6 Nations Round 4 Wrap up

The 6 Nations exploded into life this weekend, with some fantastic scores and tireless defense. Ireland’s grand slam dreams lie smashed and broken, while suddenly England, Wales or France could claim the title with an impressive win next weekend. The stage is now set for round 5, which will ensure that the tournament goes out with a bang.

Ireland vs Wales:

Wales have bounced back to put themselves back in contention for the title, and their win over Ireland has completed the turn-around. From the side that forgot that there are two halves in rugby, to the performance that we saw over the weekend, it really was like watching two different teams. Ireland also looked like a different team, but for all the wrong reasons. Now, with their Grand Slam dreams lying before them, they will need a massive turnaround against a dangerous Scotland team.

Everything Ireland haven’t done so far in this tournament, they did on Saturday. For starters, rather than jump out to an early lead, Ireland gave away points early. It wasn’t until they were down 9-0 that they seemed to awake from their slumber. There have been a lot of complaints about Wayne Barnes, but his early penalties against Ireland were more than justified. Paul O’Connell and Jack McGrath both lay down, on the wrong side of the ruck, and didn’t make much of an effort to get out of Rhys Webb’s way. That is an easy penalty 10 times out of 10.

Jonathan Sexton’s 50th cap was a nightmare. He overcooked kicks, and far from sending the physical message he sent a week ago, he was bullied by the big Welsh ball carriers. Two balls passed to him bounced off his chest (although he was looking the other way for one of them) and he looked a different player from the one that starred for Ireland all the way through 2014.   

The same can be said for Rory Best. Here at RBP we have always been fans of Best, but he looked very bad this week. He was constantly pushed around by the Welsh ball carriers, he struggled at lineout time, and he was simply not the disruptive presence at the breakdown that we have become used to.  

Wales, for their part, played a perfect game of “Warrenball”. Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies went forward every time they touched the ball, and the Welsh pack crossed the gainline time and time again. In defence, Wales had excellent line speed, which kept Ireland on the back foot for most of the match. Wales played incredibly well in defence, and Ireland simply couldn’t find any gaps when Wales were against the wall. Even when Ireland found gaps to break through the Welsh defence, Wales would scramble back, and always seemed to have more than enough defenders in place. Leigh Halfpenny punished Ireland without remorse, and before long, Ireland were chasing the game.  

Luke Charteris tortured Ireland’s lineout, completely overshadowing Devin Toner, not easily done considering that Toner is 6’10”. Charteris was everywhere, and I would’ve made him Man of the Match considering his 37 tackles and never ending work rate. Although, in fairness, he and Warburton look nearly identical in their scrum caps, and perhaps they were confused.

There are a few bright spots for Ireland: Jared Payne finally came to life in the 13 shirt, and Cian Healy looked excellent off the bench. Most importantly, Ireland still have every reason to believe that they can still win the tournament, and if they play well next week, with a bit of luck, they will. Paul O’Connell played really well, and its a pity that his 100th cap couldn’t have been a win. Ireland’s lineout maul, a non-factor for much of the tournament, burst through the Welsh for Irelands only try.

Wales will need to thrash Italy, if they don’t, then they can wave any chance at the title goodbye. Gatland is on to something really promising with this team, and if they continue to play like they have been, the sky really is the limit. Joe Schmidt has a lot to do, and considering Ireland’s inability to crack the Welsh defence, maybe he should consider giving an X-factor player, such as Keith Earls, Luke Fitzgerald, or Craig Gilroy a shot against Scotland, where Ireland need to accumulate points.

England vs Scotland:

The Calcutta Cup remains in English hands. Not that thats all that shocking, England are looking to win the title, while Scotland are scrambling to avoid a winless tournament. England’s solid win has seen them move to the top of the table, which means that if they can get even a decent win next week against France, they will secure the title, while Scotland will be looking to stop an Ireland team that will need to put points on the board.

Scotland’s defence, which has been one of the bright spots for them in this tournament was woeful. Jack Nowell, George Ford, and Luther Burrell went through them like a hot knife through butter. This can probably be attributed to the relatively unfamiliar lineup of Finn Russell, (who was in his first game in 2 weeks) Matt Scott, and Mark Bennett.  

Early in the match, Scotland gave England a reminder of what they are capable of when they get up to speed. Mark Bennett’s try was a work of magic, and then Scotland put England under heavy pressure, with quick breaks from Dougie Fife and Tommy Seymour. However, after the first 35 minutes, England put a stop to that, and dominated possession for much of the match.  

