RBS Six Nations tickets have taken a dramatic boost in sales for the 2009 championship, following news that England has been installed as the bookmakers’ favourite to win the title. England, coached then by Brian Ashton, bounced back to form earlier this year by finishing second to Grand Slam winners Wales, and have had their odds slashed to 11-8 putting them streets ahead of the other competing nations.

With three of their five scheduled matches in 2009 to be played at their home stadium at Twickenham, England will be a tough prospect for anyone. Ranked fifth in the world, England – who haven’t won the championship since their Grand Slam triumph of 2003 – are in their best position yet to claim the title next March, and it is this boost in confidence that has seen RBS Six Nations tickets sales take off.

But if England is to lift the cup, Johnson will have to rid his team of the bad habits illustrated in the 2008 championship. England sides have shown a trend of making poor starts to campaigns, and this was once again proved when they were trounced by Wales at home, 26 points to 19, in their first match of 2008.

The England team was lucky to hang on against Italy in Rome the following week, after another dramatic dip in form midway through the match almost cost them the points. It wasn’t until England met France in week three did they find their form, ending French dreams of a Grand Slam by hammering them 24 points to 13 in Paris.

Ashton took his team to Scotland on a high the following week but were unable to cope with a determined Scotland side, as well as treacherous weather conditions in Edinburgh. They lost by 15 points to 9, and the result left England down and out without their problems to seek. In the final game they picked themselves up to run over Ireland 33 points to 10, but their championship was already finished for them.

England relied on too few players in 2008 and it cost them the chance of winning the title. Their lack of foresight and a cohesive team spirit led to their downfall, but Ashton has been working hard behind the scenes to change things around. The bookies believe Ashton has done enough and the fans have backed this by snapping up their nation’s tickets in the strong belief that 2009 will be England’s year.

England Fixtures for RBS Six Nations Championship 2009

Saturday, 7 February
versus Italy (3pm, Twickenham)

Saturday, 14 February
versus Wales (5.30pm, Millennium Stadium)

Saturday, 28 February
versus Ireland (5.30pm, Croke Park)

Sunday 15 March
versus France (3pm, Twickenham)

Saturday, 21 March
versus Scotland (3.30pm, Twickenham)

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Week 1
Saturday, 7 February
England v Italy (3pm, Twickenham)
Ireland v France (5pm, Croke Park)

Sunday, 8 February
Scotland v Wales (3pm, Murrayfield)

Week 2
Saturday, 14 February
France v Scotland (3pm, Stade de France)
Wales v England (5.30pm, Millennium Stadium)

Sunday 15 February
Italy v Ireland (2.30pm, Stadio Flaminio)

Week 3
Friday, 27 February
France v Wales (8pm, Stade de France)

Saturday, 28 February
Scotland v Italy (3pm, Murrayfield)
Ireland v England (5.30pm, Croke Park)

Week 4
Saturday, 14 March
Italy v Wales (3pm, Stadio Flaminio)
Scotland v Ireland (5pm, Murrayfield)

Sunday 15 March
England v France (3pm, Twickenham)

Week 5
Saturday, 21 March
Italy v France (1.15pm, Stadio Flaminio)
England v Scotland (3.30pm, Twickenham)
Wales v Ireland (5.30pm, Millennium Stadium)

The RBS Six Nations Rugby Championship 2008 produced some great rugby, some poor rugby, some moments of intense drama, high excitement, shocks, spills, and surprises. Just as it always seems to do.

Over the course of 5 weekends throughout February and March, 30 games of international rugby were played in six top European cities, with 595 points scored, all of it watched by tens of thousands of travelling fans, and a television audience in the millions.

In the end, Wales won the Triple Crown and the grand Slam, and in doing so, won the overall title of Champions in an emphatic manner. Several other sub-titles were also played for, including the Calcutta Cup (Scotland), the Millennium Trophy (England), the Centenary Quaich (Ireland), and The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy (France).

And now that the Six Nations is over for another year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the championship, take a look at what transpired, look at how the teams performed compared to what was expected, and celebrate another superb Six Nations tournament.

The tournament kicked off over the first weekend of February, with two very disappointing matches. Ireland versus Italy and Scotland versus France were as boring to watch as they looked to play in, with both Celtic teams playing making more than their fair share of basic errors.

