Having spoken to the Six Nations coaches, all agree that managing playing and training load will be more important than ever.
England vice-captain Jamie George agrees the schedule could help the squads with greater strength in depth.
“It puts a bigger emphasis on recovery and getting yourself right, and it’s certainly more challenging,” George told BBC Sport.
“At the same time it probably emphasises the importance of squad depth, which is something that we’re blessed with in the squad.
“I think you’ll see a lot more rotation of players, whether that be for injury or form or whatever it might be.”
“We’re pleased with our depth,” insists Scotland boss Gregor Townsend, who estimates between 30 and 35 players will need to be called upon across the six weeks.
“If you’ve gone beyond that [30-35 players] then you’ve probably had a lot of injuries and any team will be affected by that.
“Let’s hope we don’t pick up too many injuries during the five games.”
Ireland boss Andy Farrell has had to deal with multiple injuries already in his squad, but he feels three high-intensity matches in a row will serve teams well for a 2027 Rugby World Cup where the pool stage has been reduced to add a new last-16 round.
“International rugby is tough, and it does take longer to get over, but the World Cup has changed as well and we are all trying to prepare for that further down the track,” Farrell told Rugby Union Weekly.
Perennial underdogs Italy start with Scotland at home before travelling to Ireland then France – a treacherous trio of games.
“Honestly, it is what it is and we are going to adapt,” says Azzurri head coach Gonzalo Quesada.
“There are positives – we have a lot of players who play abroad [and return to clubs in fallow weeks] so to have them for three weeks in a row is a good thing.
“But it is going to be tough. We need to have not a lot of injuries if we are going to arrive at the France game and be competitive.”
For Steve Tandy and Wales, another squad who could find themselves stretched to the limit, it will be about boxing clever to keep the players fresh.
“It’s a huge demand, but that’s where you want to be,” Tandy explained. “There will be injuries and fatigue but that will create an opportunity for someone else.
“But you realise sometimes less is more. In certain weeks you have to get the players mentally fresh. So we have to make sure we are managing their weeks right. We are going to have to be smart.”
The beauty of the Six Nations is the consistency with which David fells Goliath. Wales (population three million) has won twice as many Grand Slams this millennium as England (population 57 million).
But with England and France the best-resourced countries and tournament favourites, the scheduling may make it that bit harder for the underdogs to have their day.
