Six Nations

England versus Ireland is a fixture has encapsulated where each team was at in their levels of performance which for the past four years. In 2019, an Ireland ...

All in all, I’m sure that England versus Ireland will continue to set a marker for the development of each team, both of whom lie at different stages of a rebuilding cycle. England offer a mostly unchanged side from their fixture against Wales. Dombrandt has been relegated to the bench by Covid-19, but it’s hard to argue that Simmonds is much of a downgrade. With a loss to Scotland and a win against Wales which almost ran away from England, Eddie Jones and new captain Courtney Lawes are still searching for a dominant win this year to demonstrate that the autumn’s rebuild is yielding convincing successes. Suffice to say, Ireland have gradually grown to become contenders for this year’s Championship, and the World Cup in 2023. The following year, England, still maintaining the last of their 2019 form, physically bullied a rebuilding Ireland to a 18-7 victory. England versus Ireland is a fixture has encapsulated where each team was at in their levels of performance which for the past four years.

The fourth round of the 2022 Six Nations is here: get the kick-off times, fixture details and TV details for Italy v Scotland and England v Ireland after ...

The match is being shown live on ITV1, with coverage starting at 4.15pm, while fans can also live stream via the ITV Hub. Scotland will be without powerful wing Duhan van der Merwe, who will miss the remainder of the Six Nations through suspension after getting sent off for Worcester against London Irish. The match is being shown live on ITV1, with coverage starting at 1.30pm, while fans can also live stream via the ITV Hub. The penultimate round of the Six Nations is here, and the pressure is on for everyone to perform after France beat Wales on Friday evening.

After a disappointing start to their Six Nations campaign, England have engineered themselves into a position where the championship crown is still within ...

He knew that the narrative was turning against him and he knew what was at stake if England went to Paris next week on the back of a defeat. For the loser, their hopes of winning the Six Nations will be shattered. Those 11 games also included a victory over the All Blacks and an emphatic victory over England last March, which helped to persuade Jones that his team needed an overhaul. Jones was hired to win England the World Cup. He brought them close in Japan in 2019 but England have not made discernible progress since then. They fought desperately to reverse the effects of the red card but they fell short. For all his bluster and his animus, he knew that his position would be under pressure if England finished fifth in a field of six for the second year running. And if that happens, they will be also-rans in the Six Nations again. We wanted to bully them up front and for the vast majority of the game we did that.' The reality was a 32-15 defeat. They found it in Ewels' lack of discipline when he slammed into James Ryan with his head and left his opponent dazed on the floor. They lost lock Charlie Ewels after 82 seconds and yet still dominated the scrum so completely that, for large parts of the game, they reduced the Irish pack to a rabble. It was only in the last 10 minutes, when Ireland scored two tries in quick succession, that the dream fell away.

Italy 22-33 Scotland: Six Nations 2022 rugby updates Scotland notch bonus-point win in Rome despite valiant Italy display.

They were under the pump at scrum time, but Mathieu Raynal was content with a warning. It is an incredibly tough place to come, and when you come here, you have to play your best. We got four [six] scrum penalties and we didn’t get a yellow card. You are never going to come here and have an easy game. “We lost a few territory battles which hurt us a bit, and swung the momentum. We’d have snapped your hand off for five points before the game. We are disappointed we didn’t get more out of that.” We wanted to disrupt them and we did that. “I’m a bit disappointed the referee didn’t allow us to scrum fully. We can be proud of what we did.” There was about 15 to go, 15-all, we are controlling the game, and we just made a couple of mistakes that allowed them into the game. France top the standings on 18 points after winning their first four games.

Scotland bounced back from two recent Six Nations losses as they beat Italy 33-22 in a bonus-point success at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.

Russell again converted. Russell converted. Russell sent his conversion attempt just wide.

Chris Harris scored two tries as Scotland laboured to a 33-22 Six Nations win over Italy in Rome.

Price, the man of the match, took just enough time to weigh up his options after gathering possession in the backfield for a gap to open up which he happily darted through. It finally clicked for the visitors on 18 minutes when their captain, Stuart Hogg, countered from deep. There was little evidence here to suggest they can play at or near the intensity level that will be required if they are to topple Ireland.

