Embattled Ireland scrape past Italy

Ireland 20 - 13 Italy

This game was not quite a "must win" occasion but it wasn't far off for the Irish. Things looked gloomy once again in the first half which ended 12-5 to the Italians. Prendergast and Casey struggled as the half-backs and things were looking bad at the scrum. Despite this win, Andy Farrell will still have lots to think about.

Their scrum struggled throughout the game with Loughman and Clarkson both finding themselves out-matched to begin with. Furlong replaced Clarkson in the 41st minute but didn't do any better in what was a worrying trend for Andy Farrell. The positives came in the back 5. Caelan Doris found his form once again and Cormac Izuchukwu provided some nice balance and a good line-out option in the 6 shirt. 

In the backs, Osborne had a much better game at fullback and was a key second receiver throughout the 80 minutes. He also scored a try to cap off an impressive display. McCloskey was incredibly impressive and gave Ireland plenty of front-foot ball which then allowed them to set up some promising attacks. He definitely benefited from Menoncello being moved to outside centre. McCloskey's highlight moment was a quarterback-style throw to Baloucoune for his excellently taken try. The aforementioned Baloucoune was an excellent addition to the Irish team and brought a level of athleticism that the team has lacked in recent times. James Lowe also deserves a mention for his impressive return to the team. He showed exactly why he is trusted by Andy Farrell; even if he does lack pace.

Now for the big negatives. Craig Casey, as I mentioned earlier, was unimpressive and found himself yellow-carded for a high tackle which is an impressive feat for someone of his stature. The Munster man should improve in an Ireland jersey when he gets more time but the difference made by Gibson-Park was undeniable. The biggest fallout from this game surrounded the fly-halves. Despite a poor kick that accidently ended the game, Jack Crowley changed the dynamic of the game in a rare cameo at his preferred position. That, in contrast to what Prendergast did, gives Andy Farrell a very difficult scenario to manage. Prendergast is clearly the preferred option for Farrell and Sexton, but if they select him against England it will send a message to the likes of Jack Crowley that performance is irrelevant for those who are not considered the favourites of the coach.

Italy can take plenty of positives from this game but they should've won it. The comments by their players and coach reveal a mentality that is not befitting of a team of this calibre, They are capable of beating any side in this tournament and should act like it. In terms of big take-aways, their scrum dominance in back-to-back wins is something to build on.

Scotland do it again

Scotland 31 - 20 England

Another Calcutta Cup, another Scotland win. Things started perfectly for the Scots who were 17-0 up after 15 minutes. England briefly showed signs of resistance with a try from Henry Arundell who was desperate to make up for his early yellow card. Things didn't improve for the English and Ben White added a 3rd try for the home team. Arundell then got himself sent off with a second yellow card which then became a 20-minute red card. England showed some improvements in the second half with an early penalty from George Ford. They looked to be getting properly back into the game until a poorly set-up drop goal attempt was charged down, and returned for a try, by Huw Jones. At that point the game was over. The score-line was tight in the second half but the game was over. This was a rude awakening for an England team that was on a 12-game winning streak. Scotland will have to back this performance up if this result is to have any real significance. 

Huw Jones and Ben White starred for Scotland and fulfilled the Duhan van der Merwe role of terrorising English defences. Steyn also deserves a mention for dominating the aerial battle against a team that is built for kicking rugby. 

England, on the other hand, have a list of issues that need sorting. Maro Itoje was taken off in the 57th minute in a move that is incredibly rare which tells you how disappointing his showing was on Saturday afternoon. Pepper and Underhill were also both playing some of their worst rugby in an England shirt in a team that was doing nothing well. George Ford couldn't do anything to turn things around but still has enough credit in the bank to start again next week. On the wing, it wasn't just Henry Arundell who struggled. Roebuck may not have had a catastrophic game but he was not good. The Sale winger is in the team due to his aerial abilities but he was unable to even gain parity in that facet of the game.

France ease past lacklustre Wales

Wales 12 - 54 France

France were excellent. It seemed like they would score each time they touched the ball. From 1 to 15, the dominated in the physical parts of the game and showed their prowess with their finesse on the ball. Bielle-Biarrey and Attisogbe were unmatched by anyone in a Wales shirt. The difference in ability of the packs was stark and France are yet to face a real test in this tournament. The bench is yet to really fire but it has only come on when the game is already basically won. It remains the one question mark for this side going into a game against Italy.

For Wales, there are still plenty of issues. The most frustrating of these will be tactical defensive issues that one would expect to be fixed given Steve Tandy's background as a defence coach. If Wales can fix some fundamentals they will be a much more difficult side to beat in a very short space of time. 

After a worrying start, the home team managed to work their way back into the game until a turn-over resulted in Adam Beard picking up the ball and kicking it straight into a French player who then scored. That moment of madness took Wales out of the game once again and they never recovered. This score-line could've been much worse so Wales will take some solace in "only" losing by 42 points. 

There were some positives for Wales. The centre combination of Hawkins and James looks like something that can be built upon whilst Louis Rees-Zammit is continuing to develop at fullback. Rhys Carre scored a try and was able to go toe-to-toe with his counterparts throughout his time on the pitch. In fact, the Welsh scrum as a whole stood up fairly well given their opposition. As I wrote above, if Wales can fix some basics, which should be fairly easily done, this Welsh team can be much more competitive very quickly.