Six Nations

This match had remained in real doubt up until Wednesday, when the threat of strike action from the Welsh players was finally avoided amid a bitter contract ...

"I have experienced what it's like on a match day in Cardiff - it's crazy, it's carnage - and these are the games you want to be involved in. "I was thinking earlier in the week that we had to play games in Covid with no crowds and you didn't want to do that, so we have to embrace this. Courtney Lawes will take a seat on the bench, having finally shaken off glute and calf concerns. So the more we can nullify their threats and be on top, you'd like to think maybe they'll be a bit quieter. We have made a stand, we have made people stand up and take notice and showed the strength we have as a playing group. “His role will be different at times, because it’s different to when you’re starting or you’re on the bench, but he will have a big impact. It's all about getting stuck into the next thing and going back to what we know works for us and don't go into our shells." Leigh Halfpenny and Louis Rees-Zammit start after injury, with Owen Williams getting the nod at fly-half for the first time. If we can have a good start and get on top early, you never know - the crowd might grow quiet. "It has been a shock to all the players," Owens said. The squad has been galvanised and come together, and I am sure you will see that on Saturday [Six Nations](/topic/six-nations) continues in Cardiff this afternoon as two old rivals collide in what is sure to be a bruising Test clash.

The Cardiff roar will be key as the Red Rose come into the Principality Stadium eager to heap more misery on Warren Gatland and the Welsh rugby crisis. The ...

England are moving nearer and nearer to putting Wales awway but still the hosts stay in it! An error from Leigh Halfpenny, but Justin Tipuric ensures England do not capitalise! - Nick Tompkins cannot believe the decision of Mathieu Raynal, and Louis Rees-Zammit demands an explanation, too, after England are awarded a scrum having held up a Welsh carrier on the right. Into the final throes with Wales in possession. This was clearly a contest between two flawed sides, but English wins in Wales are not won easily, and Steve Borthwick’s developing team do deserve credit for gutsing it out to get the win. We were right in the game throughout - if we look back, we probably left a couple of opportunities out there.

Minute-by-minute report: After a difficult build-up, can Wales rally themselves for a win over England? Join Lee Calvert.

The first scrum of the game is a Wales one on halfway, but Ref Raynal blows up and awards a free kick to England for early engagement by the home pack. Some tidy drills from both sides; England with the kick-off exit then Wales with a sensible lineout and kick in return. After that there’s a couple of two-passes-out attacks from Wales that are too slow and too flat (and not a very good idea to start with), that England eventually clamp onto at the breakdown to win a penalty. The ball is very quickly recycled and there’s a four on two overlap for Dombrandt to fire a pass to Watson who finishes well in the left corner. The backs are busy with the ball, lots of fast hands and pop passes before Sinckler blocks Tipuric to give Wales a penalty. Wales put some phases together in the England half, twenty of them in fact, the best moment coming when Rees-Zammit loops off his wing to take the ball through a hole and in behind. Tomos Williams quick taps a penalty at a scrum and feeds the ball left into his backline, but as the tackle completes Wales can’t resource the clearout (again) and it’s penalty to England (again). The ball is back in Wales hands as the clock goes into the red and the possession enters the England 22. This allows England to cross into the Wales half and up to the line with some threat before Tipuric clamps on with one of his specials to win a penalty. After some time, Wales are back in the England half and a knock-on from the visitors will give a scrum to the home side. On the latest take by Williams he takes a knock to his hip and he’s off and replaced by Dan Biggar. The message at half-time was to stay in the arm wrestle, but we gave away some critical turnovers and a few dropped balls at the wrong time.

Ireland player ratings: After a crucial - maybe even tournament-deciding - win against France, a rapidly improving Italy at Stadio Olimpico.

