Six Nations Week 2 - Scotland Go Back to Scotland-ing It

We take a look at the latest Six Nations results, and what it means heading into the halfway point of the tournament.

Weekend number 2 of the Six Nations tournament is now finished, and there were a fair few talking points.

After a very interesting opening weekend (yes, Scotland, well done) the weekend of games that followed shaped up to be very similar.

There were 2 very, very tight affairs, as teams this year seem to be very well-matched against most of their opponents. Then there was Italy losing by a fair bit. Again.

England 41 – 18 Italy: Much More Convincing.

After a disappointing opening weekend, England definitely needed a win, and a convincing one at that. Fortunately, they were playing Italy, so it was the perfect opportunity to avenge their loss last weekend.

England bounced back and set the record straight against Italy, with a spectacular flying try from Jonny May helping the English get the win. An impressive performance from England will definitely improve their confidence after that week 1 loss. However, it’s worth noting that England lost their opening weekend game last year – and they went on to win the competition. They’ll be looking to replicate that this year, for sure.

England cruised back to winning ways against Italy - something the Italians haven’t done in 29 games now in the Six Nation – oh dear. In the next round of games, Italy will look to try and get their first win in forever against Ireland – who are also 0-2 going into the match.

Scotland 24 – 25 Wales: A very tough battle.

Wales vs. Scotland came down to the wire, with Wales scraping past the Scots. There were a few decisions that went against the boys in blue, that were picked up on after the match by Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend.

A red card for Scotland’s Zander Fagerson in the second half made a major impact on the end result, as Scotland were up 17-15 as they went down to 14 men. On top of that, there was a last-minute penalty call that went against Scotland, which meant Wales would finish the close game with a win.

Scottish fans won’t be too disheartened, though. A win last week in the Calcutta Cup, a very close loss to Wales - probably the best they’ve done in a long time. There is hope, but face a tough battle next week against an undefeated France side.

Meanwhile, Wales will host an England side who need a win to keep up with France, who are currently leading the tournament.

Ireland 13 – 15 France: An Irish struggle.

What a tough clash Sunday’s game was, but it was the French who came out on top in a gruelling encounter. Both sides stood strong in the defensive side of things, but it seemed to be France being the only team attacking the opposition’s 22.

After a quiet first half, France turned it up a few gears, and started to show their superior skill set. In the end, they were much better than Ireland over 80 minutes, who struggled to get any momentum or rhythm in the game.

This result also means that Ireland are yet to win a game in the Six Nations – not a good start for them in the competition. They will need future results to go their way if they’re wanting to win the Six Nations. Next up is a match up with Italy, though, so they’ll definitely be confident to finally get a win on the board.

In truth, the France team looks really strong at this stage, and it’s going to be difficult for any team to overcome them. They have a battle against Scotland coming up, and if victorious, they’ll definitely be favourites for the competition.