Scotland’s win over France hands England a chance for the title – while Ireland wait in the wings
Leaving aside Manu Tuilagi’s red card and Joe Marler’s bizarre piece of handiwork England had reason to be quietly encouraged by their last Six Nations outing for the foreseeable future. They started well, imposed themselves up front and showed the kind of defensive appetite, in the face of a physical Welsh challenge, that distinguishes the best teams. If this was the last Twickenham hurrah for George Kruis and his long-time lineout guru Steve Borthwick, they went out in style; Tom Curry, Courtney Lawes, Maro Itoje, Kyle Sinckler, Ben Youngs and George Ford all had good games and the absence of Billy and Mako Vunipola was barely noticed. France’s implosion in Scotland also means that a bonus-point victory in Rome at a later date could be enough to deliver this season’s championship title to Twickenham. Robert Kitson
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