And the 23-year-old is hoping a head injury suffered in January won’t cause a year of real achievement on the pitch to fizzle out in anti-climax in the grandstand.

Williams is desperate to win back his place in the Bath starting line-up after missing almost two months of action. But with life as a centre at The Rec  competitive to say the least – and only likely to get even more intense next term with the arrival of hot prospect Jonathan Joseph from London Irish – the former England junior is straining at the leash to end his landmark season on the field.

“Overall the past year has been massively positive for me,” he told Talking Rugby Union. “Getting as much game time as I did at the start of the season, playing well and playing myself into a new contract was brilliant.

“To be fair I’ve been pretty blessed with the amount of rugby I played up until I got injured. I had a good run of games, but then I got myself knocked out against Exeter and I’ve just been trying to get back from that really.

“Injuries are part and parcel of professional sport and you have to accept you’re going to get hurt sometimes. They tend to knock you back a bit, but I think I’m big enough and strong enough to get over them and hopefully come back stronger. I’ve just got back fit and got back into it and I need to have a strong push now and get some more games before the end of the season.”

Dorset-born Williams joined Bath Academy after A-levels in 2007, having represented England at U-16 and U18 levels. He made his first team debut in the LV=Cup against Saracens in 2009 and took his Premiership bow two weeks after that against Worcester. His efforts were rewarded just three months ago when he signed an extension to his contract at the club.

Modestly he puts down his progress to “fantastic” coaching staff and team-mates. “There are some great players in the centre positions to learn from,” he said. “The likes of Matt Banahan, Danny Hipkiss are vastly experienced guys. And Olly (Barkley) before he left was terrific too.

“As a young player in that sort of company you are always learning every day. They are great people to have around and great role models. They have all helped me massively.

“I’ve been playing a lot at 12 this season, although I’m quite comfortable at outside centre too. I’ve enjoyed playing inside because you are a bit closer to the action and you get to make a few more tackles and stuff like that.”

It may be five years since Williams pulled on an England shirt, but he has dreams of doing it again in the senior side “one day.”

“Hopefully, eventually, step by step I would like to get there,” he said. “But the main thing for me at the moment has to be getting back into the Bath side, playing well for my club and continuing to learn. I’m a great believer that if you work hard those sort of things can come off the back of that.

“I’ve had some success this season with the number of games I have played for the first team. There are still a few games to go and, hopefully, I can get back out there and pick up where I left off.”

As 16-year-olds Owen Farrell and Ben Vernon were first choice England team-mates, both seemingly destined for rugby stardom.

Last year, while Farrell was making his Six Nations debut against Scotland at Murrayfield, Vernon was scrambling around in the mud for Tarleton in North Lancashire One – nine rungs below on the rugby ladder.

Injuries to both shoulders derailed a highly-promising career with Sale Sharks and threatened to end it altogether. But Vernon is now fighting back.

An impressive first season with Fylde in National League One, two levels below the Aviva Premiership, has given the 21-year-old flanker the belief that, with an overdue slice of luck and a decent tail wind, he can still get back to where he was.

Fylde have the option of another year on his contract while he completes his university degree. But after that who knows?

“Sure I’ve still got ambitions in the game,” he confessed. “I’d love to get back into professional rugby and pick up where I left off. So next season will be a big one for me and I’ll be giving it everything.”

Vernon, from Preston, Lancashire, knows it will take more than true Northern grit to recapture that lost dream. Contemporaries from the England U16 side in 2008 have progressed smoothly through the gears to hit the fast lane of Premiership rugby. Team-mates like Farrell, George Ford, Ryan Glynn and Sam Twomey have all had those extra years of top flight grooming that can be so important to a young player’s development.

“Catching up isn’t going to be easy,” said the Fylde No 7. “I’m getting stronger and fitter playing in National One. It’s been a long haul. But after all I’ve put myself through I’m starting to feel the confidence surging back.

“Next season will be the biggest test. I’ve got a lot to do if I want to make up for lost time. The Premiership is still my dream. If I could get there after all that’s happened that would be brilliant. If not then I just want to get as far as I can.”

Vernon, like ex-England captain Steve Borthwick a product of Hutton Grammar School in Preston, captained his county at U15 and was capped by England a year later. Under the leadership of Farrell, he played in the Four Nations Championship in France in 2008. Two years later the Sale Academy player made the England U18 squad preparing to face the mighty Australians.

It ought to have been the biggest moment of his rugby life. Instead an injury days before the game brought his world crashing down.

“It was the final training camp before we played the Aussies,” he recalled. “I got a real stinger of a tackle which damaged my right shoulder and was affecting my neck. The England staff took me to one side and told me I couldn’t play. I was sent me home. As brutal as that. And I never got back.

“The same happened with Sale. I was just devastated. It all just collapsed around me. I went from being on the verge of playing for England against Australia to nothing, almost overnight.

“Pretty soon afterwards the left shoulder went too. I was doing pre-season training at Fylde and again it was a tackle which did the damage.

“I was absolutely gutted. I can’t explain the depths of disappointment I felt going from England to nothing, just like that. It was at that point that I honestly felt it was over for me at rugby. I knew I had to get surgery on both shoulders and see if there was any chance I could come back from it.”

