Saracens strife could give England an unlikely boost for the Six Nations

Adversity tests you. Last Sunday Saracens came through a severe one at Allianz Park. The club was in the pillory, the future of its players uncertain. They were playing the often brilliant Racing 22 and were 17-24 down at half-time and would have to play the second half with only 14 men. The outlook was bleak. Knowing that the club was doomed to relegation and would have to play in the Championship next season, it looked as if this might be the club’s last meaningful match this season. So what happened? They pulled their socks up, gritted their teeth (choose your own cliché), changed their tactics and controlled, even dominated, the second half, to emerge victorious. Lots of people dislike or resent Saracens, but this was an occasion when, as Macaulay neatly put it, “e’en the ranks of Tuscany/ Could scarce forbear to cheer.”

Now for a few weeks at least eight Saracens players can forget the mess their club is in and find comfort in Eddie Jones’s bosom – metaphorically of course. Some suggest, hopefully perhaps if they aren’t English, that the Saracens men may get the sort of welcome from other members of the squad that a group of the original Saracens might have received if they blundered into the camp of Richard the Lionheart’s crusading army. I doubt it. There may be the occasional gibe but I would be surprised if esprit de corps and the camaraderie established in recent seasons and doubtless strengthened in Japan during the World Cup doesn’t prevail. Indeed it’s quite possible that the Saracens story may engender solidarity rather than being disruptive, Eddie Jones having the wit to imply that all the world is now against England – which, of course – is more or less the case. In short England may be stronger than ever, something which, as a Scot, I view with apprehension.

In any case, as World Cup finalists, they deservedly start the tournament as favourites. If the final in Japan was, from an English point of view, very disappointing, the memory of their demolition of the All Blacks in the semi-final should remain warm. That victory may be more significant than the loss to South Africa, for it showed just how brilliantly they can play, and must have convinced the players that there is nobody they can’t beat.

Then, even allowing for the fact that it’s a year when they have three away fixtures and only two matches at Twickenham, their schedule looks favourable.

They start in Paris. The new French coach, Fabien Galthié has assembled an unusually young squad, including winners of the Junior World Cup, and discarded a number of players more accustomed to losing international matches than winning them. There are exciting youngsters in the squad, and I’m pretty sure there will be many moments of brilliance from them. Moreover when their new defence coach Sean Edwards has had time to impart his lessons, the French defence is likely to be somewhat less porous than it has too often been in recent years. But though I look forward to seeing France resurgent and showing to us that a renaissance of the famous French Flair is possible and indeed on the way, I suspect that they will find England too well organized and that the second of February may be just a bit too soon for Galthié’s young musketeers to triumph.

England then go north to Murrayfield where they lost two years ago. Scotland’s fly-half Finn Russell gave a master-class that day as he did in the remarkable second-half at Twickenham last year, but will Finn be there? He is missing the first game in Dublin on account of what is rather pompously described as a breach of team protocol – a drink or several too many on Sunday night and missing training on the morning after seems to be the story. His replacement, Adam Hastings, is a fast-improving young player with all the self-confidence of his father Gavin and uncle Scott, but while he is very talented, Finn has a touch, or more than a touch, of genius. Moreover, while Scotland are usually more formidable at Murrayfield than away – not difficult because our away form has been wretched for years, most of my life actually – they are likely to come to the Calcutta Cup match after losing in Dublin. England then have their two home games, first Ireland, then Wales. Both have a new coach this season. Sometimes a change of coach inspires teams and freshens things up. But the new coaches, Andy Farrell (Ireland) and Wayne Pivac (Wales) are taking over from coaches who have consistently been successful.

Ireland look to be in a period of transition, if not as abrupt a one as France, while Wales are missing some key players, notably Jonathan Davies in the centre, and have nothing like England’s strength in depth. It’s Ireland first. Their own second match will have been against Wales in Dublin, and they will surely need to have won that if they are to come to Twickenham in good heart. Wales will doubtless be remembering that they came a lot closer than England to beating South Africa in Japan, and nobody should ever dismiss the chances of a team led by Alun Wyn Jones. But England scarcely ever lose at Twickenham, and the chances are that they will go to Rome in the last week of the tournament in search – and a very confident search – of a Grand Slam.

Well, that’s what looks the probable outcome of this year’s Six Nations, as seen, a little despondently, from the Yarrow Valley in the Scottish Borders. But it’s a rare tournament which doesn’t produce a few surprises. Everything would look very different – and my prediction stupid – if Galthié’s “enfants de la patrie”, playing with the carefree confidence of youth, cut England to ribbons as Scotland did in the second-half at Twickenham last March. But I think there may be too much steel in this England team – Saracens’ forged steel.