Wales
Sure, it’s still early days but Wales’s upbeat performance against Ireland showed how quickly perceptions can change. Even a few weeks ago the name Ellis Mee would not have registered with many Six Nations fans. Now, after an eye-catching debut last weekend, the lanky 21-year-old is being tipped by no less an expert than Jamie Roberts to become a regular fixture for Wales. Less than a year ago the 6ft 4in Mee was playing for Nottingham in the Championship – memo to the Rugby Football Union: there is plenty of untapped talent out there – and was scouted by the former Wales international James “Cubby” Davies while playing for Nottingham Trent University. Then, after just 10 professional games for Scarlets, he was parachuted into the national team as part of a productive back three alongside his similarly positive clubmates Blair Murray and Tom Rogers. Suddenly it’s all Mee, Mee, Mee …
Ireland
Last month the Irish back-row pecking order felt pretty settled. Caelan Doris as captain, Josh van der Flier on the openside and take your pick from Peter O’Mahony, Tadhg Beirne or Ryan Baird on the blindside. Three games in and a former favourite has re-emerged. Jack Conan has always been a fine player – he was the starting British & Irish Lions Test No 8 in 2021 – but this season he has looked revitalised. He put in an outstanding shift off the bench against England, his first Test appearance for 11 months, and subsequently followed it up with tries against Scotland and Wales, against whom he started following Doris’s withdrawal through injury. Now on the verge of winning his 50th cap for his country, the 32-year-old is enjoying a new lease of life in a team bidding for a record third consecutive outright Six Nations title.
Scotland
The whole of Scotland felt the psychological impact when Sione Tuipulotu was injured on the eve of the tournament. The absence of their influential captain, though, has at least offered an unexpected chance to the promising Tom Jordan, who appears to have a long international career ahead of him. In addition to being able to play at fly-half and full-back, he also shone at inside centre against England; the sumptuous inside ball he threw to scrum-half Ben White for Scotland’s first try was the mark of a top-class footballer. Having grown up in New Zealand he has qualified for Scotland via residency after five years playing for Ayrshire Bulls and Glasgow. Next season, though, the 26-year-old will be turning out for Bristol Bears in the English Premiership.
England
Everyone knew Fin Smith was a good player with a promising future. Less certain, with Marcus Smith in possession of the No 10 shirt, was how long it would take “the other Smith” to become a starting regular. Three games into this season’s tournament and it is Marcus who is having to adjust to a new normal. The Northampton fly-half’s winning conversion against France and his nerveless long-range penalty against Scotland have merely been the most obvious indicators of an excellent Test match temperament. Even more striking, arguably, has been his defensive appetite. He topped the Calcutta Cup tackle count with 16 while his ability to see space and make life easier for those around him will also not have gone unnoticed by the Lions head coach Andy Farrell ahead of this summer’s tour to Australia. Two more good games and Smith F could yet be on the plane.
France
The French could probably pick three different backlines and still weave patterns beyond the imagination of most teams. Yes, they made a complete hash of finishing off all those chances against England but in dry conditions against a stand-offish Italy they were unplayable at times. Théo Attissogbé looks a proper talent on the wing – and already good enough to keep Damian Penaud on his toes – but connoisseurs of attacking full-backs with pace and footwork will be fascinated to see what Fabien Galthié does at 15 for the big one against Ireland. It could be that he shifts Thomas Ramos back there and reinstates Romain Ntamack at fly-half but, either way, Léo Barré looks a player who will score a bucketload of Six Nations tries in years to come. The 22-year-old was good against England last year but looked even better in Rome, helping himself to two tries with an enviable blend of acceleration, instinctive timing and elusiveness. If they don’t pick Barré in Dublin and lose, France really will kick themselves.
Italy
Notwithstanding last Sunday’s disappointing result, Italy are a side with enough good players to keep England honest next week. It is way too obvious to single out their centres but, given the right sort of ball, Juan Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello are an outstanding combination capable of unlocking almost any defence. Federico Ruzza, meanwhile, tops the championship’s lineout stats. Less attention, though, tends to be paid to the player who, when Italy are operating at their slickest, keeps their tempo high and the opposition guessing. Step forward Martin Page-Relo, their French-born scrum-half who qualifies for Italy via his maternal grandparents. Once Antoine Dupont’s understudy at Toulouse, he plays his club rugby for Lyon these days.
