1) Wales’ ability to recover will be tested by France
Wayne Pivac suffered his first defeat, but while the greater emphasis he places on attack was evident in the off-loads and running angles the Six Nations champions indulged in when they managed to generate quick ball, they came a distant second physically. It could be seen as a vindication of Warren Gatland’s insistence that ambition to play a wide game matters little if the gainline battle is lost, but he watched similar defeats in Dublin two years ago and in 2014 when they were pounded into submission. Wales under Gatland tended to recover quickly from a setback and with France at home in the next round, it will be an early indicator for the new regime of how much they have preserved. Paul Rees
• Match report: Ireland 24-14 Wales
2) England must start taking the initiative with tries
As Eddie Jones rightly observed on Saturday night, international rugby is a game of increasingly fine margins. Had Stuart Hogg not got into a tangle inches from his own line and given England the position from which Ellis Genge scored the match-winning try, there might conceivably have been a different outcome. Once they go ahead England are a seriously tough team to reel in; they are less assured when they have to chase a game. Ireland, however, will have noted the improvement in English defensive line speed and the difference George Kruis made to their lineout efficiency. In Genge they also have an impact sub in every respect, with the Leicester loose-head growing steadily in assurance with every Test he plays. On the flip side, England have lost the knack of scoring early tries and seizing the initiative. They were bailed out at Murrayfield by the excellent breakdown work of Sam Underhill, Tom Curry and Lewis Ludlam but Ireland will pose different questions in that area. Robert Kitson
• Match report: Scotland 6-13 England
3) Sexton feeling good about life with Ireland again
“Without doubt,” said Johnny Sexton when asked if the victory over Wales had marked his most enjoyable match with Ireland for a while. “It was not hard after last year.” It was his side’s second victory in a week but the difference in the performance against Scotland was stark, as it had to be given the greater threat posed by the Six Nations champions. They quickly worked out a way to get the ball wide, regularly generated quick ball and were energised by their half-backs. What was most impressive was the composed fury they played with: there was a reaction to the week before, but it was measured and it shifted the immovable. It was also mechanical and they may need a bit more at Twickenham in the next round. Paul Rees
• Ireland’s Farrell shuns talk of family duel at Twickenham
4) Russell v Townsend will run and run
Gregor Townsend will hate this but the truth is there’s only one topic that everyone’s going to be talking about in the next fortnight, even though Finn Russell, gifted as he is, isn’t a miracle fix that’ll necessarily get Scotland winning again after back-to-back defeats. But given what Russell said in his recent interview with the Sunday Times about the way Townsend was running the team, this issue’s blown up into something much bigger than a question of whether he ought to play at No 10 against Italy. Now it’s about whether Townsend even ought to carry on as head coach, given that his star player has such a low opinion of the way he’s doing things. Andy Bull
• Six Nations begin investigation into beer bottle incident at Murrayfield
5) France look to break an away duck that goes back to 2011
France have won their opening two games for the first time since 2016 when they followed up a two-point victory over Italy at home with a 10-9 success over Ireland in Paris. Their third round match was their first away, in Cardiff, and they lost 19-10. It was the same in 2014, home wins over England and Italy followed by a defeat in Wales. A statistic that shows how far they slumped in the last decade is that their last away victory in the Six Nations other than in Italy or Scotland was in Dublin in 2011. They are on the up, if still mercurial as they showed against Italy, and this time in Cardiff they will have Shaun Edwards on their side. Paul Rees
• Match report: France 35-22 Italy
6) England have competition for this year’s women’s Six Nations
It was already clear that women’s grand slam champions England performed excellently in their victory away in France on the opening weekend. But in view of France’s 45-10 demolition of Italy on Saturday, the value of England’s win became even clearer. Italy had beaten Wales away the previous week, but were blown away by Les Bleus in Limoges. It seems certain that England, whose second match against Scotland was postponed due to Storm Ciara, cannot afford to slip up if they are to defend their Six Nations title. France are contenders but it is Ireland who top the table after an emphatic victory of their own, 31-12 at home against Wales on Sunday. They are top, with nine points from two matches, and England know they have their work cut out. Luke McLaughlin
7) Italy’s game is still clearly a work in progress
The Azzurri showed ambition against France, as they had in Cardiff, and produced well-worked tries, but for all the individual excellence of their back row, they could do with another Mauro Bergamasco. Too many moves ended because forwards, and backs, were standing in anticipation of the ball being moved rather than making sure it was secured. They were too often turned over and need to get Jake Polledri using his strength over the ball at times and not just on the charge or in the tackle. Italy have the bits and pieces, but not the detail. Scotland next, at home. Paul Rees