[James Ryan](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/james-ryan/) in a play or two later. [Jack Conan](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/jack-conan/) – 6 A late calf issue also sidelined [Garry Ringrose](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/garry-ringrose/), forcing a change-up in the midfield. Maybe Doris’ weakest performance of the championship to date, which is no great slight given his superlative form in the first two rounds. Rumours have linked Henderson with a move to France this week but if any conjecture about his club future didn’t show here. Lucky to avoid being sin-binned for a swinging hand to the face of Cappuzzo. Fumbled a try that may well have settled the contest with 20 or so minutes to go. A sloppy pass gifted [Bundee Aki](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/bundee-aki/) – 6 Finished off with an F-Bomb in his post-match interview. Another superb outing here for the former Ireland Sevens star. than a seismic task.

Wing Mack Hansen scored a brace of tries as Ireland held off a spirited challenge from hosts Italy in Rome to claim a 34-20 bonus-point victory in the Six ...

LIVE Wales 10-15 England LIVE: Crunch Six Nations clash comes to life after the break as hosts briefly level before Kyle Sinckler goes over shortly after to put ...

Nigel Walker is speaking to the BBC and has outlined a few of the compromises that have been reached. But with the rugby case the biggest problem Wales have got is that when they get into the attacking zones, [they create] situations like with a five-on-three and they haven't taken it. He says the regions have been offered the contracts - it is now up for them to sign them. Steward claims it, and England try to run it out - but a charge down almost leads to the first score! Gatland and Borthwick will be dishing out their final instructions; Owens and Farrell envisaging what they're going to say to their teams in the final huddle. This is the fifteenth phase and by far the closest they have been to the try line. Here come the sides into a cacophony of noise. They have a penalty - but they take the advantage, with Williams making an impressive dart forwards. Has a leap that would not out of place in the NBA. Wales have just panicked in the face of a resilient England defensive line there. Borthwick will be the happier of the two coaches. Wales have been poor, but the longer the game stays like this the more England supporters will panic.

Ireland's hunt for a Six Nations Grand Slam is on after the world's top-ranked team overcame Italy 34-20 in an entertaining encounter in Rome on Saturday.

However Byrne then slotted a penalty of his own before Hansen scored his second try of the match with nine minutes remaining when he slipped away from the defensive line to cross under the posts and guarantee Ireland the win. Bruno made the half-time score a respectable 24-17 in favour of the Irish when he intercepted a sloppy Aki pass and charged most of the field to score under the posts for a score converted by Garbisi. However Italy recovered from the early blow and after a long spell of pressure swept the ball across to the right flank and into the hands of Nicolo Cannone, who burst through the Irish defence and fell just short of the try line.

Following a 34-20 victory for Ireland over Italy in their Six Nations fixture, here's our five takeaways from the match at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

But a Test rookie coming off the bench against Scotland at Murrayfield is not ideal, with Ireland fans no doubt keeping a close eye on Furlong’s recovery updates in the coming week or so. McCloskey and Aki were superb on attack, with both players showcasing their physicality and softer skills, particularly in the first half. This caused a midfield shuffle, with Bundee Aki shifting to outside centre and Stuart McCloskey reclaiming the number 12 jumper. There is a reason very few top teams run it from deep, and Italy need to learn the value of territory. A lot of attention has rightly been given to Paolo Garbisi and Ange Capuozzo, two players that have already shown their class regularly at international level, but others are also stepping up. It was very much a case of job done for Ireland as they picked up a bonus-point success over the Azzurri.

Ireland coach Andy Farrell was pleased with the five points but not the performance after watching his side labour to a 34-20 victory over Italy in their ...

"It is about the performance, about the next one. "We found a way and it's nice to get the bonus-point win away from home. they were tough and resilient and in the forwards they gave us absolutely nothing. "All credit must go to Italy, it was a proper Test match, they are a proper side," Farrell said. "We let them into the game through lack of discipline at times. I don't know what it was, four or five tries that we left out there," said Farrell.

Wales came off second-best in the kicking battle in Cardiff as Steve Borthwick's side collected their second straight win in the 2023 Six Nations, ...

