The 2017 RBS Six Nations tournament will kick off on Saturday, February 4, as champions England renew their rivalry with France at Twickenham Stadium.
Scotland will take on Ireland, while Italy host Wales in Rome on Sunday
England will attempt to become only the sixth team to defend the Grand Slam, beginning at home against France. Coach Eddie Jones and his troops are favourites for the title, with Ireland expected to be their toughest competition.
France held their own against New Zealand and Australia in the autumn Tests but ended up losing both matches by a combined seven points. The team appears in better form than last year but are always a bit of a question mark ahead of the Six Nations, and their under-the-radar status this year might help them.
Pundits and fans are already talking about the Ireland-England clash in Dublin on March 18 as a title-decider, but Les Bleus have been looking forward to Saturday's match more than any―the chance to avenge last year's loss in Paris.
Wesley Fofana won't be active, which is a major blow for France, but England have major absentees of their own. Chris Robshaw won't feature, and Mako and Billy Vunipola have both been sidelined for some time already.
Kicking may prove the key in this one―France always tend to do well from the tee, and Owen Farrell's spotty form could spell trouble.
Ireland flashed their remarkable talent with wins over Australia and New Zealand in November, and after last year's injury-hit campaign, coach Joe Schmidt and his players will be out to reclaim their standing as Europe's top team.
On paper, Scotland are one of the weaker teams in this year's Six Nations, but a trip to Murrayfield is never easy. Johnny Sexton's fitness is an issue, and with Jared Payne sidelined, there are some question marks regarding the depth in the centre of the pitch.
Scotland will say goodbye to coach Vern Cotter after the tournament, so expect the team to battle hard for results as well.
Italy enter the Six Nations with high hopes after their shock win over South Africa in November, and their home match against Wales should be one of their best chances of grabbing a win this year.
How to Watch:
BBC One is the place to catch Scotland v Ireland, with coverage set to start at 2pm before kick-off at 2.25pm.
There's also radio commentary available for those without access to a screen, which can be accessed via the BBC website, as well as apps such as TuneIn Radio.
The BBC Sport website will also be showing live coverage of the game, with live text commentary available too.
The BBC Sport app, available to download for free across Android, iOS and Windows Phone devices, will also carry the live coverage and text commentary.
BBC iPlayer will also show the match, with the app available on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, BT Vision, Chromecast, EE TV, FreeSat, Freeview, NOW TV, Nvidia Shield, Roku, Sky HD, Sky Q, Talk Talk TV, Virgin Media and YouView.
Log-in to any of these smart TV or set-top box apps to stream the latest coverage, or catch-up on-demand.
And if your HD TV model is not supported by the above options, you can always stream the coverage from a Chrome web browser window to the big screen using a Google ChromeCast.
Scotland will take on Ireland, while Italy host Wales in Rome on Sunday
England will attempt to become only the sixth team to defend the Grand Slam, beginning at home against France. Coach Eddie Jones and his troops are favourites for the title, with Ireland expected to be their toughest competition.
France held their own against New Zealand and Australia in the autumn Tests but ended up losing both matches by a combined seven points. The team appears in better form than last year but are always a bit of a question mark ahead of the Six Nations, and their under-the-radar status this year might help them.
Pundits and fans are already talking about the Ireland-England clash in Dublin on March 18 as a title-decider, but Les Bleus have been looking forward to Saturday's match more than any―the chance to avenge last year's loss in Paris.
Wesley Fofana won't be active, which is a major blow for France, but England have major absentees of their own. Chris Robshaw won't feature, and Mako and Billy Vunipola have both been sidelined for some time already.
Kicking may prove the key in this one―France always tend to do well from the tee, and Owen Farrell's spotty form could spell trouble.
Ireland flashed their remarkable talent with wins over Australia and New Zealand in November, and after last year's injury-hit campaign, coach Joe Schmidt and his players will be out to reclaim their standing as Europe's top team.
On paper, Scotland are one of the weaker teams in this year's Six Nations, but a trip to Murrayfield is never easy. Johnny Sexton's fitness is an issue, and with Jared Payne sidelined, there are some question marks regarding the depth in the centre of the pitch.
Scotland will say goodbye to coach Vern Cotter after the tournament, so expect the team to battle hard for results as well.
Italy enter the Six Nations with high hopes after their shock win over South Africa in November, and their home match against Wales should be one of their best chances of grabbing a win this year.
How to Watch:
BBC One is the place to catch Scotland v Ireland, with coverage set to start at 2pm before kick-off at 2.25pm.
There's also radio commentary available for those without access to a screen, which can be accessed via the BBC website, as well as apps such as TuneIn Radio.
The BBC Sport website will also be showing live coverage of the game, with live text commentary available too.
The BBC Sport app, available to download for free across Android, iOS and Windows Phone devices, will also carry the live coverage and text commentary.
BBC iPlayer will also show the match, with the app available on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, BT Vision, Chromecast, EE TV, FreeSat, Freeview, NOW TV, Nvidia Shield, Roku, Sky HD, Sky Q, Talk Talk TV, Virgin Media and YouView.
Log-in to any of these smart TV or set-top box apps to stream the latest coverage, or catch-up on-demand.
And if your HD TV model is not supported by the above options, you can always stream the coverage from a Chrome web browser window to the big screen using a Google ChromeCast.
No comments:
Post a Comment