Scotland were overrun 27 points to 6 by an unstoppable whirlwind France team in Edinburgh, and Italy lost narrowly to a stuttering Ireland at Croke Park, 16 points to 11. England completed the round of failures when they were soundly thrashed at Twickenham by Wales in the first major shock of the tournament, by 26 points to 19, after being behind for much of the game.

Despite Wales’ strong start, the bookies still had France as most likely to win the title, and going into the second week, all eyes were on Wales to see how serious they were about taking the title from holders France. England and Ireland, too, considered themselves as possible contenders, while Scotland and Italy were already looking around for answers.

When week two came, all the teams began to find their footing or show real signs of struggle, and a split in the table began to form.

France and Wales remained unbeaten after two games played. France easily overcame a stubborn Irish side 26 points to 21, vastly improved from the previous week. Wales compounded their magnificent win at Twickenham, by beating the Scots 30-15, who seemed unable to string together even a few simple passes, and without a Try in their first two matches.

England were lucky to hang on in Rome 23 points to 19, after another dramatic second half dip in form, and both they and Ireland found themselves mid-table, with Scotland and Italy propping things up.

After a week off, Wales played host to Italy, Scotland visited Dublin, and France and England clashed in Paris in what is always a key match of every tournament.

England ended French dreams of another Grand Slam by winning in Paris, somewhat unexpectedly yet emphatically, by 24 points to 13. Brian Ashton’s men managed to stem their second half slumps of the first two weeks, to overrun France on their own patch and blow the championship wide open.

The result brought England back into things as contenders for the title, but left Wales being the only team capable of taking the Grand Slam after they beat Italy comfortably in Cardiff by 47 points to 8, and in doing so, boosted their points difference into the bargain.

Ireland beat Scotland 34-13 at Croke Park, to give themselves a badly needed lift, against a Scotland team led by Frank Hadden, now under intense pressure from all sections of the media.

After another weekend off, week 4 arrived with France beating Italy more than easily in Paris 25 points to 13. Ireland and Wales fought out a classic battle in Dublin, which saw Wales triumph by four points, the final score, 16 points to 12. The match was also significant in that it saw Wales lifting the much sought after Triple Crown.

But the big story of the weekend was Scotland defeating England to claim the Calcutta Cup, winning at a rain-soaked Murrayfield 15 points to 9. The result left England unable to win anything, and gave Scotland a fighting chance of avoiding the Wooden Spoon. More importantly, it took the heat off Frank Hadden and his team, if only for the next seven days.

Into the final week and Scotland visited Rome looking to build on the England result. Looking comfortable for most of the game, they threw it away in the second half, and with minutes to spare gave away a drop goal to lose the game by 3 points, 23-20. Luckily for the Scots, it was 2 points short of the 5 needed by Italy to land fourth place, who kept the Wooden Spoon in Rome.

England met Ireland at home and had no need to motivate their players after losing to Scotland the previous week. They came out and ran over the top of an Irish side, which promised much but never delivered, and eventually won the game 33 points to 10.

France visited Cardiff and a classic match of rugby for all the right reasons was played out under the famous Millennium Stadium roof. France were never quite good enough to spoil the party, let alone take the title, and Wales ran out winners with as power and stylish performance, laced with 100% belief, you are ever likely to see. The final score of 29 points to 12 more than enough to bury France and ensure the title went to Wales.

So as the sun sets on the Six Nations for another year, how do the teams look from a neutral point of view?

Ireland had hoped for much more this tournament, and will be looking towards a new coaching team to lift them out of their current predicament. Although they have good players, they have a poor squad, and need someone to bring them together as a unit that can challenge once again.

Scotland have a lot of basic problems to sort out, and although they missed out on the Wooden Spoon, they only did so by 2 points. Before the tournament began they had high hopes of doing something significant this year, but nothing materialised in any way significant. Beating England has only papered over the cracks within the squad, and they still have a lot to think about before the next time.

Although Italy came bottom of the group, they have showed most consistent promise for development overall, and some of their results could easily have gone for them instead of against. Always dangerous, they seem to have a big plan, and are moving with it in the right direction.

England boasted the title was as good as won, but looking back now, they most definitely need to perform major surgery on a stagnant team. Too much reliance on one or two players cost them this year, and a lack of imagination and an inability to stay cool when things went against them, didn’t help either.