[jousting with the WRU over player salaries](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/breaking-wales-england-six-nations-29284930), calling on Welsh rugby to unite with a [Rugby World Cup](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/rugby-world-cup-2019) to come later this year. [Scotland](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/scotland-rugby-union-team) remain the only other unbeaten outfit in this year's Six Nations, though that record will be put to the sword when Gregor Townsend's men visit France in Paris on Sunday. "It was a good test for us and we took control in the last 20," he continued. Connacht winger Mack Hansen scored a try at the end of each half to prove the difference in a surprisingly tense showdown as [Italy](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/italy-rugby-union-team) continue to show signs of improvement. All but ruling out any chance of a late comeback, England's third try of the day also spoiled the hosts' hopes of a losing bonus point. Referee Mathieu Raynal might have some questions to answer after failing to consult his TMO for such a crucial score, which was given despite Sinckler diving in under the posts among a pile of bodies. For all their fervour in attack, however, Welsh oversights in the clutch moments wrecked any chance of the upset. Louis Rees-Zammit's intercept try after the restart inspired hope for a [Wales](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/wales-rugby-union-team) team that made nine changes following defeat to Scotland, but a lack of finishing firepower saw them fail to convert. If there were complaints over Wales' pace in the first half, Rees-Zammit served to answer those critics with a run-in score intercepting Max Malins' poor pass on halfway. Leigh Halfpenny was helpless to prevent the Tigers talisman leapfrogging the visitors into a more comfortable lead, though Farrell's missed conversion left enough room for Wales' veteran full-back to close the gap back to five minutes later. The Red Rose raised its game at the right moments to dominate the aerial battle, while Wales' poor rucking saw England also clear up at ground level. England's captain couldn't keep up that accuracy from the tee, however, as he missed two more opportunities his side could ill afford before the interval.

England backed up their second round victory over Italy with a hard-fought 20-10 win against Wales in a poor Six Nations clash on Saturday.

[Click here for teams and scorers](https://www.planetrugby.com/europe-six-nations-wales-vs-england/2023-02-25/2153889/commentary) But England had the final say, with Lawrence crossing for a try six minutes from time to leave them home and dry. Farrell drifted a long-range penalty wide eight minutes before half-time, but England continued to dominate territory as Wales huffed and puffed, although creating nothing in terms of a clear-cut attacking chance. Wales persisted with aerial tactics, yet such an approach was meat and drink for England as Malins and full-back Freddie Steward dealt comfortably with the bombardment. Wayward kicking was a theme of the opening 10 minutes from both sides, yet England showed signs of settling as Farrell kicked a 48-metre penalty to nudge his team ahead. [Wales](https://www.planetrugby.com/team/wales) struggled to fire a shot at [England](https://www.planetrugby.com/team/england), going down to a third loss in a row.

Ireland's hunt for a Six Nations Grand Slam is on after the world's top-ranked team overcame Italy in an entertaining encounter in Rome on Saturday.

That is just a credit to Italy, we knew it was going to be a tough game. However, Byrne then slotted a penalty of his own before Hansen scored his second try of the match with nine minutes remaining when he slipped away from the defensive line to cross under the posts and guarantee Ireland the win. I was one of those whose discipline wasn't good enough." Bruno made the half-time score a respectable 24-17 in favour of the Irish when he intercepted a sloppy Aki pass and charged down most of the field to score under the posts for a score, converted by Garbisi. [Springbok coach not getting caught up in hype around high ball-in-play time for Ireland v France](/sport/rugby/springboks/springbok-coach-not-getting-caught-up-in-hype-around-high-ball-in-play-time-for-ireland-v-france-70a0c890-a796-4330-a590-9bf059014a95) [Wales need no extra motivation for England clash - Gatland](/sport/rugby/international/wales-need-no-extra-motivation-for-england-clash-warren-gatland-93d2e63c-0647-466c-bb4b-b36516f358ea) [No sweat ... However,’ Italy recovered from the early blow and after a long spell of pressure swept the ball across to the right flank and into the hands of Nicolo Cannone, who burst through the Irish defence and fell just short of the try line.

Full-back Freddie Steward mastered an aerial bombardment to help England to a 20-10 victory over Wales in the Six Nations on Saturday.