Vernon had 18 months out of the game while he recuperated from the operations. He admits his confidence took as big a knock as his shoulders. But, after a few tentative steps back into rugby with his local team Tarleton, he began to play regular games in North Lancashire One – the eighth level of the pyramid.

It was during that season of rediscovery that, completely out of the blue, national scouts came calling again to offer him a place in the England Counties U20 side against Scotland. Vernon scored a first half try to give England an 11-5 half-time lead. But the Scots powered back to win 33-16.

“Pulling that England shirt on again after four years was brilliant,” he said. “I also went to Twickenham last year with Lancashire in the County Championship Final. The next aim is to get in the full England Counties side and see where I go from there.

“I’m loving playing for Fylde. It’s an excellent set-up, the lads are great and I’m learning an awful lot from some very experienced people. I know I’ve got a lot of hard work to do next season, but I’ll be ready to give it both barrels.”

In the meantime, once the current season ends, he plans some much-needed rest and a bit of sevens rugby with the newly-formed Red Panda team owned by former Lancashire and North of England team-mate (and owner of Talking Rugby Union) Max Ashcroft.

The Heineken Cup quarter final weekend came to a climax on the Mediterranean coast, with arguably the round’s most anticipated clash between Toulon and Leicester. The French giants welcomed the Tigers to the Stade Felix Mayol, for what was to be a powerful display of cup rugby.

Before the game, a number of ‘key’ battles were highlighted between the young, home-grown talent of Leicester and the experienced ‘stars’ of Toulon. Most notably, the mid-field encounter of Manu Tuilagi and Mathieu Bastareaud and heavyweight clash of both front rows. However, it was battle of the fly-halves, both captains on the day that proved to be the most significant.

The master, Jonny Wilkinson, for the first time in his career, faced former Newcastle apprentice, Toby Flood. Flood was to get best of the first half, with his side leading 9-0 at one point. However, a Toulon fight back resulted in a score of 9-6 at the break.

The World Cup winning fly-half showed his class, as he eventually won the kicking duel with four penalties to Flood’s two in the second half. A late drop-goal from Wilkinson sent the French side through to the semi-finals, for the first time in the club’s history.

The fixture’s opening exchanges were a nervous affair, as the magnitude of the occasion resulted in a number of errors. When the sides settled into the match, it was Leicester who took the game to the favoured home side.

The Tigers dominated early set-piece play, winning clean line-out ball, through experts Tom Croft and Geoff Parling, and most impressively their dominance at the scrumage. It was the much younger front-row of Dan Cole, Tom Youngs and Marcos Ayerza that drove the Toulon pack – headed by scrumaging royalty Carl Hayman – backwards on a number of occasions in the first half. A sight rarely witnessed by a quietening French crowd.

Toulon’s expensively assembled side, featuring a number of stars, including Bakkies Botha, Chris Masoe, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and Matt Guiteau, to name but a few, looked surprised by the speed at which Leicester took the game to them.

The English side’s younger back-line played off their pack’s dominance at the set-piece. Scrum-half Ben Youngs moved the ball a number of passes away from the breakdown wherever possible, which was complimented by the attacking presence of Tuilagi and winger Adam Thompstone.

As a result of Toulon frustration and ill-discipline, Flood was able to kick his side ahead with nine unanswered points. However, Flood, deliberately knocked on a pass from Delon Armitage and with the Tigers captain in the sin-bin, Toulon began to play. Wilkinson then condensed the lead to 9-6 at the mid-way point.

The home side came out a much different team in the second half, as Wilkinson added a further two penalties to take the lead. Toulon’s big-names began to fire, with an impressive display of power-running and offloading from both forwards and back alike.

Toulon came close to the Tigers’ white wash on a number of occasions, with a bombardment of the visitors twenty-two mid-way through the second half. Chris Masoe was just shy, after a piercing run through the Leicester defence, on the back of a thundering Wilkinson tackle and Steffon Armitage turnover. South African lock Bakkies Botha looked to be over the line, after a thundering carry, only to be denied by referee George Clancy for a double movement. Finally, it was Bastareaud who came closest, who was hurled into touch by a marvellous defensive effort from winger Thompstone, inches before he placed the ball over the line.

Just as Leicester believed they had weathered the storm, with a titanic defensive display, prop Dan Cole was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on of his own. To which, Wilkinson managed to settle the growing qualm of the home crowd with a further two penalties.

However, in typical Leicester fashion, the East-Midlands side were not to be counted out yet. Flood replied with a penalty of his own, taking his side within three points in the final few minutes. An impressive solo effort from centre Anthony Allen nearly resulted in a last-gasp Tigers try, as the kicked-on ball was recovered by the home side only metres from their own line.

However, it was Toulon and Wilkinson who provided a fitting dénouement. The fly-half master did what he does best, piercing the uprights with a right-footed drop-goal in the final minute, killing-off a spirited Leicester and sealing victory.

Toulon will next travel across the Channel for their semi-final and face Saracens at Twickenham. Wilkinson will lead his team of ‘star’s with the hopes of winning the Heineken Cup, still very much alive.

