6 Nations 2016 - 23 Under 23

Ok, some spots were thin pickings, especially in the half-back area, but the criteria for this side was that firstly the player has to be 23 or under, and secondly that they have to have been in their contry's 6 Nations squad. This side is based on the performance the players gave during the 6 Nations. If a player is in here that didn't see any game time, it is because we couldn't find anyone else to sub in for them. Having said that, that is a rare occasion, because most of this side shone for their country, and prove how bright future is for rugby in the Northern Hemisphere. Take a look.

6 Nations 2016 - Team of the Tournament

 Based solely on their performances in this year's 6 Nations tournament, this is our XV that, on current form, may just give the Kiwis a bit of a scare, although sometimes we've been forced to pick the best of a bad bunch.

3 Players That Eddie Jones Needs To Drop

It is highly unlikely that Eddie Jones will make 2 of these 3 changes, let alone all of them given his tendency to tinker lightly from week to week, but we feel these 3 changes would only improve England in the short and long term.

6 Nations 2016 - Team of the Week - Round 4

This weekend saw England wrap up the 6 Nations title with a largely good performance against Wales, and we also saw a crushing victory for Ireland and a good performance from the Scots as they beat the French. Let's look at our team of the week, starting with the front row.

England vs Wales - Hybrid Team - 6 Nations 2016

Below is our theoretical hybrid side of the upcoming starting XVs for the England vs Wales match. What do you make of it? Have we made any errors?

England vs Wales - Preview - 6 Nations 2016

In what will likely prove to be this year's crucial game, England host Wales for the first time since the Welsh dragon burned Twickenham to the ground in the World Cup. It goes without saying that both sides will be up for this one. So, to dissect the game we will be looking at the match-ups between the two sides and seeing where each team has the advantage and what they can do to win this match, starting with the back 3.

A glance into the England under Eddie Jones

England have made a promising start to this year’s RBS Six Nations under Eddie Jones, the first foreign head coach of the England Rugby Union team.  There were many disgruntled pundits and fans alike when Jones took up the position.  Many thought that we should not look overseas for a head coach with so much home-grown talent in the Premiership, however it seems as though this appointment was the right one, for now at least.

6 Nations 2016 - Team of the Week - Round 3

Good victories for Wales, Scotland and England at the weekend have put those players in good stead to claim a coveted spot in Four Balls's Team of the Week. if you haven't seen last week's, here it is. Now; let's crack on.

Talking Rugby In French - English to French Rugby Dictionary

Whether you're learning French, just moved there, on holiday during a game or even lucky enough to make the visit over for a 6 Nations match, it's always useful to know what the commentators or other fans are saying, so here are a few words/phrases you may want to learn before you head off.

6 Nations 2016 - Team of the Week - Round 2

In what was a relatively underwhelming week in terms of the quality of rugby that was played, we have endeavored to pick our best team. The Southern Hemisphere boys may well be shaking their heads in disgust at what they saw at the weekend, and rightly so, but we've selected a group of players that didn't destroy all hope for Nothern Hemisphere rugby, although the first two players we will mention played in one of the worst games to have graced television...

5 Things England Learned From Their First Game Under Eddie Jones

1) Owen Farrell should start at 10

Look how smug this guy looks in his picture. Maybe deservedly so, as George Ford brought his club form to the international stage and the midfield just wasn't there for England against Scotland. Some have attricuted this to Farrell just taking the ball up and being too physical, but he only got 3 carries and Joseph only got 4. Ford just isn't playing well enough to warrant wearing the 10 shirt, and Farrell  is.The dream right now is Farrell at 10 with Slade at 12, but with Slade's injury, it seems to me that Devoto is the next best thing. We suggested this partnership before the match but understood it would be a bit of a gamble for Jones. It wouldn't be as much of a gamble next week, not only because it appears to be the better partnership, as Devoto mirrors Slade, but with Italy as the opponents Jones will feel he can push the boat out a bit more. We'll have our fingers crossed here at Four Balls HQ.

