6N countdown: TOL's Team-by-Team Guide Part 6 – England … according to 'the poacher turned gamekeeper'

Today at 07:03 AM

IN a quest to really get under the skin of the six competing teams, to understand their strengths and weakness, what drives them and what particular challenges they will face in this championship, Iain Morrison has spoken to six individuals with a unique insight to the country they have, through one route or another, come to call home.

Byron McGuigan won 10 Scotland caps between 2017-20 playing on the wing. After a couple of seasons with Glasgow Warriors he moved to the English Premiership where he played for Exeter Chiefs and, latterly, Sale Sharks. He is now the defense coach for the Sharks who boast a good number of English internationals including the Curry twins, Ben and Tom, who both start for England in Dublin.

England

1. England should surely be better than they are given the player number and financial resources they can call upon?

"I think that is an unfair comment. This coaching group has huge potential and we should allow them the time to develop the players they have. They are turning a corner but it might take a couple of years for them to do so and the public needs to give them some time and space before we get the best of them. Players like Marcus Smith, Fin Baxter and Tommy Freeman are brilliant players and will only get better when they each have 20-30 caps to their name. We have to give them time."

2. Defence is your speciality subject, so how did England manage to concede five tries to an Australian side ranked four places below them and do so at Twickenham!?

"It is probably unfair to isolate one game and analyse it at the expense of all others. England were using a hard blitz like a lot of other teams but Joe Schmidt came up with a plan to get around it and the Wallaby coach did a superb job on the day. This is a very forward group of [England] coaches and they will have addressed the issues exposed on that day and will be all the better for it."

3. England lost to New Zealand three times in the last 12 months but by a total of 10 points (one, seven and two), so do those narrow defeats (two in New Zealand) give England fans hope that they are not far off competing with the very best?

"I agree with the above statement 100 percent. There are a host of good young players coming through the Premiership ranks and I think that England will be a handful by the time RWC27 comes along … they may even be contenders."

4. What is the first thing on Steve Borthwick’s ‘to do’ list?

"He needs to have a clear plan of action to go after the Six Nations and he then needs to pick the right players to fulfil his plan."

5. Is there any left-field choice that you would like to see get a chance during this tournament?

"I have two Sale Sharks that I would love to see start for England. The first is (loosehead) Bevan Rodd, who was up against Frans Malherbe [of the Stormers] a couple of weeks back and got arguably the best  tight-head in world rugby yellow carded for illegal scrummaging [Sale Sharks still lost the game 40-0]. With the dynamism he brings, Rodd is like another flanker on the field and his ceiling is so high.

“The other player I would like to see in England colours is Raffi Quirke. He is super dynamic, so physical for a nine, and he brings the X-factor. It's important to have a threat at nine these days and Raffi certainly offers that."

6. If momentum is all in the Six Nations, Ireland may not be the ideal opener?

"You can talk about momentum but you can also talk about belief and, having beaten them last time out, you could argue that England takes a lot of belief and momentum into this opening fixture. The absence of Andy Farrell may cause some disruption in the Irish camp.

"On a wider note, I suspect that dark horses Italy could cause an upset this season."

7. Can tight-head Asher Opoku-Fordjour live up to all the crazy expectations?

"Asher is just 20-years-old and he is playing in the Premiership and he has already played for England [against Japan in November]! He is an exceptional talent. And he is a lovely guy and very coachable, he just wants to soak it all up and learn. But we can't put too much pressure on young athletes because they can buckle so we need a level of care."

8. Has the law change about not blocking runners from competing for the high kick changed the game and, if so, has it been for the good?

"I think it's been good. It's a little like the final play in Rugby League where the ball goes up and we get a spectacle of two guys competing for it and only one will win it.

"I think we are going to see teams exploit the new ability to compete for the high ball so, yes, it's been a positive development."

9.  Can you list the sides from 1-6 in the order you think they will finish the Championship please?

1. France…with a Grand Slam.

2. England

3. Ireland

4. Scotland

5. Italy

6. Wales.

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