France were strong and quick in attack as always, but for the first time have begun to show vulnerabilities in defence that were exploited well by Wales and England. I would imagine these to be sorted out by 2009, as no French team will go long without challenging strongly for any Six Nations title.

And Wales – how can they be viewed? As heroes? Legends? One-off wonders? The answer is easy: to win a Triple Crown takes a good team, and to win a title takes a strong, determined, and well organised outfit. But to win a Grand Slam takes something magical, and this is what Wales have in abundance; magic, talent, strength, skill, and of course, a small dose of luck.

Before the tournament began, they had nothing to lose, so poor was their recent test record. But now they are world beaters, and they will be desperate to hold on to the coach who has turned it round for them, Warren Gatland. On the back of this tournament, the Six Nations is the least of their aims now.

Wales 29-12 France
Sat 15 March, 2008
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Wales won their 10th Six Nations Grand Slam today, on the centenary of their first, and they did it in front of a record 75,000+ capacity crowd at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

While France came into the match having never lost a championship game in Cardiff since 1996, the air of confidence around the city was overwhelming. There was just no way Wales were ever going to lose this match.

The early stages of the game were not ones to be remembered by Frenchman David Skrela, who kicked off backwards, and hooked and sliced his kicks all over the pitch, putting needless pressure on his team.

James Hook gave the home side the lead with an 18th-minute kick, which was cancelled out shortly after by an Elissalde penalty. And an uncharacteristic error from Dusautoir handed Hook another easy kick at goal, and before long, Wales found themselves out front with an early 9-3 lead.

Much of the first half was dominated by midfield play, both team cancelling each other out with superb rugby tackling and moves. But Wales’ defence showed some cracks in the final few minutes of the first half, when Henson made a head-high tackle on Ouedraogo, leading him straight to the sin bin.

Elissalde pulled a penalty kick back shortly before half time, to make it 9-6 at the break.
In the second half Wales handled the pressure of having to play with 14 men well, and Hook missed a great opportunity to score from a penalty in the French 22 but sent it wide.

Elissalde made no mistake with his third penalty to level the scores, and Henson’s return to play became all the more important to stem the flow.

Warren Gatland replaced Hook at fly-half with Stephen Jones, along with hooker Matthew Rees for Huw Bennett, a tactical alteration that only seemed to make Wales stronger.

But it was France’s own errors that cost them their next points, when Les Bleus spilled the ball 40 yards from their own line, allowing Shane Williams to pounce and score a Try. The score took Williams clear of Clerc as the 2008 tournament’s leading Try scorer, and ahead of Gareth Thomas on 41, in Wales’ all-time scoring list.

Stephen Jones took the score to 19-9 with a penalty kick, which was followed up by a France penalty, still determined not to go down without a fight. Stephen Jones replied again with a long-range kick at goal to restore the 10 point gap.

Mark Jones broke from inside his own half but was brought down inches from the France line after sprinting almost the entire length of the pitch. But it was Martyn Williams who sent the crowd into raptures, when he picked up a loose ball 25 yards out, and ran through the French defence to score a superb Try.

Wales hammered France by keeping them down, stopping them play, and with their own brand of flair and style. They will be a very hard team to beat next time round if Gatland stays, and the whole of Wales hope he does.

10 Grand Slams is an awesome achievement, and they are not won easily, but for 2008, Wales are the RBS Six Nations Champions, and they did it with a Grand Slam, and Triple Crown.

Teams

Wales
Byrne, M. Jones, Shanklin, Henson, S. Williams, Hook, Phillips, Jenkins, Bennett, A. Jones, Gough, A. Jones, Thomas, M. Williams, R. Jones.

Replacements: S. Jones for Hook (56), Rees for Bennett (56), D. Jones for A. Jones (71), Evans for Gough (71). Not Used: Delve, Peel, Parker

Sin Bin: Henson (40)

France
Pens: Elissalde 3, Yachvili. France: Floch, Clerc, Jauzion, Traille, Malzieu, Skrela, Elissalde, Barcella, Szarzewski, Mas, Nallet, Thion, Dusautoir, Ouedraogo, Bonnaire

Replacements: Heymans for Floch (67), Trinh-Duc for Skrela (63), Yachvili for Elissalde (67), Servat for Szarzewski (44), Poux for Mas (62), Mela for Thion (75), Vermeulen for Ouedraogo (62)

Statistics and Info

Wales
Tries: 2
Cons: 2
Pens: 5

France
Pens: 4

Man of the Match: Martin Williams (WAL)
Referee: Marius Jonker (SA)

England 33-10 Ireland
Sat 15 March, 2008
Twickenham, London

Both national coaches needed to see their teams perform well this afternoon, but while Brian Ashton will be breathing a sigh of relief after this result, Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan is left with an uncertain future after a lack-lustre campaign, and an early exit from the World Cup last year.

