Six Nations: Lack of stars opens up the field at women’s tournament

The proportion of inexperienced players competing in this year's tournament will be high

Wales captain Rachel Taylor (Getty Images)

When asked about the favourite to win the 2016 women’s Six Nations, few of the national captains put their hands up. Rachel Taylor was the exception: “Wales,” she said while her peers, not unreasonably, chose the route of too close to call.

England, Ireland and France are each missing plenty of players preparing for this year’s Olympics in Rio. The number of new or inexperienced kids remains high while Wales and Scotland have thrown extra resources at the distaff side and await the results.

Yet already the next World Cup looms. Despite England winning it in only 2014, they will defend their title in Dublin next year after World Rugby changed the cycle to avoid clashes with the world sevens and the Commonwealth Games.

This Six Nations, along with last year’s results, gives a qualifying path; England, Ireland and France qualify by virtue of their 2014 results so Wales, Scotland and Italy are fighting for two places (the loser faces a play-off against the European Trophy winner).

Given that Italy were third last year, they are in pole position. Wales were encouraged by their 15-5 win over Ireland this month in a non-cap encounter, while the Scottish women, now coached by the former Scotland men’s lock Shade Munro, have enjoyed more time in camp than hitherto.

Fresh coaching teams abound: Tom Tierney and Scott Bemand, who followed each other as scrum-halves at Leicester, head up Ireland and England, Bemand in the absence of Simon Middleton, who is in charge of the RFU’s programme for women’s sevens and XVs. The Sao Paolo sevens falls in the middle of the Six Nations, so Middleton cannot be in two places at once.

Bemand said: “If we get the performance we are capable of, we are in the mix to win this Six Nations. If we fall short, if we’re developing for the retention of the World Cup, that will be success.”

England are shorn of 19 players, nearly all backs, contracted by the RFU in 2014. They have scarcely been seen in a XVs context since the World Cup, which is indicative of the impact England hope to make in Rio.

“This Six Nations is incredibly significant for us,” Nicola Ponsford, the RFU’s head of women’s performance, said. “It’s a massive opportunity for some players who were new last year to put their hands up for World Cup selection. One of the reasons we won in 2014 was strength in depth.”

England beat Ireland 8-3 and lost 11-0 to France last November. Niamh Briggs, Ireland’s full-back and captain, said: “New structures have been put in place for girls to start playing the game. When you start to win tournaments, more girls want to get involved.”

England have not won a Six Nations title since 2012; Ireland have won two and France one since then while Italy have shown they can trip up the best. Ireland and Wales have never won in England, while England must travel to France. Any sane betting man (or woman) wouldn’t on this.