Are you not entertained? Six Nations launches with blockbuster storylines

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England's new captain, Ireland's shot at history and Antoine Dupont's return for France add to the layers of intrigue

It has taken 25 years for the Six Nations launch to come to Italy but rugby's oldest tournament has finally stormed the Colosseum. As well as offering a picture perfect backdrop for a competition keen to be seen as both ancient and modern, it also reflected the sport's increasingly urgent need to find fresh ways to project itself to a slightly different type of audience.

Thus it was that seven opera singers were hired to serenade the attendees with a rousing rendition of Nessun Dorma and the players and coaches were invited to sashay down a catwalk in a palatial building in downtown Roma. Some "models" took to it with rather more practised ease than others but gone are the days, either way, of rugby union resting contentedly on its laurels.