Ireland drew first blood after 4 minutes, with Kearney grabbing an early Try after a quick restart found Geordan Murphy free to break through, and make the pass to Kearney. O’Gara converted, and then added a penalty three minutes later to make it 0-10 to the visitors.

With 20 minutes gone, though, England drew level after some intense pressure ended with a Sackey Try, and a Cipriani conversion. England then took the lead on the half hour mark, when Cipriani kicked an easy penalty to make it 13-10.

Ireland’s Murphy went off with a bad leg injury a few minutes later, but neither team were able to score again before half time.

Into the second half and Cipriani made it four from four successful goal kicks, to make it 16-10 on 45 minutes. Ireland had a great chance to pull the score back, but missed his kick at goal.

England removed Toby Flood from play and brought on dropped kicker, Jonny Wilkinson, much maligned after his poor performance last week in Edinburgh.

After 58 minutes blood replacement Tait raced over the line to score a Try, and was then promptly swapped off again. Cipriani converted, and took the score line to 23-10 for the home side.

England were always the more dangerous outfit in the second half, and with 11 minutes remaining, Noon won the game by fighting through two tackles to force his way over the line to score Try number three. Cipriani converted, and made the score 30-13, before kicking a penalty shortly after, to finish the game.

Teams

England
Balshaw, Sackey, Noon, Flood, Vainikolo, Cipriani, Wigglesworth, Sheridan, Mears, Vickery, Shaw, Borthwick, Croft, Lipman, Easter.

Replacements: Tait for Sackey (48), Wilkinson for Flood (53), Hodgson for Wigglesworth (75), Chuter for Mears (76), Stevens for Vickery (60), Kay for Shaw (61), Haskell for Lipman (64).

Ireland
Murphy, Bowe, Trimble, Horgan, Kearney, O’Gara, Reddan, Horan, Best, Hayes, O’Callaghan, O’Connell, Leamy, D. Wallace, Heaslip.

Replacements: Fitzgerald for Murphy (35), P. Wallace for Horgan (77), Stringer for Reddan (71), Buckley for Horan (67), Jackman for Best (71), Easterby for Leamy (12), O’Driscoll for D. Wallace (67).

Statistics and Info

England
Tries: 3
Cons: 3
Pens: 4

Ireland
Tries: 1
Cons: 1
Pens: 1

Man of the Match: Jamie Noon (ENG)
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (AUS)

Italy 23-20 Scotland
Sat 15 March, 2008
Stadio Flaminio, Rome

Italy won their last match of the Six Nations championship, with a drop goal in the final minute to beat a Scotland team who played some of their best rugby of the year. The result restored some much needed pride into Italy’s national rugby psyche, so much so, that their collection of the Wooden Spoon was only of secondary concern.

Scotland had the upper hand in the first half, which saw them pile forward straight from kick off. But Italy defended well, as they did throughout, and prevented Scotland making any early headway.

Italy stormed to within inches of the Scottish line after 5 minutes, and could have had a Try from a ruck, but were unable to capitalise. A Marcato missed penalty further dented their confidence after a Scottish scrum collapsed within distance.

It was Italy that took the first points of the game after 13 minutes, when they were awarded a penalty Try. Mike Blair was penalised for collapsing another scrum, and the 5 points were awarded by the referee. The conversion was made by Andrea Marcato to make it 7-0.

Scotland burst back with a well-fought and played out Try, scored by Hogg and converted by Paterson to make it 7-7. A further penalty on 25 minutes, taken by Dan Parks, put the Scots well in control approaching the half hour mark. The score gave Scotland the impetus, and they soon found their best play of the championship, displaying excellent rugby skill and control.

