With only a few months until the start of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Ireland is in the driver's seat after capturing the Six Nations Grand Slam with a 29-16 victory against England. Tickets for the Rugby World Cup 2023 will be in high demand in Dublin as they solidify their stance as the best team in the world while also being aware of the dangers of peaking too early.
After their 41-28 victory over Wales in Paris, France ended on a high note, but their home crowd will demand success when France plays New Zealand to open the tournament on September 8.
After a courageous 26-14 victory against Italy to close up the tournament, Scotland placed third in the Six Nations standings this year, while Steve Borthwick at England and Warren Gatland at Wales need rebuilding works.
Italy took two strides forward but experienced the same old frustrations as they left the championship with a better reputation but still in the bottom place. Nonetheless, Italian supporters with Rugby World Cup 2023 tickets will anticipate a fight from their team.
The World Cup is now the focus of attention in the northern hemisphere. Most teams play at least three exhibition games before the tournament, but with the most significant event in men's Rugby just under six months away, here are the things that each British side has to concentrate on.
Ireland:
Ireland has made a statement ahead of the World Cup with their fourth-ever Six Nations Grand Slam. Still, Andy Farrell's top priority will be to keep this team progressing rather than have this significant few weeks later be seen as Ireland's pinnacle.
“I've just been telling Johnny [Sexton] there are bigger things to do than this [Six Nations], so we are onto the World Cup”, Farrell remarked following the game.
We have previously been here with Ireland — they were Six Nations winners in 2015 but dropped out of the World Cup at the quarterfinal round later in the same year.
They had a mixed Six Nations in 2019, but the All Blacks were defeated in November. There were high expectations for them in Japan, but they lost to New Zealand in the quarterfinals after receiving a reality check of 46–14.
But there's something odd about this group. They overcame every challenge during the competition, including having Josh van der Flier throw-in at the lineout and Cian Healy play hooker against Scotland. Despite suffering premature injuries, they maintained their composure.
They appear much more composed and balanced than previous Ireland teams, which should be concerning for the rest of the rugby-watching world and hope-inducing for those Irish supporters with Rugby World Cup 2023 tickets.
They have to go beyond a challenging group with South Africa and Scotland due to the absurd World Cup draw (back in 2020), and they'll probably play either the All Blacks or France in the quarterfinals. Yet, Andy Farrell is confident that his Irish team will perform even better come September. Pay attention.
Following the game on Saturday, Farrell declared, “We are a great side that has nowhere near realised its potential. We anticipate our side to be far better than what we are today when we get to the World Cup opener because everyone will improve during the summer when we spend a lot more time together, and that is the fact.
Scotland:
Scotland is in a terrible pool due to the World Cup draw being made in 2020, as was already mentioned, considering their enormous improvement since then. Hence, Gregor Townsend's task between now and then is to devise a strategy for leading his Scotland team through either Ireland or South Africa.
Although it's a challenging process, they must complete immediate and long-term objectives. Thus, signing Townsend to a longer deal should be at the top of the Scottish Rugby Union's list of priorities.
His contract expires at the end of 2023, so he will meet with the SRU in the coming weeks to talk about whether to extend it past this year's World Cup. On Saturday, he politely dodged the questions, but he did say he wanted to stay. It makes sense for him to carry on with this endeavour for the sake of everyone involved in Scottish Rugby.
“Conversations have begun and will resume after a brief break. We'll monitor their progress, “said Townsend. “Sincerity be told, I have made an effort to ignore this. Your brain can only hold so much information. I'll consider anything occurring the following week or so closer to the event. I am so happy with these guys.”
Once that is resolved, they must polish minor aspects of their game, such as keeping a match's momentum and avoiding stupid mistakes. They lost their bearings frequently after giving up a turnover or failing to recover a restart. Then, in all five of Josh van der Flier's lineouts when the flanker was throwing in, they let Ireland hit their first man by adding a little more fire to the forwards and allowing a disruptor to get into the opposition a little. Before the World Cup begins, these minor issues can be resolved.
They also need to figure out how to turn around these close games in their favour. They will reflect on a Six Nations when they had a chance to defeat France and come within a point of Ireland after convincing victories over England and Wales and an arm-wrestling victory over Italy. That is a mindset issue.
Yet how times had changed since a year ago when they were losing two of five games and had great players who were embroiled in disciplinary problems; today, Scotland has a newfound spring in their step and will be praying for a miracle a la Japan when they take on South Africa in their World Cup debut on September 10. Those fans in Edinburgh with Rugby World Cup 2023 tickets will undoubtedly be expectant of their team.
England:
Steve Borthwick will discuss the Six Nations with his coaching staff at length. They'll focus on the negatives, including the final 20 minutes of the Scotland game, the entire France game, and some ways they let advantageous positions slip against Ireland.
They'll also consider achievements, though. Borthwick believes his side has improved since their victories against Italy and Wales. However, maximising the time the group has left before the World Cup is at the top of his to-do list.
He has challenged his players to get fitter before the World Cup rather than spending their time together to make them work out since he places much emphasis on it. English fans with Rugby World Cup 2023 tickets will be keen to see what The Roses are made of.
After the game on Saturday, Borthwick remarked, “We don't want to use that camp to get fit; we want to use the World Cup camp to get better.”
Given Borthwick's lack of control over the players now that they are back at their clubs, that is easier said than done. Still, he will communicate his hopes and expectations to all parties involved in the game over the following few weeks.
With Richard Cockerill leaving, the England manager will try to confirm the final makeup of his backroom team. There is still a need for a scrum coach because Aled Walters and Richard Wigglesworth will join at the end of the current campaign, and we're waiting to see if Nick Evans will be given the back duties full-time. Borthwick is conscious of the challenge.
He added that the players needed to learn “a lot” from the France game and that “we have to learn faster than everyone else.”
He considered the mutual understanding that France and Ireland share since they both have Leinster and Toulouse Genes, respectively, and that understanding cannot be created overnight. He might switch back to his Leicester teammates.
“Accelerate development and learning,” says Borthwick. He continued that it would be up to him as the head coach to see if he could find ways to speed it up.
His mind wandered to England's agonising 36-0 loss to South Africa in the 2007 group stages as he saw his England team lose to France last week. As he was sitting on the sidelines that day in Paris, it served as the impetus they needed to get their act together so they could go to the final. Borthwick hopes England's lowest point occurred against France before the World Cup.
“We must ensure that we can maintain that intensity for the full 80 minutes by being capable, fit, trained, and understanding of one another”, he said.
With the crown jewel of Rugby up for grabs later this year, teams have started peaking at the right time to gain form. Rugby World Cup 2023 tickets are in high demand, and there may be better options than official retailer sites. Reliable resellers can help you source authentic tickets.
