Round four of the Six Nations certainly delivered, as Italy beat Scotland for a first tournament win on home soil since 2013, England ended Ireland’s double-Grand Slam hopes at Twickenham and France outlasted Wales at the Principality.
Italy 31-29 Scotland at Stadio Olimpico on Saturday
The Azzurri came back from 14-3 down inside the opening quarter to finally put Scotland away and end a run of 13 straight defeats to the Celts. Gonzalo Quesada’s men headed into the encounter off the back of a famous 13-all draw in France and showed enormous guts and gumption to fight back against the highly-rated Scots to secure their finest championship campaign in recent memory with one round still to play.
For Scotland, the result marks a massive disappointment for a talented outfit that continues to flatter to deceive. Italy unquestionably deserve their due, but Gregor Townsend and his troops will know they let another golden opportunity slip to enhance their reputation amongst the game’s elite.
England 23-22 Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday
Marcus Smith slotted a dramatic drop goal after the final hooter to lift the Roses to a potentially watershed victory over the much-fancied Irish. Much has been made about the state of the English game, and few were calling for a home win on Saturday, but the men in white showed tremendous tenacity to claw their way over the line despite a late James Lowe score. Could this be the result that rallies Steve Borthwick’s side going forward?
Many pundits and former Irish players had waxed lyrical about Ireland’s current standing in the game heading into the weekend, with an unprecedented Six Nations Grand Slam double seemingly all but assured, even with two round remaining. Unfortunately for the Emerald Isle it just wasn’t to be, and while they’ll surely bounce back against Scotland in Dublin next week, this loss will haunt them for a long time to come.
Wales 24-45 France in Cardiff on Sunday
After a topsy-turvy opening half that saw France narrowly lead 20-17 at the break, the 2022 champions proved far too strong in the end and eventually sauntered to a routine victory. The match was something of a try fest, with nine touchdowns in all as Les Bleus withstood all that the Welsh could throw at them before running away with it.
The result sees winless Wales remain bottom of the standings on three-points ahead of their make-or-break wooden spoon clash with high-flying Italy in Cardiff next week, while France are fourth as they prepare for Le Crunch against England in Lyon.