The scores were levelled again after 36 minutes, though, when Italy full-back Andrea Marcato slotted a long penalty from just inside Scotland’s half. But Scotland weren’t done, and scored their second Try right on the stroke of half time. Mike Blair picked up a loose ball in midfield and screamed through the Italy defence to score, which was easily converted by Paterson to make it 10-17 to the visitors.

Scotland came out after the break looking lively, but Italy won a penalty when Strokosch was ruled to have come in from the side. The kick was missed, though, and Scotland breathed a sight of relief.

Italy defended well for long periods in the face of some strong Scotland possession, with errors beginning to play a large part of the midfield battle. But they got their act together to bag another Try on 59 minutes, after Dan Parks’s loose pass was intercepted by Sergio Parisse, who thundered up the field in a fast break. He passed to Canale to score, and Marcato converted to level the scores again at 17-17.

Italy went on the upper foot and took a penalty after 68 minutes, which was then cancelled out a few minutes later by that man Paterson again, to make it 20-20 with 8 minutes to play.

Then in the final play of the match, and with the game looking like petering into a draw, Marcato kicked home a drop goal after a poor ruck, and Italy won the game by 23-20 – two short of what they needed to pass the Wooden Spoon to Scotland.

Scotland will be gutted to have lost this one, despite the fact they won’t have to take the Wooden Spoon home for a successive year, as it is Italy who take all the spoils from this match. Failing to capitalise after their result against England last week, Scotland have never looked in poorer shape for many years.

Teams

Italy
Marcato, Robertson, Canale, Bergamasco, Galon, Masi, Picone, Lo Cicero, Ghiraldini, Castrogiovanni, del Fava, Bortolami, Sole, Zanni, Parisse.

Replacements: Travagli for Masi (61), Patrizio for Picone (63), Perugini for Lo Cicero (57), Ongaro for Ghiraldini (68), Nieto for Castrogiovanni (57). Not Used: Erasmus, Sgarbi.

Scotland
Southwell, Danielli, Webster, Morrison, Parks, Paterson, Blair, Jacobsen, Thomson, Murray, Hines, MacLeod, Strokosch, Hogg, Taylor.

Replacements: Henderson for Danielli (6), R. Lawson for Thomson (53), Smith for Murray (58), White for MacLeod (53), Brown for Hogg (71). Not Used: S. Lawson, Dickinson.

Statistics and Info

Italy
Tries: 2
Cons: 2
Pens: 2
D/Goal: 1

Scotland
Tries: 2
Cons: 2
Pens: 1

Man of the Match: Alasdair Strokosch (SCO)
Referee: Ref: N Owens (WAL)

Italy v Scotland (Sat, 1pm)
England v Ireland (Sat, 3pm)
Wales v France (Sat, 5pm)

The Six Nations Rugby Championship for 2008 comes to a close this weekend with all to play for in each of the three matches. In Rome, both Scotland and Italy will be fighting it out for pride and to avoid the Wooden Spoon, in London, the Millennium Trophy will be awarded to the winners, and in Cardiff, both teams can win the title; Wales though, with the chance of a Grand Slam.

Here’s the rundown on all of the three matches, which are all scheduled for this Saturday – one after the other – in a terrific afternoon of sport, all of which will be screened live on the BBC.

Italy v Scotland

Scotland face a tough match in Rome this weekend, with the danger of complacency looming over them, after their superb win against England last Saturday. Scotland will play an Italian side battling hard to gain some pride back from a poor championship, and Italy will want to avoid winning the Wooden Spoon, which they can only achieve if they beat Scotland by five points.

In previous outings, it is Italy that have proved the better team, beating Scotland twice in their last four Six Nations meetings in Rome. Scotland will also remember losing to them last year at Murrayfield, when Italy had the match tied up after only 10 minutes.

Italy are traditionally a banana skin for any team, as England found out earlier this year when they visited Rome, as Italy are an aggressive outfit, especially when at home.

When Frank Hadden’s side faced England last week, it was on the back of three bruising defeats by France, Wales, and Ireland. But the Scots will have to be more clinical against the Italians, and avoid basic errors in defence, if they are to take anything away from this game.

However, I fear Italy will be too strong on the day, and will take the win by more than five points, leaving Scotland with the Wooden Spoon, which on reflection of their tournament so far, and the England game aside, is no more than they deserve.

