And just like that, it was over. The Six Nations came to a stunning crescendo this weekend. Shock, elation and despair were just three of the overriding emotions seen on this concluding weekend of rugby’s greatest tournament. With three sides in disappointing transitional stages, two riding the crest of a wave and one now facing the unknown quantity of a victory, this tournament has left Northern Hemisphere rugby finely poised with arguably more questions than answers. For the final time, welcome to Talking Points. This edition of Talking Points will cover this match week, but I will be doing a full Six Nations summary soon.
Chaos in Cardiff
For Wales, this was surely their worst loss since 2007’s defeat to Fiji in the World Cup. I will dive into Italy a little further down, but for Wales, this was nothing short of a calamitous embarrassment. That is not to take anything away from Italy, but Wales should not have lost this game – especially at home. This should have been a day of celebration for Wales, with Dan Biggar gaining his 100th cap and Alun Wyn Jones his world record 150th. What occurred was the complete opposite, with a disjointed Wales losing in the final minutes of the game. For me, this loss was not so much defined by Wales’ lack of preparation or poor performance on the pitch, but their obvious underestimation of Italy. You could not besmirch the five dominant nations for underestimating Italy, or predicting a win over them. However, it was obvious that Wales saw this game as a dead certainty of a big win and one in which they could celebrate Jones and Biggar’s achievements, without worrying about the opposition. Jones was coming off the back of another lengthy injury layoff and was shoehorned into a starting berth despite this. The build up to this game was dominated by Jones achieving his milestone, but not just from the usual corners of the media. Wayne Pivac said of Biggar and Jones in the week, “I think it’s fitting for those two to share the day”. This is not why you pick a Six Nations matchday squad. You pick the squad to win the fixture. Throwing Jones into the starting XV for his 150th undermines the spirit of this competition and the selection process for Wales. The build-up and ensuing Welsh performance showed they were not up for the contest and underestimated their opposition. They were made to pay for this in devastating fashion.
Dan Biggar said post-match that could be the last time some players play for Wales. I would not be surprised if this were the case. This was a historic loss, the repercussions of which cannot be underestimated. Welsh rugby is in a bad place currently outside of the national team and this has now put an even bigger, unwanted spotlight on the issues. Wales’ mentality has often been the catalyst to get the side through tough times but at the weekend, they came up against a side who wanted it more. This has to be the most worrying thing for Wales. A full reset is required and, with a tour to South Africa on the horizon this summer, it will need to come quickly.
Forza Italia
The scenes post-match were wonderful. Italian players in tears, the bench a wild mass of flying limbs and the sobering sight of Welsh fans streaming for the exit. I have been quite complimentary of Italy this tournament and they seemed to be improving, but I do not think anyone foresaw this victory. It was richly deserved, with the side putting in a vintage performance which will live long in the memory. The final gallop towards the try line by young Ange Capuozzo and his selfless pass were the ultimate nail in Wales’ coffin, but Italy were always in the game. They were tenacious and unrelenting in their pursuit of this famous upset.
Paolo Garbisi put in a brilliant performance, slotting over the winning kick before falling to the ground in tears. Him being paraded around the pitch at the Principality like the king he is was wonderful scenes, after a wonderful moment for a wonderful player. We cannot imagine the years of heartbreak Italy have been through, but to see it come to an end in such an explosion of emotion was brilliant. Monty Ioane was the real point of difference, making three clean breaks and beating seven defenders on his many charges at the Welsh defence. There is a true gem in Ioane and if Italy can build their attack around him, they will not be waiting another 36 games for a victory.
Ireland continue to dominate in Dublin
Death, taxes and Ireland beating Scotland in Dublin. Ireland were Ireland in this match. Physical and patient, but with licks of quality throughout. Ireland brought their classic bite, with Bundee Aki getting to know some Scotland players very well early on. There was an inevitably about this win and Ireland truly delivered. It may be a hypothetical, but one cannot help but wonder what would have happened if Ireland had faced France in Dublin oppose to Paris. It could have been Ireland taking home a Grand Slam Six Nations title, oppose to a collection of runners up medals.
The new Ireland was in full flow in this fixture. Dan Sheehan underlined this side’s development, with the young hooker crashing over for a good score. Hugo Keenan was assured at fullback and has made the shirt his this year. Offloads rained throughout and players picked great lines in attack, no more so than Josh van der Flier when he charged over. Ireland did everything right, but it was simply not enough to win the tournament after their loss to France.
