NEW YORK, NY – There are signs that things are spinning back toward being normal on Planet Pandemic ™, but these are still crazy times. Need proof? Look no further than that little rugby tournament we call the Six Nations. Not only will see the storied competition’s last two rounds be completed in October, it may also be available for you on Amazon Prime. These developments are the direct result of this confounded COVID-19 thing, but heck – it’s all good.
Some thoughts…
IRELAND v ITALY
The Azzurri will be engulfed in verde when they come to Dublin to face the Irish at Aviva on October 24th. With all the chatter about 6N expansion or the less popular potential implementation of promotion/relegation, Italy are the team most fans would say be bounced in if the latter change ever happened. Their Irish hosts won’t give a hoot about any of that and their players will come in battle-tested, with plenty in the tank after getting the rust off in the Guinness Pro 14, Gallagher Premiership, Top 14, etc. It’s likely going to be a long day for the visitors but that’s okay. Six Nations matches are all mini events and it will be great to see this match getting us back in the swing of things.
A.B.E.
The above acronym stands for what anyone that’s not English considers to be a rugby mantra – Anybody But England. However… Even though the odds (-140) are favoring France to win the Six Nations Championship according to Sports Betting Dime, you can expect this to change heavily in favor to England when the odds reopen. Why? Well, in case your Covid Cabin Fever has gotten the best of you, Eddie Jones & Co are at the top of the table and have only a match vs the aforementioned/beleaguered Italians remaining. Sure, it’s in Rome but these ain’t Nero’s Romans and the Brits should boot the Azzurri into the Mediterranean, figuratively speaking.
The French…
While England should have cake-walk on their hands, Les Bleus, who are tied at the top of the table with the Red Rose, will be seeing shamrocks and kilts in Paris home. And Ireland will have 3 wins going into that match, so they still could snatch the title in this crazy Coronavirus world. Full disclosure, as a dual citizen of Ireland and the USA, yours truly would love to see that happen.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that rugby is being played again and we get to theorize, pontificate, brag, question and root for our Six Nations squad of choice… and that’s a good thing.
