Scotland fall short once again

Ireland 43-21 Scotland

This was Scotland's best chance at winning this tournament since the expansion to 6 teams and, once again, they fell short. Gregor Townsend is still yet to beat Ireland as Scotland head coach. Scotland haven't beaten Ireland since 2017 and haven't won in Dublin since 2010. That streak looks set to continue with Scotland still unable to win the tactical battle in these games. Ireland are perfectly built to shut down everything that Scotland do with the ball in ways that France and England can't replicate. This win set Ireland up for a chance at the Six Nation title which meant that the Irish would, for the first time, be supporting the English.

Obviously Ireland didn't win the Championship, but there are plenty of positives to take away from the past 6 weeks. Their depth was massively stretched at prop and a couple of players have stepped up well. Tom O'Toole and Michael Milne have both grown into test rugby over the course of the tournament and the likes of Andrew Porter will be back to bolster the unit. At tighthead, Tadhg Furlong's return to form and fitness is a huge deal for Ireland. He is one of a few stalwarts of this team that has found form in this tournament and that has been the catalyst for the performances we have seen. Elsewhere, Baloucoune, McCloskey and Timoney have stepped up well given some big opportunities. Tommy O'Brien and Jamie Osborne also played well enough to give Andy Farrell some confidence in his team's depth. And finally, Jack Crowley has surely cemented his spot at fly-half in the run up to the World Cup, Prendergast still needs to get some opportunities, but Crowley is the man around whom this team must build.

As for Scotland, Gregor Townsend has probably done enough to take away some of the pressure that had been mounting but that loss to Italy and another thrashing by Ireland will leave a poor impression at the end of this tournament. We didn't learn much about Scotland. We already knew that they could beat England and France, they would be vulnerable against Italy and their haplessness against Ireland was hardly a surprise. We also didn't see many new players get given a chance. Max Williamson did well as a newer player in the second row but he was the only one. Scotland remain a team that can beat the best without actually joining them at the top table of international rugby. 

The belief is back in Welsh Rugby (on the pitch)

Wales 31-17 Italy

This was a great result for the sport. Welsh rugby has been a pressure cooker for the past few years and some of that pressure got released on Saturday afternoon. The score was 21-0 at half-time and the game was already over. Dan Edwards had one of his best games in a Wales shirt and, along with Aaron Wainwright, stood out in a brilliant Welsh performance. Steve Tandy now has the bones of a legitimate tier 1 test team from which he can now build. 

Italy missed an opportunity to have their best ever Six Nations with this defeat in Cardiff. However, they can still take away plenty of positives from the competition as a whole. Their depth has been test and it stood up well. This is a team that is only going in one direction and the future is looking bright.

France secure the Six Nations title after a mad night in Paris

France 48-46 England

This was a spectacular ending to the best Six Nations Championship in recent memory. France are deserving Champions and showed why on Saturday night. In a game of fine margins, France won the moments that mattered. Whether it was discipline or slotting difficult conversions, France stood up under huge pressure. This French team are still building in areas like the centres and second row, but they are already capable of beating anyone in the World. If they can keep up this form, France will go into the World Cup as many people's favourite to win it all.

Steve Borthwick still has plenty of questions to answer about his team going forward. I'm not convinced that he is sure of the combinations going forwards. Ollie Chessum looked great at blindside flanker but there weren't many other answers available. After their worst ever Six Nations finish, England will head to South Africa in July under immense pressure. Performing well in defeats doesn't cut it for this team.