Team line-ups

Toulon: D Armitage; Wulf, Bastareaud, Giteau, Palisson; Wilkinson, Tillous-Borde; Sheridan, Bruno, Hayman, Botha, Kennedy, Fernandez Lobbe, S Armitage, Masoe.

Replacements: Mermoz for Bastareaud (79), Martin for Palisson (68), Jenkins for Sheridan (58), Ivaldi for Bruno (56), van Niekerk for S. Armitage (74).

Not Used: Chilachava, Suta, Durand.

Leicester: Tait; Morris, Tuilagi, Allen, Thompstone; Flood, B Youngs, Ayerza, T Youngs, Cole, Slater, Parling, Croft, Salvi, Crane.

Replacements: Castrogiovanni for Thompstone (67), Mulipola for Ayerza (54), Kitchener for Slater (65), Waldrom for Croft (39).

Not Used: Hawkins, Harrison, Ford, Smith.

Sin Bin: Flood (29), Cole (59).

Att: 15,263

Ref: George Clancey (RFU).

SARACENS flanker Will Fraser has a blunt message for the sceptics who think plastic pitches and rugby should never be mentioned in the same sentence: Don’t decry it until you try it!

The England Saxons No 7 was as cautious as the next man on February 16 when Sarries tackled Exeter Chiefs in the first-ever Premiership game to be played on a totally artificial surface.

But a month into the experiment at the club’s £24m state-of-the-art Allianz Park stadium Fraser is not only a convert, he reckons synthetic could be the future for professional rugby.

“No-one thought plastic and rugby would ever go together,” he told Talking Rugby Union as he looked out across the immaculate ground at Barnet in North London. “But having played on this one here I’ve got to say it’s brilliant. It’s quick, so it’s a bit of a shock to the system to begin with. But it just allows for such a flowing game of rugby.”

The eyes of the rugby world are now focused on Saracens as they pioneer the very latest in artificial turf at their new home following a January move from Watford FC’s Vicarage Road. The pitch cost more than £500,000 to lay and has a lifespan of just eight years. But it is practically maintenance-free and can be used every day of the year.

So far the surface has passed its crash test with flying colours during an LV=Cup tie with Cardiff Blues and two Aviva Premiership games against Exeter and London Welsh. The biggest examination will come this weekend when Sarries take on title rivals Harlequins in a mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash.

“It’s a really good surface,” said Fraser. “Technology has come a very long way since the football grounds of the eighties which were eventually outlawed and earned plastic pitches a bad name. This is top-of-the-range, high-spec stuff and I love playing on it.

“The surprising thing is you don’t need to change the way you play in the slightest. We keep everything exactly the same whether we are here on the artificial surface or away on grass.

“It’s well-documented that we are a very structured side at Saracens. So nothing changes at all, it is exactly the same as we would do on any other pitch. The speed of the game on it just allows for a few more opportunities and it’s just about whether you take them or not really.

“I think the biggest worry might have been injuries. But, touch wood, no-one seems to have had any issues with that so far.”

The Allianz pitch looks, feels and plays like normal grass. But it is entirely synthetic with a rubber shock-pad to protect players in compliance with regulations on head impacts.

According to Saracens skipper Steve Borthwick, the former England captain: “It has a bit more cushioning than an ordinary pitch in, say, September, or in pre-season games in August. I think it’s better than scrummaging in mud.”

Club chief executive Ed Griffiths admits it is an experiment. “In two years either everyone in rugby will have moved to what we have, or we will have moved back to grass,” he said. “Of course there is a risk to being the first. But the general reaction of other clubs has been: ‘OK, it’s interesting, but let’s wait and see how it turns out.’”

Chairman Nigel Wray commented: “The sporting world is looking at this place.” And International Rugby Board chief executive Mike Miller said: “Unfortunately in this country people have the image of Queens Park Rangers in the eighties. It is a totally different thing now.”

Will Fraser, who knows how different things are, suggests critics could quickly become converts once the majority of Aviva Premiership sides have sampled Allianz Park for themselves and seen the pitch at first hand.

“We used to train on a 3G pitch at Hertfordshire University and there was no way you would be able to play a game on that. No chance,” he said. “But this pitch here is one of a kind at the moment and, give it a few years, I think you’ll find a few more knocking around in rugby.”

THERE was a time Saracens flanker Will Fraser could pinch himself and be out of action for two weeks.

These days the 23-year-old can’t help checking if life is all just a dream after finding himself a regular starter for the Men in Black, a big hit with England Saxons and on the threshold of Stuart Lancaster’s full international squad.

And all that in just one mind-boggling, gobsmacking, breathtaking year.

“Looking back over the past 12 months I can honestly say it just feels surreal,” said Fraser, who coaches once tagged an injury-prone youngster who might never make it into professional rugby. “I think this season has been very much one where I have had to keep pinching myself all the way through to see if what’s happening to me is real and I’m not imagining it.

“In particular the last few months have been something of a whirlwind. It’s been brilliant. To be called up to train with the Six Nations squad only a year after I broke into the Sarries’ team is unbelievable.

