Frank Quinn and his prediction of “The Year of the French”
- Updated: 17/03/2025
By Frank Quinn
I TOLD you in my January preview that this was the Year of the French in the Six Nations Championship and in second place was England. You need not check back. That is the gospel. And it happened .
This was based on results in the European Cup (Investec Cup) results in December and January and factual results. The French has six teams in the next round of knockout games at the end of March, England are next in line with 5 teams. To put in n perspective we have three teams after Ulster stole an entry in the final round. I am deliberately leaving the Investec Cup until later in the hope that the Irish players can be successfully integrated with winning teams in their Clubs.
The result of the 2025 Six Nations championship is recorded as: 1st France, 2nd England, 3rd Ireland . We had aspirations of a Grand Slam this year but it was only cheap talk, hype, massaging ego’s as it turned out. Reputations are grounded.
With the writing on the wall going into the final round on Super Saturday, it was between the two of them, France and England. Both of them knew what had to be done, prepared for it and did the job on the day as England demolished Wales and France beat Scotland’s triers in the final game of the day to give us some rugby entertainment on TV.
At dinner time on Saturday England had picked up the maximum five points available and were leading the 6N, and therefore putting it up to France to do the same with Scotland at 8 pm if they wanted the championship
Well as we know now France wanted the championship and did not let up on Scotland. Congratulations to them and to England who could reflect on their side as being the only team to beat France. It’s always nice to beat the winners.
Ireland! Oh Ireland! We played Italy in Rome, we won 22-17. it was of no consequence as the championship was with the other two games. The coach tried to make out that the championship was still open (before Super Saturday) but the truth always hurts. It was a dead rubber to fulfil the fixture list as far as I was concerned, and to prove it, we ended up in Third place and Italy ended up Fifth. Exciting Statistics.
A more miserable and unremembered day we are unlikely to have. The home side had an opportunity to win but passed it up, having lost two of the starting line up injured in the first half and yellow cards. Even the captain got one. And what about the very busy TMO? You could easily pour out another cup of coffee and miss nothing. On the other side, we did steal four tries for the bonus for only the third time.
France and England knew what they had to do and did it. They attacked the game. We trained for a week after the French fiasco and and you cannot see any difference in the play or attitude of the players or any great changes in the selection for almost a dead rubber game.
I feel sure the English and French coaches laid it on the line for their players: the importance of the occasion and the game, the personal satisfaction, and the benefits in morale and money available to their unions.
There is no sentiment here. “Wasn’t it nice?, “-to bring the three retiring players to visit The Holy City of Rome? It’s purely business , did our coaches instil in the players the gravity and importance of the game. Do the players really understand in their heads that they were going to be third instead of a Promised Grand Slam? I do not think we have grabbed the nettle, the elephant is in the room, we don’t know how to win big games, We don’t now how to want to win. We have no history (look at Argentina/Italy winning attitudes ).
Nice occasion and all as it was – at the end the players just stood around after a dead rubber win, as if they had won the 2025 6N Championship instead it was Third Place. Nobody seemed to worry about it or think about it, there were no sad faces or any form of repercussions or outward show that this was a dismal end to an unforgettable 6n campaign.
The real solid professional rugby journalists have picked it up seriously in the papers. “More questions than Answers”? ” In dire need of major rebuild” ” It needs more than focusing on the positives” “Ireland stutter in Rome.” All advocating a change in the system and a change in personnel, All of the players received low personal ratings in the last two games, except ‘Three try Sheehan” who received 8/10 in Rome.
The current system is costing about €60M. Sixty million euros, annually for the Professional Administration, including salaries. Although it does not work for winning championships or RWC’s . The IRFU is a €100M Turnover Business Company that is running rugby.
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