The second rest week of the 2023 Guinness Six Nations has come to an end and Round 4 is just around the corner, but first we have the all-important team announcements.
Ireland are now outright table toppers after their victory over Italy in Rome sees them three wins from three, with a bonus point in each game, but they are being chased hard by three teams, with Scotland, France and England all on two wins.
There is work to be done for Wales and Italy, who sit at the foot of the table and are winless, but that is set to change this weekend as they face each other in Rome a year on from their classic at Principality Stadium.
England and France will meet in the latest edition of Le Crunch at Twickenham, as England look to repeat their 23-20 win from 2021.
And the biggest game of the weekend takes place on Sunday, where Ireland travel to Edinburgh to take on Scotland in the latest chapter of their Grand Slam quest, while Scotland themselves fight for their first Triple Crown since 1990.
But before all that action takes place, there is the team news to look out for and we have all the information you need for the week.
THURSDAY
Thursday is the big day for team announcements, with four of the six squads named on a day that really kick-starts the weekend.
First up will be France, who are due to name their team for the visit to Twickenham on Thursday morning at 11am, with some new faces this Championship likely, as 2022 Grand Slam heroes Jonathan Danty, Maxime Lucu and Peato Mauvaka are all in line for a return to the fold.
They will be followed by Wales shortly after, with Warren Gatland set to name his squad at 11:45am on Thursday morning for their trip to Rome.
Wales suffered a 22-21 defeat to Kieran Crowley’s side last year, their first-ever defeat to the Azzurri in Cardiff, and they will be desperate for revenge and a first win of the Championship this year.
They will be without Alex Cuthbert, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the Championship with a foot injury, while Gatland has been chopping and changing after each game so far, so it will be interesting to see what he opts for this weekend.
Next up will be England, with Steve Borthwick’s highly anticipated squad for his first Le Crunch as England head coach and all eyes will be on who he starts at fly-half, with Marcus Smith earning a Player of the Match award for Harlequins, while George Ford and Owen Farrell are both in the squad.
Borthwick will announce his squad at 1:30pm on Thursday, when we may also see a return to the starting XV for Courtney Lawes and Max Malins, while Cadan Murley showed his form once again at Twickenham with a well-taken try and could be in line for a first cap.
The final announcement on Thursday will come from Italy, with Crowley set to announce his team at some point in the afternoon, as he looks to win a first game of this year’s Championship after promising performances against France, England and Ireland.
Paolo Garbisi will be looking to inspire the Azzurri to victory once again, in an Italy team that seems extremely settled after important wins over Wales, Romania and Australia in recent months.
FRIDAY
On Friday we will see the final two teams announced, and first up is Andy Farrell and Ireland, who will name the squad at 12:45pm on Friday.
They too have some big names coming back in the form of Tadhg Furlong, Robbie Henshaw and Jamison Gibson-Park, while Johnny Sexton and Garry Ringrose are both expected to be fit as Ireland look to name their first choice XV just in time to target a first Grand Slam since 2018.
Later on, Gregor Townsend is set to hand Stuart Hogg his 100th Scotland cap when announcing the Scotland squad at 2pm on Friday.
Hogg will come out to a huge reception should he be named in the squad, as Scotland look to bounce back from defeat with Paris and seal a long awaited Triple Crown.