Colin’s Tip: Italy to win

England v Ireland

Ireland name Ronan O’Gara as their new captain last week, who was since quoted as saying he “will accept personal responsibility” if the team put out another poor display when they travel to Twickenham to play England. O’Gara wants to make history by leading Ireland, to what could be their third successive victory in London.

Although this match will only decide who finishes third overall, both team coaches, Eddie O’Sullivan and Brian Ashton, have found themselves under immense pressure off the back of their recent results. Job security is at stake for more than the players.

So far this year, Ireland have fallen to eighth in the world rankings – their lowest ever position – and a bad loss at Twickenham would complete their worst Six Nations championship since 1999.

England face the Irish at quite possibly a good time, in that they are still reeling from their defeat by Scotland last week. Ireland will have to watch for England throwing everything at them in this game, to ensure they don’t finish the championship with a home loss.

Ireland might consider themselves to be favourites going into the game, having already beaten England in all four meetings since Martin Johnson’s side were crowned world champions in 2003.

But England will be ready for them, led by Phil Vickery, who has impressed on the players the need for nothing else but a powerful, controlled performance.

Colin’s Tip: Ireland to Win

Wales v France

The big one. Should Wales win by 20 points they will take the Six Nations championship through a Grand Slam victory, and after the tournament they have had, only France look capable of coming close to beating them.

Confidence is high in the Welsh ranks, and coach Warren Gatland has admitted the squad has seen an amazing turnaround since the World Cup last year. Holding his players back may be his biggest problem.

France travel to Cardiff confident, but with a niggling doubt in their mind after suffering a humiliating defeat at home to England only a couple of short weeks ago. It proved they are unbeatable and their dent in confidence could be just what Wales were hoping for.

But with the Welsh choir of 50,000+ behind them, and a team sailing on the sea of belief, I doubt that even the French will be able to stop this red juggernaut from slowing down.

It’s Wales for the title, and the Grand Slam.

Colin’s Tip: Wales to Win

France 25-13 Italy
Sun 9 March, 2008
Stade de France, Paris

France beat Italy to win the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy, and in doing so kept their Six Nations title hopes very much alive.

France came into the game with a side full of changes, in an attempt to transform the team that lost to England in Paris the week before. The changes proved fruitful, despite an early Lionel Nallet score inside the first five minutes being chalked off for a penalty executed before the referee was ready.

Quarter of an hour gone, though, and the French stamped their authority on the match through a 25 yard maul that worked its way into the heart of the Italian 22. The play resulted in deft chip to the corner, which was flicked across beautifully by Malzieu allowing Floch to score his first international Try.

Yachvili converted, but Italy fought back quickly through a Marcato penalty, giving the home side something to think about. But things went downhill quickly for the Azzuri, when Canale was penalised for cynically taking out Frenchmen Jauzion, while he ran through to chase the ball.

Yachvili scored easily from the kick, and a further two penalties from Marcato and Yachvili respectively, made the score 13-6 to France at half time.

Both sides took time to settle in the second half, but France were first to find their feet through a Yauzion Try, giving the French a comfortable lead at 18-6. Yet again, though, Italy fought back with determination and guts, when Castrogiovanni drove over the line after bravely kicking a penalty kick into touch. The conversion was made by Marcato, and suddenly Italy were only five behind at 18-13 with 20 minutes remaining.

Bergamasco brilliantly denied France a certain Try with a tackle on the line, to give Italy real hope of pulling something amazing out of the bag, but France flexed their ample muscles one last time just when it was needed, and Rougerie scored what was an easy Try in the end. Yachvili converted, and the game was all but over.

The win has put France into second position in the table, giving them an outside chance of retaining the title. They have to beat Wales in Cardiff next weekend to do so, and need to do it with a margin of 20 points. But given the history of recent final weekends in this championship, the only thing guaranteed next weekend is another nail-biting finish to the 2008 Six Nations Championship.

Teams

France
Floch; Rougerie, David, Jauzion, Malzieu, Trinh-Duc; Yachvili, Barcella, Szarzewski, Mas, Nallet, Thion, Diarra, Ouedraogo, Picamoles.

Replacements: Traille for David (60), Tomas for Yachvili (71), Guirado for Szarzewski (63), Poux for Mas (62), Mela for Thion (68), Bonnaire for Diarra (50).
Not Used: Clerc.

Italy
Marcato; Robertson, Canale, Bergamasco, Galon; Masi, Picone; Lo Cicero, Ghiraldini, Castrogiovanni, Del Fava, Bortolami, Sole, Zanni, Parisse.

