The postponement of the women's six nations brought a lot of unease to fans from all around the world, yet we all knew this would be an exciting new venture with the new tournament structure. We hoped for an amazing tournament, and that's exactly what we got.
Let's start with 6th place Wales. They were great, they showed many signs of superstar power and they have gotten so much better since last years tournament. I think what stood out the most for me from the Welsh team was their resilience and determination to never give up, a trait that many teams lack. So many players showed the world what they were capable throughout the duration of the tournament, for example Meg Davies, the Welsh scrum-half was on fire in the final game and made many good decisions for someone at such a young age and has little experience. Overall, we can see that this is a new era for the Welsh, and I look forward to seeing numerous things from them in the near future.
In 5th place, we have the Scots, who also impressed me throughout the weeks of the tournament. They impressed me for many reasons, but what the highlighting factor for me was their superb adaptation without their captain, Rachel Malcom. She was, unfortunately, injured during the England game, putting her out for the remainder of the six nations. However, the likes of Helen Nelson and Hannah Smith stepped up to what they knew was going to be a tricky challenge, and performed excellently whilst doing so. Generally, Scotland showed that they had thick skin and didn't let anyone get in the way of a great performance.
Next up we have 4th place Italy, who in my opinion had the best performances of the tournament. They showed so much heart and passion for the game which couldn't be matched by any other team and I believe that they deserved so much more than 4th place. The first half against England was absolutely amazing, with top performances from the likes of Furlan. Unfortunately, this wasn't long lasting and they struggled to keep this up. However, in the game against Scotland, Italy shone and gave it their all, which is why they were my team of the tournament. One key player who really influenced their championship was Beatrice Rigoni, who ran the game at centre and changed the run of play when needed. As a whole, the Italians were amazing, who were robbed of a higher finishing place.
Ireland finished in the 3rd position, with amazing games in their pool stages to steal a 3rd/4th playoff against Italy. Ireland were cracking and they really showed this in their final game, keeping the score at 25-5. Ireland's backs really showed what they were made of, with youngsters such as Considine and Tyrrell scoring many of the points gained by the Irish in the tournament. Ireland worked hard for their 3rd place, which goes to show the sheer determination these ladies have.
Penultimately, we have the fantastic French, who finished the tournament on a rather heart-breaking note, losing to England by a narrow margin. The head coach, Annick Hayraud must have really drilled this side, because they did not go down without a fight. In their pool, they dominated and finished on top with two bonus points over two games. France were unlucky to lose to the England side, but they have many more attempts in the near future to come out on top of Le crunch!
Lastly, we have the England team, who are number 1 in the world currently (29/04/21) and also number 1 in the championship, meaning they have had 3 successful tournaments back to back to back. They never fail to impress me, and I couldn't be prouder of all of the ladies and their excellent performances over the course of the last month or so. However, two players who really stood out for me were Poppy Cleall and Zoe Aldcroft, who both unsurprisingly received nominations for player of the tournament, with Poppy winning this. Overall, Middelton's team gave us an amazing opportunity to experience this England team play with such class and all in the home of rugby, England itself.
This years tournament was one of a special nature, with a new structure, completely different to what we are used to. But maybe this will have a positive effect in the long run. Will we stick to this format and steer the women's game away from the men's? Only time will tell.
Until next time,
Ashleigh
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