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Six Nations Round 3 is upon us and here are three key battles across this weekend’s action to keep an eye on:
England against Ireland: Alex Mitchell vs Jamison Gibson-Park
The tempo of England v Ireland will hinge on the scrum-half duel. Mitchell’s strength lies in acceleration around the fringes and the Northampton Saints nine’s willingness to attack tight shoulders, turning slow ball into front-foot momentum. England’s attacking improvement under Steve Borthwick has coincided with Mitchell having the freedom to play quicker, challenging defensive spacing rather than simply servicing the fly-half. However, as Mitchell’s performance in the 2023 World Cup semi-final against South Africa showed, a very underrated part of his game is his box kicking and that stellar displayed why he’s much more than just a live wire.
Gibson-Park, meanwhile, is Ireland’s rhythm-setter. Their win percentage spikes when he starts because of his lightning ruck speed and intelligent box-kicking, which pins opponents deep and creates layered attacking waves. The Kiwi-born playmaker was dropped for the Italy game but is back in the hot seat and will be desperate to return to the form that propelled him into the conversation of being the best nine in Europe (behind the superhuman Antoine Dupont of course).
Wales against Scotland: Gabriel Hamer-Webb vs Duhan van der Merwe
Leicester Tigers winger Hamer-Webb has been handed a debut by Steve Tandy on Saturday with his aerial prowess potentially winning him the nod. The 25-year-old spent two seasons at Cardiff, scoring 12 tries, before signing for Leicester this season, where his scoring spree has stalled with one try in nine outings. However, having impressed the Wales coaching team, the Bath-born flyer has been thrown into the mix on Saturday but lines up against one of the most renowned finishers in Six Nations history.
Van der Merwe, Scotland’s all-time try scorer, missed out against his favourite opponent, England, last week but is now back and will be desperate to reclaim his starting spot back long-term. The 30-year-old has repeatedly punished Tier 1 sides with his power-speed combination, particularly against structured defences that drift too early. His ability to break first contact and offload in traffic forces defenders to tackle low and early due to the sheer size of the Jock-Bok. Van der Merwe’s Achilles heel is his high ball work, which surprises many considering his 6ft 4inch frame and this will be an area Wales will look to go after, particularly scrum-half Tomos Williams.
France against Italy: Emmanuel Meafou vs Niccolò Cannone
The engine-room collision between Emmanuel Meafou and Niccolò Cannone will be central to this fierce rivalry match. Meafou has been brought back into the France team to provide scrummaging nous and heft, in a bid to negate Italy’s scrum supremacy which they’ve enjoyed against Scotland and Ireland so far in the championship. Meafou’s gainline success allows France to generate quick ruck ball and launch their heavy carriers in waves.
Cannone, by contrast, is Italy’s lineout organiser and defensive workhorse, often leading tackle counts and providing clean ball for his half-backs. If Cannone can disrupt France’s lineout and slow Meafou’s momentum around the fringes, Italy can limit France’s phase dominance. But if Meafou consistently wins collisions and provides front-foot platforms, France’s strike runners will operate off quick ball — and that is where matches against Les Bleus tend to unravel rapidly.