Replacements: Patrizio for Canale (75), Travagli for Picone (69), Perugini for Lo Cicero (56), Ongaro for Ghiraldini (56), Nieto for Castrogiovanni (59).
Not Used: Erasmus, Sgarbi.

Statistics and Info

France
Tries: 3
Cons: 2
Pens: 2

Italy
Tries: 1
Con: 1
Pens: 2

Man of the Match: Aurleen Rougerie (FRA)
Referee: Alan Lewis (IRE)

Scotland 15-9 England
Sat 8 March, 2008
Murrayfield, Edinburgh

Scotland claimed a famous victory, and their first of the 2008 Six Nations Championship, to take the scalp of their most famous opponents, England. In a less than pretty match to watch, Scotland came out top to finally give their long suffering supporters something to sing about.

With heavy rain and a swirling wind around Murrayfield, the conditions weren’t conducive to producing a classic game of rugby, but as Scotland proved, handling the elements can be as important a factor of this game as kicking or passing.

The main talking before the game was the sensational dropping of Danny Cipriani from the English side, after he was caught leaving a night club in the early hours of Thursday morning. And with criticism of England stalwart kicker Jonny Wilkinson mounting, things were never going to be easy for the English, still reeling from their World Cup Final defeat, but on a high after last weekend’s win against France.

Scotland took an early lead with a trademark penalty from Chris Paterson after only nine minutes. The kick was his 27th successful goal kick at international level. By the end of the game he made that tally 30, with no misses, and another match with a 100% kicking record.

Rory Lamont suffered what appeared to be a very serious head injury midway through the first half, when Iain Balshaw followed through with his legs to crash into the Scotland players skull. Knocked unconscious for several minutes, Lamont was eventually carried off the field of play on a stretcher, after medical attention and oxygen, and was rushed to hospital. Reports later said he was recovering well.

Despite the tackle, Balshaw was amazingly allowed to stay on the field, and the referee further confused most people watching, by awarding a penalty to the visiting team.

This only seemed to spur Scotland on, and in the face of intense English pressure the Scotland defence held well. England kicked to touch to go for Tries instead direct kicks at goal, but still the Scotland defence stood up to the task tackling anything in a white shirt that moved.

Wilkinson’s penalty after 27 minutes took the game to 3-3, but it also saw Neil Jenkins’ world record beaten, as Wilkinson becomes the highest scorer in the history of Test rugby with 1099 points.

Scotland fought back into it, driving forward and scoring two more Paterson penalties to give them a lead of 9-3 lead at the interval.

Scotland began the second half in similar fashion, going 15-3 ahead with two penalties from Paterson and Parks respectively. Neither side created much in attack for a period, mostly due to equally strong defences, but it was Scotland that slowly seemed get the upper hand in possession and strong drives into the England pack.

The traditional England loss of discipline when forced into a corner reared its ugly head once more, which Scotland reacted to well, refusing to become embroiled in such negative tactics. But Wilkinson took advantage of some Scotland errors, and managed to take two further penalty kicks before the end, cutting the gap between the teams to only six points with ten minutes to go.

With England now within a Try of taking the game, and Scotland battling hard to stay ahead, Wilkinson’s inability to remain a consistent force showed up, when he was substituted along with captain Phil Vickery. Their withdrawal unsettled England, who perhaps rely too heavily on too few payers to form a team. The change allowed Scotland took take the upper hand again, and as the clock ticked down, the fans inside Murrayfield created a cauldron of noise to spur the players over the finish line.

When the full time whistle blew Murrayfield, Edinburgh, and Scotland erupted in joy. The Calcutta Cup was paraded and a long party into the wee sma’ hours began. They deserved the victory on the day, and again have something fond to look back on, but the result can’t mask what will still be considered a very unsuccessful campaign if they don’t start building on it soon.

The one thing on every Scot’s lips on Saturday night was: “Why can’t they play like that for every game?”

Teams

Scotland
Southwell; Lamont, Webster, Morrison, Walker; Paterson, Blair; Jacobsen, Ford, Murray, Hines, MacLeod,Strokosch, Taylor, Hogg.