Halfpenny converted and, against all the odds, Wales were 10-8 up. Farrell's conversion came back off the post. [Ireland beat spirited Italy to keep Six Nations Grand Slam bid alive](/sport/rugby/international/ireland-beat-spirited-italy-to-keep-six-nations-grand-slam-bid-alive-63fc644b-e824-4fa2-83e9-63993679af7d) [Wales need no extra motivation for England clash - Gatland](/sport/rugby/international/wales-need-no-extra-motivation-for-england-clash-warren-gatland-93d2e63c-0647-466c-bb4b-b36516f358ea) [No sweat ... A raft of replacements took the sting out of the electric start to the second half. The ball was recycled, but Dombrandt was on hand to win a crucial penalty at the breakdown for England, Farrell clearing. In a tight match that featured a lot of aimless kicking and little creativity, England had led 8-3 at the break thanks to an Owen Farrell penalty and Anthony Watson try, while Leigh Halfpenny scored a sole penalty for Wales.

Wing Mack Hansen scored a brace of tries as Ireland held off a spirited challenge from hosts Italy in Rome to claim a 34-20 bonus-point victory in the Six.

We have to be precise on the breakdown and the passes.” “We have to work on the small margins. We were still in the game and could have done something more.

England player ratings live from Principality Stadium: Plenty of Steve Borthwick's charges caught the eye in a deserved Six Nations win.

Arrived with 25 minutes remaining and soon teams the scrum penalty that Farrell was unable to convert for an 18-10 lead. His energy and work rate the whole way through were admirable despite a few frustrating moments so as getting picked off near the line by Justin Tipuric. Is getting back to his disruptive best, leading his team’s tackle count and generally being a nuisance arond the field. Gave everything he had in his 65 minutes. [Owen Farrell](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/owen-farrell/) left 10 points behind him off the tee, spillage that kept the hosts alive even though their creativity seldom if ever resulted in a decent spell in the opposition’s 22. A gladiator who showed loads in his 55 minutes. The fact that he played for 73 minutes highlighted how this was his best Test yet. Needed to show more in this role than he did versus the Italians, but his kicking at times left him down. Excellent finish for his try and there was further evidence of his lovely footwork after that. Powerless to prevent the Rees-Zammit score but that and a missed 68th-minute catch couldn’t blot his report card. Here are the England player ratings: England player ratings live from Principality Stadium: Rome witnessed a humdinger of an all-frills Italy-Ireland contest but this Wales-England encounter was no less engrossing in a very different way.

Warren Gatland felt his Wales side created their own problems in the Six Nations defeat to England, while England's Steve Borthwick lauded his players' ...

"We drew a line in the sand on Wednesday and not having that as an excuse. There was a fair contingent there today, they were incredible," he said. And I'll keep backing the boys to do that. The energy and work-rate I can't question," he said. Whether it's nailing a lineout, or the ball going to ground off a pass. "We weren't making any excuses over what happened during the week.

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell was grateful his side could get the win against Italy in a “proper Test match” at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

The coach underlined how dangerous this [Italy](https://www.planetrugby.com/team/italy/) side is and is delighted to come away with a bonus point win. “Which Irish fan wouldn’t have been biting their nails when the cross-field kick (from Ignacio Brex at 27-20) went in and bounced very close. We just weren’t accurate enough in certain areas.” “We’re absolutely gutted about that result today. It was a proper Test match,” Farrell said It was a tough match.

Everything you need to know ahead of the Six Nations clash.

It will be shown live on ITV 1 and STV 1, with coverage starting from 2:15pm. Here’s everything you need to know. France win: 1/3 [Gregor Townsend](/topic/gregor-townsend)’s side have made a sensational start to their campaign with back-to-back wins over England and Wales. Blair Kinghorn, 23. Ali Price, 23.

England boss Steve Borthwick was pleased with his side's composure after going behind early in the second period to comeback and win 20-10 in Cardiff.

You saw the speed of ball improve and we scored a really well worked try,” Borthwick said. “Getting up for an England-Wales game is not difficult. “I liked that it was an incredible Test match. “The two halves were very different, but that tells me a lot about our players. But the players adapted really well to win that pressure battle. England maintained their composure and built themselves in the game again, with Kyle Sinckler crashing over four minutes later.

