England crumble again

England 21 - 42 Ireland

This game was always going to be a pivotal one in the story of the 2026 Six Nations. This game was predicted to go many different ways by many different people, but I don't think anyone saw this coming. England were underwhelming against Scotland but a poor Calcutta Cup performance is hardly unusual for England in recent years. What has always been assumed was that England would respond the next week whilst Scotland would struggle to back up their win. This time was different. Scotland beat Wales whilst England experienced a bad case of deja vu. 

England showed some promise early on, but George Ford missed two easy kicks to touch in the Irish 22 which then put a halt to any English momentum. From that point, Ireland put themselves 17-0 up with England down to 14 men after Freddie Steward was carded. England scored a try at the end of the first half to give them some hope but that was ended abruptly in the 43rd minute with a Dan Sheehan try. England were always held at arm's length in this game and repeatedly shot themselves in the foot whenever they showed signs of getting back into proceedings. 

Andy Farrell brought in a couple of his team's stalwarts who had not performed well recently and it paid off massively. Tadhg Furlong found some form once again, Josh van der Flier did the same and Caelan Doris played his best game in a year. Ireland's experienced internationals stepped up but they couldn't have won without some of their newer players stepping up. Baloucoune continued to prove his value in every facet of the game and has surely locked down the spot on the right wing. Jack Crowley didn't have to be exceptional but he ran the team excellently and gave the team a solid base from which to build. Stuart McCloskey was the most impressive and had the best highlight of the game when he chased down Marcus Smith after the England fly-half, turned fullback, intercepted a pass and attempted to go the distance. His form is timely given that Bundee Aki will be eligible to play the next game. McCloskey has been in better form than Aki for a while and is now in possession of the jersey.

England, meanwhile, have a lot of things to figure out. The tight five should be fairly consistent but that's a result of injuries more than anything else. Perhaps there could be a change at hooker given Luke Cowan-Dickie's set-piece woes. Gabriel Oghre has been the obvious choice for a while but  is clearly not favoured by Steve Borthwick; hopefully that changes soon. Alex Coles could replace Itoje in the starting line-up but that is about it. The back row could be changed massively. It's become quite clear that England are missing a Tom Wills style of player to take pressure off Ben Earl in the carrying game. Borthwick will have a tough time reconfiguring this unit if he chooses to do so.

In the backs, Alex Mitchell's injury could change things. Fin Smith could replace George Ford whilst Max Ojomoh or Seb Atkinson could come in for Fraser Dingwall. Henry Arundell was poor once again and doesn't really fit England's current gameplan. Freddie Steward has been underutilised for his aerial skills so far in this tournament and could be a victim of England needing a second playmaker in the line-up. This seems more likely after Steward was benched for Marcus Smith in the 29th minute against Ireland.

Signs of improvement for Wales

Wales 23 - 26 Scotland

This game was perhaps the best opportunity for Wales to end their losing streak in the Six Nations. It didn't quite work out for the home side but they came painfully close. They lead 17-5 at half-time and were definitely on top of Scotland. A moment of brilliance from Finn Russell proved to be the difference. He scored a try in the 55th minute then followed it up with a quick kickoff, which caught Wales off guard, leading to Darcy Graham scoring. From that moment, Scotland were on top and they then scored in the 75th minute to clinch victory from the jaws of defeat. This wasn't a pretty game for Scotland, but they have failed to back up big Calcutta Cup wins in the past so this is still a very significant moment.

Wales should still take plenty of heart from this result. Their front row was incredibly impressive and Rhys Carre is someone who could play for any team in this tournament. He would undoubtedly be in the matchday 23 for England, Scotland, Ireland and Italy right now. The back row was also exceptional with Alex Mann and Aaron Wainwright being the standout names. Sam Costelow was the best player on the pitch when he was forced to limp off with an injury. His selection ahead of Dan Edwards came as a surprise to many but he backed up Steve Tandy's decision. Hopefully his injury isn't too serious and he can come back for the latter part of the competition.

France are still a cut above the rest

France 33 - 8 Italy

There isn't much that needs to be said about this game. France had to deal with Jalibert pulling out late but just shifted Ramos to fly-half with Drean on the wing and Attissogbe moving to fullback. It didn't make a difference, though. They were dominant throughout and this game was never really close. Italy weren't at their best and the French didn't have to get out of 3rd gear. The return of Capuozzo was a big deal. He scored Italy's only try and was a bright spark for the team in a difficult moment.