“It is such a huge opportunity to even be in that environment. It is something I massively appreciate and something I have learned a lot from. It just makes me want to be there even more.”

Fraser got his chance at Vicarage Road towards the end of last season and seized it firmly with both hands. Now, with Saracens ensconced in their plush new £24m home at Allianz Park in Barnet, the powerful No 7 is a regular on the team-sheet as the star-studded side chases a silverware double.

Director of Rugby Mark McCall insists: “He’s only been going for 16 months and I think he’s ready for England now.”

It was McCall who revealed Fraser’s stop-start development as a junior led Saracens to believe a career in rugby might be beyond him. “He just had different injuries for three years,” he said. “Almost to the point where you think it’s not going to work for this player. But we’re glad we hung in there with him.”

Fraser is sufficiently grounded to realise that what the game gives it can also take away. It was someone else’s misfortune which handed him his chance and he is determined never to lose sight of that fact.

“I got my opportunity through injuries,” he recalled. “Obviously you don’t wish injury on anyone, especially your team-mates. But it happened and I grabbed the chance. Fortunately I was able to carry that form through into this season and everything has just happened from there.

“The more you play, the more confident you get. I learn from every game I play and I take those lessons into the next game. But when you look around you at the players we have here at Saracens you are bound to learn. Just look at the likes of Steve Borthwick. He is the only captain I have had in my professional career, but I will put it out there and say that I will struggle to play under a better one in the rest of my career.”

Fraser admits the call-up to the Saxons was something of a surprise. But when he scored the winning try on his debut against Ireland A and then had a strong game against Scotland a week later, he impressed some pretty influential people. An invitation followed to join the full England Six Nations squad as injury cover before the Ireland and France games.

“It was phenomenal for me,” he said. “It was such a huge honour to even be in that environment. It was good to see the lads operating on a day-to-day basis in the build up to games. It just made me want to be part of it again.

“I don’t think I realised just how close I was to the full England squad. And now I’m knocking on the door is even more exciting. I wanted it before all this, but I want it even more now. It has given me that little bit extra to kick on now.

“There is obviously the tour of Argentina coming up in the summer, but there’s a long way to go before then. I’ve just got to keep my head down, train hard, play well and, with so many of the lads hopefully going off with the Lions, hopefully I can push my way on to that plane. Who knows? If I get there then I will do what I can to put my face in the shop window.”

WILL Greenwood is a World Cup winner – and it shouldn’t come any better than that.

But a decade on from England rugby’s finest hour, the former Harlequins and Leicester centre admits he’s a touch envious of the young players making their breakthrough in the game this year.

As in past years many Premiership clubs will use the prestigious JP Morgan 7s in August to showcase their emerging talent. And Greenwood believes, with rugby sevens making its debut at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, there has never been a better time to be young, gifted and on track for a career in the sport.

“Fifteens rugby was my game,” he told Talking Rugby Union at the media launch of the JP Morgan event at Saracens’ new Allianz Park stadium. “Winning a World Cup was the pinnacle of my career. But what an opportunity these lads have now. And the guys we’ll see in the JP Morgan series in 2013 will be in Rio in 2016. How cool is that?

“What an opportunity for a 19 or 20-year-old kid to be able to make a decision in the year 2013: Shall I win an Olympic gold medal in Rio or should I put my hand up for Stuart Lancaster’s World Cup squad in 2015? It’s a cracking place for these boys to be.”

Greenwood, now 40, is as passionate about sevens as he is the 15-a-side version he graced until his retirement in 2006. And he admits the JP Morgan competition, now in its fourth year, is one he would loved to have played in.

“You bet I would,” he said. “I loved open space, I loved opportunities to attack from deep. OK, my flat-chested lack of lung capacity might have come back to kick me on the backside. There’s no hiding place in this game. Most sevens players these days can run the 100-metres in 11 seconds. But it takes more than just speed. I think I would have been pretty good . . . for the first two minutes!

“The beauty of it is different Premiership managers take different views on what to use the JP Morgan 7s for,” he said. “Some, like Quins, will throw their kids in and use it as part of their development. We’ve seen how they threw those same kids into a final (LV=Cup) recently and picked up a trophy.

“You go to the other side and look at Gloucester who had a proper first choice squad last year. They used it differently as a really good run-out before the Premiership started.

“That’s why I love this competition and why I bring my kids. It doesn’t matter about the draw, they are all cracking fixtures. The form book goes out of the window. And you never know what you’re going to get. Sure, we can’t guarantee the weather – we’re in England. But you can guarantee a quality evening’s entertainment.”

The competition, split into three pools of four, kicks off at Gloucester’s Kingsholm Stadium on August 1 in a round robin format featuring Bath, Exeter, Worcester and the hosts. The following evening (Aug 2) Northampton, Leicester, London Welsh and Sale do battle at Franklin’s Gardens. And 24 hours later Saracens, Harlequins, London Irish and London Wasps play their group games on the artificial pitch at Allianz Park.

The top two from each pool go through to a high-octane finals night at Bath’s Recreation Ground on Friday August 9.

