Six Nations coaches: Gatland and Borthwick enter the fray
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This seasonโs tournament will see a familiar face and an exciting international newcomer in the Six Nations coachesโ corner.
Warren Gatland has returned for a second stint with Wales, replacing Wayne Pivac, while Steve Borthwick takes the England reins after Eddie Jones was sacked two weeks ago.
Here we look at the Six Nations coaches in charge of the four home countries heading into the 2023 tournament and the Rugby World Cup in France.
Steve Borthwick (England)
Former England forwards coach and captain Borthwick arrives at Twickenham as Jonesโ England successor with an impressive CV.
He played in 57 Tests and clocked up close to 400 appearances for Bath and Saracens as an outstanding second-row forward.
He joined Leicester as head coach in 2020, and his second season at the helm saw Tigers crowned Gallagher Premiership champions.
๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐ ๐
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โ England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) December 20, 2022
Borthwickโs England stint starts against Scotland at February 4, with defending Six Nations champions France and current world number one team Ireland lining up as their final two opponents before World Cup warm-up games in August and a September 9 tournament opener against Argentina.
He will need to hit the ground running and England are 9/2 third-favourites in the outright Six Nations betting.
Warren Gatland (Wales)
The odds just a couple of months ago would have been distant on New Zealander Gatland being one of the Six Nations coaches for 2023.
During a 12-year reign from 2007 to 2019, Wales won four Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams, reached two World Cup semi-finals and were briefly the worldโs number one team.
The stars aligned for the Welsh Rugby Union, though, with a miserable 2022 that included home defeats against Italy and Georgia spelling the end for Pivac.
Gatland has returned initially for the Six Nations and World Cup, and while Wales currently look some way short of challenging France and Ireland, do not bet against the 59-year-old making an immediate impact. Wales could be the value pick at 18/1 in the Six Nations winner odds.
Gregor Townsend (Scotland)
Townsend took over as Scotland head coach in 2017 and some impressive wins included a first victory over England at Twickenham for 38 years, while the likes of France and Australia have also been toppled, but the Scots continue to search for consistency.
They should have beaten New Zealand during this seasonโs Autumn Nations Series, but lost after leading 23-14 in the second half.
Scotland finished fourth in the last Six Nations, and a Twickenham opener this time against England represents a tough assignment, while their World Cup pool is ferociously difficult as it also includes South Africa and Ireland, with only two teams qualifying for the last eight.
Scotland have progressed under Townsend, but they now need to find another gear and are also 18/1 for Six Nations glory.
Andy Farrell (Ireland)
Former rugby league star Farrell has made a huge impression with Ireland since succeeding Joe Schmidt after the 2019 World Cup.
Following a steady rather than spectacular beginning, Farrellโs team have attained heights that Irish rugby could only previously have dreamt about.
In 2022, they won a Six Nations Triple Crown, claimed a Test series triumph against the All Blacks in New Zealand and rose to become the number one team in the world.
They are the Six Nations title favourites at 13/10, but it is at the World Cup where they will be judged, with tournament history showing that Ireland have never progressed beyond the quarter-final stage.
It is a record Farrell will be desperate to change and Ireland are 5/1 in the Rugby World Cup odds.
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
