The launch of the Women’s Six Nations took place today ahead of this weekend’s big kick-off as holders England put their title on the line in what is sure to be an action-packed and exciting Championship.
This year’s Women’s Six Nations is unique in many ways and includes several major ‘firsts’ for the Championship.
For the first time in history, the Championship will take place in its own standalone window and will also feature a new format, delivering four consecutive weekends of top-class action, culminating in the Championship’s first ever Super Saturday to crown the champions.
In another Women’s Six Nations first, fans can now watch all nine games in the one place in the UK, Ireland and Italy, with the BBC, RTÉ and Eurosport showing all matches on a mix of terrestrial and digital services.
In the UK, BBC will show England’s final game live on the main BBC network for the first time ever. In addition to this, all games will be available on the BBC iPlayer.
In Ireland, all games will be shown on RTÉ, while in Italy all matches can be watched live via the Eurosport Player. France TV continue its fantastic support of the women’s game by showing all French games on live television.
FANTASY IS HERE
Six Nations is also excited to be launching ‘Fantasy Rugby’ for the Women’s Championship – an important engagement tool to showcase players and bring fans closer to the Women’s game. For more see https://fantasy.sixnationsrugby.com/ and stay tuned to our website and social media channels for hints and tips on how to steal a march on your mates.
Ben Morel, CEO of Six Nations Rugby commented: “We are thrilled to launch the Women’s Six Nations Championship today and want to thank everyone for their efforts in getting us to this point. It is a privilege for us to be in a position to stage these matches despite the ongoing challenges presented by COVID-19.
“There is so much to look forward to with this year’s tournament. Top-class action, a new format, all matches being broadcast, a first ever Super Saturday, all of which is taking place in a standalone window for the first time ever. We cannot wait for it all to start.
“Developing the women’s game is a top priority for the Six Nations, and we see huge opportunities for growth. This has been a key focus for us in recent years and will continue to be central to our strategy in the coming years.”
CAPTAINS READY TO RUMBLE
England head into the Championship as reigning champions after securing the Grand Slam in each of the past two years but will be without legendary fly-half Katy Daley-Mclean for the first time in more than a decade after she retired from rugby at the end of 2020.
However, captain Sarah Hunter sees that as an opportunity for some young guns to step up to the plate.
She said: “It’s not just the position of Katy but the leadership and experience she brings, having been round for the last 14 years, which will be hugely missed this Six Nations.
“But there comes a time when everyone has to move on and the great thing for us is we’ve got depth. Young players but exciting players to replace her.
“They will no doubt come in, step up and grow over the Six Nations. While a legend and stalwart of English rugby has retired, we’ve got some fresh blood coming through steering the ship.”
France skipper Gaëlle Hermet led her side to a Grand Slam as a 21-year-old back in 2018 and says Les Bleues will approach this Championship in the same way despite the new format.
“We’re very happy to be back together,” said Hermet. “Everything is going really well. It’s an honour and pleasure to play in Women’s Six Nations and we’re really looking forward to it.
“Our preparation will remain unchanged, it will be the same – we’re adapting to the new conditions and new format but we want to be focused on rugby, the game is what matters most.”
BEING RESILIENT
Scotland are in Pool A with England and Italy, and while captain Rachel Malcolm acknowledges that the global pandemic over the past year has created some obstacles, she feels her side are ready to get going.
“It’s been a real learning curve. When everything started last March, it was difficult to react and adapt,” she explained.
“As things have gone on, we’ve become really resilient and able to adapt. The biggest thing is trying to be constantly mentally and physically ready to play.
“It’s been a real squad effort to keep momentum going and stay ready. Hopefully you’ll see a fast and exciting style of rugby from Scotland this year.”
Ireland will be looking to recapture the glory that saw them win the Championship in 2013 and 2015, with skipper Ciara Griffin excited to finally get underway this weekend.
She said: “Our preparation has been going very well. We’ve had lot of camps up in Dublin as a group to get us ready.
“All of that has gone well but you can’t beat Test match rugby, so we can’t wait to start.”
Captain Manuela Furlan led Italy to their best-ever Women’s Six Nations finish of second back in 2019 and with more than 70 caps for her country, will try to use her experience to inspire her teammates.
“I will try to do what I’ve always done – give my very best on the pitch, be a reference point for other members of the team and make sure they can refer to me when needed,” she said.
“After the pandemic situation, we will try more than ever to focus on the Championship and take it game by game. We’ll try to find our game again and get our mechanisms back.”
INSPIRING A GENERATION
Meanwhile, Siwan Lillicrap enters her second Championship as Wales skipper and is hoping to draw inspiration from the success of the men’s side in the Guinness Six Nations earlier this month.
“Everyone in Wales has been celebrating from their homes but we’ve got to thank the Scots for doing us a favour [beating France so Wales sealed the men’s title],” she explained.
“As the Wales women’s team, we’re looking to do the same and inspire the next generation of girls to take up rugby.
“It’s a great time for the Championship to be starting because community rugby is getting back up and running this week in Wales.”
The 2021 Women’s Six Nations is sure to be an enthralling competition full of exciting games, showcasing the best of what women’s rugby can offer.
