The 2021 Six Nations gets underway this weekend - here's hoping this year's tournament goes a lot smoother than last.
Footage of the opening rounds of the 2020 Championship feels as though it is being beamed back from another planet - packed stadiums, freedom of travel across Europe and minimal social distancing on and off the pitch.
Twelve months later and the usual suspects are preparing for an altogether different Six Nations, one which is set to be played exclusively behind closed doors as the pandemic rages on outside the turnstiles.
It is just over three months since the conclusion of last year’s tournament, with the subsequent Autumn Nations Cup - which didn’t finish until December - still fresh in the memory.
For Ireland there is work to be done after a mixed first season under the watch of Andy Farrell, which saw them finish third in both competitions.
The gap from Ireland to defending champions England and France is a big one - narrowing it over the coming weeks would represent a successful campaign.
January is long gone, and over the next seven weeks we have the Six Nations to keep us company deep into March, when the days will be longer and the weather a bit warmer.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the opening weekend.
What is it?
The first round of the 2021 Six Nations Championship, including Ireland’s trip to play Wales in Cardiff.
When is it?
The tournament gets underway on Saturday February 6th, with Ireland’s first fixture a day later on Sunday February 7th.
What are the full fixtures?
Round one
Saturday February 6th - Italy v France, Rome (2.15pm)
Saturday February 6th - England v Scotland, London (4.45pm)
Sunday February 7th - Wales v Ireland, Cardiff (3pm)
Round two
Saturday February 13th - England v Italy, London (2.15pm)
Saturday February 13th - Scotland v Wales, Edinburgh (4.45pm)
Sunday February 14th - Ireland v France, Dublin (3pm)
Round three
Saturday February 27th - Italy v Ireland, Rome (2.15pm)
Saturday February 27th - Wales v England, Cardiff (4.45pm)
Sunday February 28th - France v Scotland, Paris (3pm)
Round four
Saturday March 13th - Italy v Wales, Rome (2.15pm)
Saturday March 13th - England v France, London (4.45pm)
Sunday March 14th - Scotland v Ireland, Edinburgh (3pm)
Round five
Saturday March 20th - Scotland v Italy, Edinburgh (2.15pm)
Saturday March 20th - Ireland v England, Dublin (4.45pm)
Saturday March 20th - France v Wales, Paris (8pm)
What are the (empty) venues?
Ireland - Aviva Stadium, Dublin (capacity: 51,700)
England - Twickenham, London (82,000)
Wales - Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (74,500)
Scotland - Murrayfield, Edinburgh (67,144)
France - Stade de France, Saint Denis (80,000)
Italy - Stadio Olimpico, Rome (72,698)
How can I watch it?
It is unlikely there will be any trips to the ground or pub this year but you can still see every Six Nations fixture for free on terrestrial television. Virgin Media will be broadcasting all of 15 matches in Ireland, while in the UK the fixtures are carved up between the BBC and ITV.
Ireland’s opening clash with Wales will be shown on Virgin Media One and BBC One, with coverage starting at 2pm. You can also follow it via the Irish Times liveblog.
How does it work?
We are into the fifth year of the bonus point system after it was introduced for the 2017 Championship. Teams are awarded four points for a win and two for a draw, with an extra point awarded for scoring at least four tries, or losing by seven points or fewer.
What happened last year?
The 2020 Six Nations was suspended during the fourth round, as the coronavirus pandemic started to rip through Europe. Prior to its postponement France had delivered a statement performance in beating England 24-17 in their opening fixture, before being given a reality check by Scotland in round four.
Ireland opened with back-to-back victories over Scotland and Wales before they found England too much once again as they were beaten 24-12 at Twickenham on February 23rd, their last game for eight months.
The Championship resumed with Ireland’s win over Italy on October 24th, with three sides heading into the final weekend with a chance of securing the title. France emphasised their resurgence with a 35-27 win over Ireland in Paris on October 31st but a 34-5 win in Rome was enough for England to top the table.
Team news - Wales v Ireland
Andy Farrell named his Ireland side on Friday afternoon, with Caelan Doris a high-profile absence after he returned to Leinster to be assessed for concussion symptoms. Connacht's Quinn Roux also misses out with a neck injury, while Tadhg Furlong will make his longpawaited return from the bench after almost a year out.
Hugo Keenan will start at fullback while Josh van der Flier returns to the backrow in place of the injured Caelan Doris.
As for Wales, they are without the suspended Liam Williams, meaning Leigh Halfpenny starts at fullback with the in-form George North coming in at centre while Johnny Williams and Hallam Amos take their places on the wings.
Wales: Leigh Halfpenny; Louis Rees-Zammit, George North, Johnny Williams, Hallam Amos; Dan Biggar, Tomos Williams; Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Tomas Francis; Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones (captain); Dan Lydiate, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau. Replacements: Elliot Dee, Rhodri Jones, Leon Brown, Will Rowlands, Josh Navidi, Gareth Davies, Callum Sheedy, Nick Tompkins.
Ireland: Hugo Keenan, Keith Earls, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Johnny Sexton (capt), Conor Murray; Cian Healy, Rob Herring, Andrew Porter, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Peter O'Mahony, Josh van der Flier, CJ Stander. Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Dave Kilcoyne, Tadhg Furlong, Iain Henderson, Will Connors, Jamison Gibson-Park, Billy Burns, Jordan Larmour.
Recent history
Ireland and Wales have taken it in turns to beat each other in the Six Nations over recent years with three wins apiece and one draw in their last seven Championship meetings. However, you have to go back to 2013 for Ireland’s last tournament win on Welsh soil, a 30-22 win against the eventual champions.
Laying Cardiff ghosts to rest
Indeed, Ireland's recent memories of Cardiff are bad ones, as Gordon D'Arcy recalls in his column this week. . .
“Ireland owe the Welsh one in Cardiff. The low point of Joe Schmidt’s time in the Six Nations happened under the pouring heavens of 2019.
“Farrell is right to say this is a new group, but the backroom has horrendous memories of this stadium. It is where O’Connell was carried away from the sport. It is where the rest of the coaches suffered the ignominy of that defeat two years ago, sparking a succession of events that led to a jarring night in Shizuoka.
“Such experiences will always haunt them. Same goes for all the senior players.
“You can use that sort of hurt.”
How do the bookies see it?
England are clear favourites to retain their crown this year, despite disrupted preparation and the absence of some key players.
Grand Slam
England 2-1
France 5-1
Ireland 11-1
Wales 28-1
Scotland 100-1
Italy 1000-1
No Grand Slam 10-11
Championship winner
England Evens
France 5-2
Ireland 7-2
Wales 12-1
Scotland 20-1
Italy 500-1
Match betting
Italy 10-1 France 1-20 Draw 40-1 (France -21 10-11)
England 1-9 Scotland 13-2 Draw 33-1 (England -15 Evens)
Wales 11-8 Ireland 4-6 Draw 20-1 (Ireland -2 10-11)
Who’s on the whistle?
Italy v France - Matthew Carley
England v Scotland - Andrew Brace
Wales v Ireland - Wayne Barnes
Can I go?
As it stands, all fixtures in this year’s Six Nations will be held behind closed doors - it would need things to improve dramatically for that to change over the next seven weeks.
Anything else?
Oh yeah, just the small matter of Paul O’Connell in his first match as Ireland’s new forwards coach - watch this space.