Scotland face Italy in the Six Nations today hoping to get back to winning ways in round four after back-to-back losses.

Italy vs Scotland betting odds Italy vs Scotland prediction This will be the 34th meeting between these two nations. He’s earned his opportunity and his pace could be a real weapon for us going into the final quarter.” Italy vs Scotland lineups Italy vs Scotland team news

Six Nations 2022 live updates as England and Ireland battle to stay in the tournament title hunt at Twickenham.

They were under the pump at scrum time, but Mathieu Raynal was content with a warning. It is an incredibly tough place to come, and when you come here, you have to play your best. We got four [six] scrum penalties and we didn’t get a yellow card. You are never going to come here and have an easy game. “We lost a few territory battles which hurt us a bit, and swung the momentum. We’d have snapped your hand off for five points before the game. We are disappointed we didn’t get more out of that.” We wanted to disrupt them and we did that. “I’m a bit disappointed the referee didn’t allow us to scrum fully. We can be proud of what we did.” There was about 15 to go, 15-all, we are controlling the game, and we just made a couple of mistakes that allowed them into the game. France top the standings on 18 points after winning their first four games.

Eddie Jones realises it is likely win or bust for England's Six Nations hopes as they face Ireland to Twickenham.

A year ago, in Dublin, neither Slade nor Tuilagi was available, and Jones reacted with fury to England’s 32-18 defeat. “We have [still] got a lot of strengths in that area… In Slade’s first Six Nations start – away to Ireland in 2019 – he had Farrell and Tuilagi alongside, and England won a memorable victory. The Sale Sharks centre offers a twin threat of contact and evasion. “I share the same mindset as Marcus [Smith], how he likes to attack a game,” Slade said. The visitors for their part bring a highly experienced combo of Johnny Sexton, Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose, with Robbie Henshaw, the mighty British & Irish Lions centre, on the bench.

France will hope to beat Wales in the Six Nations tonight and move one step closer to a coveted Grand Slam.

"I'm so proud of the way the lads stuck to it against probably the form team in world rugby at the minute. 71 mins: France are offside from a kick and Wales attack, with Rees-Zammit eventually kicking straight out down the left wing. 73 mins: Wales go left and try to thunder through off the back of the scrum! 81 mins: Another French turnover and they quickly boot the ball into touch with the clock in the red! That's a bit more like us in the terms of attitude, we didn't show that in the first half against England and Ireland, but ultimately we didn't come on the right side of it." The Six Nations round four action concludes on Saturday, with Scotland taking on Italy in Rome and England hosting Ireland at Twickenham in a game between two teams hoping to keep the pressure on France before the final weekend.

Wayne Pivac's Wales side fell to Grand Slam-chasing Les Bleus at the Principality Stadium in a controversial Friday night fixture.

We pushed the best team in the world to the edge and should have won." "We worked hard and it wasn’t down to lack of effort. We are really, really preased with the effort. "It’s so important we come back in next week and we don’t use the week as a cruise week. We had some positive play against the form team in the world. Massive step in right direction." It’s been a big seven weeks." They had one chance and took it. Across the board, we put them under pressure. Their best chance came just past the hour mark when a pinpoint Biggar cross kick found Faletau out on the left wing. We need to develop our finishing a bit. "We’re not particularly bothered with what other people say.

Wales vs France kicks off at 8.00pm on Friday 11 March, with the Six Nations fixture broadcast live on BBC One.

As a result, we have gone the extra mile in terms of Tomas Francis and got an independent concussion specialist involved.” “I was watching the match live, at home on TV, and I noticed Tom fall out of the contact area and go to the floor. “Then, on replays, you see him go to his knees and stumble and use the posts to stand up for a few seconds. The Wales head coach said: “Both sides want to play an entertaining brand of rugby and I think you have got the side at the moment who are probably the in-form team in the world in France. Brain injury campaigner and former Wales flanker Alix Popham told i that it was “shocking” that the prop could take part in the fixture. Wales will face “the in-form team in the world” when they meet France in the Six Nations on Friday night, their coach has said.

The Grand Slam awaits France thanks to a Shaun Edwards defensive masterclass that might just be the finest in his long resume at the Principality Stadium.

