Billy Vunipola’s return should boost England, while Ireland are likely to struggle without Conor Murray and France may be distracted by domestic mattersThe significance of Billy Vunipola’s return for England cannot be overstated. Not only does he lift those around him, he also brings formidable carrying that Eddie Jones’s side lacked in the early stages of the competition. As the Championship has worn on, however, Maro Itoje has grown into his role at blindside flanker and Courtney Lawes now finds himself in his best ever international form. Itoje and Lawes swap at scrum time and so you could argue Lawes is effectively playing at No6, regardless of the number on his back. His carrying was relentless against Scotland and while...
The team heading to Dublin seeking consecutive grand slams for the first time in 25 years ‘could become the best England side ever’, believes Peter WinterbottomBack-to-back grand slams take some winning. The last time England managed the feat was in 1992, the heyday of Will Carling, Peter Winterbottom, Dean Richards, Jeremy Guscott, Rory Underwood et al, which shows the exalted company Dylan Hartley’s team are trying to join. If they do defeat Ireland on Saturday to complete a second successive full house, their achievement will stand history’s definitive test.Even a quarter of a century later, the class of ’92 can still recall every little detail of their fabled campaign. They had great players but, then as now, were bruised by...
The theory was that Eddie Jones’ side would be weighed down by hunting a win milestone but it is Ireland who have so far failed to deal with Six Nations pressureIn the gap between rounds three and four of this Six Nations Championship, the former Ireland centre Gordon D’Arcy put together an interesting column in the Irish Times on the pressure weighing down England. Related: Ireland fail to set up showdown while Wales must convince against France | Paul Rees Related: George Ford says England are in no mood to ease up against Ireland Continue reading...
Robbie Henshaw’s blunder leaves Ireland hoping to merely be killjoys in Dublin, but despite their win Wales still have plenty to prove in ParisAfter suffering successive championship defeats to Wales in Cardiff for the first time in 34 years, Ireland go into the final round of matches next Saturday in the position they were in 2011 – out to stop England winning the grand slam rather than tilting for the title.There will be no winner-takes-all showdown at the Aviva Stadium between the two sides expected to dominate the Lions squad this summer as a season that started with the loudest of statements as the All Blacks were beaten in Chicago threatens to end in mute disappointment. Related: George North’s two...
England’s replacements may prove key, while Wales are grappling with problems of their own making as Italy scent an upsetRob Howley increasingly cuts the figure of a man damned if he does and in a similar predicament if he does not. His team selection – Wales are unchanged from their defeat in Scotland – has been widely criticised but he does not have a huge amount of options at his disposal. That, however, is the crux of the problem. Wales are fearful of finishing the tournament with two defeats that could well mean they slip out of the top eight in the world and face another treacherous World Cup pool. Hence Howley’s refusal to experiment against Ireland. That then raises...