What to look out for in round 3
ENGLAND V WALES
ENGLAND and Wales collide in a key showdown at Twickenham this afternoon.
Neither rival can afford another loss if they want to stay in the hunt for championship glory, with both having opened the 2022 tournament with defeats before bouncing back in round two.
Eddie Jones’ England were bested by auld enemies Scotland once again at Murrayfield after a late meltdown, but recovered to ease past perennial wooden spoon recipients Italy 33-0 in Rome last time out.
Wayne Pivac’s injuryplagued Wales, meanwhile, opened their title defence with a 29-7 loss to Ireland in Dublin, though then showed tremendous determination to sneak past Scotland 20-17 in Cardiff courtesy of stand-in captain Dan Biggar’s late drop goal.
IRELAND V ITALY
IRELAND will be overwhelming favourites to return to winning ways against Italy tomorrow.
Andy Farrell’s side are hoping to keep their championship hopes alive after suffering a potentially crucial defeat to France last time out.
Ireland more than played their part in a thrilling tussle in Paris in round two with tries from Mack Hansen, Josh van der Flier and Jamison Gibson-Park, but evento tually succumbed to a 30-24 loss that keeps France on track for a potential Grand Slam.
The Italy visit presents a perfect opportunity for the Men in Green to swiftly recover some momentum.
SCOTLAND V FRANCE
SCOTLAND will hope to provide another insurmountable hurdle to France’s hopes of winning the Six Nations when the two countries clash today.
Les Bleus are the firm favourites finally end their 12-year wait for championship glory this year after following up a straightforward opening win over Italy with a bruising home defeat of chief title rivals Ireland.
However, France have tended to struggle against the Scots in recent years, needing a bonus point and a winning margin of 21 points in last year’s final match to win the tournament, only to lose to Gregor Townsend’s side in Paris for the first time since 1999 courtesy of Duhan van der Merwe’s last-gasp try.
In 2020, their Grand Slam dreams came crashing down after prop Mohamed Haouas’s red card for punching Jamie Ritchie, with England going on to claim the title. France will be confident of avoiding such a disaster this time around, though Scotland did once again topple the English at Murrayfield on opening weekend before being bested in disappointing fashion by injuryplagued Wales in Cardiff last time out courtesy of Dan Biggar’s late drop goal.