Winds of change blow through Six Nations to spark new sense of purpose

WINDS OF CHANGE: Ireland and France performed to a level above the rest at the World Cup, even if neither made it beyond the quarter-finals. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

THE 2024 Six Nations championship has already started with a whoosh. The gale‑force impact of Storm Isha certainly did a grand job of complicating the tournament launch, forcing coaches, players, administrators and hacks to rip up their travel plans and reminding everyone of rugby’s place in the universe. The players may be huge nowadays but there are even bigger forces of nature out there.

For those who did somehow manage to land in the correct city and make it to the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, however, there was still plenty of interest. The immediate aftermath of a World Cup is always a fascinating period, particularly this time around. One glance at the new captains about to take charge of their respective nations – from England’s Jamie George and Ireland’s Peter O’Mahony to Wales’s new 21-year-old captain, Dafydd Jenkins – reinforces the collective fresh sense of purpose every nation is trying to generate.