Replacements: Parks for Lamont (21), Lawson for Blair (76), Dickinson for Jacobsen (64), Thomson for Ford (25), Smith for Murray (68), White for MacLeod (63), Brown for Hogg (72).

England
Balshaw; Sackey, Noon, Flood, Vainikolo; Wilkinson, Wigglesworth; Sheridan, Mears, Vickery, Shaw, Borthwick, Croft, Easter, Lipman.

Replacements: Tait for Flood (66), C. Hodgson for Wilkinson (70), Chuter for Mears (67), Stevens for Vickery (70), Kay for Shaw (66), Narraway for Lipman (73).
Not Used: P. Hodgson.

Statistics and Info

Scotland
Pens: 5

England
Pens: 3

Man of the Match: Mike Blair (SCO)
Referee: Ref: J Kaplan (SA)

Ireland 12-16 Wales
Sat 8 March, 2008
Croke Park, Dublin

Wales took the Triple Crown in front of 76,000 rugby fans crammed into Croke Park. In a pulsating encounter, they battle hard and pulled out all the stops against a strong Irish team. The result sets Wales up for a Grand Slam decider against France in Cardiff next weekend.

It was Ireland that began the match on the upper foot, though, with some confident early running, which forced Wales into conceding a quick penalty. Ronan O’Gara put Ireland ahead with a trademark kick between the posts to make it 3-0.

Hayes then collapsed a scrum directly in front of the Irish goal, and Stephen Jones incredibly missed the resulting penalty, which would have levelled the score.

Ireland again forced their way forward, pushing hard against the Welsh pack and forcing Wales into conceding another penalty, also kicked by O’Gara to make the score 6-0.

With Ireland looking strong and Wales in somewhat disarray, Horgan came within centimetres of the line before a superb tackle from Mike Phillips ended his Try attempt. Wales came battling back, and an Irish error gave Jones a chance to redeem his earlier miss, this time making no mistake when he scored Wales’ first points of the match to make it 6-3.

Jones then went on to miss another kick, but Wales were by now starting to put more pressure on the Irish side, who all credit to them, defended well for long periods against some fierce play. A penalty seemed inevitable in the end, when scrum-half Mike Phillips forced his knee into Marcus Horan’s rib cage. The assault earned him a trip to the sin bin, and cost Wales the opportunity to level the scores before half-time.

Despite being a player down, Wales managed to rally and were awarded a penalty shortly before half time. They turned down the kicking chance to go for a Try, and succeeded in the shape of a Shane Williams. Stephen Jones converted from a wide angle, and suddenly Wales were in total control with a half-time lead of 6-13.

Into the second half and Ireland came out fighting again, but looked like they were still rattled from Wales’ earlier comeback. Heaslip spotted a gap early on, but lost the chance after a cynical foul by Martyn Williams who tripped Eoin Reddan, and became the second Welsh player to visit the sin bin.

O’Gara punished the Welsh with two penalties in two minutes, to put Ireland within a point within a point of Wales with only 12 minutes of the game left. But Irish eyes weren’t smiling, when Ireland substitute Bernard Jackman battered into the Welsh captain, Ryan Jones, outside of play, and right in front of the referee.

The penalty was awarded, and James Hook kicked to make the final score Ireland 12, Wales 16.

Teams

Ireland
R Kearney ; S Horgan , B O’Driscoll (capt), A Trimble , T Bowe ; R O’Gara , E Reddan ; M Horan , R Best , J Hayes , D O’Callaghan , P O’Connell , D Leamy , D Wallace , J Heaslip .

Replacements: B Jackman for Best (71), T Buckley for Hayes (71), M O’Driscoll , S Easterby (Scarlets), P Stringer , P Wallace , L Fitzgerald for B. O’Driscoll (71).

Wales
L Byrne ; M Jones, T Shanklin, G Henson , S Williams ; S Jones, M Phillips ; G Jenkins, M Rees, A Jones , I Gough , AW Jones , J Thomas , M Williams, R Jones (capt).

Replacements: G Williams, D Jones for A. Jones (72), I Evans, G Delve for R. Jones (75), D Peel, J Hook for S. Jones (65), S Parker.

Sin Bin: Phillips (39), M. Williams (62).

Statistics and Info

Ireland
Pens: 4

Wales
Tries: 1
Con: 1
Pens: 3

Man of the Match: Shane Williams (WAL)
Referee: Wayne Barnes (ENG)