The Six Nations Championship grew out of the 1883 Home International Championship. Back then only four nations competed for this prestigious cup; England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In 1910 France officially joined and the championship unsurprisingly became the Five Nations Cup. It wasn't until 2000 when Italy joined that the championship became what we now know as the Six Nations Championship. Since then the competition has grown considerably and draws a huge number of supporters.
England was the first nation to win the new Six Nations cups in 2000. However since then England has had a somewhat shaky hold on the championship. One strong competitor is Wales, who won the first Grand Slam back in 2005. Another strong competitor is France, who beat Ireland on points back in 2006 and also beat three other teams on points in 2007. In 2008 Wales won their second Grand Slam in four years and highlighted how their playing strategy is proving to be highly effective. The question is, can England get back on form for 2009?
Certainly training and preparation of the squad is going to be one of the most important factors to ensure an England win, and many supporters are pleased that England have returned to their old training ground. Since leaving the World Cup Training ground in 2003, the England squad has certainly moved about a bit. They have spent brief periods at the University of Bath, Loughborough University and Bisham Abbey. The uncertainty of being without a permanent base to train from may have put added pressure on the team, so the announcement in August 08 that they are to return to their old training ground in Pennyhill Park in Surrey is good news. They will remain at this site until 2012, giving them a strong training foundation.
It also looks good when you look at past performance and realise that England, according to some of the bookmakers, has a 23% chance of winning the 6 Nations Tournament, which is greater than the predicted winning percentages of both Wales and France. It is said that England has been off form since 2003, which is when they moved training grounds, and this may well be true. However, when you look at the Six Nation's history, you can see that England has won 25 times and has also won the most Grand Slams. Compare this to Wales, who have only won 23 times and have won less Grand Slams overall.
No matter how you look at it, the Six Nations Tournament 2009 is shaping up to be a dramatic one. England, Wales and France can all potentially win and are certainly joint favourites with many bookmakers. Each of these three nations has had their time at the top and it may well be England's time to claim the trophy once more.
If you really want to see some exciting rugby then it will certainly be worthwhile buying a ticket for next year, putting on your England 2008/09 Replica Rugby Shirts, and getting over to Twickenham to see the opening match with Italy.