Greenwood, capped 55 times by England and selected for three Lions tours, is excited about the pre-season chance to talent-spot, which the JP Morgan series offers rugby fans in abundance.

“The first time I saw Luke Wallace was in the JP Morgan 7s for Quins down at Bath,” he recalled. “When we turn up at Gloucester for Pool A, is Henry Slade going to be playing, or will they play Sireli Naqelevuki?

“Wouldn’t it have been great in football to have been at George Best’s first game? Well at this tournament there’s the possibility of being in at the start as some of the stars of the future are blooded.

“In 10 years time, when some of these boys have 70-odd caps, have picked up the William Webb Ellis Trophy or won a gold medal in the Olympics, we can say we were at Allianz Park or The Rec in 2013 and saw them play for the first time.”

The JP Morgan 7s will be the first rugby union covered live on the new BT Sport channels, with former England Sevens World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio providing the expert opinion.

Tickets and more information from: www.jpmorgan7s.com or follow on Twitter @jpmorganrugby7s

The J.P Morgan Premiership Rugby 7s kicks off on 1st August at Kingsholm with rounds at Franklin’s Gardens and Allianz Park and the Final at The Recreation Ground. For tickets and more information visit: www.jpmorgan7s.com or follow @jpmorganrugby7s

It all began at Murrayfield with Scotland welcoming Wales to Edinburgh, and for the first 60 minutes only fine margins separated the teams on the scoreboard. Alarm bells began ringing for the Scottish pack early on when they failed to have any real response to the Welsh scrum. Throughout the game the Scottish back 3 worked incredibly well together making it hard for Wales to really gain from the kicking game, and Wales missed the opportunity to pull ahead with Halfpenny missing 3 penalties and failing to punish Scotland for their indiscipline. Halfpenny corrected the radar however when it came to converting Hibbard’s try that came initially from a great break by George North followed by good Welsh carrying, with Hibbard finally crashing over the line.

Scotland suffered a major setback when man-mountain Richie Gray was carried from the field. With no Gray the Scottish lineout looked unstable. Kellock’s certainly the experienced player you’d want on the bench but most teams would struggle to be able to replace Gray with an equally gifted sub, and it’s needless to say that at full fitness Gatland would be a fool not to be handing out the red Lions jersey to him.

Sam Warburton also began to get his claim to being on the plane with the Lions underway again, putting in excellent hits, holding his weight in the rucks and getting turnover ball. Tipuric had an excellent impact from the bench and of course, Mr. Consistant Leigh Halfpenny, although missing 3 penalties, had another great all-round game. In the final 20 minutes Wales finally pulled 10 points clear and deserved their win, although both teams were guilty of cheaply handing back ball, which in the end contributed to a new record of 18 penalties being awarded. It wasn’t the game you’d use to get people into watching the Six Nations and Scotland will need to urgently go back to drawing board to work out how to enjoy more possession and utilise their talent. How good could Hogg be if he simply saw more of the ball? As for Wales they will no doubt know they need to up their game if they plan on holding onto their title next week since they never displayed any attacking flair or creativity and will need to do more than execute the basics when they welcome England to Cardiff.

But if Wales felt they had a hard time of it grinding out the win in Edinburgh, then it’s probably hard to imagine the kind of weekend Philippe Saint-Andre had when France met Ireland in Dublin and failed only to secure a draw – the second consecutive draw between these two sides. It seems the rugby is still unable to separate these two in what proved to be an incredibly fustrating 80 minutes for both. 

A game of two halves, Ireland led 13-3 at half time and looked set to pile on the pressure regarding Saint-Andre’s position, but a lapse in concentration and frankly, a deterioration in the quality of rugby Ireland played, allowed France to come back and possibly cost O’Driscoll a final win at home should he decide to call it a day this summer. France had mistified us before they’d even taken to the pitch, selecting Michalak at 10 rather than quite frankly at this point, much superior and more reliable tens in Trinh-Duc and Parra.

Possession in the first half was an even split, and french indscipilne simply stopped them applying any pressure on the Irish. Both Conor Murray and Paddy Jackson had an excellent 80 unlike the rest of their team who seemed to think the half time whistle was the end. Murray’s kicking game put France under pressure rooting out space to play into, while Paddy Jackson appeared to grow into the 10 jersey more and more as the minutes ran on.

If in the 1^st half Ireland played a simple and composed game then they played the exact opposite in the second half. Not to be unfair to France they were never spectacular, relying on players like Picamoles to produce something that would gain them some points, but Ireland got scrappy and impatient. When France finally realised they might need to attack, the homeside were caught out by a certain Picamoles on a french rescue mission with a tap-and- go to burrow over the Irish line, with Michalak adding the 2 points to equalise and spare Saint-Andre some embarrassment. Ireland played the 1^st half with great intent but the pack failed to re-energize after half time, allowing French subs to make a bigger impact. Credit to France they eventually began to target Irish strength, removing the lineout from the game meant they secured more possession, but Ireland should be dissapointed – that was a game that they should’ve won and worryingly for Saint-Andre, France had no answer in the first 40. Of all the predictions for this year’s championship, very few would’ve seen France battling to keep the wooden spoon at bay.

