It is a truism in life that you never really know how much something means to you until it’s not there anymore.

So it was in 2020 and 2021 that I really came to appreciate just what the Six Nations means to me. The disruption over two successive tournaments, including the times when spectators were not allowed to attend matches, really hit me harder than I care to admit.

I have been following the Six Nations since there were only Five, attending my first match 45 years ago this month. It was at Murrayfield against the reigning champions Wales. I remember thinking ‘This international stuff is easy’ as the men in dark blue took a 13-6 lead with Andy Irvine’s try the highlight not least because it featured an outrageous overhead basketball pass by big Alan Tomes in the run-up to the score – that’s the way my memory works, I can remember details like that but don’t ask me dates or scorelines.

Wales were tigerish in the second half and won the match with a stunning score that I recalled in the column I wrote after JPR Williams’ death – his chip with the outside of his right boot found Elgan Rees on the wing and he made no mistake. Wales won 19-13,........

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