It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons after the weekend.
THEY’RE ON FIRE!
Wales improvement: What a difference a fortnight and a new coach can make! Matt Sherratt had precious little time before his first game in charge as Wales’ caretaker coach but his impact was clear to see. The men in red looked a far superior side to the one that was defeat by Italy in Warren Gatland’s final game at the helm and despite the result remaining the same from the previous 14-Test matches, there was much to be positive about when it came to the performance of the Welsh side. Call-ups Gareth Anscombe, Jarrod Evans and Max Llewellyn all impressed and greatly improved the once woeful attack while Ireland’s scrum was very much under the cosh. Jac Morgan maintained his incredibly high standards while Taulupe Faletau looked back to his brilliant best. This all bodes well for Wales’ final two games of the Six Nations with England and Scotland lying ahead and while they will enter those two games as underdogs, they showed that there is still fight left in this dog.
Wales v Ireland: Five takeaways as Warren Gatland ‘proven wrong’ as Irish clinch Triple Crown
Ireland on course: While Simon Easterby’s side were pushed to the limit at times by the Welsh, Ireland still left Cardiff triumphant as they continued their unbeaten start to the new year and remain on track for an unprecedented three-peat. It was not a vintage Ireland performance but that didn’t matter as they continued their bid for a Grand Slam after clinching another Triple Crown. A mark of a great team is winning when you aren’t playing at your absolute best and that’s precisely what the men from the Emerald Isle did.
The two Bens and Maro: England went back-to-back with yet another one-point victory as Steve Borthwick’s charges look to turn things around after an underwhelming 2024. The Red Rose certainly rode their luck but there were sublime performances in the pack that paved the way for the victory notable from Ben Curry, Ben Earl and captain Maro Itoje. The trio were fantastic during their respective shifts and more than played their part in getting the victory for England, particularly the skipper who has always maintained an insane standard but has gone up a gear with the captain’s armband.
French flair: After Les Bleus’ defeat to England in round two, there was a feeling that maybe, just maybe Italy could go one better than the stalemate in 2024 but the answer was an emphatic no. Fabien Galthie opted to back the Springboks’ tactic of a 7-1 split on the bench which dominated the pre-match talk but ultimately it was the backs that led the charge with Antoine Dupont the focal point of the onslaught. The skipper scored two tries and assisted three as France racked up an impressive 24-73 win in some style. The French flair was clearly evident with gorgeous flick passes, brilliant side steps and so much pace and power. It was a dominant display and a statement to the world that France mean business.
Impressive Chiefs: Last year’s beaten finalists have gone back-to-back in the opening two rounds of Super Rugby Pacific, defeating the Blues and most recently the Crusaders. But most impressively was the manner in which they hammered the most successful team in the tournament’s history as they rampaged to a seven-try 49-24 win over the ‘Saders. At one point, the sides were level at 17-apiece before the Chiefs ran amok, racing in five tries as the bench made an enormous impact. The result sees them top the standings after two rounds with the Brumbies up next.
Western Force: On the subject of the Brumbies, they saw a 15-match winning streak over the Western Force come to an abrupt end this weekend when Wallabies hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa powered over the line after 18 long phases to clinch a famous win – this despite being down to 13 men after two yellow cards. The victory over the men from the Australian capital means that the Force have enjoyed their best-ever start to a Super Rugby campaign but will be wary of what lies ahead as they tackle a Reds outfit that swept Moana Pasifika aside in their first outing.
Bulls bounce back: After an agonising defeat to the Sharks last time out in the United Rugby Championship, Jake White’s Bulls bounced back in stunning fashion as they claimed a convincing 31-19 bonus point victory over their Juskei rivals, the Lions. The men from Pretoria were incredibly wasteful against the Sharks but rediscovered their ruthless edge against their neighbours crossing for five tries.
Dominance in Vancouver: Los Pumas and the Black Ferns Sevens stole the show in Canada this weekend as they hoisted their trophies together for the third consecutive year. The New Zealand women crushed Fiji in their final running in seven tries in a 41-7 trashing while Argentina raced into a 19-0 lead against South Africa which was enough to see off a Blitzboks comeback as they emerged 19-12 victors.
Postive Springboks and Sharks news: Eben Etzebeth confirmed to Rapport this week that he is on track to make a return to action for the Sharks “within a few weeks”. The most capped Springbok of all-time has not played yet this year for the Sharks after sustaining a concussion in December against Exeter Chiefs and considering his past head injuries, fears arose around his future. But alas, the Bok great looks on track for a return.
Springboks star Eben Etzebeth gives update on likely return after ‘very serious’ injury
COLD AS ICE!
Profligate Scotland: For the first time since 2020, the Calcutta Cup traded hands as Scotland let their grip slip and fell to a single-point defeat to the Auld Enemy. Gregor Townsend’s charges dominated for much of the match but failed to make the most of their opportunities despite their regular visits to the England 22. They outscored England three tries to one with the failed conversion attempts proving costly but so were their wastefulness and inability to make England pay.
Fallible Finn: For all his brilliance in attack and game management, one cannot escape the fact that this weekend Finn Russell cost Scotland the game. It’s unfair to pin the result on one player but as the co-captain and place-kicker, he has to take it on the chin here. His last gasp kick was not easy by any means but he had missed two prior and while he created the opportunities to get Scotland into the England 22, he also made errors that let the hosts off the hook.
Ringrose and the 20-minute red: While it was clear-cut for so many, others still felt that Ireland centre Ringrose was hard done by when he was given his marching orders against Wales this weekend. Frankly put, it was a reckless tackle and one that warranted a red card. But his sending off once again raised criticism of the 20-minute red card with ex-Ireland back Luke Fitzgerald dubbing it as ‘garbage’ while slamming Ringrose for being out of control. Bundee Aki was able to replace Ringrose after a 20-minute period and the replacement went on to play a massive role in steering the Irish to victory. World Rugby has extended the trial of the controversial red card after it failed to get signed off into the law book with the Northern Hemisphere remaining reluctant to introduce it and this weekend’s backlash wouldn’t have helped.
Abject Italy: The Azzurri were quite simply put to the sword by Les Bleus in the latest round of the Six Nations and while the opening 20 minutes was a compelling and gripping game of Test rugby, the 60 that ensued was more of a training run for France. The Italians landed some big hits throughout the game but that was just about as good as it got as they failed to contain the brilliance of Dupont and co and were soundly thrashed as a result.
Farce over Immanuel Feyi-Waboso surgery The England’s winger’s hopes of making the British and Irish Lions squad look dead in the water after a perplexing decision. It was initially believed that he would miss the Six Nations in order to undergo surgery on a troublesome shoulder injury but that proved not to the be case as he attempted to rehabilitate instead. That decision has proven to be incredibly costly as he re-injured the shoulder in England camp and will now go under the knife and is expected to be out for at least three months.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/whos-hot-and-whos-not-fallible-finn-russell-french-flair-20-minute-red-cards-and-wales-improvement-take-centre-stage-in-the-six-nations