France are synonymous with flowing support play and the current crop has stayed true to that identity. Seb [Davies] is a big, young guy who has come off the bench and played at 6 in most of the matches. Wales don't roll away at the ruck and Jaminet points to the posts. Free-kick to France as Williams doesn't put the ball in. Wales will put into the scrum. France win a free-kick at the line-out and kick downfield. Free-kick to Wales and Biggar goes for the spiral bomb... Biggar points to the sticks. Navidi carries and Wales get within 10 metres. Rowlands sets off into space, up to halfway, but he gets a bit isolated and Danty gets over the ball magnificently. That's a bit more like us in terms of attitude, something we didn't show against England and Ireland in the first-halves. France have shown us they are a special team but here they demonstrated the steel of champions in keeping Wales scoreless in a second half they dominated with 67 per cent territory.

Wales 9-13 France: Victory over England in Paris next week will see Les Blues crowned kings of Europe for the first time since 2010.

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. France were unquestionably flustered, and Wales continued to hassle them, moving into the final quarter on top in terms of territory. Wales will close their Six Nations campaign at home to Italy next weekend, while France go for Grand Slam glory, and the home side, especially, can take a huge amount from a display crammed with character and desire. France moved to within sight of a first Six Nations title and Grand Slam since 2010 after beating Wales 13-9 at the Principality Stadium. Thomas rejoined the action and Wales continued pressing, being handed a strong attacking platform after Biggar launched a 60-metre touchfinder. France close in on Six Nations Grand Slam after battling to victory over Wales in Cardiff

Following a 13-9 victory for France over Wales in their Six Nations fixture, here's our five takeaways from the match at the Principality Stadium on Friday.

Danty is a work in progress, but his compass points north to south and France may just want to look for a player with more stepping ability to create metres in traffic. It was only when the outstanding Cros took things into his own hands in the last quarter and stopped the rot with three crucial wins that that part of Les Bleus’ set-piece started to look serviceable. Biggar expressed deep frustration at the inability of his backline to break France down in a 30 minute period of total second-half dominance. In short, it was a display of the artisan over the artist and that in itself just shows how much this side has progressed. However, a brilliantly engineered plan from the Welsh lineout saw both flankers double teaming on the lift with Will Rowlands to absolutely clean out the spring heeled Cameron Woki, a player who France launch their wave of attack off as an absolute given, a tactic that absolutely cut the French attacking ambition off at source. In short, Wales simply didn’t have the firepower to break the French line.

Everything you need to know ahead of the Six Nations round four clash in Rome.

It is an incredibly tough place to come, and when you come here, you have to play your best. They were under the pump at scrum time, but Mathieu Raynal was content with a warning. We got four [six] scrum penalties and we didn’t get a yellow card. You are never going to come here and have an easy game. “We lost a few territory battles which hurt us a bit, and swung the momentum. We’d have snapped your hand off for five points before the game. We are disappointed we didn’t get more out of that.” We wanted to disrupt them and we did that. “I’m a bit disappointed the referee didn’t allow us to scrum fully. We can be proud of what we did.” There was about 15 to go, 15-all, we are controlling the game, and we just made a couple of mistakes that allowed them into the game. France top the standings on 18 points after winning their first four games.

Wales captain Dan Biggar said he was "frustrated, annoyed and disappointed" after his team suffered a narrow loss to France in Paris on Friday.

Registering is free, faster than Jonny May, and also gets you access to commenting, personalisation, and competitions. We knew it would be difficult because they have won the competition several times, and it’s not by chance. “We had a team that was ill, half of them with flu and half of them with Covid. He’ll be available for selection.” “He’s worked very, very hard as Alun Wyn does. “I thought tonight we were the better team against the best team in the world at the moment.

The 2022 Guinness Six Nations returns for Round 4 this weekend and, as the competition enters its penultimate block of fixtures, let us take a look at the.

Still, the quality of their opposition this weekend could have also played a role in the number of Ireland players included in the list. He scored his first try of the Championship against England and looks set to be a key player for Wales against France. He has scored 48 points in three matches, the highest of any player in this year’s Championship. Marcus Smith cemented his place as one of the standout players of the 2022 Guinness Six Nations with another outstanding performance in Round 3. We are here to help you make those critical Fantasy Rugby decisions, and with everything left to play for in Rugby’s Greatest Championship, what better time to look at who is at the top of their game ahead of the final two rounds. The 2022 Guinness Six Nations returns for Round 4 this weekend and, as the competition enters its penultimate block of fixtures, let us take a look at the players you need to have in your Fantasy Rugby squad.

