Champions Cup last 16 offers clues to Six Nations supremacy

Presence of five English sides appears positive for Steve Borthwick but Warren Gatland may have more to smile about

ALL SMILES: Wales’ head coach Warren Gatland and France head coach Fabien Galthié. Pic: INPHO/Tom Maher

The Six Nations is just around the corner and there is mounting evidence to suggest it will be even more cutthroat than ever. The Champions Cup is not a surefire guide to Six Nations supremacy but it is a timely gauge of the prevailing mood in certain nations. Some of the weekend’s results, not least victories for Ospreys and Edinburgh over Leicester and Saracens respectively, would suggest that cross-border margins continue to shrink.

At first glance the presence of five English sides, three apiece from Ireland, France and South Africa and one each from Wales and Scotland in the Champions Cup last 16 might seem encouraging for the new England head coach Steve Borthwick, who will be keen to see plenty of English-qualified players contesting big games for their clubs in early April.