Its worth remembering as well, that the score could, and probably should, have been much higher for England. England left points on the board, and made errors, which they cannot afford next week against France. Tom Youngs let the front row union down with his horrific pass after an excellent break, and handling errors plagued the English attack.

Stuart Hogg was heroic, and should probably patent the try saving tackle, as he had to make a few, which did play a part in the fact that by the 60th minute, England had 10 linebreaks, and 2 tries to show for it, but it seemed that England stopped themselves more than anyone else.

George Ford bounced back really well, and he looked better than ever before. Ford made the right decisions, and put his players in space time and time again. Another youngster who stepped up big time was Jack Nowell. The Exeter man was everywhere, and has probably quieted the Jonny May argument for the time being. Nowell took his try extremely well, and finished the day with 16 carries for 185 meters. Thats nearly 100 more meters than anyone else in the English side, and more than double what any Scottish player amassed.  

For Scotland, Dave Denton had an impressive return, and he got Scotland a lot of hard yards. Jonny Gray continues to impress, and it was his carry that helped get Scotland going forward for Mark Bennett’s try. Blair Cowan put in an impressive 13 tackles, but Scotland simply did not do enough at the breakdown and in attack to get through the English defence.  

Scotland have it all to do next week. They will be against an angry Irish side, coming off a tough loss. Add to that Ireland’s need for points, and Scotland could be in for a very long day. England on the other hand will be looking to get their vengeance after last seasons encounter with the French. With the title on the line, there will be a lot of pressure on England’s young stars, and if they flinch, England could be stuck with a second place finish. Again.  

Italy vs France: 

Ew.

I mightn’t have my job much longer if that was all I wrote, but there isn’t much else to say. I cannot remember the last time I saw so many handling errors in a match, but at some points I was certain that I was watching basketball and the players were attempting to dribble on grass. In the midst of all these knock ons and dropped passes however, a game of rugby did break out, and it would be wrong of me to disregard that.  

One would have thought that Italy would have enjoyed winning and playing well last week, and maybe try to do the same again, but alas, no. The return of Tommy Allan did little to end Italy’s kicking woes, nor did the return of Luciano Orquera, as the two chances Italy had to get on the board, went untaken. Jacques Brunel probably would’ve wanted to have had Allan for a little longer, but Allan’s eagerly anticipated start in the 10 shirt lasted an unceremonious 14 minutes.

Not that France were all that much better. For whatever reason, Scott Spedding took the first kick for France, and he missed as well. So three kickable penalties, three different kickers, and three misses. Kinda sets the tone, now doesn’t it. In addition, Camille Lopez, France’s most consistent player, who has started every match in the tournament, didnt make it past half time.   

France will be glad, however, to have put two tries on the board. Scott Spedding played very well, and so did debutant Noa Nakaitaci (neither very French names…). Speddings try was the first bit of French play we have really seen from France, and my god was it a tough wait. Spedding will probably have secured his place over Brice Dulin, which is a shame considering the Dulin has played in the French shirt. 

The French pack has been solid for them for much of the tournament, and it was solid once again, beating the Azzurri whenever they pleased. Once this group grew into the match, it immediately became clear that Italy would be hard-pressed to get back into it.

Italy looked very poor, despite having quite a few quality players. Biagi, Furno, Minto, Vunisa, and Parisse are all very skilled and strong, but they alone cannot carry Italy to victory, especially against a side like France. Once a few of their talented backs, like Luca Morisi, and Tommy Allan were forced off, all realistic chances of them winning the match evaporated. Italy will need these stars back in action soon, as they will play a key role in this Italian side going forward. 

Irish fans are counting on France to deliver next weekend, and what would be more French than another late victory over England, possible with another magical try. Italy will be playing the same role against Wales, who will need to put up a lot of points. Based on the performance against Ireland, Wales are more than capable, and if you need some proof, look at what they did to Scotland in round 5 last season.

 

Team of The Week: 1. Joe Marler 2. Scott Baldwin 3. Nicolas Mas 4. Luke Charteris 5. Paul O’Connell 6. Dan Lydiate 7. Sam Warburton 8. Dave Denton 9. Rhys Webb 10. George Ford 11. Jack Nowell 12. Jamie Roberts 13. Mark Bennett 14. George North 15. Leigh Halfpenny