David Flatman's Six Nations exclusive

“I never bet at all, but my £50 for this tournament is going on England because they have a massive pool of talent with nothing to lose.”

Those are the thoughts of David Flatman ahead of the 2016 RBS 6 Nations and England Head Coach Eddie Jones will certainly be doing his upmost to guide his new team to glory when the tournament commences tomorrow.

Flatman’s money maybe on England, but he like everyone else, doesn’t seem to have a clear idea in his mind about who will be lifting the trophy in March. Obviously, there is the same debate each year about who is going to win the Six Nations, but this year’s tournament is set to be the most unpredictable yet.

“Wales should win it I think,” says Flatman who was speaking to TRU’s Max Skofic.  “They have got a couple of tough away games, but they have the most established squad with the most victories under their belt and they were brilliant in the World Cup.

“Ireland could win it, but it would be a hell of an achievement after what happened with them in the World Cup. I think England could win it and the same with Scotland.

“France will hopefully be fabulous, but probably won’t be because they are France and French flair is a myth! It is a really tough tournament to call.”

Having said all of this, Flatman is confident that he will have the upper hand over his fellow pundits and fans this year when it comes to predications and stats as he is involved with the digital and technology company Accenture who once again are analysing data per match at this year’s Six Nations.

The former Bath player will be teaming up alongside Ben Kay and Nick Mallet during the Championships to work with Accenture to see what decisions in the game determine the outcome of a play or the contest overall.

“At Accenture, they are taking the analysis of games through data and statistics to the next level,” explains Flatman.

“It’s more than just tackle counts and carry counts. It’s adding weight to certain actions and certain positions. It’s nothing like player ratings as this compares position to position in terms of facts so you can actually see who is having more influence on a game.”

“The reason why me, Ben and Nick are working with Accenture is because it is good fun but also to help people see beyond the data, but then as ever, we will be the people that will be revealed for not knowing what we are talking about!

“But that’s alright by us because there are some great conversations we can have with people. It’s a great tool to have to now back up your opinion, disprove opinion or create new opinion.”

For sure, with this tournament set to be so open, these stats will come in handy for Flatman but in truth, it will be down to the selection and the decision making of the coaches and players which will decide the fate of each team at this year’s Six Nations.

I think it is fair to say the scrutiny on England at this year’s tournament is greater than ever with every single detail set to go under the microscope with huge decisions already sparking debate.

One call which Eddie Jones has made already is naming Dylan Hartley as captain and knowing the Northampton man well, Flatman backs Jones’ choice.

Flatman added: He [Hartley] is a great bloke to have around, but we know all about his disciplinary record. This isn’t his second chance; this is his sixth or seventh probably.

“Based on form, I think Hartley plays anyway, but he hasn’t been picked on just form. He has been picked because of his throwing, scrummaging and his presence which is of an uncompromising, confrontational, honest player. Also he speaks well and is an experienced captain and I think he has been picked for good reasons”.

Jones’ selection of captain was always going to be a major talking point and of course, so was his maiden England squad.

His first team announcement saw Jones put his stamp on this England side leaving out the likes of Tom Youngs and Danny Cipriani and including players such as Maro Itoje and Elliot Daly who have shone this season in the Aviva Premiership and are certainly the foundations of England’s future.

Itoje and Daly are been held in reserve by Eddie Jones ahead of this weekend’s clash with Scotland, but Flatman would like to see them take part against Italy as they certainly have the talent to make the step up to the international stage.

In terms of the players not included by Jones, Flatman feels that Youngs and Cipriani haven’t done much wrong to be left out, but he does see the reasons why they might have been.

He said: “I think it’s a particular aggressive non-selection of Tom Youngs. I was very surprised by that. I say it all the time on TV that Luke Cowen-Dickie is an incredibly special player and I am glad he is in the England squad, but everyone is talking about Hartley being picked over Youngs.

“Well, Jamie George and Cowen-Dickie have both been picked over him as well and no-one is mentioning that. I did feel very sorry for Tom Youngs because in terms of pure carrying and tackling, he is the best out of all the hookers for that.”

In terms of Cipriani, Flatman added: “At Sale, he is better than he has ever been. I would’ve loved to see him in the England squad because he is wonderful rugby player.

“But, If you pick him, who are you going to leave out? I know he is injured now, but you have Henry Slade who can play multiple positions, Farrell who can play in two positions and Alex Goode who can play 10, 15 and centre. Also you have Anthony Watson who is versatile so it is tough for him to get in there.

“With Cipriani, we are talking about someone who won’t start for England if he is picked. You have then got a player on the bench that covers one position really which isn’t much use unfortunately.”

So all the talking is now nearly over. The statistics from Accenture will be an excellent guide to help us see who is dominating the key areas in each Six Nations game, but stats or no stats, strap yourselves in for the most unpredictable and open Six Nations ever. 

David Flatman is part of the Accenture Analysis Team during the RBS 6 Nations, providing fans with insight and analysis to #Seebeyond standard match data. Follow @AccentureRugby or visit accenture-rugby.com. Download the Official RBS 6 Nations app.