The 2023 Guinness Six Nations is right around the corner, with the opening fixtures taking place on the afternoons of February 4-5. Rugby fans from the Home Nations, France, and Italy are gearing up for what should be an incredible tournament, but which of those groups of supporters will head home to celebrate becoming the Six Nations champions come March 18?
France are the pre-tournament favourite with the best online Vegas sportsbooks; their odds put them narrowly ahead of Ireland. It is no surprise that the bookies believe France are the team to beat going into the 2023 Six Nations. After all, they secured the Grand Slam as they marched on to glory in the 2022 competition. It was France's first Grand Slam since they won the Six Nations in 2010, with the victory ending a 12-year wait to reclaim the championship, the longest period in the team's history since winning their first title in 1959.
A Talented Squad Despite Injuries to Key Players
Head coach Fabien Galthie has a talented squad of players at his disposal, and any starting XV he puts out makes for a formidable team. Galthie named a 42-man squad for the upcoming Six Nations, a roster that has six members of the 2022 Grand Slam-winning team missing in action. Jonathan Danty has a knee injury, while Cameron Woki's broken wrist keeps him out of action. Jean-Baptiste Gros, Maxime Lucu, Peato Mauvaka, and Gabin Villiere are also unavailable, leading to Galthie naming eight uncapped players.
Winger and full-back Louis Bielle-Biarrey is one of those uncapped players. Nineteen-year-old Bielle-Biarrey plays for the Bordeaux Begles in the Top 14, having made his professional debut in 2021. The exciting youngster has 37 points to his name from 17 appearances. Bielle-Biarrey sports a bright red scrum cap, and his dazzling footwork conjure up comparisons with South Africa's Cheslin Kolbe.
Lyon's Ethan Dumortier is another young Frenchman hopeful of making his international debut during the Six Nations. Dumortier has racked up eight tries in a dozen appearances in the Top 14 this season, an impressive return that sees him top the leading try-scorer table.
Scrum-half is the position most likely to see a debut for a young Frenchman. Injuries to the Baptiste Couilloud and the aforementioned Lucu could see Galhie throw a curveball alongside Antoine Dupont, the talismanic French skipper. Nolaan Le Garrec became Racing 92's starting No. 9 when he was still a teenager, while Leo Coly was the scrum-half for France's world title-winning Under-20s side.
A 13-Game Winning Streak
The French have not lost a game since falling 33-30 to Australia in July 2021, a run of 13 consecutive victories, which includes a memorable 30-26 win over South Africa in Marseille in November 2022. That winning streak should, on paper at least, extend to 14 when Les Bleus travel to the Stadio Olimpico on February 5, where they take on the favourite for the Wooden Spoon, Italy.
While the Italians are improving on seemingly a game-by-game basis, the French should make short work of Kieran Crowley's men even with the Italians enjoying home advantage. Pundits will not judge France too much on their performance in Rome unless the Italians cause an upset. They will reserve judgement for the potential title-deciding game against fellow favourites Ireland on February 11.
Andy Farrell named an experienced 37-man squad for Ireland, one with a trio of players with 100 caps or more. Conor Murray, Cian Healy, and Johnny Sexton have 330 international appearances between them, and Farrell is hoping the rest of the squad can draw in that trio's vast experience.
There's also a place in Ireland's Six Nations squad for Leinster fly-half Rory Byrne. The 27-year-old initially missed out on the Autumn Nations but received a late call-up to replace the injured Joey Carberry. Byrne has been a revelation since for both club and country.
Only fractions of points separate France and Ireland in the rugby world rankings. If the French gets the job done at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, one would imagine nobody will able to stop them from marching onto back-to-back Six Nations titles.
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