Ireland vs Italy

Kickoff: 2:10pm, Saturday 14th February

Venue: The Aviva Stadium

Watch on: ITV1

Ireland will host Italy knowing that defeat will unleash an avalanche of vitriol that Irish rugby has not seen for a generation. There has already been a nation-wide inquest into the team's performance but defeat to Italy would take things to a new level. Andy Farrell was as critical as he has ever been about his side in his post-match interview after the opening game. He has subsequently made 6 changes for a game that has now become seismic.

Unlike Ireland, Italy are feeling very positive after an opening round win. They comfortably out-played Scotland and will be set up perfectly for their best ever Six Nations finish if they can pull off a historic win this weekend. After their positive performance, Quesada has only made one change to the starting XV; Brex is out of the team due to a personal matter which means that there is some shuffling in the back line. Marin moves from fullback to inside centre with Menoncello shifting to the other centre spot in order to accommodate him. Lorenzo Pani, who came on at fullback last week, starts at that spot. On the bench, Italy have changed from a 5-3 split to a 6-2 split in order to combat Ireland's pack. David Odiase is the extra forward on the bench in place of Da Re whilst Odogwu is on the bench after Pani was put into the starting side.

Andy Farrell has reacted strongly to Ireland's poor showing in Ireland and has made some big decisions. Tadhg Beirne, Cian Prendergast, Josh van der Flier, Jamison Gibson-Park, Jacob Stockdale and Tommy O'brien have all been dropped from the starting team. Out of those six, only Tadhg Beirne and Jamison Gibson-Park even make the bench. This is a huge statement given how important van der Flier, Beirne and Gibson-Park have all been to Ireland's success in recent years. This Ireland team looks very different but that could be exciting.

Up front, the starting trio keep their places but both bench props have been swapped. Tom O'Toole and Tadhg Furlong are now fit so they will strengthen Ireland's bench alongside Ronan Kelleher. In the second row, James Ryan replaces Beirne. Presumably his job will be to bring the same abrasiveness that he brought in the second half against France to Ireland's team from the start of the game. He could be a tone-setter for this team. The back row also goes to this point. Cormac Izuchukwu will bring some serious size at 6. He'll be joined by both of Ireland's number 8 options (Conan and Doris) in a move that shows exactly what Andy Farrell is aiming for. This Ireland pack is built to overpower Italy and make a statement to the rest of the rugby world that Ireland is not going anywhere as a contender. 

The changes continue amongst Ireland's backs. Craig Casey replaces Gibson-Park at scrum-half in what will be his biggest opportunity in an Irish jersey. With Gibson-Park already in his mid-thirties, this could be Casey's chance to stake his claim for the shirt that he has been chasing for years. In a move that will be controversial amongst Ireland fans, Sam Prendergast is still Andy Farrell's man at fly-half. He needs a big game this week in order to restore some confidence before they visit Twickenham the following weekend. McCloskey and Ringrose continue as the centres with Osbourne staying at fullback in the absence of Hugo Keenan. 

The selection on the wings should excite Ireland fans. James Lowe will bring experience to the back 3 along with his power and kicking game. His kicking game brings just as much value to the Ireland team, particularly when exiting their 22, as his general game. On the other wing Baloucoune will bring legitimate size and power which is a combination that Ireland have not had since Jacob Stockdale was in his physical prime 8 years ago. Even at their peak, Ireland missed what Baloucoune brings, If he can find some form at this level it will be a huge plus for Ireland going forward.

This is a huge game for both teams. Italy are on the precipice of becoming a legitimate threat in this competition whilst Ireland are fighting to keep their place at the top table. As much as I'd love to see Italy win, I can't  see an Andy Farrell side not showing up 2 weeks in a row. His team selection points to a reinvigorated side that has the physical capability to take on, and beat, this Italian group.