The Six Nations is reaching an exciting conclusion as dominant France look to keep their Grand Slam hopes alive against Wales tonight.

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Never shy of stirring things up, England coach Eddie Jones has been rattling through his repertoire of pre-match mind games. The charismatic Australian has ...

Seldom do visiting teams triumph at Twickenham and the Englishman – who has lost five of seven Tests away from the Aviva Stadium, with victories in Italy and Scotland the exceptions – has urged his players to scale new heights in London. Matches on the road have proved to be a far trickier proposition and the Irish are still awaiting their first major away scalp of the Farrell era. Since losing their opening two matches of the 2021 Six Nations, in-form Ireland have won 10 of 11 matches, with a narrow round-two defeat in France the only blot on that record. The 2018 world player of the year – who has won only twice from seven visits to the home of English rugby – is a big fan of 23-year-old Smith, believing his weekend opponent to have “the world at his feet”. Towering second-row Itoje, who became unwell overnight, is key to that and the hosts know they cannot afford to lose a player of his calibre if they are to be victorious. The rivals have so far registered two wins and a defeat apiece and will run out in front of around 82,000 fans knowing that the losing side will be eliminated from title contention.

Itoje will miss Friday's captain's run but England are “cautiously optimistic” that he will be available.

Maro Itoje is a doubt for England’s crunch Guinness Six Nations clash with Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday after becoming unwell overnight. Unwell Maro Itoje a doubt for England’s crunch Six Nations clash with Ireland

With just one win in eight at Twickenham, how can Ireland handle the pressure that comes with the favourites tag to beat England on Saturday?

England take on Ireland on Saturday in a must-win match yet the head coach may still have one eye on next year's World Cup in France.

But it was telling this week to hear Jones say the difference for England is that they are not immune from criticism even when they win; you almost wonder if that has encouraged his World Cup preoccupation. They do not want to hear that the current side is a work in progress, that they are on a journey towards France 2023 and that they are heading in the right direction. They do not want to hear that their side are not favourites or that progress is not always linear, and they cannot countenance England being out of the Six Nations title race before the final weekend again. The rub, however, is that Jones has already proven to his employers what he is capable of when allowed to spend time knocking his players into shape. Above all else, with uninterrupted access to his players, Jones was able to get Manu Tuilagi in peak shape for the rigours of an arduous campaign. But perhaps his comment that the playing field is levelled at the World Cup is more instructive.

England and Ireland go head-to-head in the Six Nations at Twickenham on Saturday with the winner maintaining their hopes of lifting the title.

The Irish may have struggled at Twickenham over the past decade – 2018 the exception – but they have momentum, form and confidence heading to London. England are still a work in progress, while Farrell’s men are further down the line in terms of their development. That will come with time on the field and this is another opportunity to shore up those skills, but he will be targeted both with and without the ball. Meanwhile, Andrew Conway returns after missing the Italy clash and is in fine form, scoring his 14th and 15th Test tries against Wales, and is one of the sharpest finishers in Europe. Out go two Leinster front-rowers and in come another two, with Cian Healy and Dan Sheehan being named in the XV. As an inexperienced player, concerns will undoubtedly be raised about Sheehan’s throwing, but he has plenty of jumping options at his disposal with another – Iain Henderson – on the bench to help should it go awry. Rhythm and form are huge in the Six Nations and that’s where Ireland have a significant advantage. “They are literally, and I say this without any hesitation, the most cohesive side in the world. And despite his technical skills, the lineout has never gone better when he’s been in the XV, so Ewels’ place in the team must surely be questioned. It must be said that Smith and playmaking cohort Henry Slade have not been helped by a lack of spark in the wider channels, with Jones opting for solidity and rugby smarts over raw pace and running talent. The Irish were utterly brilliant from start to finish and dismantled a disappointing Red Rose outfit 32-18 thanks to tries from Keith Earls and Jack Conan, and the accurate kicking of Johnny Sexton, who scored 22 points. They are certainly ahead of England in that regard, who have struggled to get their rhythm in attack. There is also more dexterity and sleight of hand than they had under Joe Schmidt, with the two Tadhgs, Furlong and Beirne, performing this role superbly, leaving them in a strong position 18 months out from the World Cup. Andy Farrell’s men quite clearly go into the clash as the team in form, despite the records of both sides reading the same.

