The defeat by the Six Nations outsiders ended campaign on a dismal note and increased the pressure on coach Wayne PivacMaybe this is exactly what Welsh rugby needed. Until Ange Capuozzo produced one of the most scintillating runs in Six Nations history to set up a 79th-minute try for Edoardo Padovani, Wales were winning a game they deserved to lose. In front of their fans in Cardiff, and celebrating personal milestones of Alun Wyn Jones and Dan Biggar, the team were sloppy, unimaginative and disjointed. But they were winning.Wayne Pivac would no doubt have lamented his side’s performance but would have taken solace in the result. Good teams win ugly, or so the adage goes. And though few who have...
Ireland are building momentum for next year’s tournament and their form over the last six months suggests they will be a factorCohesion became a buzzword recently after a certain opposition coach used it while talking up Ireland. For all that Scotland exploded out of the traps on Saturday, it was the inner workings of Ireland’s system that proved more durable. Ultimately, a third straight bonus-point win could not prevent France from claiming the title.“There’s so much more left in us,” said the Ireland captain Johnny Sexton, looking forward to next year’s World Cup. “We’re going to have be a lot better over the next year and a half.” Continue reading...
Fabien Galthié’s Six Nations grand slam winners have escaped the burdens of predecessors and won the hearts of the publicA little after 11pm at a euphoric sweat-sodden Stade de France, the lights finally went out on this remarkable French side. The stadium was plunged into darkness, fireworks danced across the Paris sky and in the stands 75,000 fans danced with them. Through the pitch-black night, Antoine Dupont and his teammates peered upwards to enjoy the spectacle. The song playing over the speakers was Freed From Desire, and after 12 long years France have finally been freed from theirs.It was brutal and it was draining and perhaps we should have expected nothing less. France’s grand slam was not just a victory...
The gap between the teams was 12 points but it was far wider in reality with the grand slam winners in complete commandYou could measure the gap between England and France by the 12 points difference on the scoreboard. Or you could measure it by the inches between Ben Youngs’ outstretched hand and Antoine Dupont’s shorts as Youngs launched himself headfirst into a futile dive after the best player in the world and tried to drag him back as he cut England apart. You could measure it in the feet England were shoved backwards at the scrum just before half-time where they conceded yet another set-piece penalty, or you could measure it by the acres of space France found out...
The hosts are on the brink of winning the grand slam but Eddie Jones’s team need to go back to basics and get a resultIf you look at the England team Eddie Jones has picked to face France, it does not take an expert to work out that the ball is going to see a lot of air time on Saturday. What fascinates me, however, is how different both sides’ approaches are to kicking and whichever side can impose their particular style will go a long way towards winning the contest.Jones has picked George Furbank at full-back, which may have come as a surprise to some because he had a difficult time on his debut at the Stade de France...