also named player of the match after scoring 12 points just through kicks. She’s one of the only forwards to have the duty of kicking. 

Caitlyn had another great day at the office scoring another two tries against USA. Hopefully she can produce another strong performance this weekend to help her team get into the knockout stages. 

Unfortunately Sadia & Edel didn’t play in this weeks game but hope to see them back in action this weekend. 

It’s going to be all eyes on Australia and USA this weekend though, and they’re both going to give it their all for the final place in the knockouts. 

Rugby World Cup: week one

The first week of the rugby world cup has been and gone in style. With a dominant performance from England in Friday nights opening match, to the spirit and grit USA showed in their defeat. The women certainly know how to get the worlds attention.

The RWC announced today (Tuesday) they’ve sold over 400,000 tickets for all matches across the tournament, a huge step in the right direction for the sport. 

The biggest result of the weekend was Scotland winning against Wales, a game which would be a potential decider for their pool.

And how did my 5 standout stars do? Pretty good for their first games. Sadia Kabeya & Sophie De Goede scored the opening tries in their games, with Sophie going on to successfully kick 4 conversions through out the game. Caitlyn Halse got 2 tries in during her game. Edel McMahon & Braxton Sorensen-McGee unable to score in their games but still managed to get some tackles and passes in their games. 

Braxton will have a big point to prove as she stands in the shadow of black ferns legend Patricia Woodman, but I have no doubt she’ll come back fighting against Japan this weekend and make a name for herself. 

Why do players transfer from rugby to NFL?

With the news of Louis Rees-Zammit returning to rugby in the uk after an 18 month journey with NFL in the U.S, its time to ask, why do players move across the ocean to try a completely different sport while at their height of success?

NFL and rugby have some similarities but for the majority, they are two completely different sports. They both have the same shape ball, and the same goal, get to the opposite end of the pitch. But there are a lot of differences, so why are players so attracted to it?

The most successful case of this was Aussie-Samoan Jordan Mailata, he played in rugby union and was a promising player until he left due to NFL executives inviting him to try the international player pathway. He signed for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018, and signed a 4 year contract-extension deal in 2021 worth $64 million. 

One of the most common names to come up when discussing the move from rugby to NFL is Christian Wade. He played for England and the wasps until he signed for the Buffalo bills in 2019 through the international player pathway. He scored a 65-yard touchdown in his first pre-season game, however he never played in a regular season NFL game. He returned to rugby in 2022 playing for Gloucester. 

In 1989-2007 NFL Europe was created as a separate league to help promote NFL to a wider audience, one of the most notable players who tried NFL during this time was former Scotland player Gavin Hastings. IN 2007 they decided on the closure of NFL europe due to a loss in earnings, deciding to focus on holding regular-season games outside of the US instead. 

Most players fail to hit the mark when trying to bridge the two sports, some of the specific skills differ significantly between them. NFL skills demand specialised techniques built from a young age which can make the late transition harder. 

But what are some of these skills that differentiate the two? 

A big difference is the layout of the two games. Rugby is played in 2x40 minute halves, with American football being played in 4x15 minute quarters, with longer breaks in between. 

American football is very finely tuned and choreographed, a lot of it is to do with strategy and a plan. Where as rugby you have to be prepared for the unpredictable, players have to be ready to run tackle and pass in any part of the field, with American football players having more of a role and staying in their specialised area. 

In American football, each team has two quarters to score, the opposition can intercept but primarily the attacking team has 15 minutes to advance the ball as far as they can. Reaching the end zone to score a touchdown is the equivalent of a try in rugby. The ways teams can score are similar.Another difference is the level of safety. Rugby players can wear gum shields or scrum caps for protection. Whereas American football players wear helmets, shoulder pads and knee pads. This doesn’t mean American football players are any less tough, rugby players are just more prepared and more dedicated to throwing themselves in without knowing what comes next. 

When a ball goes out of line, or out of touch, rugby players can play a scrum or a throw in. Neither of these exist in american football. A scrum is where both teams forwards or in American football terms their “offense and defensive line”, will go head to head to push as far down the field as possible while their fly half puts their ball in the middle of the scrum so players push the ball out and continue their attack. A throw in is where a player throws the ball into the field with each team throwing a player into the air to catch it. Some american football teams have adopted the “tush push” or “brotherly shove” move, where the offensive shove the player with the ball as far as they can, some similarities to a scrum but not entirely. But the NFL are looking into banning this technique due to its high success rate and players safety concerns. 

As well as the financial differences between the two. NFL has heavy advertising and sponsorships involved in its game, with many brands and companies fighting for an advertisement slot during the game, especially in the superbowl game due to the sheer volume of viewers it brings in each year globally. 

So could any nfl players come try out rugby? Definitely. But there are a lot of differences between the two and different skills to adapt.

Why Red Roses X Barbie is so important to the women’s game

The England women’s team have partnered up with Barbie to create a limited edition collection ahead of the women’s RWC which started this week. The collection features shirt designs and a pink rugby ball, but unfortunately no dolls are included in the collaboration. 

This is the first time Barbie have collaborated with a sports team in the U.K. This is a part of Barbies dream gap project, funding projects to inspire girls and young women. Barbie are donating £20,000 to help fund the RFU including their girls activity days which helps introduce girls 6-12 to rugby.

