Are you not entertained? Six Nations launches with blockbuster storylines

It has taken 25 years for the Six Nations launch to come to Italy but rugby’s oldest tournament has finally stormed the Colosseum. As well as offering a picture-perfect backdrop for a competition keen to be seen as both ancient and modern, it also reflected the sport’s increasingly urgent need to find fresh ways to project itself to a slightly different type of audience.

Thus it was that seven opera singers were hired to serenade the attendees with a rousing rendition of Nessun Dorma and the players and coaches were invited to sashay down a catwalk in a palatial building in downtown Roma. Some “models” took to it with rather more practised ease than others but gone are the days, either way, of rugby union contentedly resting on its laurels.

An accompanying photoshoot in the city’s most evocative arena, a new logo and tagline – “Rugby recharged” – further reinforced the message, as will the first episode of the latest Netflix Full Contact fly-on-the-wall “ruckumentary” when it is released next week. Among others it focuses on England’s high-profile fly-half Marcus Smith, a decision obviously taken with ratings in mind. Although, in truth, watching Smith road testing an expensive Mercedes G-Wagon and being told by a smooth-talking agency boss he has the hair and looks to be a global superstar might not prove the universal turn-on the film makers clearly hope.

Because what ultimately matters is what unfolds out on the field and, in that respect, the 2025 Six Nations has the potential to deliver handsomely. Ireland chasing a third successive outright title – no one has managed that before – is simply the most obvious storyline but there are any number of others out there.

New captain Maro Itoje is aiming to galvanise England in the Six Nations. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

Simon Easterby temporarily taking the Irish reins from the British & Irish Lions head coach, Andy Farrell, Wales seeking to end their bleak sequence of defeats, Scotland hoping to win a first title this century, Antoine Dupont back for a resurgent France, a pumped-up Italy celebrating the 25th anniversary of their tournament debut ... even after all these years the Six Nations is still as compelling a gameshow as any in team sport.

You could also tell from the gleam in the eye of England’s steely new gladiator-in-chief, Maro Itoje, that this is not just any old tournament. Steve Borthwick’s squad may be experiencing numerous pre-tournament casualties but it is Itoje’s view that England could yet surprise one or two if their senior players can galvanise those around them to work even harder, not least in the second half of their matches.

“We have fallen short over the last year in the final stages of games,” Itoje said. “Whilst I think we are on a positive trajectory, it requires more to get the results you want. I don’t think it is good enough to say: ‘Do what you did yesterday and expect a different result today.’

“We need to work harder in almost all aspects because we are not where we want to be. We need to run harder. We need to be more together. We need to work harder in the final stages of the game, we need to work harder in the gym, we need to work harder with our knowledge, we need to work harder in our relationships. To get to where we want to get to, we need to do more.”

Ireland are seeking their third straight Six Nations title but will be without head coach Andy Farrell, who is preparing for a Lions tour. Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters

Itoje also confirmed he had spoken to his predecessor Jamie George – “He was incredibly gracious and honourable” – and is planning to consult his former teammate Owen Farrell, now based in Paris with Racing 92. “I’ve had the privilege of working with Owen for the majority of my career, up until this year. I even went to school with him. Owen is such a great guy that he would always be there if someone needs advice.”

Farrell Sr, similarly, will be in the background should Easterby ever need a steer or two but, as the vastly experienced Warren Gatland reiterated, winning the tournament is primarily about establishing early momentum and riding your luck. Gatland also wants to establish “a siege mentality” before Wales’s opening game against France and, not for the first time, has warned his side’s critics “to write us off at your peril”.

Wales, furthermore, have confirmed all their home Tests in Cardiff for the next two years will be played “indoors” beneath the closed roof of the Principality Stadium. But, as the quietly impressive Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada pointed out, refereeing decisions and injuries can still disrupt even the best-prepared sides. Nor is history always a rock-solid guide. Quesada’s pre-tournament battle cry – “We don’t want just to look back at the past” – will surely resonate with Six Nations gladiators everywhere.