Red-hot France face Wales on Friday in Cardiff as they continue their bid for their first Six Nations title and Grand Slam in 12 years.

There will be plenty of headline acts performing on the Principality Stadium pitch, but no-one arguably more watchable than France captain and current world player of the year Dupont. The gifted scrum-half drives his team through a dazzling array of skills and tactical appreciation, and Friday night under the lights in Cardiff is exactly the type of stage he will relish. Pivac said: “He is a young player who has played a lot of big games in a row. He left to join the France set-up more than two years ago, and he has transformed Les Bleus’ defensive structure and attitude. Wales field 11 of the match-day 23 on Friday that were involved in an agonising Grand Slam-ending loss to Les Bleus last season, providing added motivation. France’s 12-year wait for Six Nations silverware will end if they beat Wales and then topple England in Paris next week. Wales’ hopes of a successful Six Nations title defence were effectively ended by a 23-19 defeat against England at Twickenham last time out.

Maro Itoje is unwell throwing his participation in Saturday's match into doubt but Kyle Sinckler has been given the all-clear to play.

This is probably going to be the most intense game we’ve played since the Springboks.” “For us it’s a great opportunity to go after them. “Maro’s a world class player and his X-factor is the amount of pressure he can apply.

Itoje was forced to miss England's captain run training session at Twickenham this morning as a result of the illness and he will be assessed today.

The result was later confirmed by a PCR result. Forwards coach Richard Cockerill has tested positive for Covid-19 and he will now not be at Twickenham tomorrow.Cockerill tested positive for Covid-19 this morning after undertaking a lateral flow test. Itoje was forced to miss England’s captain run training session at Twickenham this morning as a result of the illness and he will be assessed today.

Wales 9-13 France: Follow for live updates as Les Blues survived a Cardiff onslaught under the Friday night lights to keep their Grand Slam hopes alive.

They were under the pump at scrum time, but Mathieu Raynal was content with a warning. It is an incredibly tough place to come, and when you come here, you have to play your best. We got four [six] scrum penalties and we didn’t get a yellow card. You are never going to come here and have an easy game. “We lost a few territory battles which hurt us a bit, and swung the momentum. We’d have snapped your hand off for five points before the game. We are disappointed we didn’t get more out of that.” We wanted to disrupt them and we did that. “I’m a bit disappointed the referee didn’t allow us to scrum fully. We can be proud of what we did.” There was about 15 to go, 15-all, we are controlling the game, and we just made a couple of mistakes that allowed them into the game. France top the standings on 18 points after winning their first four games.

Gabby Logan is one of the most recognisable faces on TV, but the death of her brother changed her family's lives forever.

I was trying to see it as a treatment almost.” "When my brother died, I definitely had a sense that I had to have a purpose. The picture I have in my mind of Daniel falling torments me, but just before he fell was the last time I saw him alive." Gabby said: “He went for a full medical about his sperm. And I think I don't really want to leave my grief behind, even though it doesn't do my life any good. My brother dying, at a very young age, you know I was 19 he was 15. You just want to close your eyes and your ears and follow your nose. That was a moment where, you know, I saw how powerful that can be and how my parents both reacted very differently. "He was never breathless. He was in the top 0.00 per cent. "It was absolutely cataclysmic. She was also the lead anchor for the BBC's athletics coverage.

Eddie Jones can call on skilful players such as Henry Slade and Marcus Smith – unleashing their full potential will bring rewards.

