Six Nations Week 3 Review

France 42 vs 12 Wales

• France are still going strong: Everything in this tournament for France is about building up to a clash with England. The main goal during that time is to simply avoid slipping up - so far, they have been successful in that regard. They have won all three games and sit second, one point behind England, due to missing out on a four-try bonus point against Ireland.
• Wales are still showing signs of progress: This was, in the end, quite a one-sided game but that doesn't mean that there is nothing to take from it. France are one of the top four sides in the World so being able to compete with them is a sign that Seann Lynn's group is in a good position for the World Cup.
• A game of two halves: The first half ended with the score at 21-12 and Wales firmly in the game. The second half saw France score 21 unanswered points as Wales were swept aside. Wales are definitely able to compete with big sides but this game, and the one against England, show that ultimately there is a significant gap in physicality between the big nations and Wales.

Ireland 5 vs 49 England

• A great first half: In the first half, Ireland actually managed the game brilliantly, with their young fly-half, O'Brien, winning the kicking battle consistently. They managed to stifle any England attacks throughout the half despite the Red Roses having plenty of possession and territory at times. This was, overall, the most impressive half  of rugby I have seen a team play against England for a couple of years.

• Order was restored in the second 40: It may have been an impressive half but it was, of course, not good enough to beat the Red Roses - or even get close to them when it counted. England quickly started dominating the scrum, leading to a yellow card for O'Dowd (Ireland's loosehead prop). From that point forward, the game was practically over. England ran a riot over the Irish defence with six tries whilst not conceding at all. England's power told with Sarah Bern going over twice to highlight their pack dominance.
• Ireland's investment in fifteens is paying off: Despite the final score, Ireland will be buoyed by this fixture, having basically drawn the first half to the best side in the World. After coming close against France as well, Ireland are in a good place for the World Cup and have a lot of young talent that will light up big competitions for years to come.
• England are still a class above: Despite Ireland's progress there is still a clear gap. England are simply quicker and stronger than the next tier of teams and the distance is not shrinking enough for Ireland to be legitimate challengers quite yet.

Scotland 17 vs 25 Italy

• Italy pull off a big win: After losing heavily to England and France, Italy were in need of a big showing against Scotland and they absolutely delivered. This was a decisive game for the bottom half of the table and Italy have given themselves an early lead.

• Scotland fall down in a big way: After showing positive signs in both victory and defeat so far, Scotland were in a good place but fell flat at home in a disappointing performance.
• The Six Nations games between the teams away from the top are great: This game goes to show that, away from England and sometimes France, there is still great parity between other sides. The Scotland vs Wales game in the first week was a nail-biter as well. Women's rugby is becoming much more widely competitive as it becomes more globalised and professional. The World Cup this year is only set to help that and it will be great to see.