2019 6 Nations Round 1 Review

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 ball down. Huget had been pivotal to France’s early attacking play, racing in to score a try of his own minutes after ever-present Louis Picamoles had bulldozed over for the first score of the night. The first half was littered by kicking and handling errors from both sides, Gareth Anscombe of Wales being the main culprit, but it was a Camille Lopez drop goal right on half time that added to France’s overwhelming lead. With the new centre combination of Wesley Fofana and Romain Ntamack showing promise and full-back Maxime Medard looking a constant threat, the points seemed in the bag for Jacques Brunel’s men, who were looking to win their opening 6 Nations match for the first time since 2016. However, a dormant Wales back line sprung into life in the second half, as a brilliant Josh Adams line break and offload left scrum-half Tomos Williams in the clear to score Wales’ first points of the match. Despite still having a clear lead, France became nervy and the fluidity evaporated out of the team, with more unforced errors creeping into the game. This culminated in Huget’s shocker, leaving Wales just 2 points behind on the scoreboard with half an hour still to play. Mass substitutions from both sides led to the pace of the game slowing considerably as France steadied the ship, and a ferocious tackle from new arrival Felix Lambey got the home crowd roaring again. An exchange of penalties between Lopez and substitute Dan Biggar meant France maintained their advantage going into the final 10 minutes and still looked on course for the win that should have been wrapped up a long time ago.

And yet they still managed to find a way. Three absurdly long France passes were ripe for interception, North finally picking off the third after Vahaamahina’s reckless attempt to keep the attack going proved to be fatal for France, as their final attack was ended prematurely by a knock-on. Warren Gatland’s post-match remarks summed the whole event up perfectly, as he proudly told reporters his team had “forgotten how to lose” as they secured their 10^th win in a row in scintillating style, while France have certainly forgotten how to win as they became the first team in 6 Nations history to blow a 16-point lead.

Scotland 33-20 Italy

It was certainly a more predictable affair in Murrayfield, although a late Italy fightback tainted what was otherwise a supreme Scotland display. Tomasso Allan opened the scoring for Italy from the kicking tee, but it did not take Scotland long to get in front as an inch-perfect cross-field kick from Finn Russell not only exposed the glaring holes in the Italian defence but also led to the first try of the game as Blair Kinghorn gathered brilliantly before winning the short dash to the line. A textbook display of offensive passing culminated in Kinghorn getting his second try of the match soon after, again diving into the left corner to make it 12-3 to the Scots. The half-time break was welcomed by Italy, who had been relying more heavily than usual on talismanic captain Sergio Parisse, but the interlude did nothing to dampen Scotland’s spirit as first Tommy Seymour then Huw Jones broke through the Italian back line. Russell continued to dictate play and a delightful grubber kick into the in-goal area seemed to have just escaped the grasps of Stuart Hogg, but a TMO review showed the Exeter-bound full-back had in fact got his fingertips to the ball and applied enough downward pressure to satisfy referee Luke Pearce. A complete refusal from the Italians to attack meant Scotland remained on the front foot, and the bonus point was secured when a perfectly executed dummy from Kinghorn sent 2 Italians the wrong way and left a clear path to the try line, the Edinburgh wideman needing no further invitation to score the first hat-trick of his international career. Criminal kicking from Italy continued to gift Hogg the ball in attacking positions and the Azzurri were rightly punished, with one line-break leading to a Chris Harris try while a brilliant solo effort from Hogg himself was harshly chalked off for obstruction.

At 33-3 and with 10 minutes to go, Scotland were cruising to an impressive victory that was just as solid defensively as it was brilliant offensively. However, a series of penalties conceded in their own twenty-two made a yellow card inevitable, and replacement prop Simon Berghan being sent to the sin bin proved to be the catalyst for three quick Italian tries, the most impressive being finished off by Angelo Esposito after an unselfish pass from fellow winger Michele Campagnaro. Failure to convert two of their tries reduced the effect of Italy’s late charge, but they still reduced the first deficit to a much more respectable 13 points as late defensive frailties certainly give Gregor Townsend and his men something to work on before their clash with Ireland next weekend.