Team news

Ireland

Starting XV

1.Jeremy Loughman 2.Dan Sheehan 3.Thomas Clarkson 4.Joe McCarthy 5.James Ryan

6.Cormac Izuchukwu 7.Caelan Doris(C) 8.Jack Conan 9.Craig Casey 10.Sam Prendergast

11.James Lowe 12.Stuart McCloskey 13.Garry Ringrose 14.Robert Baloucoune 15.Jamie Osbourne

Bench

16.Ronan Kelleher 17.Tom O'Toole 18.Tadhg Furlong 19.Edwin Edogbo

20.Tadhg Beirne 21.Nick Timoney 22.Jamison Gibson-Park 23.Jack Crowley

Italy

Starting XV

1.Danilo Fischetti 2.Giacomo Nicotera 3.Simone Ferrari 4.Niccolo Cannone 5.Andrea Zambonin

6.Michele Lamaro(C) 7.Manuel Zuliani 8.Lorenzo Cannone 9.Alessandro Fusco 10.Paolo Garbisi

11.Monty Ioane 12.Leonardo Marin 13.Tommaso Menoncello 14.Louis Lynagh 15.Lorenzo Pani

Bench

16.Tommaso di Bartolemeo 17.Mirco Spagnolo 18.Muhamed Hasa 19.Federico Ruzza

20.Riccardo Favretto 21.David Odiase 22.Alessandro Garbisi 23.Paolo Odogwu

Scotland vs England

Kickoff: 4:40pm, Saturday 14th February

Venue: Scottish Gas Murrayfield

Watch on: ITV1

As I referenced in my round 1 summary, this game could effectively be Gregor Townsend's last stand as the head coach of Scotland. If they lose this game the road back looks very tricky. In order to attain another mid-table finish, the Scots would have to beat: Wales in Cardiff, France at home and Ireland in Dublin. That seems like an awfully tall order. It doesn't help that Franco Smith, the head coach of high-flying Glasgow, is the obvious heir-apparent. South of the border, England are on a great run but still need to prove themselves to be real contenders by winning these games on a consistent basis. Last year's game was as close as possible and shows that these sides are evenly matched. Scotland always manage to find a little bit more in the tank against England and this occasion at Murrayfield should only increase that advantage.

Gregor Townsend has made four changes to the team that lost to Italy, all of which are in the pack. In the front row, Ashman has been dropped entirely with Turner being promoted from the bench and Dave Cherry being added into the match-day squad. Schoeman will start on the bench after swapping places with Nathan Mcbeth. In the second row, Grant Gilchrist has been dropped in favour of Gregor Brown whilst Jamie Ritchie replaces Matt Fagerson in the back row. It's clear that things needed shaking up in Scotland's pack but this is also a sign that Townsend is loading his bench with added experience in order to combat England's depth. 

Somewhat surprisingly, there are no changes to the backs. England fans will be relieved to see the man who has destroyed England on several occasions (Duhan van der Merwe) has been left out of the squad once again. This means that Dobie and Steyn have been given another chance after a dismal display in Rome. Tom Jordan has also kept his place ahead of Blair Kinghorn despite the latter having much more pedigree at this level.

Steve Borthwick has only made two changes to his starting XV. Luke Cowan-Dickie starts and Jamie George drops to the bench whilst Maro Itoje starts and Alex Coles drops to the bench. England weren't really tested against Wales so it's difficult to take anything from that performance. On the bench, Fin replaces Marcus as the team's Smith.

England should be able to dominate with what looks like a much stronger pack and a much better bench. England should be favourites but one must never write off Scotland in the Calcutta Cup. 