 It comes as Barbie researched into women’s sports finding that a third of girls disengage in sports by the age of 14 due to body confidence issues, and a lack of visible role models in their sport. Only 28% of girls believe sports are made for both men and women. With 38% of girls thinking that rugby is a sport more suited to boys. 

With the women’s rugby World Cup starting on Friday, I hope this boosts the amount of young women and girls having an interest in rugby, wether that be watching or being inspired to play in their own local team. 

I always enjoyed rugby from a young age, and tried to play through high school but to no avail. I enjoy watching games through all leagues, but can’t help but notice the lack of advertising of women’s leagues. I’ve seen my fair share of men’s games at an international and premiership level but can’t say the same for women’s. The women’s game has gained more traction in the last few years but still isn’t enough for the sacrifice and hard work all these women put in to inspire the next generation of players. 

Its time for the girls and women to get the love and support they give for this game. 

5 stars to watch out for in the women’s RWC

Sophie De Geode

The Canadian 26 year old is back  after a torn ACL in 2024 destroyed her Olympic dreams. De Goede has played for saracens in premiership level and previously captained the Canada team at the 2021 World Cup. She’s certainly a name to keep an eye out for during their  RWC campaign.

Caitlin Halse 

The 18 year old has had a stellar start to her career. Halse became the youngest debut in walaroos history in 2024 at the pacific fours series. Halse also won gold at the youth olympics for rugby sevens. ‘The kid’ as she’s nicknamed, is certainly a force to be reckoned with.

Braxton Sorensen-McGee

Having only just made her debut earlier this year for the black ferne’s in the Pacific Four series, Braxton has already made a name for herself. Scoring two tries in her test debut against the Walaroo’s and previously co-captaining the under 18’s national team. Shes an emerging Kiwi star. 

Edel McMahon 

Despite it being her first RWC, Edel has been a part of the Ireland squad since 2018, but due to spells of injury hasn’t played in many tournaments. But she is a powerhouse for the Exeter chiefs being one of the divisions top turnover players. She also helped captain Ireland when they beat the black fernes in 2024. 

Sadia Kabeya

Heading into her second RWC, Kabeya made her debut for the red roses in 2021. She helped England take the grand slam in the 2022 six nations playing against Italy where she was named player of the match. She also captained the U18’s sevens team in 2019 at the european championships.

Lions 2025 tour review

The British and Irish lions ended their tour of Australia on saturday with a 22-12 defeat to the wallabies but still claim the victory 2-1. This tour was not short of dramatic decisions and the effects are still happening today. Dan Sheehan was cited for his tackle on Lynagh which saw him fail a HIA assessment, Sheehan has since been given a 4 match ban due to the incident.

Bundee Aki also revealed that his wife gave birth to their 5th child in a car just hours before the first test match against the wallabies as he spoke about how excited he was to re-unite with his family and finally meet the little one. 

Finn Russell was named player of the series, rounding of his excellent season in style after winning the premiership, challenge cup and Gallagher cup with Bath rugby followed by being selected for another tour with the lions. With his fellow Scotland teammate Duhan Van Der Merwe taking the crown for most tries, despite never being selected for a game against the wallabies.

Many people are now discussing how good this team have been in comparison to past lions with some saying its been the worst lions squad in 20 years. Farrell hopes to be leading them again to another tour in 2029, with the possibility of a New Zealand tour against the likes of Japan. 

And with Louis Rees-Zammit announcing his return to rugby, could he be in contention for a selection in the next tour?

Overall this lions series has had its ups and downs, but they’ve come away with a victory and some unforgettable experiences. They’ve broken records and taken Australia by storm.

British and Irish lions roar into a historic test victory

The lions clinched their first series since 2013 in the only way they know possible, with absolute drama. With a huge deficit in the first 30 they had to pull it back in the next 50 minutes, and with that the lions came out roaring. With tries from two of the biggest scorers in this tour, Jones and Curry, the lions were back in it. Pulling most of their bench in with 26 minutes left they got to work. The final try came from Hugo Keenan, but that didn’t come without drama as the wallabies appealed an earlier knock from Jac Morgan, which was cleared and the try was given. 

The lions now head to Sydney next week for the clean sweep, while the wallabies now play for pride. Todays test also marked the largest ever attendance for a lions game with 90,307 fans packing out the MCG. 

Power rankings

Andrew Porter - 5

Dan Sheehan - 6

Tadhg Furlong - 6

Maro Itoje - 6 MOTM

Ollie Chessum - 6

Tadhg Beirne - 6

Jack Conan - 6

 Tom Curry - 7

Jamison Gibson-Park - 7

 Finn Russell - 6

 James Lowe - 4

 Bundee Aki - 7

Huw Jones - 8

Tommy Freeman - 5

Hugo Keenan - 8

Jac Morgan - 7 (54’)

Blair Kinghorn - 7 (60’)

James Ryan - 6 (54’)

Ellis Genge - 7 (54’)

Owen Farrell - 6 (60’)

Will stuart - 6 (64’)

Kelleher - 6 (64’)

Scores

Australia penalty Lynagh(4)

Australia penalty Lynagh (10)

Lions try Sheehan (15)

Australia try Slipper (22)

Australia try Gordon (29)

Australia conversion Lynagh (29)

Australia try Wright (30)

Lions try T.Curry (34)

Lions try Jones (37)

Lions conversion Russell (38)

Australia penalty Lynagh (53)

Lions try Beirne (59)

Lions conversion Russell (60)

Lions try Keenan (79)