Former England full-back Ben Foden has spoken exclusively to BOYLE Sports in a wide-ranging Six Nations review, questioning whether Gregor Townsend has lost the Scotland dressing room amid mounting pressure after recent results and his potential Newcastle move.
Foden also dissected England's failure to target Finn Russel l aggressively, urged Wales to fast-track youth amid their rebuild and predicted wooden spoon struggles, hailed Italy's passionate revival under Gonzalo Quesada , and warned that Rome could prove tricky for England if form dips.
Gregor Townsend
Topsy Turvy Commentary: Is Townsend Right For Scotland?
That is the thing now. You really are judged on your results. We don’t know what camp it is like behind closed doors. Borthwick is obviously a great coach. He seems to be getting the best out of the lads. But if you lose a game like that against Scotland , then suddenly questions are asked.
But the real questions are always going to be asked of the players. Are they happy? Is he doing the right things? Are they all on the same page? Do they understand what they're doing? I think he has the changing room. And I think the problem with coaches is when you lose the changing room, that's when it becomes very hard to maintain your position. You lose, and it's always easy to point fingers.
Has Gregor Lost The Dressing Room?
Last week, people were saying Gregor has done what he can; he hasn't gotten to where they need to be, they need to be finishing second at least to justify the SRU keeping him. He’s sort of wearing two hats, too. He's always had his toe in the water at Newcastle with the full-time job lined up for him. I don't know the current state of Gregor’s contract and how many years he has left to play out. If Scotland turned around and went to extend it past the World Cup , would he want to do that? Or is he at the point where he's taken Scotland as far as they can go?
They need to be able to continuously beat the best teams to win a Six Nations or at least make a semi-final of a World Cup , which they haven’t done for a long time. If you're a Scotland fan, that's what you're looking for next. Will Gregor take them there? I don't know. But it does seem likely that Newcastle is going to be a good fit for him in the next couple of months.
Finn Russell
I'm surprised England didn’t target him more. I remember when we played against Australia in 2010 down there, and Quade Cooper was their fly-half king. He was a similar sort of player to Finn Russell , doing magic things and pulling the strings. I remember we sat down in a team meeting, and we just said to Lewis Moody , ‘Your whole objective for this game is that every time he gets the ball, whether he passes it or kicks it: Whack him.’
And that's what Lewis Moody did. Quade had a very quiet series against us because he was picking himself off the floor, and Lewis was very good at all that. He was so dogged. He'd always put the tens under pressure who needed it.
You cannot give someone like Finn Russell any time on the ball because if you do, he makes things happen. I'm surprised that England didn't go after him more. I haven't really seen Finn Russell against England really come under real stress or pressure. That’s probably something that England need to look at in terms of when they play. We're going to see it again when we play France because Jalibert is a magician too.
Welsh Rugby
Solving Wales’s Problems
Youth rugby in Wales has taken a hit, but it's still alive and well. There's still very good rugby-playing schools. There's still a good youth system. It's just that the changing of the guard took too long. The likes of Liam Williams , George North , Alun Wyn Jones , Adam Jones and all those boys there weren't students becoming the master. When they left, there was and is this vast gap of experienced international players that's never been filled. And there's a bit of a scramble now to find the next generation.
The future of the Six Nations this season is not bright for Wales . I think they probably will get the wooden spoon, but they'll give Italy a good match, they'll give Scotland a run, depending on what kind of Scottish team turns up. I can't see Wales winning a game. There’s got to be questions asked about the future of Welsh rugby because this shouldn't happen to a country that's so influential in the game and has dominated the Six Nations for the last 15 years. It’s a real shame to see them drop off as they have.
If the coaches are savvy, they’ll just throw guys in and see if they can sink or swim. They won’t be expecting them to go and win an international game on their own, but you're looking at them to see who can play at this level and compete. And if they get to the end of this competition with five or six guys who they think have what it takes, and around whom they can build a team and if they have the right kind of temperament and the right skill set and the right attitude and they're willing to work hard - you can start building around a core.
Italy Rugby
The Italian Revival
It was always going to be an uphill struggle for them when they joined the Six Nations. They were always sort of going to be the beatable younger brother who was late to the party. Finally, they're maturing. And I hope they continue to grow.
Every year now, their under-20s seem to be doing pretty well. Every now and then, they beat a top nation. And the other thing as well that Italy shows is a real passion to play for the shirt. It's genuine, it really is. And that is invaluable as well; it really means something to them. When they go in and get out there and play, you can see it gives them an extra gear, and I'm delighted for Italy.
They're really well coached at the moment with Quesada . He’s exactly what they needed. That sort of Argentinian mentality, to leave it all out in the field and then don't ask any questions afterwards because you've emptied the tank.
Prediction: Italy vs England
Do you know what? If England don't play well against Ireland , it will be a tough place to go to Rome . I don't think going to Italy is an easy job anymore. This Italian team can make it hard work for anyone, and England are not invincible as we've seen.
Erasmus “Italy Can Come Second Or Third”
Erasmus is a soothsayer as well as a bloody genius! Italy got a losing bonus point in Dublin . You expect them to win well against Wales , and if they pull off a victory against Scotland or England , they're definitely in the running.
Bet on Six Nations Odds at BOYLE Sports
*Prices are subject to fluctuation
Remember, Always Gamble Responsibly