If there’s one thing England fans will take away from Sunday’s game, it’s the belief that after a close encounter with Italy complacency won’t be an issue for the England players. England failed to score a try in the last game of the round, and by only scoring 18 points it means Wales will only need to win by 8 in Cardiff to retain their title.

England in the opening 10 minutes looked to be an attacking threat, committing numbers to the breakdown and securing quick ball, but after Flood kicked the first penalty of the game the attacking creativity ran dry. England had no momentum and were incredibly flat, further held back by Italy who defended well out wide. England were guilty of moving the ball out to the channels too quickly and failed to execute the basics well enough, which with such a good Italian defence meant they never gained any real momentum.

Captain Fantastic Sergio Parisse had another excellent game, running great lines and producing stunning offloads, and the Italian scramble was also very good. However most of England’s opportunities were butchered by themselves. They failed to display any composure – a pass from Goode simply went to ground and let points slip by because Flood wasn’t expecting the it meaning the ball went too deep, killing off English momentum. In previous games England have had 3 players helping to clear out the ruck to gain quick ball, but they didn’t commit the numbers allowing Italy time to reorganise their defence.

The Twickenham crowd didn’t have a lot to shout about, but England had given them very little; there was no Tuilagi running with speed into the channel and England never seemed to have any sustained fluidity. The Italian try all came from a poor England kick which they then failed to compete for. Goode was out of position and couldn’t get across the defence, while Brown pulled forward creating space for the kick to allow Italy over for the try.

Thankfully England have great reliability in the 10 shirt meaning Flood could punish any indiscipline, but if England try to rely on Wales making mistakes rather than crossing the whitewash they won’t be winning any silverware this weekend. With dangerous players such as Halfpenny lining up against England in Cardiff, Lancaster should continue with both Goode at 15 and Brown at 11 giving England more cover against a strong Welsh kicking game while the English forwards are set to have their most pivotal game yet – the Welsh scrum is becoming increasingly dominant as the weeks go on.

So the penultimate weekend of Six Nations rugby wasn’t exactly a try fest, but it has made the final fixture for England and Wales very interesting indeed. Wales are capable of winning by 8 points but equally, if England play like they did in their final autumn test against the All Blacks the Six Nations trophy should be theirs. Ireland face a gruelling away trip to Rome, while Philippe Saint-Andre will be desperate for a win against Scotland to spare French blushes but also possibly his job as well. In a competition that’s predictably unpredictable, it’s sure to be an exciting conclusion to this year’s Six Nations

My name is Dave Sisi, I’m a 20 year old back row player for London Irish and England under 20s – formally of Tottonians here in Southampton.

I’m currently unavailable for U20 selection having had surgery on my hamstring in September, but my recovery is progressing nicely and I hope to be back in the mix in a couple of weeks.

What my injury has enabled me to do is keep a close eye on the U20 lads over the last few weeks, as we’ve built up into our 6 nations campaign.  The boys have been working hard since the squad was announced at the start of the year, with camps being held all over the country, including the new FA facility in Burton on Trent, St Georges Park. The new facilities there allowed us to train throughout the recent snowy conditions, so we could continue our team preparation going into this year’s tournament without any interruptions.

Team camps are long weeks of back to back training, gym sessions and meetings – often meaning early mornings and late evenings to get everything done. We all work hard with the coaches on laying the foundations of the team going forward, be it talking about the way we want to play, our goals for the season or simply choosing our line out options, and so far our camps have gone well.  This was evident on Friday night (1st February) in a wet and windy Plymouth, where the boys were set to open our campaign against Scotland!  We’d brought the Jocks almost as far south as possible and in front of a full house at Plymouth Albion RFC, the lads dug deep to get us under way with our first victory of the year – a 15-6 England win!

The game itself was a good one to watch.  There was a strong downhill wind, which made it tough for us to clear our lines when we needed to and which allowed the Scots to put pressure on us and get some early points on the board.  It also meant kicking to touch wouldn’t be as fruitful as we hoped and forced our half backs, Alex Day and Henry Slade, to make some big decisions. The set piece was our rock all game, in particular our scrums which were well lead by our hooker Max Crumpton. The scrummaging performances from all our front row were outstanding and they were rewarded with the first points in the game – a penalty try. Our defence also held strong, with big performances from our back row guys, with the likes of Ross Moriarty countering well and we made it hard for the Scots to get at us. In the second half we played with the wind and got through the phases more, bringing our strike runners like Anthony Watson and Jack Arnott into the game, and we played some exciting rugby. This was highlighted by a well taken try from our prop Luke Cowan-Dickie, who won Man of the Match from the team for his all-round performance, set piece and in the loose. Our discipline was good all game and this ultimately allowed us to see the end of the game out, against a gutsy Scotland side.

The feeling in camp after the game was positive. A first win under our belts adds some momentum and confidence to the team. However, there are plenty of things still to improve on and we are looking no further than our next game -  Ireland away at the end of this week. Having played the Irish a few times at age group level, if there’s one thing you can always guarantee, it’s that mentally they always turn up. We must be on our game and front up to the physical challenge that a firing Irish team is sure to bring. My ‘one to watch’ over the next week is prop Kyle Sinclair. We’ll be looking to the likes of Kyle to lead another positive scrum performance and take the game to the Irish.

