SHANE WILLIAMS
WALES AND LIONS LEGEND
All the international coaches used to want to wrap their star players in cotton wool ahead of the Six Nations. I just wonder what they are feeling now given the lack of rugby being played by so many players.
At least there was good news about Rounds 3 and 4 in the Champions Cup and the European Challenge Cup at the end of last week. Exemptions have been forthcoming from the French authorities to permit cross-border fixtures to take place, so there will be some high-level fixtures to look forward to before the end of the month.
But have many of the leading players, from Wales in particular, played enough rugby to head into the biggest tournament of the year in the northern hemisphere in peak condition? England skipper Owen Farrell is due back for Saracens on January 23 after injuring himself in the Autumn Internationals, while Irish captain Johnny Sexton hasn't played since November 13.
Wales and British & Irish Lions prop Wyn Jones last played when Wales beat Australia on November 20 and is scheduled to have a front row showdown with Tadgh Furlong at the Aviva Stadium on the opening day of the 2022 Six Nations on February 5.
They are just a few examples of key players being short of match fitness and practice. Maybe, just maybe, the coaches will let the clubs keep them for an extra week in order to get some vital minutes under their belt.
The squads are due to convene on January 24 after Round 4 of the European competitions, but there is still an extra league weekend before the Six Nations takes centre stage.
Mark McCall said he would be delighted to accommodate Farrell in his side on January 29 should Eddie Jones feel he needs more than one game to prove himself.
Yes, there is a risk of him getting injured the weekend before the Championship opens, but that is a risk every player runs whether he is playing or training. What you do need going into any international campaign are fitness, form and focus. Matches build mind-set and confidence.
It was always said about Wales that they started their international campaigns slowly. The Autumn Series were always classic cases in point. Coming up against battlehardened southern hemisphere teams who are coming to the end of their seasons was always far more difficult than heading into the Six Nations because you only had two or three games under your belt.
Now that same scenario is going to be played out for lots of the coaches at the start of the Six Nations. Can they fit in enough quality work in two weeks to properly prepare their teams for the opening round of matches.
We kick-off with two crackers with the reigning champions, Wales, heading to Dublin to face Ireland.
Then, in Edinburgh, it is the Calcutta Cup match between the much-improved Scotland and England.
If you want to win the Six Nations you have to start with a bang. For two of the four teams meeting in Dublin and Edinburgh, or indeed all four if we get some draws, Triple Crown and Grand Slam aspirations could be over within 80 minutes.
Time together in training is invaluable, but it cannot replicate the references you create when playing live games.
