6 nations: England v France is finally here

After a short break, the Six Nations returns this weekend, and so expect more drama! England v France is the standout game on Saturday, with Italy hosting Wales earlier in the day. Scotland will entertain Ireland on Sunday afternoon at Murrayfield and Gregor Townsend’s men will be looking to claim the scalp of another Home Nations side. 

Of the weekend’s Six Nations games, England’s clash with France at Twickenham has all the ingredients to be a classic. England have shown glimpses of what they can do, while France remain on course for a Grand Slam after recording two wins from their first two games. Les Bleus have a game in hand over table-toppers Wales as their clash with Scotland last month was postponed due to an outbreak of COVID-19 in their camp.

Stop the (penalty) count!

• England to beat France @7/10 with Casumo
• England to win by 1-12 points @7/5 with Casumo
• France to score and win first half @39/20 with Casumo

Ill discipline has cost England. More specifically, conceding penalties has been a big problem for Eddie Jones’ men. In their first three games, England have given away 41 penalties and in their 40-24 defeat to Wales, Maro Itoje conceded five of England’s 14 penalties. While England felt aggrieved by some of the decisions made by the referee during that game, the penalty issue isn’t a quick fix. Former England scrum-half Matt Dawson was distinctly unimpressed. He said: “Players must recognise when the penalty count is getting too high at crucial moments.”

Meanwhile, France will be looking to maintain their perfect start to the tournament. Fabien Galthie named his 31-man France squad last weekend for the upcoming clash with England, but Gabin Villiere will be unavailable due to a hand injury. However, Romain Ntamack (jaw) and Virimi Vakatawa (knee) are both set to return to the fold as they played for their respective club sides last weekend. France have a tough task on their hands against England as they haven’t tasted victory at Twickenham since 2007.

Scotland v Ireland: Unlocking the vault on past encounters

There have been some fabulous encounters in the past between Scotland and Ireland in the Six Nations. Last year, Ireland claimed a 19-12 victory over the Scots, but it was an encounter filled with tension. Johnny Sexton – who recently signed a new one-year contract extension with the IRFU (Irish Rugby Football Union) – scored the only try of the game that day in Dublin. In 2019, Scotland were on the wrong side of a 22-13 scoreline at Murrayfield. Scotland, however, are trading as the favourites with Casumo as they are priced at 19/20 to clinch victory.

On the injury front, Jacob Stockdale is back in the Ireland squad, and he is in contention to face Scotland. Stockdale sat out the first three games of the Six Nations with a knee injury, and he is therefore likely to replace Shane Daly. Meanwhile, Jordan Larmour (hip), Tadhg Furlong (ankle), Dave Kilcoyne and Ronan Kelleher (ankle) are all being monitored ahead of the weekend. Scotland don’t have any fresh injury concerns, although back-rowers Gary Graham and Blade Thomson were sent back to their clubs.

Wales attack coach Stephen Jones sends ominous warning to Italy

Despite claiming a Triple Crown, Wales now want to complete the Grand Slam. After a comprehensive victory over England on their last outing at the Principality Stadium, the Welsh will look to go into turbocharge mode against Italy. They have scored 10 tries in their first three Six Nations matches, but attack coach Stephen Jones is adamant that Wales have to be more clinical in attacking transitions. He said: “There are aspects of our game from attack that we have got to make sure we make some big strides on. We are a work in progress, simple as.”

 

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