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Kicking was a hot topic in a negative-sounding way judging by how questions on it were formulated, but England were having none of the suggested criticism that they overdid that aspect of play. It would be a relief to be able to take pause.” “This is a solemn time for us in Welsh rugby which, I must confess, is putting it mildly. “It [kicking] is part of the contest. I was watching Crusaders versus the Chiefs and you see kicking being a big part of Super Rugby as well. “You can upset the rhythm of a team if you make too many changes, so that is why I held back,” he insisted. He arrived on the England scene just weeks ago convinced he could mould Smith and Farell into a compelling 10/12 partnership only to have Borthwick torch that blueprint and leave Evans’ Harlequins colleague stewing in his tracksuit on the sidelines. You imagine the first-choice Eddie Jones pick could put up readily enough with having lost his place in the starting lineup to Farrell as long as he was getting sufficient time to make a credible impact off the bench. “The players had been in Cardiff (before) and had not responded to setbacks that way. It shows how the team is growing with Owen’s leadership,” chirped the England boss. Could it be that he is finally over the hill as a master motivator? [Having ](https://www.rugbypass.com/news/england-player-ratings-vs-wales-2023-guinness-six-nations/) [Freddie Steward](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/freddie-steward/) repeatedly soar high was something to treasure.

France's dreams of a second consecutive Grand Slam were shattered when they came up short against Ireland in Dublin two weeks ago.The reigning champ.

The Clermont star is going to be one of France’s poster boys for the upcoming World Cup, and he will see Sunday’s game as a chance to impress in front of his home audience. Sunday’s encounter will be a tight affair, and while we fancy France to win, this handicap is a good punt. Galthié will want to keep his side focused, though, and while Scotland come into this game unbeaten, France are still favourites at 1/3 with You can bet on them winning at both half-time and full-time at 8/11 with Spreadex. While we don’t think this will happen, a Scotland +8.5 handicap is an attractive prospect at 5/6 with Spreadex. Of course, they will also need to make sure they win all of their own matches, with an in-form Scotland standing in their way this Sunday. Galthié’s men will want to stop any Scottish momentum early and will not want to make the same mistakes they made against Italy on the opening weekend. Fittingly, the French have gone unbeaten in Paris since then, winning their last nine home games and picking up memorable wins against the likes of South Africa, Ireland, and Australia. Scotland has picked up two dominant victories so far and will be hoping to make it three for three in the Stade de France. They started off with an impressive Calcutta Cup victory against England at Twickenham and built on that with a dominant win over Wales in Edinburgh. A win at the weekend would make their home tie with Ireland in two weeks essential viewing. Gregor Townsend’s men were put to the sword by France 17-36 in Edinburgh in last year’s Championship, but they will find confidence in the fact that they have beaten France in three of their last five matches, including a victory in Paris in 2021.

Having also been run uncomfortably close by Italy in Rome on opening day, there is a sense that Les Bleus need a commanding performance here to reassert their ...

Going into a game like this on the back of wins is a much better place to be than if you’re coming off the back of defeats. “I’m really comfortable playing with him on both sides of the ball. But they face a tough test against a Scotland side high on confidence after opening their campaign with successive victories for the first time since 1996. Follow France vs Scotland in the Six Nations live below! Two of the very best! Defending champions France are back on home soil for the first time in 2023 as they look to recover quickly from a titanic loss in Dublin a fortnight ago that saw their dreams of consecutive Grand Slams firmly dashed by rampant Ireland.

His radar has been a bit off lately, with Owen Farrell kicking for goal with limited success so far in the 2023 Six Nations, with a 47% success rate.

Will Farrell be at his sharpshooting best in Round Four, against France at Twickenham? Then in the match against Italy (remember there was a penalty try, meaning no kick is needed – a penalty try is automatically worth seven points as the referee runs under the posts) there were no penalties scored at all. He scored one penalty from his three attempts, and one conversion out of three.

