Six Nations Championship – Round Two Review

Six Nations Championship – Round Two Review

Fans across the British-Irish isles were treated to another action packed weekend of rugby. Despite the lack of fan attendance viewers were still treated to a good weekend of rugby, with a special mention to the thriller at Murrayfield.

We have reviewed all of the action from the second round of the Six Nations Championship.

England v Italy

England had to get back to winning ways after the Scotland defeat. But winning wasn’t enough, they had to win with the assurance of the second-best team in the world. They have never lost to Italy, and there was unlikely to be an upset at Twickenham this time round.

Italy has a young team. They won’t be winning the Six Nations anytime soon but the ambition to develop this young side is there. If they can remain in the competition, in a few years’ time who knows.

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Your match wrap from today's bonus point win over Italy at Twickenham ?????????

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 13, 2021

England’s Opening Nerves

At the start of the game, it was Italy who started with a swagger and scored quickly following English confusion in defence. England looked nervous and took a while to settle down. When they did, play started to flow a bit better for them. They scored some good tries including two from Anthony Watson and one from Johnny May who leapt in the air for a fine finish.

There was a first Six nations start for Wasps player Jack Willis who immediately made an impact and scored a well worked try. Sport can be cruel, moments later he suffered a serious knee injury and had to leave the field. Italy scored a fine try towards the end of the game to leave the score 41-18 to England.

England changes?

England got back to winning ways, but 3 or 4 of the starting 15 are not in form. Even though the effort was there, Ben Youngs, Billy Vunipola and Elliot Daly need to find their ‘A’ game. Owen Farrell hasn’t played to his high standard for a while, but his position is safe. Eddie Jones may consider some changes for the trip to Cardiff.

Scotland v Wales

Scotland were on a massive high after their impressive win against England at Twickenham and were looking to push onto Grand Slam glory with a win against Wales at Murrayfield. Wales had dispatched Ireland in unconvincing fashion. Ireland went down to 14 men and Wales naturally took advantage.

Scotland made a bright start and recorded a couple of early tries to take control of the first half. There were signs from Wales though of progress and their lineout was much improved from the previous week. Just before half time Rees-Zammit scored a much-needed Welsh try to make the score 17-8 to Scotland.

Which was your favourite game from round? 2️⃣#GuinnessSixNations

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 14, 2021

Wales take control and Scotland see red

After the break, Wales continued to gain momentum with a try from the returning wing Liam Williams. And then, once again Wales gained the advantage when Scotland’s Zander Fagerson was awarded a red card for an unlawful clear out at the ruck.

A close range try from Wyn Evans put Wales ahead, but Stuart Hogg continued to lead by example as Scotland’s captain with a hard-fought try making it 24-20 to Scotland.

Rees-Zammit magic

The Welsh winger Louis Rees-Zammit is fast approaching superstar status. In a moment of individual brilliance, he received the ball wide and delivered a perfect chip and chase. Leaving Stuart Hogg and Duhan Van Der Merwe in his wake, the flying winger touched down to make the score 25-24 to Wales and sealed the victory for his team. Few would have thought that Wales would be 2 from 2 at this stage but they continue to grow and face a low on confidence England team next in Cardiff.

Ireland v France

Ireland were desperate to get back to winning ways after an unexpected defeat by Wales the previous week. They were up against it though with a French team full of confidence coming to Dublin, still on target to win the Grand Slam. The French half backs of DuPont and Jalibert had a good afternoon but it was a low scoring affair and not the slick performance we expect from France these days.

Halfway through Round 2️⃣ and this is how the #GuinnessSixNations table looks ? pic.twitter.com/DRKRxDVBxH

— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 13, 2021

Ireland blunt in attack

Ireland were strong in the set piece and managed to turnover French ball in the line out on more than one occasion. They were hardworking in defence and only a couple of rare moments of free-flowing brilliance from France led to tries during the match. Ireland on the other hand are struggling to find their attacking mojo, a problem that has plagued them for a while now.

France overwhelming favourites.

Even though this match wasn’t exactly the spectacle we had hoped for, its difficult to see beyond France as the Grand Slam champions of 2021. They have gathered all the attributes of a winning team. There are definitely areas that need polishing, but their set piece is good, they defend ferociously, and they attack with precision. One of the most impressive areas of improvement is their discipline. At this stage, they are firm favourites for the title.

We hope you enjoyed the article ‘Six Nations Championship – Round Two Review.’ What was your favourite match from round two of the Six Nations? Who do you think will win the championship this year? Let us know!

Read more on Rugby here:

• Six Nations Preview – Round Two
• Six Nations Rugby Round 1 Review
• Six Nations 2021 Preview – Opening Round