Speculation had it that England were nervous going into the Calcutta Cup, but Scotland instead met with a clinical brutality they could not handleSo, some way still to go. Scotland came south, heralded, rightly, as the best side to do so this century. They return nursing the concession of 61 points, more than Scotland have suffered in this fixture in any century. They summoned the spirit to score 21 of their own and played to the bitter end despite the fearsome pounding they had suffered for 80 minutes, which had bent their back line, in particular, into a hideous contortion, greater toll suffered on the injury front than even in Paris a couple of rounds earlier. Related: England and Jonathan...
Despite closing in on a world record for consecutive wins England have been unconvincing of late and the visitors will pose some awkward questionsThere appear to be two Englands out there, both coached by the same man. The first lot are unbeaten in 17 Tests, still have improvement in them and possess the most influential bench in world rugby. The second mob are in average form, have injury problems and are starting to be seen as potentially vulnerable. Increasingly, it feels like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are playing in front of the West Stand debenture seats.If it seems slightly perverse to imagine such a successful side wrestling with a split personality, consider the Six Nations to date. France looked...
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...
The unspoken message before the Calcutta Cup is that the Six Nations title holders must harden up mentally, crank up the intensity and bristle a little moreWhat should have been a serene week of Calcutta Cup preparation for England is proving to be the opposite. Even the beautiful spring weather in Bagshot could not distract from the untimely training ground knock suffered by Owen Farrell, nor a strange, prickly press conference grudgingly given by Eddie Jones. Any undercover Scottish visitors would have gone away feeling faintly encouraged.Farrell is expected to be fine but, either way, England are currently in slightly edgy mode. That is almost certainly Jones’s deliberate objective: to jolt his players out of any complacency and encourage them...
Jonathan Sexton’s return has given visitors to Principality Stadium a further boost with Wales in the rare position of being out of title contentionIt is a measure of Ireland’s confidence that they have agreed to the roof of the Principality Stadium being shut for a match they have to win to maintain their ambition of seizing back the title they lost last year to England, their opponents in the final match of the Six Nations in Dublin next week.Ireland should be upbeat after a season in which they ended New Zealand’s long winning run and defeated Australia, and since 1983 they have lost only three times in the championship in Cardiff with both Munster and Leinster winning the European Cup...