Can anyone unseat Ireland at the top? Who will make the difference in the final two rounds? And can Italy win a game?Ireland will claim a first Six Nations title since 2015 if they achieve a bonus-point victory over Scotland and England fail to do so in Paris. There was certainly an element of fortune to their victory against France but, as seen in recent years, away wins anywhere but Rome are at a premium – and they followed it up with an emphatic win over Italy and a powerful performance against Wales. Andy Farrell will not be happy with the six tries conceded in those matches but perhaps the most impressive thing about Ireland is how they have coped...
Scotland’s next task is to improve on the road, Wales show their worth with the ball and France still off the paceIt seems cruel that anyone in Scotland should have to talk about anything other than their victory, but in the hours after the match Gregor Townsend was already thinking about their next Test, away to Ireland. “We’ve got our own issues to deal with,” he said, “we have to show a truer picture of what we’re about when we’re away from home”. Scotland have been a poor side when they’re playing away for a long while now, but those two recent defeats, to England at Twickenham and Wales in Cardiff, were particularly bitter given how much better they’ve become...
England should venture outside their London moneypit and take a big game to rugby lovers otherwise disenfranchised by geography and, in some cases, historyIt is October 2007 and the clear Mediterranean sky is turning from sapphire blue to purest velvet. England, against all the odds, have just beaten Australia in the World Cup quarter-finals and down in the Vieux Port area of Marseille a monumental party is brewing. Even before France’s tournament-shaping game against New Zealand in Cardiff kicks off the harbourside vibe makes Twickenham feel like a suburban vicarage.So bienvenue with knobs on to Marseille as the Six Nations’s newest host city. Whether this Friday night’s contest between France and Italy in the 67,000-capacity Stade Vélodrome will induce a...
Wales have case for moral victory in loss to England, Scotland prepare for ‘Big One’ and Ellie Kildunne’s stock continues to riseOne minute Eddie Jones is using the media to put pressure on opposition captains and fly-halves, the next he is criticising those whom he perceives are giving insufficient credit to himself and some of his players. “You guys tell me Mike Brown can’t play Test rugby … you guys are unbelievable!” he told his BBC 5 Live’s Chris Jones after Saturday’s narrow 12-6 win over Wales. “You’re always criticising him and now he has a good game you’re all on the bandwagon. You guys are better selectors than we are, that’s what you think you are.” Given England have...
Italy need a pack to complement their impressive youngsters, Scarlets and Wales combine and Johnny Sexton finds a wayOne of the most striking elements of England’s seven-try victory in Rome was the wraparound tactic that set the visitors on the way to their 46-15 success. It has been Johnny Sexton’s signature move for years and George Ford and Owen Farrell have now taken a leaf out of the Irish playbook. Both England’s opening two tries by Anthony Watson involved Ford looping round and helping to create a midfield mismatch with Jonny May also coming at pace off his wing to confuse the defending side still further. Ford may find teams will now be lying in wait for him in future...