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Why Chris Ashton feels France are the Six Nations 'team to beat'

France's Thomas Ramos after their Rugby World Cup exit in October (Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Former England back Chris Ashton has tipped Fabien Galthie’s France as his favourites to win the 2024 Guinness Six Nations. The French fell at the quarter-finals in their recent home Rugby World Cup, agonisingly losing to eventual winners South Africa by a single point in Paris.

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They now pick up the pieces in Marseille where they host Ireland on Friday in the opening round of the championship and Ashton is tipping Les Bleus to have a successful campaign which will conclude with the March 16 fixture at home to England in Lyon.

Ashton told Gambling Zone: “It’s going to be hard playing the French in Marseille. They will be playing this game with a new captain and without (Antoine) Dupont, so they have their own challenges.

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    “But the new captain Gregory Alldritt is one of the best No8s in the world right now, so they will be led by a great replacement. France are the team to beat at this championship. Both teams probably don’t want to be playing each other first, but for the fans this is going to be an incredible way to start the tournament. It will be amazing.

    “Matthieu Jalibert has been having a phenomenal season playing for Bordeaux; the Bordeaux team has been incredible. Jalibert has been instrumental to that success at fly-half and the French team looks really settled.

    Team Form

    Last 5 Games

    4
    Wins
    5
    1
    Streak
    5
    25
    Tries Scored
    22
    97
    Points Difference
    60
    4/5
    First Try
    3/5
    5/5
    First Points
    3/5
    4/5
    Race To 10 Points
    3/5

    “They were so disappointed with what happened to them at the World Cup and will want to give the French fans something to cheer about. The first game at Marseille is different as France usually always play in Paris.

    “They love their rugby down on the south coast and that could give them a bit of an edge. The French will nick it on Friday night… This is a game I can’t wait to see. I’m really looking forward to this fixture and both teams will be going into this one with plenty to prove.”

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    Ashton labelled Ireland an amazing team even though they do also exited the World Cup at the quarter-final stage when pipped by the All Blacks in Paris. “Losing the likes of Johnny Sexton, it will be a difficult challenge for Ireland, but they have more than enough quality at fly-half to still be an amazing team.

    “When you see what Leinster are throwing around week in, week out in the URC then there are reasons to be confident if you are an Ireland fan. They all know each other inside out and have amazing chemistry.

    “They just need to find a way to cover or find a way to replace Johnny’s experience because he has dug Ireland out of so many holes over the years.”

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    J
    JW 1 hour ago
    Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

    Players like Prendergast and Finn Smith already have a few seasons at top club level under their belt and are now test players, at an age when NZ players make their debuts in SR.

    That’s just a difference in standards. You’re confusing SR for being their local domestic comps, where it’s more accurately comparable to Champions Cup, apart from that teams are happy to throw games as it’s in a bit of a limbo in terms of importance atm.


    All these kids have been playing for a comparable NPC team for years now. Sam is no where near ready for tests but he has a great temperament, much like Sextons, that makes it a good choice to speed up his development. He wasn’t even a comparable Super Rugby starter before playing for Ireland, so not a great comparison.


    Fin would be much better example, but then England don’t have 3 world class Test tens in front of him (not that I’d put Beauden their but obviously in terms of young NZ players chances, he is). Would he otherwise have debuted at the same age as Fergus Burke (injury and leaving withstanding), around 24, a couple of years later? England also aren’t as pedantic to who they give jerseys to, in NZ a test jersey is very hard earned for the most part.


    In general I think the effects are as you say, but the only difference is the money involved, as you yourself said, their paths are just as all over the show being loaned out playing for clubs etc. My solution to that, and what you perceive as the problem, would be to introduce university football that utilitizes the large investment they have into high performance sport.

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    Jennifer Ross 4 hours ago
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