Joe Green Sports

Scotland 13 – 22 Ireland Scotland began at a ferocious tempo, unlucky not be rewarded with a try as Tommy Seymour was tackled just short of the line, but an early penalty gave the home side an early advantage. Orchestrated brilliantly by the half-back combo of Grieg Laidlaw and Finn Russell, the Scots continued to pile on the pressure, only for all their hard work to be undone on 10 minutes when Tommy Seymour failed to deal with a Jacob Stockdale kick, attempting a quick offload but instead chucking the ball over the head of Sean Maitland as if he played for France and leaving Connor Murray in the clear. The scrum-half registered the first try of the match, although Johnny Sexton, who had already taken a number of big hits, missed a seemingly straightforward conversion, as the fly-half seemed to be already nursing several injuries. Sexton put his body on the line just a few minutes later as he was on the receiving end of another massive tackle, but not before playing a clever insid...

Player of the Week Henry Slade’s performance against Ireland finally silenced the doubters, whose numbers had been dwindling anyhow, that had questioned his constant selection at 13, but Eddie Jones’ faith in the Exeter centre paid off in abundance as Slade was not only instrumental in terms of the scoreline, but helped orchestrate the team as a 2 nd fly-half alongside Owen Farrell, and also acted as the perfect contrast to the bulldozing Manu Tuilagi, which added variety to England’s attack and caused Ireland countless problems. Slade’s two tries reflected his determination and tenacity that drove England forward, the first a successful chase and retrieval of Jonny May’s kick that had seemed a lost cause, the second a stunning interception where the Chiefs man plucked Johnny Sexton’s pass out of the air then somehow maintained control of the bobbling ball at full stretch before scoring. Slade’s versatility was also showcased when in the dying minutes he began to be the one kickin...

Many had been hoping that the opening round of the 2019 6 Nations would start to provide some answers for fans as to which team is most likely to come out on top, not just in this championship but also in the rapidly approaching World Cup in Japan. Three try-packed games later, and the picture is no clearer, with a consecutive Irish Grand Slam attempt falling at the first hurdle, Scotland impressing without ever hitting top speed, and the French being as French as ever. France 19-24 Wales It all began in Paris on Friday night, when France showed the rest of the world exactly how to bottle a 16-0 lead in style. George North couldn’t believe his luck after first Yoann Huget then Sebastien Vahaamahina put it on a plate for the winger, who opportunely finished off both chances. Huget’s error was maybe not the worst but certainly the most spectacular, as the Toulouse man managed to spill the ball on his try line right into the path of the grateful North, who just had to dot the ba...