How Ciara and Genge amounted to a perfect storm

Ireland and France are the only teams that can win a Six Nations Grand Slam this season following the second-round action. Here, Courier Sport assesses some of the talking points that emerged from a weather-dominated weekend.

Storm Ciara did its worst

The weather forecasters got it spot-on as Storm Ciara blew in and left its mark on round two of the Six Nations. Conditions at Murrayfield for England’s Calcutta Cup victory over Scotland were pretty much unplayable with powerful winds and driving rain making the match a lottery. While Dublin initially escaped lightly in comparison as Ireland beat Wales, matters deteriorated on Sunday with flight cancellations leaving many Welsh fans stranded.

Scotland’s campaign overshadowed by Townsend-Russell saga

There appears no end in sight to a damaging episode for Scottish rugby. Fly-half Finn Russell gave a newspaper interview on Sunday where he was quoted as saying: “The current situation, set-up and environment, I don’t think I want to play in that.” All the talk remains about Townsend and Russell, rather than what is happening, or not happening, on the pitch. It is time for the SRU to take the lead and mediate.

Ellis Genge is a warrior

There is something wonderfully old school about England prop Genge. The 24-year-old Bristolian, right, scored the only try in Saturday’s 13-6 victory over Scotland and delivered an outstanding display following his 57th-minute arrival as a substitute.

Equally as impressive, though, were the honest, forthright opinions he expressed during a round of post-match media interviews on all manner of topics. Whether you agree with him or not, it hardly matters. In an age of often robotic players speaking on auto-pilot Genge is someone to be cherished.

Wales let down by the basics Wales were strangely flat and

uninspiring against Ireland. There were issues over Wales’ defensive formation at times, but often it was nothing more complicated than simply passing a ball and catching it. Spilled possession led to two Irish tries and, while Ireland could scarcely believe their luck, they took maximum advantage.

France enjoy home comforts – now for away-day blues?

France, revitalised under head coach Fabien Galthie, could not have made a better start to the Six Nations, beating England and Italy in Paris. Eight tries and 59 points across those two games underline how immediate Galthie’s impact has been, but they now travel to Cardiff and Edinburgh and recent history suggests they might get lost. France have not won an away Six Nations game against Wales since 2010 while it is two defeats on the bounce at Murrayfield, plus a World Cup warm-up loss last summer. Ireland at home on March 14 could potentially have a Grand Slam at stake.

Jamie Ritchie and Hamish Watson get to grips with England’s Sam Underhill in the Calcutta Cup clash at Murrayfield which ended in disappointment for the Dark Blues.