It wasn’t the first time I’ve had to watch from the stands, and won’t be the last, but after being out injured for some time, watching the lads pull on the England jersey offers just the motivation I need to get back as soon as I can.

Wish all the squad the best of luck for the game on Friday night.  As for me, I’ll crack on with my final few weeks of rehab and hope to be available for selection very soon. Thanks for reading!

You can follow mine and the team’s progress on Twitter here – @DavidSisi and @OfficialRFU

The New Zealand conference
The Chiefs won the Super Rugby 2013 title, but will be without Sonny Bill Williams and try scoring machine prop Sona Taumalolo.  The Crusaders missed SBW last season and will have to do without Richie McCaw and Zac Guildford for most of this season.  These were the top two New Zealand teams last season.  The lower ranked New Zealand teams from last season look to have improved their squads with the Highlanders calling in plenty of experienced superstars in Tony Woodcock, Brad Thorn and Ma’a Nonu to help make up for the loss of their best player from the last few seasons, Adam Thomson.  The Blues have had a major shake up and I think given the quality of young players who performed so well at ITM Cup level last year, then if the experienced players like Rene Ranger, Piri Weepu, Keven Mealamu and Ali Williams can provide the glue, then this team could pose a threat.  The Hurricanes will be looking to build on their good performance last season. They have so much attacking power and I really like the look of Beauden Barrett and the Savea brothers Julian and Ardie. The Hurricanes style of play is ideal for fantasy rugby.
Here are the odds New Zealand Conference Winner
No. Selection Odds

1 Crusaders 2.75

2 Chiefs 3.25

3 Highlanders 5.50

4 Hurricanes 6.50

5 Blues 6.50
Australian Conference

The Australian conference gets underway this weekend.  This means managers of fantasy rugby teams will have to stack their teams with plenty of players who may not be long term options.  There have been plenty of player movement.  The lack of depth in Australian rugby is exposed when teams then have to swap around players if there is a new recruit.  In many The Force look like rubbish given they have lost both Nathan Sharpe and David Pocock.  The Rebels have an interesting squad with Scott Higginbotham adding to their handful of international quality players, while they just lack depth in other positions (especially upfront) to challenge for the title.  The Waratahs, Reds and Brumbies will all have a similar chance of winning.  It will be interesting to see if the Waratahs can actually score some tries under new coach Michael Cheika and with the help of new recruits Michael Hooper and Israel Folau.  The Brumbies hopes rest with new recruit David Pocock along with the ability of some of the newcomers from last season to continue their form with more experienced Stephen Moore and Christian Lealiifano.  The Reds will be trying to weather the storm early before relying on the return of legends like James Horwill and Will Genia who will return from injury later in the season.  Quade Cooper must step-up.
Australian Conference Winner No. Selection Odds

1 Reds 2.90

2 Brumbies 3.00

3 Waratahs 3.00

4 Rebels 9.00

5 Force 20.00
South African Conference
The Stormers and Sharks are favourites to win the South African conference.  They are both genuine title contenders, but will want to be top qualifiers for the playoffs if they are to have a chance of lifting the title.  If the Stormers and Sharks can win some games on the road, they will go close to winning the title because they will be difficult to beat at home.  The Bulls will be difficult to beat at home and have a habit of picking up some massive wins at altitude, but won’t have the consistency of previous years without their recently retired legends.  The Cheetahs have been a great attacking side in recent years, but disappointing on defence.  Because of their style of play, they are a great option for fantasy rugby style competitions and I enjoy watching players like Johan Goosen, Adrian Strauss, Willie Le Roux and Heinrich Brussouw.  The Kings will try, and may pick up a win or two, but will battle with the Force for the wooden spoon.
South African Conference Winner
No. Selection Odds

1 Stormers 2.30

2 Sharks 2.40

3 Bulls 4.00

4 Cheetahs 20.00

5 Kings 80.00
I am picking the teams to finish in this order heading into the finals, not allowing for the finals order which will see the top team from each conference make the top three.
I think the New Zealand teams are all really even and so this could be to the detriment of a home final which will make winning the competition difficult.  Will the Stormers offer enough on attack to win the Super Rugby 2013?
1- Stormers 2- Chiefs 3-Sharks 4- Crusaders 5-Waratahs 6-Highlanders 7-Brumbies 8-Hurricanes 9-Bulls 10-Blues 11-Reds 12-Cheetahs 13-Rebels 14-Force 15-Kings
Who are you picking to win Super Rugby 2013?  I think the Bulls and Reds will be disappointing, while the Waratahs, Highlanders and Blues will be the most improved teams.
I think the Stormers or the Sharks will win it in 2013.  I think the Sharks have the best chance of beating the Stormers out of anyone.  At this stage, I think the Stormers will win in the final.

www.superrugbytips.com

The much-anticipated curtain-raiser was staged at the Millennium Stadium, where Grand Slam holders Wales were desperate to end a seven-game losing streak against an Ireland side looking to exorcise the demons of their agonising defeat in the reverse fixture last season.