I hope to see them play with no fear, play on instinct and play what is in front of them rather than in patterns, or holding on to the ball for the sake of it. It is never easy when you lose your first match of the tournament but that’s the mindset they have to have, to just get through this week and while they want to be single-minded about a game at a time, they should approach it just as they did at the 2019 World Cup when they beat New Zealand to have a shot at the final. Of course their focus has to be entirely on Ireland but they must also realise that they just need to stay in the hunt and make sure that they go to Paris with something tangible to play for. I hope that behind the scenes his messaging to his players is different because I see a side operating in attack at no more than 60-70% of their potential. Having said that, it is important to remember that the way we measure attack needs to be more than just tries. All too often we saw boot being put to ball when there was an overlap, it was prescriptive and if it was on the whole effective it caused little in the way of excitement.

Minute-by-minute report: Can Wales thwart France's grand slam charge in Cardiff? Find out with Niall McVeigh.

Wales player ratings: After finishing strongly in Twickenham, Wales came home to Cardiff with the smallest of targets on their back.

Davies’ selection at blindside raised a few eyebrows, but playing three locks is a powerful trend at the moment. Sadly got moved into the centre at a vital moment in the game. Was dealt poor passes, difficult kicks and unlikely tackling positions, but always came out on top. Dropped the ball in a try-scoring opportunity, which dampens his impact. Beard’s standards at international level are sky-high, but he had an okay outing today. Helped steer Wales into the right areas throughout the first half. Was introduced early due to an injury to Tomos Williams. Took Melvyn Jaminet’s Eiffel Tower-sized bomb brilliantly, and kicked well himself. A good shift by the Osprey. A reliable presence in the Welsh midfield. Picked up from his Twickenham form with a fantastic early chip and chase. Will take plenty of flak for the Jelonch try, but could do very little when his inside men weren’t drifting. The trend is not to doubt Wales’ ability, but rather their capability of felling Fabien Galthié’s unbeaten France side.

France were not at their flamboyant best but a try from flanker Anthony Jelonch helped the Six Nations leaders to a 13-9 victory over a Wales side full of ...

"We were the better team for large periods of the game. We didn't quite nail them and we paid the price. Their other points were from the boot of fullback Melvyn Jaminet, who kicked a conversion and two penalties.

Eddie Jones' side need victory at Twickenham in order to keep their title hopes alive.

He is a brilliant operator. Hopefully it all goes out there in terms of 80 minutes on Saturday.” If we don’t get this game right, nothing else falls into place.

Following a 13-9 victory for France over Wales in their Six Nations fixture, here's our five takeaways from the match at the Principality Stadium on Friday.

Danty is a work in progress, but his compass points north to south and France may just want to look for a player with more stepping ability to create metres in traffic. It was only when the outstanding Cros took things into his own hands in the last quarter and stopped the rot with three crucial wins that that part of Les Bleus’ set-piece started to look serviceable. Biggar expressed deep frustration at the inability of his backline to break France down in a 30 minute period of total second-half dominance. In short, it was a display of the artisan over the artist and that in itself just shows how much this side has progressed. However, a brilliantly engineered plan from the Welsh lineout saw both flankers double teaming on the lift with Will Rowlands to absolutely clean out the spring heeled Cameron Woki, a player who France launch their wave of attack off as an absolute given, a tactic that absolutely cut the French attacking ambition off at source. In short, Wales simply didn’t have the firepower to break the French line.

Only England now stand between France and a first Six Nations Grand Slam since 2010 after below-par Les Bleus withstood heavy pressure to earn a hard-fought ...

Reigning World Player of the Year Antoine Dupont was passed fit after an arm issue suffered in training, meanwhile. They only trailed 10-9 at the break after Biggar punished another French infringement inside their own 22, with Jaminet falling well short with a drop goal attempt on the stroke of half-time. However, the eight points from the boot of Melvyn Jaminet eventually proved crucial, with France’s full-back registering the only score of a tense second half from the tee.

France moved within 80 minutes of their first Grand Slam since 2010 thanks to a hard-fought 9-13 win over Wales at the Principality Stadium.

