Shaun Edwards was right when he said that only the Six Nations can produce the emotions seen last weekend in Cardiff. Then again he was right about quite a few things on Saturday and if he really is in the shop window after the World Cup then there will be a lot of clubs as well as countries interested.
That eight-minute, 45-phase defensive action at the Millennium was at the heart of the Six Nations going to a final weekend with Wales in Rome, Ireland in Edinburgh and England travelling to France all in with a chance to a greater or lesser degree, although I suspect that England might be kicking themselves this time next week for squandering so many chances on Saturday at Twickenham.
The Rome match will set the target for Ireland and then England to follow, but with a gap of 25 to England and 21 to Ireland, Wales have been dealt a tough hand, especially as it looks as though they have lost an entire front row, Samson Lee badly damaging an achilles, Gethin Jenkins pulling a hamstring and Richard Hibbard getting a bang on the head. Rome is not the place to be without your first-choice front row and Wales might well rue not being nicer to Adam Jones, the kind of necessary cornerstone for any side looking to score 40 points without conceding careless tries to Italy.
Remember England last year? They scored a half-century in Rome then paid the price for being first up on the final Saturday. This time they are last, but having seen Scotland in the flesh for the first time on Saturday I fear England could fall short again.
Whereas Ireland in Cardiff were something of a role-reversal from the clinical side who picked England apart a fortnight ago – the irony of Johnny Sexton being the one to lift the siege won’t be lost on Stuart Lancaster and co – my guess is that Scotland could be in for the kind of beating England should have given them at Twickenham.
My coaching history leaves me with a soft spot for Scotland, but they looked vulnerable in defence and when Jim Hamilton went off, the pack too easily gave up the gain-line. After the promise of the autumn (I know it was a distinctly second-string All Blacks side, but Scotland pushed them all the way) Vern Cotter’s team look destined for the wooden spoon if Ireland are anything like the side who previously went 10 games without defeat, taking Australia, South Africa and England on the way.
That said, Scotland stirred mixed emotions at Twickenham. In the first five minutes it seemed as though England might hit another half-century. Scotland were opened up almost at will, with anyone running off George Ford seemingly using defenders like traffic bollards of the pass-either-side variety.
It looked pretty easy, but by half-time instead of being 20 points clear England were three down and looking ponderous, Mark Bennett getting home far too easily. Greig Laidlaw stole a page from Ben Young’s play book to expose a lack of pace when Scotland put players round the corner and both wings, particularly Anthony Watson, again looked uncomfortable under well-directed high balls. Unfortunately for Scotland there weren’t enough that were on the money and Jack Nowell became pretty effective at running back any rubbish.
Scotland need a pack to match up to the demands of bright backs like Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell, but they also need Alex Dunbar fit again and giving the midfield balance if they are to make any headway in the World Cup.
England? They still have plenty to prove and while 25-13 looks comfortable, it was a one-score game for too long, and there was a niggling feeling that having stayed in a game they deserved to lose heavily, Scotland might just nick it.
As it is, that 12-point margin gives only a four-point differential over Ireland and despite their attempts to prove otherwise, France are not the rubbish side they have painted themselves and you don’t want to be chasing too many tries to win a title which would mean a lot to Stuart Lancaster and his coaches going into the World Cup.
There were times on Saturday when England looked what they are, a young side lacking in experience and maturity to think on their feet. No side are going to be dominant for the full 80 minutes of any game. Good sides – certainly the All Blacks – work out how to live with 20 minutes of pressure and then stamp their own identity on the game.
With Australia and Michael Cheika beefing up their scrum and Wales proving themselves capable of withstanding most things, pool A is going to be a tasty place come September.
