Six Nations: The player head-to-heads to watch out for in this year’s Championship

James While 03 Feb 2022 10:51 AM

Ahead of the 2022 Six Nations, we take a look at the upcoming player head-to-heads that are not to be missed, including Finn Russell against Marcus Smith.

This was an unenviable task as there’s so many match-ups we can’t wait to feast our eye on, so without further ado, let James While take you through ours.

Finn Russell v Marcus Smith (Scotland v England, February 5)

If you picked a British and Irish Lions team six months after the fateful tour to South Africa, it’s a dead cert that one of these two magicians would feature in the 10 shirt and the other would be on the bench and the Calcutta Cup match might just be the moment that decides those roles as a feast of running fly-half play awaits at Murrayfield.

Russell has gone from show pony to racehorse – a man once criticised for his percentages has now bolted some circumspection onto his ambition and his no-look passes, impish chips and booming cross-field kicks will ignite a Scottish backline bristling with bulk and bluster, as he has learned to become more selective.

Smith might just have the edge when it comes to running with ball in hand – possessing electric pace and a goose step that reminds you of the great David Campese. In a sport of the tightest margins, his defence shades that of Russell, Smith enjoying a 93% success rate against 71% in their respective Test careers to date.

Nevertheless, as much as their defence will be examined, it’s their creativity that’s their hallmark; the match-up is so close that we can safely say the player that comes out on top in the head-to-head is likely to be on the victorious team – but the real winners are the watchers, who will be treated to two of the finest talents in world rugby right now.

Julien Marchand v Ronan Kelleher (France v Ireland, February 12)

Leinster versus Toulouse is just about the hottest club fixture in world rugby at the moment, and this rivalry will extend into the Test arena as both Ireland and France will benefit from the experience of two world-class hookers that are at the top of both the domestic and international game.

Kelleher has become one of the most mobile around, fusing ferocious carrying with uncompromising tackling – a perpetual motion hooker on the pitch who acts almost as a second openside flank. His opposite number, Marchand, is a contrasting force, possibly losing a little in open play but gaining a marginal advantage with his peerless lineout work and powerhouse scrummaging.

For France, Marchand’s ability with the throw, combined with the athleticism of his catchers such as Cameron Woki, allows longer extended lineouts to open up the attacking channels and to fix defensive gaps. Factor in his clamp-like ability over the ball in jackal, and you see a set-piece titan, one that never cedes an inch (or centimetre) in his work.

It’ll be a battle of two of the very best, the hard man of Toulouse versus the flamboyance of the Dubliner, and it’s a head-to-head that could very well decide the result of the game.

Duhan van der Merwe v Damian Penaud (Scotland v France, February 26)

Brawn v brain is one of the oldest conundrums in conflict and when the massive Van der Merwe meets the gliding Penaud at Murrayfield in Round Three of the Six Nations we’ll see yet another rerun of this age old battle.

Both men are in sparkling form, with Penaud in particular lighting up the Champions Cup for Clermont and we expect to see a contrasting duel of styles and speed as two of the best wings in the world clash.

Penaud’s superpower is his elusiveness. Blessed with a fantastic sidestep off his left foot, he runs with the short step balance of the greatest wings and, at 1.89m, is a little more physical than he might first appear. Many would cite Van der Merwe’s physicality as his strength, but pace, defensive excellence and high ball surety combine to offer a complete package, much like Penaud.

When push comes to shove, this is a delightful match-up – two giants of the wing taking each other on step for step, catch for catch. Best of all, both Scotland and France play with enough width for us to see a lot of ball out in the wide channels, so open up your popcorn and let battle begin.

Freddie Steward v Hugo Keenan (England v Ireland, March 12)

Whenever Ireland visit Twickenham, it’s almost certain that Heathrow Airport alerts incoming flights to potential hazards as they know both sides will spend the first 20 minutes of the match hoisting Garryowen’s and spiral bombs that could very well endanger the airspace on the approach to Runway 09L itself.

However, in Steward and Keenan, both teams have full-backs that have the surety of catch and positional play that captains dream of, players that are exceptional in the aerial defence and who are as brave as they come.

Keenan was incredibly unlucky not to go on the Lions tour and his height to catch and speed to position under the ball are absolute benchmark standards for any young full-back to watch. Steward is a relative rookie by comparison but his displays against Australia and South Africa in November cemented his selection at 15, a position that’s historically been problematic for Eddie Jones.

With Steward offering a little more physicality in attack, but Keenan knowing his Leinster teammates such as Johnny Sexton and Robbie Henshaw around him, this is again two players separated by only a wingtip and it will be intriguing to see who comes out as the top gun.

Cameron Woki v Maro Itoje (France v England, March 19)

Wind back the clock only a few years and the primary function of a back five forward was to push. And occasionally jump. You’d see 120kg, 2.00m behemoths battling it out weekend after weekend until the emergence of the smaller and more agile breed of lock-cum-flank that both Woki and Itoje define.

With such athletic lineout ability that the referees could be forgiven for looking for springs at the boot check, this pair of starlets are setting new standards for attacking play off the set-piece – one characterised by mobility over bulk and athleticism over power.

In Itoje, England have one of the finest forwards in the world; a relentless banshee around the ruck, tireless in the loose and a scrummager that’s amongst the best. In Woki, someone more at home on the blindside flank but currently being used as a second-row by France, we see similar qualities, but what he loses in pure abrasion is easily offset by his pace and ball carrying when compared to Itoje.

For England, Itoje is their anchor – the man that’s gone toe-to-toe with the very best. For France, Woki is a work in progress, but his success at Bordeaux-Begles and his playing relationship with Matthieu Jalibert has simply underlined that he is progressing into one of the most gifted forwards in the world.

It’s the old hand v the young upstart and out of all of our head to heads, it’s arguably the most exciting for the forward purists amongst us.