As always, the atmosphere inside the Cardiff stadium was electric, but the majority of the 74,000 attendance were quickly silenced after a breathless start from the Irish. Declan Kidney’s men had already threatened the Welsh tryline by the time that Brian O’Driscoll, sans captain’s duties, showed a burst of pace which belied his 34 years before delivering a glorious pass to send Simon Zebo over for a try on his international debut on 10 minutes.

The Irish juggernaut was in full-flow by this point, and after Dan Biggar’s clearance kick was charged down by Rory Best, the hooker’s break eventually resulted in prop Cian Healy bursting over from 5 metres. For anyone who missed it, Zebo’s magical footwork to keep the move alive is not to be missed! 

A try for O’Driscoll immediately after half-time seemed to have dashed any hopes of a dramatic Wales comeback, but Rob Howley’s men seemed rejuvenated by the 30-3 deficit, a quick-fire response from Alex Cuthbert breathing life into the revival as he ghosted through a hole in the Irish defence to kick-start a possible riposte.  Leigh Halfpenny, one of few Welsh players to provide a good account of himself in the match, ended several phases of pressure by dotting down in the corner despite pressure from two Irish tacklers shortly afterwards, and Wales sniffed a shock at 30-15 with 20 minutes to go.

Alas, the comeback was not realised, and despite a late score by replacement prop Craig Mitchell, Ireland held on to a famous 30-22 victory and the perfect start to their Six Nations campaign. Wales, inversely, were left to nurse their eighth successive loss, and bid farewell to their Grand Slam aspirations before they’d even truly begun.

And so the anticipation moved across the border to Twickenham, where the oldest rugby rivalry was to be renewed amidst starkly contrasting situations. Stuart Lancaster’s England were entering the fray as Six Nations favourites, whilst new Scotland coach Scott Johnston was aiming to revive a side whose last outing had resulted in a home defeat to Tonga.

Early on in the match, Scottish hopes were justifiably high. After riding out early English pressure, an aimless clearance kick from Mike Brown allowed full-back Stuart Hogg to race through a broken defensive line, his electric break eventually resulting in a debut try for Sean Maitland, who barrelled past Geoff Parling to score in the corner.

England regained their confidence as the half went along through the boot of Owen Farrell, who had an imperious day from the kicking-tee, before Chris Ashton drove over the line from short range to give his side some breathing space at the break, 19-11 the eventual half-time scoreline.

Lancaster’s talk during the interval seemed to have worked wonders for England, as debutant Billy Twelvetrees crashed over the line courtesy of a bullet-pass from Ben Youngs within three minutes of the restart. Twelvetrees’ try was a deserved prize in a debut performance which fully displayed his attacking prowess and defensive solidity, and the man they call ’36′ has given himself a great chance of partnering either Brad Barritt or the returning Manu Tuilagi in the upcoming fixtures.

The breathing space garnered by Twelvetrees’ try seemed to invigorate the English backs, and a characteristic break by Youngs ended in the try of the match, finished by Parling after a stunning miss-pass from Farrell, who deservedly won Man of the Match.

A break-away score from Hogg, the best of the Scottish players, was cancelled out by Danny Care’s late try, as England ran out 38-18 victors and retained the Calcutta Cup in a performance that supported the excitement that has surrounded HQ since the defeat of New Zealand in December.

The final chapter in a thrilling opening instalment of Six Nations action came from the Stadio Olympico in Rome, where Italy were looking to repeat their historic victory over France from 2011. For the French, a strong performance in the Autumn Internationals allowed them to feel confident of completing the Italian job. As it was, we were in for another memorable match from the continent…

A darting break from Luciano Orquera allowed Sergio Parisse to run in from 22 metres and give the Italians an early lead, but an explosive hand-0ff on Parisse allowed Louis Picamoles to power over and bring the French back into contention.

Picamoles try was shortly followed by a second French score, Benjamin Fall rounding off a lovely handling move by Les Bleus to race through and help his side to an 18-13 lead after 50 minutes.

Surely the sight of the match came in the 58th minute, when everyone’s favourite caveman Martin Castrogiovanni crashed over the French try-line after brilliant handling by man of the match Orquera to level the scores, before the fly-half’s conversion put Italy back in front with 20 minutes remaining.

A breathless conclusion to the match saw France put-in to a scrum in the Italian 22, but breathless defence from the Azzurri eventually saw them home, and Nigel Owens’ whistle sparked delirious celebrations in the famous stadium, as the 23-18 scoreline secured arguably Italy’s greatest ever international win, and provided the perfect finale to a memorable opening weekend.

Now we’ve had time to get our breath back, we can look ahead to next weekend with a justifiable sense of glee: if the standard of rugby and levels of excitement can stay as high as they did last time out, we are in for a great Six Nations. Ireland and England are the only remaining teams who can realistically claim the Grand Slam, so the game in Dublin on Sunday promises to be an epic. However, write Italy off at your peril, and they’ll be desperate to add to their famous scalp when they travel to Murrayfield to face the Scots, whilst France and Wales will be fighting hammer-and-tong to get a win on the board come Saturday evening.

This week can’t go quick enough!