The 2022 Guinness Six Nations is into the final two rounds and with multiple teams still in the hunt for the Championship, this week’s all-important team announcements are not to be missed.
France kept their hopes of a Grand Slam alive in Round 3 with a 36-17 win over Scotland away at BT Murrayfield.
Les Bleus ran in six tries in Edinburgh with wing Damian Penaud crossing twice as France avenged last year’s defeat in Paris to the same opponents to maintain their 100 percent record.
Then England held off a Wales fightback at Twickenham as 18 points from the boot of Marcus Smith propelled them to a 23-19 victory that keeps their Championship fate in their own hands.
The weekend finished in Dublin where Ireland beat 13-man Italy 57-6 with full-back Mike Lowry scoring a double on debut.
Round 4 will be kickstarted under the Friday night lights in Cardiff as France travel to Principality Stadium looking for a win to move one away from a clean sweep.
Saturday’s double header sees England host Ireland, with both teams looking for a victory to further their Championship aspirations, after Italy and Scotland do battle for The Cuttitta Cup at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
With it all to play for, Wednesday and Thursday will be key days for fans as the teams are named for Round 4. Read on for all the key details below.
WEDNESDAY
With the first Friday night game of the Championship this week, France and Wales fans can expect to see their sides named earlier than usual with the official announcements due on Wednesday.
Fabien Galthie will be the first to name his side, with the French matchday squad due to be released at 10am on Wednesday.
However, one man who will not be in the 23 is fly-half Matthieu Jalibert after he was forced to pull out of his return to domestic action with Top 14 leaders Bordeaux-Bègles over the weekend.
Jalibert withdrew after pulling up in the warm-up and has withdrawn from France’s wider 42-man squad.
He is joined in exiting the squad by his clubmate and uncapped second row Thomas Jolmes who was replaced after 68 minutes in the defeat to Pau, whose No.10 Antoine Hastoy has been added to the group.
Toulon’s Swan Rebbadj is the other call-up ahead of Friday’s crunch clash, which sees the return of defence coach Shaun Edwards.
Wales will select their side at midday with Wayne Pivac welcoming back flanker Josh Navidi after his welcome return to action after nearly five months out with a shoulder injury.
Navidi played for Cardiff in Friday night’s defeat to Ulster but his fellow flanker and clubmate Ellis Jenkins has been released from the squad to travel to South Africa for Cardiff’s URC games.
Louis Rees-Zammit furthered his case for a recall with a try for Gloucester in the Gallagher Premiership last week but with a resurgent Alex Cuthbert and Josh Adams on the wings last time out, there are plenty of selection headaches for New Zealander Pivac.
THURSDAY
Gregor Townsend will name his Scotland side at 1pm on Thursday for the trip to Italy.
However, he is set to be without wing Duhan van der Merwe after he was sent off in Worcester Warriors’ defeat to London Irish over the weekend.
In better news, Hamish Watson is expected to be available for selection once again having missed the France match with Covid-19.
Opponents Italy will be going in search of victory when they return to Rome on Saturday but they will have to do without scrum-half Stephen Varney.
The Gloucester man has picked up an injury which has ruled him out of the remaining two rounds of the Championship.
On social media he wrote: “Gutted to have been ruled out for the remainder of the Six Nations through injury.
“All the best to the boys for [the] next two games.”
Kieran Crowley has welcomed back flanker Sebastian Negri into the Italian set-up after he went through the return to play protocols.
The Italy head coach has also called upon experienced former captain Luca Bigi in the absence of Hame Faiva, after his red card against Ireland, and Gianmarco Lucchesi, who dislocated his elbow in the same game.
Crowley names his side on Thursday at 2pm.
England are sweating on the availability of No.8 Alex Dombrandt after he returned a positive Covid test ahead of the game against Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday.
All being well, however, Dombrandt could be back in training and ready to play by the end of the week.
Tom Curry is also being monitored as he goes through the return to play protocols and could be replaced by fellow flanker Sam Underhill after the Bath man was restored to the international side.
With centre Manu Tuilagi not fit, Harlequins centre Luke Northmore is back in camp along with Northampton Saints scrum-half Alex Mitchell and Bath fly-half Orlando Bailey.
Leicester Tigers hooker Nic Dolly returns to the extended group after Luke Cowan-Dickie’s Championship was curtailed by injury with fellow Exeter Chief Jonny Hill also confirmed to be missing for the rest of the Championship after returning to Devon.
Eddie Jones names his England side at 12.30pm on Thursday.
His Irish counterpart Andy Farrell will list the opposition at 11am on the same day, with the big question on everyone’s lips being whether Johnny Sexton will be restored to the starting line-up.
Joey Carbery deputised well enough against France in his absence to retain the No.10 jersey for the Italy game but Sexton came off the bench fit and firing in Round 3 and may have done enough for a recall.
Iain Henderson has returned to the wider Ireland squad after getting through 80 minutes in Ulster’s win over Cardiff on Friday night.
And there could yet be a debut for uncapped Munster loosehead prop Jeremy Loughman who has received his first call-up in the wake of Andrew Porter’s injury.
Leinster full-back Jordan Larmour will miss the run-in, however, with a hip injury.
