Wales continue to impresses but fall short against Ireland
Ireland 27-17 Wales
The first ever Six Nations game on a Friday night in Dublin didn't disappoint. Ireland started well and kept a consistently high level throughout the match whilst Wales showed that they are still making progress as a team. This win leaves Ireland firmly in contention for the Six Nations title going into their final game at the Aviva Stadium against Scotland. Wales are yet to win but will be looking at the Italy game as a big opportunity to earn a statement victory to have a big finish to a promising championship.
There was nothing particularly significant to take away from this game for Ireland aside from the result. It was a solid display in a game that they were expected to win. Having said that, there were a few big performances that deserve a mention. Nick Timoney was excellent in his first start of the competition and has now surely earned himself a spot in the 23-man playing squad going forward. Jack Conan lined up at flanker once again and played very well, His ability to play with the once again in-form Caelan Doris in the same back row will be crucial to Ireland's success going forward. Joe McCarthy didn't start this game but he made a big impression in the second half. McCarthy, like Doris, is one of Ireland's star men who had been out of form coming into this tournament but has now turned things around. Ireland now look like a much better team than they were a couple of months ago.
As for Wales, they appear to be building a very good spine for their team. Rhys Carre, who's long distance try will be watched for years to come, and Nicky Smith are a great loose-head duo. Dewi Lake is a great leader at hooker and has taken on a bigger leadership role in the absence of Jac Morgan. In the second row, Dafydd Jenkins has finally had the opportunity to play in a functional Welsh team and he has since brought his Exeter performances to the international team. In the back row, Wainwright has stepped up and will soon be re-united with Jac Morgan. James Botham and Alex Mann are also promising players at that position. Tomos Williams is an excellent scrum-half who provides a steadying presence for whichever one of Costelow or Edwards is starting at fly-half. Hawkins and James look like a good duo at centre and are improving with more time together. With Louis Rees-Zammit at fullback, Wales have gone from lacking physicality to having a very big group of backs. There are also several good wing options at Steve Tandy's disposal. Wales are obviously not fixed just yet, the only team that they have beaten recently is Japan, but there are plenty of reasons to be positive that weren't obvious this time last year.
Scotland run wild against stunned France
Scotland 50-40 Ireland
For 65 minutes Scotland put on the best display of rugby that we have seen throughout this championship. France were blown away and had no response until it was too late. The first half was tight but Scotland were definitively the better side. It was the second half in which Scotland did the most damage. It was a spectacular display of everything that has made Scotland so dangerous recently.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the game was Scotland's dominance up front. Traditionally, France's pack has been their strength whilst Scotland's has been their downfall. On Saturday the reverse was the case. Marchand had an absolute nightmare throughout the game whilst his props were ineffective throughout. Ollivon and Guillard had been a strength of France's set-up but found themselves unable to offer the punch that was needed by their locks. The back row also had a poor day and things look set to get worse after Oscar Jegou was cited for an eye gouge on Ben White. He will likely be suspended for several weeks. Matthieu Jalibert was unable to make any impact and also got himself a yellow card in the first half. Meanwhile, Antoine Dupont had a very mixed game with some highlight moments and some disastrous mistakes including a poor interception for a Kyle Steyn try. He also completely lost his head after being wound up by Ben White all game. He, and France, will be motivated to set things right when they take on England in Paris knowing that a win would give them the Six Nations title.
Scotland will now head to Ireland knowing that this is their best ever chance to win the Six Nations. Beating Ireland is something that Gregor Townsend is yet to do as Scotland head coach. However, beating Ireland won't be enough. Scotland will need their southern neighbours to do them a huge favour and beat France handily in Paris. The only part of their victory against France that Scotland might look back on with regret is the final few minutes in which they allowed France to get a bonus point.
History made in Rome
Italy 23-18 England
The wait for Italy is now over. Prior to Saturday, England lead the head-to-head 32-0; that record now stands at 32-1. Italy winning this game was far from a surprise. Even with their extensive injury list, they arguably had better players across many parts of their team than their visitors did. They certainly had the advantage in terms of familiarity with their combinations and they made it count. What's perhaps even more impressive about this result is that Italy didn't even play well.
As for England, things have changed very quickly. That 12-game winning streak feels like a long time ago. Bill Sweeney, the CEO of the RFU, has released a statement backing Steve Borthwick until the end of the summer. That means that Borthwick has 4 games to prove that he is the man to take England into the next World Cup. There need to be some big changes if that is to happen. There are so many personnel questions surrounding this team and so few answers that discussing it almost feels futile. The game in Paris will be very revealing for England as they look to avoid their worst-ever Six Nations finish.
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