Wayne Pivac’s side made the most of mistakes made by the French referee while England paid for their indisciplineWales’s head coach, Wayne Pivac, admitted his side had enjoyed moments of fortune in their opening three victories, but a year ago they were on the wrong side of the (English) referee when they lost at home against France, two decisions in particular costing them. A feature of their campaign is that they have been quick to react, coming from behind against Ireland and Scotland, admittedly with a man advantage, and responding after England closed a 10-point lead. When they won the grand slam in 2019, they looked to dominate opponents and wear them down but this year they have been more...
France are only ever an offload away from top gear, Wales’s work ethic has revived them, but England have improvements to make with two out of five Six Nations rounds completedSo far, so good. We know about their strength in depth and their skill levels but we’re seeing a team who look fit, hungry and who believe they can win wherever they are playing. That is an incredible asset. Against Ireland they showed a great maturity for a young team and were able to wrestle back momentum whenever it threatened to slip away. In attack, they can be clinical - even if they left a couple of chances out there against Ireland - and they have an ability to go...
Scotland’s master blender was at the heart of everything they did in their deserved Calcutta Cup victory over EnglandWhen a rivalry has been maturing for 150 years, the taste of success is always intoxicating. For Scotland this was as special as they come, a Calcutta Cup moment to toast for many decades. Up went Gregor Townsend’s arms at the final whistle and an entire nation rose with him. After 38 years of failing to conquer Twickenham, it is finally England’s turn to stare mournfully at the bottom of an empty glass.It was totally deserved, too. Any other result would have been a travesty. Could this yet be Scotland’s year? There are still four rounds to go and Paris will be...
The contrast in the fortunes of the former teammates could not have been more striking during Scotland’s famous successMost players will tell you they don’t remember too much about their debut games, that, looking back, it all seemed to pass by in a blur. You hope for Cameron Redpath’s sake that he will recall every second of his. Chances are that however many games he plays for Scotland by the end (and you can bet, on the strength of this performance, it’ll be plenty), there won’t be many better, or more famous than this, Scotland’s first win at Twickenham since 1983. Related: Duhan van der Merwe helps Scotland score historic victory against England Related: England 6-11 Scotland: Six Nations player...
England must improvise, France and Scotland can thrill, Ireland need drive, Wales will focus on results and Italy look to youthThe champions are the favourites despite being without five leading forwards for part or all of the tournament, but the last time England won in Cardiff and Dublin in the same campaign was in 2003, when Eddie Jones was coaching that year’s World Cup hosts, Australia. Continue reading...