It’s kick-off time for the Six Nations

The Six Nations kicks off this weekend, sadly without the crowds and camaraderie that makes it our favourite annual sporting event. There’ll be no sheepskin jackets in the Twickenham car-park, no kilted Scots packed in the tube, travelling more in hope than expectation; no bands from France’s Basque country in what will be a ghostly Stadio Olympico in Rome, no Cwm Rhonda or Fields of Athenry being sung in Cardiff where Wales meet Ireland; in short none of the off-the-field fun of Rugby’s grand carnival. A barren land bereft of pilgrims.

Nevertheless, the show goes on, and matches will be played without, one hopes, any Covid-related postponements. Like footballers and cricketers, the players themselves have now grown accustomed – no matter how unwillingly – to the absence of spectators. Nobody knows what difference the lack of atmosphere makes. In England’s football Premiership there seems to have been more away wins than normal.

Interestingly, while acknowledging the inspiration that surging home support may offer, the Scottish flanker, Hamish Watson, remarked this week that sometimes the away team could be inspired if they take the lead and the home fans fall ominously silent.

England are the reigning champions, and with three homes games are favourites to retain their title. Yet, their away matches being in Dublin and Cardiff, a Grand Slam looks unlikely. Arguably France, with a young and fearless side, were the star team last year. Indeed, they played the most exciting Rugby and, but for a slip-up at Murrayfield, would have deservedly been champions.

But this year it’s a bit different for them, no longer a surprise packet, instead of a known and respected force. Second seasons are often tricky, and France starts this one without two-star playmakers, fly-half Romain Ntamack and centre Virimi Vakatawa.

Matthieu Jalibert or Louis Carbonnel are both capable of replacing Ntamack, but Vakatawa (deemed the best centre In the world last year) is in a class of his own. Moreover, France has to go to Twickenham, and though what was very much a reserve – and ridiculously young – French XV would have beaten England in the final of the suddenly improvised Autumn Nations Cup if the referee or one of his assistants had spotted even one of the two knock-ons in the run-up to England’s last-minute winning try. One can’t think this will mean much when France comes to Twickenham in March.

Wales and Ireland are both teams in transition, with second season coaches Wayne Pivac, and Andy Farrell, neither of whom have yet put on stamp on the team inherited from Warren Gatland and Joe Schmidt. Pivac aims to play a more expansive game than Gatland’s team, but perhaps without the forward strength to make this possible. Ireland has no lack of that; the question with them is whether the half-back partnership of Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray, which has played so significant a part in Irish success over the years, is still capable of controlling international matches.

Nobody can think either Wales or Ireland easy to beat; few can suppose either is as good as they have been in recent years.

Gregor Townsend’s Scotland is in an odd position. Since the World Cup in Japan, they have gone from being a team that scored tries with gay abandon and leaked, even more, tries, often soft ones, than they scored, to a team with the best defence in last season’s tournament. But one which was no longer scoring tries.

The return of star fly-half Finn Russell who missed last season after a disagreement with Townsend gives hope that they may.

Nevertheless starting their campaign at Twickenham is not what any Scottish supporter would choose, given that we have won there only four times since the ground was opened before the First World War and not since 1983. There have been a couple of draws, one in 1989, the second that great match two years ago which ended 38-38, but for Scots, Twickenham has been unwelcoming. It has been said to be a graveyard of so many Scottish hopes.

England regained the Calcutta Cup on a dreadful February evening last year. The match reminded us that if Rugby is no longer a top-level game for players of all sizes and shapes, it is still one for all weathers. It was bitterly cold, and a gale blew snow, sleet and rain around the stadium. It was a night not fit for man or beast, but they played Rugby. At least the forecast for Twickenham today is more agreeable.

England is without two or three of their first choice forwards, but since they have second and third choice ones that other countries would eagerly welcome, this isn’t likely to weaken them. Eddie Jones loves to have a powerful ball-carrier in midfield, and so, with Manu Tuilagi again injured, he has brought in Worcester’s young Ollie Lawrence. This means that captain Owen Farrell has moved to fly-half, relegating George Ford to the bench.

Since England kick a lot and Ford is a versatile question-asking kicker, his omission from the starting line-up may not dismay Scotland. Lawrence will be immediately opposed by Bath’s Cameron Redpath, winning his first cap. Redpath, the son of the former Scotland scrum-half and captain Bryan, was born in France when his father played for Narbonne and grew up in England. So he had a triple qualification. Bryan, generally known as Basil, was a Borderer, whose first club was Melrose where two or three of his brothers also played.

So there was never any doubt in my mind that he should opt for Scotland. The Redpaths were Border Reivers who raided England and carried off cattle. Is it time for a raid on Twickenham with the Calcutta Cup as a substitute for cattle?

It is a hundred and fifty years since the first Rugby international was played on March 27, 1871.

Today’s packed calendar, omitting Covid, makes a celebration or memorial match outside the Six Nations impossible. The centenary in 1971 was marked with a “friendly” between Scotland and England at Murrayfield, played just a week after the Calcutta Cup match at Twickenham. Remarkably Scotland won both games. They won in 1871 too, but, for any fellow-Scot who thinks this a good omen, I should regretfully remark that England won the fiftieth-anniversary match in 1921.