Six Nations specialists reveal who has the sting this yr: Why France boss the scrum, who has the ‘greatest darts’ on the lineout, who brings the aptitude, the place George Ford has ‘stolen a march’ on the remaining and who has that killer jackal risk

The 2026 Six Nations begins on Thursday, representing rugby heaven for fans across the next six weeks.

France open up the tournament against Ireland in Paris and Fabien Galthie’s side are odds-on favourite to retain their title. But the good news for England is that Steve Borthwick’s side look more than a match for their rivals on all key metrics as they gun for a first Championship crown since 2020.

Here, Daily Mail Sport’s ALEX BYWATER breaks down international rugby’s key areas and assesses who has the upper hand in which departments and where the tournament will be won and lost…

THE SCRUM

Injuries to key props Fin Baxter and Will Stuart, as well as reserve Asher Opoku-Fordjour, have led some to claim England are in a front-row crisis. 

Borthwick does still have Ellis Genge and Joe Heyes, but it is France who are the leading figures in this area. That’s even the case without their giant powerhouse Uini Atonio, who has cruelly been forced into retirement after suffering a heart attack. 

‘France dominate the scrum. They have the biggest pack,’ says Italian prop legend Martin Castrogiovanni. ‘France are the most powerful and they really look to dominate in the set-piece and attack from there. Rugby has changed a lot and it’s not all about being the biggest now.

‘But France are not only the biggest, but also the strongest and the most physical. French rugby has always loved the scrum. They live for it. South Africa has the best scrum in the world, but France are close behind them technically and tactically.’

Wales and Scotland, who have smaller, less powerful packs, will look to play away from the set-piece as quickly as possible rather than engage in a contest. France will look to win penalties from scrums, while England will mix and match.

Genge is playing some superb rugby this season and is full of aggression, while Heyes is one of Borthwick’s most improved players. In 2025, when they won 11 straight games after losing to Ireland, England conceded just six penalties at opposition scrums. They were also the second-best scrum at winning penalties, behind only the mighty Springboks.

Ireland have injuries to key forwards and their scrum was beaten up by South Africa in November. That’s just one reason why tournament hopes for Andy Farrell’s side aren’t as high as usual.

Scrum Ranking:

France 9, England 8, Ireland 6, Italy 6, Scotland 5, Wales 5

LINEOUT 

Consistency is the key to England’s lineout and is the reason they are right up there with France and ahead of the rest in this department. 

Maro Itoje is their captain and set-piece caller. He is on the bench for his team’s opening game with Wales following his late arrival into camp following the death of his mother. So Ollie Chessum will take on the role to start with instead but that shouldn’t detract from the team’s rhythm. 

‘Maro is a great lineout caller,’ says former Wales hooker Scott Baldwin. ‘Jamie George has the best darts in world rugby and England have Luke Cowan-Dickie in reserve. A good lineout is all about relationships and Maro has played a lot with Jamie, Luke and Theo Dan.

‘That’s helped by the fact Jamie and Theo are his club team-mates too at Saracens.

‘Another tick in England’s box is their number of options. Guy Pepper is another jumper and is an unbelievable player. I coached him at Newcastle. 

‘Ireland’s lineout on the other hand looks a bit clunky. Dan Sheehan is a world-class hooker, but his replacement Ronan Kelleher’s close-range throwing can come under pressure. 

‘The back five of France’s scrum is packed full of jumpers too. Once again, It’s France and England leading the way.’

Lineout Ranking:

France 9, England 9, Ireland 7, Scotland 5, Italy 5, Wales 5

KICKING 

Ahead of his team’s opener, Borthwick joked he expected Wales to kick the ball 50 times. It was a comment made tongue in cheek, as England have become experts at putting boot to ball effectively. 

‘The contestable kick is now like a new set-piece in terms of importance,’ says former Ireland international and now top Irish pundit Bernard Jackman. 