Served an early reminder of his class when he burst through a gap and offloaded in the tackle in the opening seconds. Finished conclusively second in his personal heavyweight clash with the outstanding Taulupe Faletau. Villiere’s phenomenal work-rate also caught the eye with the jackal penalty he won soon after the restart being a case in point. Played an important role in his team’s tactical kicking strategy despite firing one beyond the dead-ball line from his own ten-metre line and missing a long-range drop goal. Made an uncharacteristic handling error in the early stages and also failed to claim a Dan Biggar bomb. REPLACEMENTS – 17. Jean-Baptiste Gros – 6 Generally well marshalled by a home defence that denied him attacking space. 7. Anthony Jelonch – 6 Dan Biggar kicked three penalties for the hosts who dominated the second half but only created one good scoring chance which ended with Jonathan Davies’ knock-on. Veteran British Lions centre Davies replaced concussion victim Nick Tompkins for Wales who also made three changes to their pack. Set a thrilling French counter-attack in motion which ended six phases later with him putting Jelonch in the corner.

Maybe they are, but this French team were seriously rattled at times by a Welsh outfit who had patently worked hard on a game-plan to counteract their opponents ...

Wales had the lion’s share of territory and pressure, but it was the French who, in that period, managed to work the scoreboard with three more points from Jaminet. It was innovation at the very least – and we’ve seen precious little of that from Wales in the last year. Wales conceded free-kicks at a 22nd minute close range scrum, and moments after a Cuthbert break five minutes later, Hardy knocked on at the base of a counter-attacking ruck on the half-hour, lock Adam Beard was turned over by arch-stealer Julien Marchand moments later and Cuthbert was isolated and penalised while being robbed of the ball in an attack early in the second half. In the 22nd minute a move off the training ground saw scrum-half Kieran Hardy, on for the concussed Tomas Williams, sent a looping up and under towards the Cardiff sky from a sumptuous attacking position right in front of the French posts. This was most notable four minutes from the interval when, from another Biggar beauty, Wales attacked from a close range lineout and won the penalty that reduced the deficit to 10-9 going in at half-time. They came to Cardiff with the tag of ‘best team in the world’ bestowed on them by more than a few respected critics.

England tackle Ireland in the Six Nations at Twickenham this afternoon hoping to keep the pressure on France heading to Paris on Super Saturday.

The Saracens lock was everywhere. MARO ITOJE: Led English resistance on both sides of the ball. CAELAN DORIS: A class act and a fine sight when in full flow. Soaked in his surroundings as he exited Twickenham for probably the last time. JOHNNY SEXTON: Not his finest game in the green jersey. GARRY RINGROSE: Made a couple of sharp breaks and put in his share of tackles. We want an old-fashioned pack and be new fashioned in the way we attack. “I see that as a foundation game for us where we set out our campaign for the World Cup in 2023,” Jones said. “Charlie is disappointed but no-one apportions blame on him. We are disappointed we didn’t get more out of that.” We got four scrum penalties and there was no sign of a yellow card. "We talked during the week about finding a way to get our supporters singing towards the end and we did that.

Everything you need to know ahead of the Six Nations round four clash at Twickenham.

They were under the pump at scrum time, but Mathieu Raynal was content with a warning. It is an incredibly tough place to come, and when you come here, you have to play your best. We got four [six] scrum penalties and we didn’t get a yellow card. You are never going to come here and have an easy game. “We lost a few territory battles which hurt us a bit, and swung the momentum. We’d have snapped your hand off for five points before the game. We are disappointed we didn’t get more out of that.” We wanted to disrupt them and we did that. “I’m a bit disappointed the referee didn’t allow us to scrum fully. We can be proud of what we did.” There was about 15 to go, 15-all, we are controlling the game, and we just made a couple of mistakes that allowed them into the game. France top the standings on 18 points after winning their first four games.

Andy Farrell's side travel to Twickenham in what could be a crucial game in the Six Nations: here's the start time, how to watch the match, team line-ups ...

Again, I think the balance is right for this week." "When you're playing against a team that has to basically jump out of the barrier and win, then you've got to make sure your horse is ready to go. On his selection calls, he added: “We just think the balance is right for this game. "I went to the coffee shop on Wednesday and the girl says 'that Irish team must be good, all their ex-players think they're going to win the game and all the ex-England players think they're going to win the game. But we certainly respect the challenge ahead of us this weekend going to Twickenham. One of the two teams progresses to the final, which is the last game. “Leadership is a big part of every team performance. It's a massive challenge for us this weekend and something we're looking forward to." But if you read the papers, there is only one team that has a chance of winning it. Sam Simmonds starts at number eight for England in one of two changes made by Eddie Jones to the side which beat Wales a fortnight ago. Everywhere they go, we're going to be in their faces and we're going to take time and space away from them. We played against South Africa last year and did well in those physical stakes, so we intend to really take it to them.

