Week 1 of the competition began on the first Saturday in February with the Irish playing Wales in Cardiff. Rather predictably Andy Farrells’ men were the victors in a 34-10 victory against a Welsh team in horrific form, trying to find their feet again under former British and Irish Lions coach, Warren Gatland. This game saw Ireland top the table with a bonus point win. The Calcutta cup returned to Scotland for the 3rd year in a row as Gregor Townsends’ men took it to England at Twickenham securing a 29-23 victory, with Duhan Van der Merwe scoring one of the Tries of the year. A closely fought game in Rome capped off the first week of the tournament. The scoreline, 24-29, went in the favour of Les Bleus, a little closer than the defending champions would’ve liked, but a bonus point victory nonetheless.
Super Bowl weekend and this time it was the turn of Ireland vs France. The two best sides in the world took to the Aviva stadium in Dublin where both nations gave us one of the best games of the year. A quintessentially French try was scored by winger Damian Penaut to rival Van der Merwe’s from the week prior, as well as another show of limitless ability from scrumhalf Antoine du Pont, with a try-saving tackle put in on the dangerous winger Mack Hansen. It was not to be for France who would join the long line of nations unable to stop the best team in the world. Gary Ringrose’s try essentially cemented Ireland’s spot at the top removing their toughest barrier to claiming a grand slam. Jamie Ritchie led Scotland to a 35-7 thumping against the struggling Welsh side in Edinburgh in a game which saw Scottish rugby great Stuart Hogg claim his 100th International cap. England seized their first win of the tournament against Italy in Twickenham. A winning margin of 17 points and a bonus point victory by Steve Borthwick’s men ended round 2.
Another highly predictable victory from the Irish came against the Italians in Rome. 20-34 was the score, as the slightly weakened Irish team triumphed at the Stadio Olimpico. The 100th meeting between Scotland and France saw the victorious French win 32-21. Wales was set to host England at the Millennium Stadium, however, the world got to see politics and rugby clash before the two nations could. The fixture was under threat by reason of strikes from the Welsh players. The Welsh players walked out of training with 3 demands surrounding player representation at the Professional Rugby Board, contract disputes and a 60 cap rule forcing players to play domestic rugby in Wales. The game eventually went ahead, and as sky pundit and former England player, Will Greenwood, puts it, ‘you’ll always be remembered as the player who walked out on your country,’ after comparing the Welsh situation to one he was involved in with England in 2000. With industrial action put aside England went on to put 20 past the Welsh side, winning in Cardiff for the first time since 2017. This also put Wales at 10th in the international standings, their worst-ever placement.
Heading into the penultimate week, Ireland sat top of the table, with the French needing a bonus point win at Twickenham, having dropped points in Dublin. France, without a victory at Twickenham since 2007, went to work on Borthwick’s men. A 53-10 inhalation displayed the dominance of the French and the under-achieving mediocre quality of rugby that England, recently, has been susceptible to. The French victory was the product of England’s heaviest-ever defeat at home. Wales’s 1st victory of the campaign came against Italy, where they managed to wrap it up with a bonus point as Ireland failed to claim their bonus point against the Scots at Murrayfield. With a victory in Dublin against the English enough to claim the six nations trophy, it is Ireland who looks likely to achieve their first grand slam since 2017.