6 Nations 2016 - Key Men and Predictions

England:

With a change in head coach, how can England bounce back from a horribly disappointing World Cup campaign? Well, it starts with the right team selection, something Stuart Lancaster got so drastically wrong against Wales in the RWC. The future of English rugby is knocking on Eddie Jones’s door and he’d be foolish to ignore it. This isn’t suggesting that every youngster should start, but Beaumont will certainly be ready to play his part, and the likes of Itoje, Daly, Kvesic should all start given their form and the solutions they provide to England’s weaknesses in the World Cup. Our suggested starting lineup for the Scotland match suggests the direction Jones should go in, and if it wasn’t for Hartley being named captain we would very likely have seen Jamie George in that hooker spot. However, because the infamous New Zealand born Dylan Hartley is England’s captain, he will need to rise to the occasion and will be a key man for the men in white throughout this campaign. Any stupid penalties or any cards and the world gets to laugh at him and the England management. Good discipline will be so vital throughout this tournament.

Four Balls's England Team To Face Scotland

The Six Nations starts in just 4 days time, so to start off our coverage we've taken a look at the starting XV that Eddie Jones should pick for England's opener against Scotland. This would be one of the youngest and most inexperienced England sides of all time, but also one of the most exciting in recent history.

Four Balls Reviews - The Complete Rugby Union Compendium

When they say complete, boy do they mean it.

This book details every Test match ever played by the top 10 international sides, alongside the histories and statistics of the second and third tier nations. There is no better source of information out there about the game we know and love.

England's Most Exciting XV - Would Lancaster Ever Dare?

Bare in mind this is just a bit of fun, although these players lack the complete game, there is no doubt that they are very interesting to watch, and are all worth considering for the England XV. This is not the team we want to see Lancaster field, it is purely for a laugh,

3 Things England Have Learned From The 6 Nations

1) England's pack is world class - even with injuries

The strength in depth in the English pack can rival anyone. England’s pack has had a lot of injury troubles over the last few years, and although this is never good to see, it has given a lot of players the chance to lay down a marker and gain some vital experience. With a lot of players having come back from injury (Parling, Wood), and some hoping to make a return before the World Cup (Launchbury, Morgan), it is clear that England have a world class pack, and crucially, a world class set piece heading into this years World Cup. The injury to Morgan allowed Billy Vunipola to lay down a marker, and put in his best performances in an England shirt. Whilst players such as Attwood and Haskell didn't impress as much as many had hoped, failing to bring their club form to the international stage, players like Cole (who would not have been rushed in to the side without injuries), Kruis, Parling and Billy V showed the strength in depth in this pack. It would be a crime not to mention that the strength of this pack is largely down to the exceptional coaching by Graham Rowntree, who has been consistently seen to demand more from his players.

Team of the Tournament (2) - 6 Nations

What an exciting final day to the RBS Six Nations, possibly the best yet.  Each game was better than the previous and after England failed to win by the necessary points, Ireland took home the trophy. Here we have a look at the second opinion on our team of the tournament.

Team of the Tournament (1) - 6 Nations 2015

With Four Balls comes 2 opinions, so we have put together two teams of players that we believe have earned their place in the team of the tournament with some scintillating performance in this year's 6 Nations.

England vs France - Preview

England have the advantage of the highest points difference, and they play last, knowing exactly what is required of them to win the 6 Nations Championship, and they can adapt their game plan to the situation. France of course have the slimmest of chances of winning the Championship as well, if Ireland and Wales lose and they beat the English, but that seems sensationally unlikely. 

England actually started quite strongly last week, which makes a change, as the French played the most dire half of rugby I've ever had the misfortune to watch. We actively decided not to review it, because it was too painful to relive those memories. Last week we predicted Jack Nowell would have a good game against the Scots, and of course he did, marred slightly by handling errors but he looked very dangerous on the ball. He will look to carry that in to this game, and will be seeking the buzz of a Twickenham try once more. Geoff Parling returns to the England side, which will delight the fans as Attwood has looked slightly out of form of late, and the British & Irish Lion is just the man to come back and give the English pack a lift.

Scotland vs Ireland - Preview

The second game on Saturday sees a Scottish side desperate to avoid the wooden spoon host an Ireland side that last week lost for the first time in 11 games. Scotland will give it their all, they gave England a slight scare going in to the break 13-10 up last week, although they were comfortably the worse side throughout the match. They will be riled up, desperate to perform and to cause an upset against an Irish side that don't travel well under Schmidt. If the Irish push for a large points difference, they could come unstuck playing a style they are unfamiliar with so I'm sure Schmidt will send them out with the sole objective of winning and that will be that.