Follow live text and listen to BBC radio commentary as Scotland travel to Italy in the Six Nations.

Italy with a line-out in scoring range. It puts a real dampener on this game for Scotland. I worry for next week with the ease that Italy have scored their three tries. Another chance slips away for Italy. It puts a real dampener on this game for Scotland. I worry for next week with the ease that Italy have scored their three tries. That's worrying - it's not the Scotland of the last two seasons. That's worrying - it's not the Scotland of the last two seasons. Scotland did lots of good things today, but still only won the game by 11 points. If they're conceding this number of points here, then lord knows how many Ireland, possibly going for the championship, will get in Dublin If they're conceding this number of points here, then lord knows how many Ireland, possibly going for the championship, will get in Dublin "It's been a tough venue for Scotland over the years. We'll take confidence from the win into next week, which will be an even bigger challenge." "We played well until the 50 minute mark and after that we weren't as good.

It is the third and final match of the penultimate round of this year's Six Nations, taking place after Wales' hosting of France on Friday night and Italy ...

England move the ball from side to side on the edge of the Irish 22. England are going to the corner! Ireland keep the ball, and play off the top. Smith hangs the ball to the left, and Nowell takes it, leaping into the air. England have space to the left but Malins butchers it, the ball falling to ground and then into Irish hands. England kick to touch and win their line-out, driving the maul on. Ireland try to form a maul at the line-out but the lifters get penalised for blocking. Smith sends it high, Keenan takes it well but England win the penalty at the breakdown. Murray is on for Ireland to close out the game. The scrum is completed and Murray hoofs it off the pitch. But England kept their heads and started to dominate up front as the Irish ghosts of 2012 started swirling around Twickenham. A pair of Smith penalties brought England to within two points. Yet even with a numerical disadvantage for 78 minutes, England took the fight to Ireland in a manner that turned Twickenham into a bearpit.

The Inside Track brings you the best in betting tips with tipster Tom Phillips looking ahead of the Six Nations clash between Wales and France at the ...

Wales may have let the Six Nations slip away largely due to injuries from key players but they do have the perfect chance for revenge against a France side looking more and more likely to achieve a grand slam. For the hosts, this match will be about pride and revenge as they look to get one over France after denying them the chance to win a Grand Slam last year despite already winning competition beforehand. Wales will be preparing to face a France looking to secure their first Grand Slam in the Six Nations since 2010 when the sides meet at the Principality Stadium on Friday.

On paper, Friday's clash at Principality Stadium looks a one-sided contest. Fabien Galthie's France are two games away from a first Grand Slam and ...

What better challenge than a team like France who have so many threats across the park?' Yet despite a narrow, last-minute 32-30 defeat, that performance was one of the best of Pivac's 25 Tests in charge as his team mixed impressive physicality and contact-area work with some neat back-line play. World Rugby have Les Bleus third in their rankings, but it is difficult to deny they are playing the best rugby on the planet right now. We are hoping to go quietly under the radar.' 'It's a very different team we are playing now to years gone past. Later that year, when the two teams met in a World Cup quarter-final, Vahaamahina inexplicably elbowed Aaron Wainwright and was sent off.

'Who were the best and worst players to referee?' Nigel Owens gave this one some thought before he dived on in.

“But I have to say I’ve been impressed with him as Wales skipper.” “I certainly found him difficult on the pitch at times, particularly if things were not going his way in big matches like the Ospreys v Scarlets Boxing Day derby, which was always a tough gig to referee at the best times. Owens said: “My guess is that earlier in Biggar’s career some referees would have found him a challenge to referee.

An appeal by Duhan van der Merwe to overturn the three-week ban that ruled him out of the remaining two Scotland games has failed.

He explained he had intended to execute a lawful hand-off and at the time had thought that he had connected with his hand. “The disciplinary panel found that the player had sufficient time and opportunity to execute a lawful hand-off but failed to do so. The panel comprised James Dingemans (chair), Charles Cuthbert and Martyn Wood.