I love the start of the tournament – my body is still recovering last weekend having shouted a lot…..and I mean a lot. And we have another weekend of matches.
So, what did we learn;
There are young kids that believe Scotland are almost assured of a victory against England and they get to retain the Calcutta Cup.
Ireland looked comfortable and know how to counter almost any playing style whilst looking like they play in the southern hemisphere.
England over trained in volleyball and Joe Marler should do match commentary after he retires, but also never throw into a line out again!
Wales might be looking for a place in the trophy cabinet for a wooden spoon, only 1 year after winning the championship.
Italy kept it interesting for the first quarter, then the inevitable happened, France found second gear – ominous for the rest of the teams. That said, there was still some familiar traits of ill-discipline at the breakdown that they need to sort.
More importantly we confirmed what we already knew; the Six Nations is so much better with crowds in packed stadiums.
What do we have to look forward to this weekend;
The Doddie Weir Cup is being played for and I believe its make or break weekend for Wales. With a 4 changes to the line up for week 2, Wales need to produce, not just need a win, but they need to play with the sort of style, flair and creativity that they had last year. Josh Adams will not be playing at center this weekend, but not because the transition / experiment is failing or the embarrassment of a blatant charge of Sexton, but apparently because of a tight calf.……hhmmmmm
Scotland need to go to Cardiff and get a victory, by any means necessary. If the themes from week 1 appear again; Finn dictating the game, moving the forwards and back from both sides to where he wants them then I am not sure Wales will be able to cope.
Ireland travel to Paris with Joey Carberry replacing an injured Sexton, and many Irish fans are happy with the change given the upcoming Rugby World Cup and push to winning this year Six Nations. Joey came just under a quarter of the game last weekend during which time Wales scored 7 unanswered points.
Which French team will come out to play; the flair, the aggression, the masters of stealing defeat from the jaws of victory. All bets are off, but if they don’t play well at home, the crowd will let them know about it.
England go to Rome, and I don’t need to be a clairvoyant to predict the outcome. They are a side wounded by the result and manner of of it in week 1; Italy will feel the repercussions. One thought; Parisse hasn’t officially retired, maybe he needs to be added to the squad for one final home match – too late for this weekend, but maybe someone needs to start a petition!
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