France 36 v 14 Ireland

France look imperious against a beleaguered Ireland team

The Six Nations kicked off in emphatic fashion on Thursday night with France dominating a injury-struck Ireland side. France started quickly and never looked back, dominating Ireland throughout the first half. The score was 22-0 at the break and the game was practically over. France looked to be at their best with every man, from 1 to 15, offloading for fun and powering through the Irish line. The locks, Guillard and Ollivon, were the best examples of this and were the engine that drove the French machine for the first

50 minutes. When they departed the field, things changed.

Ireland got themselves back into the game with tries in the 59th and 62nd minutes.  Ireland then had the ball for more than a dozen phases just metres out from the French line. Unfortunately a rather bizarre series of events, which left the referee confused, ended with the TMO showing that Ireland had knocked the ball on. This basically ended their comeback attempt. The second half finished 14-14 which could give Ireland some reasons to be positive. However, this also showed once again that Ireland have to work so much harder for points than the likes of France. The gap in athleticism was clear to see and it ultimately cost the away team the game. That gap in athleticism still existed when the Irish were ranked top of the World but their structure and defensive prowess made up for it. Now they lack key stars, due to injury and ageing, which leaves Andy Farrell having to rely on less experienced players.

Ireland will have to use this tournament to find more players that can be reliable members of the squad. It was difficult to find many positives but Milne and Timoney looked impressive when they came on, both scoring a try. The Irish scrum also held up quite well given the circumstances. One big negative from this game was Sam Prendergast. The Leinster fly-half faced the same issues that have been present throughout his brief international career. He was, once again, a weak point in defence and really needs to put on some weight if he is to be a test player in the future.

Italy 19 v 16 Scotland

The end is nigh for Gregor Townsend

This result came as a surprise to many people; it really shouldn't have. Italy have been impressive for a while now and have won as many games in the 6Nations as Scotland in recent years. Italy were missing several key players including: Varney, Negri, Capuozzo, Vintcent and Allan. That didn't stop them from outplaying their healthier hosts. The defining theme of this game was the terrential rain. Italy managed the conditions much better than the visitors and the Scots were actually lucky to have a chance in the final minutes. There has been some talk of the weather mitigating the performance but it seems farcical that Scotland should have any excuses after managing heavy rain worse than the Italians. They are literally genetically built for that weather and really should have been smarter. 

This brings me onto my main point of focus; the future of Gregor Townsend. He has been at the helm of the Scotland men's team for nearly a decade and has been blessed with a generational level of talent for Scotland. Despite his numerous opportunities with an ultra-talented group, he has failed to achieve anything of note at a World Cup or in the Six Nations. There are now rumours that he has agreed to coach Newcastle after the World Cup, which he strenuously denies, and he is confirmed to have taken up a role as a consultant for Newcastle's owner's, Red Bull. The Calcutta Cup next weekend could be a final stand for the Townsend regime. The Scottish anthem tells the story of an outnumbered army of Scots defeating a much stronger English force, using home turf to it's greatest advantage. Gregor will have to take inspiration from that if he is to extend his international coaching career.

England 48 v 7 Wales

England cruise past a disappointing Welsh team

This was widely predicted to end in a decisive England victory. Even in that context, Wales disappointed. They conceded 10 penalties in the first 15 minutes and were down to 13 men early on. The game was over quickly and England were 29-0 up at the break. Wales fought back a bit in the second half with both teams being given 2 yellow cards. Itoje was off within seconds of coming on whilst Curry missed the final 5 minutes. Wales, on the other hand, found themselves down to 13 once again after Thomas and Plumtree got sin-binned within 2 minutes of each other. Ultimately it was never really a contest and not much was learned on either side.