Team news

Scotland

Starting XV

1.Nathan Mcbeth 2.George Turner 3.Zander Fagerson 4.Gregor Brown 5.Scott Cummings

6.Jamie Ritchie 7.Rory Darge 8.Jack Dempsey 9.Ben White 10.Finn Russell 

11.Jamie Dobie 12.Sione Tuipulotu(C) 13.Huw Jones 14.Kyle Steyn 15.Tom Jordan

Bench

16.Dave Cherry 17.Pierre Schoeman 18.Elliot Millar-Mills 19.Max Williamson

20.Matt Fagerson 21.George Horne 22.Adam Hastings 23.Darcy Graham

England

Starting XV

1.Ellis Genge 2.Luke Cowan-Dickie 3.Joe Heyes 4.Maro Itoje(C) 5.Ollie Chessum

6.Guy Pepper 7.Sam Underhill 8.Ben Earl 9.Alex Mitchell 10.George Ford

11.Henry Arundell 12.Fraser Dingwall 13.Tommy Freeman 14.Tom Roebuck 15.Freddie Steward

Bench

16.Jamie George 17.Bevan Rodd 18.Trevor Davison 19.Alex Coles

20.Tom Curry 21.Henry Pollock 22.Ben Spencer 23.Fin Smith

Wales vs France

Kickoff: 3:10pm, Sunday 15th February

Venue: The Principality Stadium

Watch on: BBC ONE

This is the game that could get a little ugly. France impressed against Ireland in the opening game of the tournament whilst Wales shot themselves in the foot without England really needing to lift a finger. The physical advantage that France had over Ireland will be increased against Wales so the away team will have to be at their best in order to avoid disaster. The Welsh will have to take inspiration from their game against New Zealand, which they lost, in order to do anything of note in this one. 

Fabien Galthie has only made two changes to his starting XV and both are in midfield. The Bordeuax duo of Moefana and Depoortere have been replaced by the Pau duo of Brau-Boire and Gailleton . The new duo have a combined age of 44 and are very much a pairing for the future. There are more changes on the bench: Mauvaka is replaced by Lamothe, Auradou is replaced by Flament and Gourgues has been replaced by Nene. Galthie is entrusting his experienced players to have the game won by the hour mark so that he can bring on some less experienced players in a relatively comfortable situation.

For Wales, Steve Tandy has made 4 changes to the team that disappointed against England. Rhys Carre will start ahead of Nicky Smith at loosehead prop whilst Olly Cracknell has been recalled to the team in place of Alex Mann. This should hopefully give Wales some added strength in their pack in order to compete against the power that France have in spades. The only change in the backs is Joe Hawkins being selected instead of Ben Thomas. Hawkins is a more physical player that can also function as a playmaker. A stronger spine should help the home side stay in the game for longer than they did against England. Avoiding being given four yellow cards would also be helpful.

Ultimately, I expect Wales to be better than they were against England but that won't matter. France are too strong and will win comfortably.

Team news

France

Starting XV
1.Jean-Baptiste Gros 2.Julien Marchand 3.Dorian Aldegheri 4.Charles Ollivon 5.Mickael Guillard

6.Francois Cros 7.Oscar Jegou 8.Anthony Jelonch 9.Antoine Dupont(C) 10.Matthieu Jalibert

11.Louis Bielle-Biarrey 12.Fabien Brau-boire 13.Emilien Gailleton 14.Theo Attisogbe 15.Thomas Ramos

Bench

16.Maxime Lamothe 17.Rodrigue Neti 18.Regis Montagne 19.Thibaud Flament

20.Emmanuel Meafou 21.Lenni Nouchi 22.Baptiste Serin 23.Noah Nene

Wales

Starting XV
1.Rhys Carre 2.Dewi Lake(C) 3.Tomas Francis 4.Dafydd Jenkins 5.Adam Beard

6.Aaron Wainwright 7.Alex Mann 8.Olly Cracknell 9.Tomos Williams 10.Dan Edwards

11.Josh Adams 12.Joe Hawkins 13.Eddie James 14.Ellis Mee 15.Louis Rees-Zammit

Bench

16.Ryan Elias 17.Nicky Smith 18.Archie Griffin 19.Ben Carter

20.Taine Plumtree 21.Kieran Hardy 22.Jarrod Evans 23.Mason Grady