Scotland travelled to the Stade de France hoping to keep alive their dreams of a Six Nations Grand Slam, but Les Bleus crushed their unbeaten run following ...

Les Bleus travel to Twickenham when the tournament resumes in a fortnight's time, while Scotland host leaders [Ireland](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/ireland-rugby-union-team) at Murrayfield. [Gregor Townsend](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/gregor-townsend)'s side targeting three straight wins in their opening three games of a Six Nations for the first time. Player of the Match Fickou forced his way over to apply the finishes touches with seconds left on the clock, breaking Scottish hearts and any chance of a losing bonus point. For all the chaos that comprised the first 20 minutes, a tense 'tete-a-tete' grew turgid as reality set in for both teams. But after Gilchrist's quickfire red threatened to ruin Sunday's contest between two of Europe's best teams, equilibrium was restored in unfortunate fashion as Haouas became the first player to be dismissed twice in the Six Nations. Fabien Galthie's titleholders came out on top despite being outscored in the second half, with Gael Fickou, Romain Ntamack, Ethan Dumortier and Thomas Ramos each scoring to seal the bonus-point victory.

France player ratings: Although France, last year's Grand Slam winners, suffered a setback in their previous match against Ireland, they...

[Huw Jones](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/huw-jones/) early in the second. [Francois Cros](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/francois-cros/) wasn’t quite at the races, while Matthieu Jailbert looked lively again. [Finn Russell](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/finn-russell/) pass. [Charles Ollivon](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/charles-ollivon/) – 7.5 He didn’t return. Was caught loafing covering back by [Stuart Hogg](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/stuart-hogg/), which gifted Scotland an attacking scrum on the 5-metre line. [Thibaud Flament](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/thibaud-flament/) – 7 [Antoine Dupont](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/antoine-dupont/) – 7.5 [Ethan Dumortier](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/ethan-dumortier/) – 7.5 Failed to get a pass away when France had a possible break in the offing in what was a breathless first half and was unable to stop Finn Russell on the angle. Was looking to make things happen even if none of them quite paid off. [Thomas Ramos](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/thomas-ramos/) – 7.5

Gregor Townsend's side were ripped apart early on as the hosts raced into a 19-0 lead.

Another Ramos penalty in the 56th minute edged France 11 points ahead, but the Scots remained in the ascendancy and they got themselves a third try in the 68th minute when Russell reached over after being played in by replacement Ali Price. Russell was again on the mark with the conversion. The conversion was successfully kicked by Russell.

France full-back Thomas Ramos scored 17 points to end Scotland's hopes of a Six Nations Grand Slam on Sunday afternoon.

Scotland's hopes of a comeback were ended with 20 seconds left as player of the match Gael Fickou claimed a bonus point for France and Ramos added the extras. The visitors hit back with 12 minutes to play as Russell attacked the France defence and found a gap to dive over and he succeeded with the conversion to make it a four-point game. Scotland failed to make the most of good territorial gains and trailed 19-0 as Ramos intercepted Finn Russell's pass to run in from 50m unopposed with just a quarter of the game gone.

Gael Fickou gave the defending champions a bonus point with a last-minute try to add to those of Romain Ntamack, Ethan Dumortier and Thomas Ramos, who kicked ...

We couldn’t get over the line in the last 10 minutes,” Scotland’s Jones lamented. After a really tough start, we got back into it, had ascendancy in the second half. Scotland reduced the arrears early on in the second half as Jones powered through for his second try as France’s strategy was to limit the damage.

Scotland player ratings: Scotland's hopes of a first Six Nations Grand Slam were brought to an end in Paris as France edged a...

On just before the hour. Managed the lineout well alongside his brother and added his weight to some powerful carries. Might have dummied to van der Merwe when the big wing was bundled into touch on 24 minutes. Back at the Stade de France since winning 2019 Top14 final with Toulouse for the first time. Maybe a bit guilty of leaving Scotland’s mauls early and will have been disappointed with a costly fumble in the first half as Scotland attacked the French line. [Ben White](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/ben-white/) – 7 At his best, he is sensational. Made an excellent defensive read as the hosts looked to break. [Sione Tuipulotu](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/sione-tuipulotu/) – 7 Found plenty of room in the outside channel and scored two superb tries. Denied a couple of attacking chances by dubious forward passes, but worked hard on and off the ball. [Stuart Hogg](https://www.rugbypass.com/players/stuart-hogg/) – 7

Check out our five takeaways from the Six Nations clash between France and Scotland that took place at the Stade de France on Sunday.

