A new feel to Six Nations thanks to five new captains

January 22, London (Reuters) – There’s always a sense of renewal following a Rugby World Cup Six Nations, but this year’s competition—which has five new captains, a new coach, and is missing four iconic players—feels even more like the beginning of a new four-year cycle.
Next month, Italy’s Michele Lamaro will be the only player standing, with Jamie George (England), Dafydd Jenkins (Wales), Peter O’Mahony (Ireland), Gregory Alldritt (France), and joint captains Finn Russell and Rory Darge (Scotland) donning armbands.

Alun-Wyn Jones, Johnny Sexton, Owen Farrell, and Antoine Dupont will also be absent from the competition; however, the Frenchman’s absence is only temporary as he will be playing Sevens before the August Olympics in Paris.
Stuart Hogg, Dan Biggar, Courtney Lawes, and other cap centurions have also retired from the game, and Louis Rees-Zammit has given up on it entirely to play American football.