Scotland flat after a difficult week
The biggest news from the Scotland camp in the build up to this was not about their clash with Ireland, but instead the disciplinary action taken against six players who had breached team protocol by going to the pub upon their return to Edinburgh. Amongst the six were captain Stuart Hogg, scrum half Ali Price and the evermore confusing Finn Russell. These three are probably the three players Gregor Townsend would have most hoped would not have rushed out and embarrassed the side, particularly Hogg. Such an unnecessary distraction cannot have helped Scotland in their hunt for a first win in Dublin for 12 years and you could see how flat they were from minute one. Hogg’s butchering of a golden opportunity summed up their afternoon as they slumped to another loss. Scotland’s poor discipline has been a theme this tournament, and they continued their penalty conceding streak, giving away 15 penalties.
While I understand Townsend dropping Russell for his poor form and discipline (on and off the field), going to the Aviva with no recognised goal kicker in the starting XV was a baffling decision. Blair Kinghorn is a solid player, but international, goal kicking fly half he is not. If you were going to drop Finn Russell, then Adam Hastings seems like the next logical step. Or bring back Duncan Weir just for the memes.
Identity crisis England continue to struggle
The game was not without positives. Ellis Genge was a monster, beating four defenders whilst making 10 marauding carries. Will Stuart certainly had his best game in an England shirt at scrum time and in the loose. Sam Underhill was back tackling like a missile, completing a team-high 17 tackles. Sam Simmonds continued to show his defensive contributions, making 12 tackles, showing he is more than just a try scorer. Joe Marchant had his first true blinder for England in attack and defence, making one clean break and beating four defenders, whilst not missing a tackle.
England, however, lacked any form of cohesion. The side are not playing as selfish individuals, as there is a strong unison and team spirit in this group. For whatever reason, the strong individual performances are not transferring into cohesive team performances. The team look confused, disjointed and as though they do not know their game plan. If someone asked you how England play, you would struggle for an answer. This was the same position in Paris. A side needs a Plan A, B and so on, but England do not seem set on any letter in the alphabet right now. When England let loose in the second half and went at France, they look much better. When Marcus Smith sent up aerial bombs for Freddie Steward to pluck from on high, England seemed to make progress. However, bar Steward’s try, the side rarely looked like scoring. England’s attack is badly stunted and needs resolving quickly. The difference made to England’s speed when Harry Randall came on was palpable. Over this match, 40.5% of France’s rucks were under two seconds, whereas only 20.4% of England’s were. The speed of ball being provided by Ben Youngs is simply not quick enough to move an opposition around and create space. For England to advance, they need to get back to the quick game which saw them so much success earlier on in Eddie Jones’ tenure. The game seems to be speeding up right now, and England cannot afford to be left in the slow lane.
The Antoine Dupont show
How Dupont is only 25, I will never know. He plays like a player well beyond his years, with maturity and nous of a far advanced player. Further, his achievements, both individual and team, are those of a more experienced player too. Two Top 14 titles, a Six Nations Grand Slam, one Champions Cup, a World Rugby Player of the Year and a Six Nations Player of the Tournament, with plenty more accolades on the way. He is truly world class in every sense and plays like no other scrum half in the world right now. His defensive performance against England was very un-scrum half-like. Dupont completed 12 tackles, the third most in the French side on Saturday. This statistic helps us to delve further into Dupont’s motivations and mentality. Matt Dawson on Rugby Union Daily said he had been reliably informed that Dupont had set himself a target to be France’s best defender in this match; a target he very nearly met. There cannot be many 9s in world rugby who would set themselves such an aim, with scrum half rarely a position for defensive excellence. In attack, Dupont made 43 metres, beat two defenders and made one clean break. He breaks tackles like no other 9, with the power and strength of a loose forward or crash ball centre. His try, where he left two England defenders collapsing in his wake, was the epitome of his running threat. This is Antoine Dupont’s world and we are just living in it; but my god it’s good to watch. Could he be the next great French sporting hero? Zinedine Zidane brought home a World Cup in 1998. Kylian Mbappe lit up Russia as he led France to another World Cup in 2018. Dupont could be the next great Frenchman to parade a trophy down the Champs-Elysée, and I do not think anyone could be angry about it.
France were irresistible in Paris, much like across the tournament. They showed the best of France – flair and power. They were clinical, outscoring England, despite their lesser possession and territory. A real point of difference was France’s offload game, with 13 offloads to England’s four. Gael Fickou continued his try scoring knack, finishing off a great move in the corner, while Francois Cros reached with a seemingly extendable arm to give England a confidence knock just before the break. This French side has such depth and is so well rounded, it will take special performances to knock them off their perch.
Well thank you for reading the final instalment of Talking Points. I hope you have enjoyed the series and will continue to read ensuing features on Off the Presses!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the photographs on this post, nor do I claim to.