England are experts in this area. George Ford is arguably the best tactical No 10 in the tournament, especially with France’s Romain Ntamack on the sidelines. 

‘England have stolen a march on everybody else in this area and they did this even before the new law on escort runners came in,’ Jackman adds. ‘They were following the data, which is something Richard Wigglesworth as a coach is big on.’ 

England will get Ford to kick with their giant back-line looking to win the ball back in the air. The tactic worked brilliantly in the autumn, England scoring tries against Australia through Ben Earl and Henry Pollock via kick regains.

Sam Larner is a rugby tactical expert, whose new book Attacking the Space provides an insight into the sport’s latest trends. ‘Teams don’t want to play at all in their own half, so you’ll see a lot of contestable kicks,’ he says. ‘There will be a lot of kicking in this Six Nations. That doesn’t mean it will be boring. I actually think it will be a very exciting Championship.’ 

In Matthieu Jalibert, Sam Prendergast and Dan Edwards, France, Ireland and Wales have more running 10s. England, by contrast, will be more pragmatic, looking to use all of Ford’s immense experience.

Kicking Ranking:

England 9, Scotland 7, France 5, Ireland 5, Italy 5, Wales 4 

ATTACKING THREAT 

‘Sometimes players go off script and try and pull a rabbit from a hat and that can actually do more harm than good,’ Jackman says. 

France have always been the attacking mavericks of the Six Nations and with Jalibert alongside captain Antoine Dupont, it is enough to get all rugby fans licking their lips with anticipation. 

Scotland No 10 Finn Russell is also one of the game’s great entertainers and his team, packed with Lions behind the scrum, can surprise anyone on their day. 

In their centre pairing of Juan Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello, Italy also have livewire threats. 

But the balance for all teams will be not to shoot themselves in the foot. That might sound boring, but to win the Six Nations you must be able to match attacking gusto with pragmatism. 

‘In the past few years there has been a trend of the more you kick, the more you win. That’s simplistic and lacks nuance, but it’s also broadly true,’ Larner says. ‘This Six Nations, you can say it will be the more you play in your own half, the more you lose. You’ll see teams employ Jose Mourinho-style football tactics – take the lead and then frustrate and strangle the opposition, forcing them into mistakes.’

Attacking Threat Ranking:

France 10, Scotland 9, Italy 7, England 7, Ireland 5, Wales 4 

DEFENCE

‘What’s interesting is how rugby’s key areas are all interlinked,’ Larner says. ‘When France beat Australia in the autumn, they conceded 33 points. But they made Australia play in their own half – 40 per cent of their possession took place there.

‘What all teams want to do now is make defending easier. Fiji are probably the only exception internationally to teams playing for three phases at the most before kicking the ball away. 

‘If you know you’re going to be defending for a large part of the game, you’re not going to compete as hard at the breakdown, especially in the opposition’s half. That changes in your own 22.’ 

The key to international rugby in 2026 is power. Simply put, France, England and Ireland have it. Scotland, Italy and Wales don’t. 

Larner points out that in their hammering by South Africa in November, Wales conceded 15 entries into their own 22 and on average, 4.8 points (essentially a try), each time. Test rugby has seen an increase in the number of 22 entries per game, the key is to limit them through physicality and competition for the ball at the breakdown.

‘We are seeing an increase in jackal penalties won,’ Larner adds. ‘They can be absolutely crucial – game-defining moments. In their autumn win over New Zealand, England won the turnover battle 5-3.

‘We’re not necessarily used to seeing England play like that. They have at least or six genuine jackal threats in their 23 for Wales.’ 

Defence Ranking:

England 9, France 8, Ireland 8, Scotland 6, Italy 6, Wales 5  

Total Ranking (out of 50): 

England 42, France 41 , Scotland 32, Ireland 31, Italy 29, Wales 23

So, all in all, England look the most well-rounded and most settled team. It’s now time for them to deliver.