Their defence was stretched to breaking point but came through, their players returning from injury put in massive shifts and they seem to have found an outstanding back up to Uni Atonio at tighthead prop in the rather large shape of Sipili Falatea. In the second half, France allowed Scotland 12 throws for one reason or another, failing to control the one point of attack where the visitors held a clear advantage. It was defensive intellect of the highest order, exactly the quality that defines Fickou’s game, and his display was capped off with both a player of the match award and a late try. But to suggest it’s all Russell is to ignore the part Ben White is playing in releasing his fly-half. They had considerably the better of both possession (55%) and territory (64%) but never managed to quite get the breakdown momentum in later phases to challenge French width. France will be delighted in many aspects of this match. A man known for his workrate, he was absolutely everywhere, tidying mess, stopping momentum and in simple terms, making an absolute nuisance of himself. With Ollivon and Thibaud Flament also having big impacts in ‘D’, Shaun Edwards’ week of rollickings appears to have paid off. Scotland’s response to going three tries down in relatively quick succession was one built upon belief, passion and rather more pragmatically, a fantastic display of lineout and maul intellect, and growing scrum power as the match wore on. In short, two thirds of their starting back-row went before the first quarter had finished. Ethan Dumortier followed soon after, and in the 18th minute Finn Russell produced yet another try assist, but sadly for France, as Ramos sprinted 70 metres to dot down under the posts. Referee Nika Amashukeli, who had an absolutely outstanding Test match, dished out another red card on advice of his TMO and the game resumed as a 14-man-a-side contest.

Round 3 of the Guinness Six Nations provided thrills and excitement and three games that were decided in the final ten minutes.

Level with the Scots on points are England and France, who will meet at Twickenham, with winless pair Italy and Wales set to face off in Rome. In a contest where both sides played with 14 men for more than an hour, Gaël Fickou finally killed off Scottish comeback hopes as Les Bleus ran out 32-21 winners. We will tally up the votes to determine the Team of the Round for week one, while the player with the most votes overall will be crowned Player of the Round.

Prop was traumatised by England's 2019 Cardiff defeat but says Saturday's success was significant 'not only in my career but my life'

Today I leave with an open heart, a lot of gratitude, a lot of appreciation and a lot of love. I won’t lie to you and say when you look at those two teams you don’t have that fear. I entered the stadium with a lot of hate, a lot of anger and a big chip on my shoulder. Today was a big step for us as a group to show we have that fight inside us. When I got subbed off and was sitting on the bench I felt I’d let a lot of people down. “I know we played here in 2021 but that was during Covid …

Gael Fickou gave the defending champions a bonus point in Sunday's clash with a last-minute try to add to those of Romain Ntamack, Ethan Dumortier and Thomas ...

Some brilliant moves, however, brought Dumortier on the cusp of a fifth try for France, but the winger made a poor choice in front of the line. Scotland reduced the arrears early on in the second half as Jones powered through for his second try as France's strategy was to limit the damage. Russell was more inspired to put the visitors on the scoreboard with a superb pass for centre Jones who touched down between the posts.

CHRIS FOY: Something felt a bit different about the Cardiff atmosphere this time. It lacked some of the usual fervour when England visit.

It was inexcusable and his shock at the dismissal was laughable. France were physically dominated during the second half in Paris, which will encourage England. Perhaps there is a weary sense of dejection after such a worrying sequence of Welsh defeats in the last year. Italy have the best Six Nations anthem anyway, so they don’t have to undermine their rivals’ pre-match singing. One hostel was charging £190 for a bunk in a dormitory. One day, Kieran Crowley might just crack a smile in response to his team’s efforts.