Ireland 20-32 England

Ireland went into this game as the overwhelmingly favourites for the first time in their history, but they were met by a ferocious England side who were determined to exorcise the ghosts of their 2018 campaign. Eddie Jones had clearly whipped his players into a frenzy before kick-off as they came out firing on all cylinders, blowing Ireland away early on as a very risky pass from captain Owen Farrell paid off and created a two-on-one situation in the corner. Full-back Elliot Daly got his pass off and left Jonny May in the clear to score in the corner, giving England a surprise lead after just 2 minutes. It was England’s first try in Ireland since 2011, and they continued to take the game to Ireland, who were caught off guard by their opponent’s intent. A soft penalty gave Ireland some much-needed time in England’s half, and a lengthy spell in England territory was rewarded with a converted penalty from Johnny Sexton as Ireland began to grow into the game. The Irish’s spirits were further buoyed by the dismissal of England flanker Tom Curry, albeit for just 10 minutes after a late tackle on Keith Earls. Eddie Jones will have been impressed by how resolutely his side defended for much of the sin bin period as the score remained 3-7, but unrelenting Irish pressure led to Cian Healy capping off a move that has become synonymous with Ireland, as a driving maul from the lineout was followed by a few phases before Healy got the ball over the line. Many a team would have folded after going behind to such a physical and ruthless side, but England refused to shrink away and accept defeat like they had done in 2017 and 2018. Billy Vunipola and Manu Tuilagi continued to carry England past the gain line, while it became a guarantee that Johnny May would successfully claim every ball that went into the air. The moment to strike came minutes before half time when Elliot Daly grubber-kicked the ball behind the Irish defence for Jack Nowell to chase. The Exeter wing applied enough pressure on Jacob Stockdale for last year’s player of the championship to spill the ball and gift a try to Daly, followed by a Farrell conversion and then penalty right on the stroke of half-time to put England 7 points ahead. A conscientious moment in the first half was a disallowed England try where Mako Vunipola appeared to have stretched England’s advantage to over 10, only for the TMO to judge that there had been a double movement, a decision that was universally criticised by the matchday pundits, and rightly so.

Still, the ball was in England’s court, and Ireland’s head coach Joe Schmidt attempted to respond at half-time by bringing on attacking starlet Jordan Larmour, but the Ireland attack seemed subdued in the second half as England began to dominate. It had become apparent early on that England intended to kick the ball high and towards makeshift full-back Robbie Henshaw, but Ireland were still unable to deal with it, as half-back combo Youngs and Farrell kept Ireland penned in their own half. Although another Sexton penalty narrowed the margin to 4, and England were forced to bring off the immense Maro Itoje due to injury, replacement Courtney Lawes wasted no time in unleashing a crunching tackle targeted at the ribs of Sexton. The decisive moment came when an instinctive boot downfield from May sat up kindly for onrushing centre Henry Slade, who beat opposite number Gareth Ringrose to ground the ball before it went dead and send the travelling England fans into delirium as the advantage grew to 9 with just 15 minutes to go. What had seemed almost impossible before kick-off was becoming more and more likely as the seconds went by.

Despite missing an earlier attempt at goal, Farrell excelled in the role of captain for possibly the first time, and his mercurial performance was rounded off superbly when the Saracens fly-half landed a monster penalty from 47 yards to wrap up the win. Ireland knew the game was up, and when Sexton’s desperate pass was somehow scooped up by Slade to register England’s 4^th try of the match, the home crowd were stunned into disbelief. A late Ireland try from Cooney did nothing to turn the tide, and the full time whistle was greeted with jubilation from England players and fans. It shows how far Ireland have come under Joe Schmidt that this result is considered to be a shock, but it is undoubtedly a huge blow to a side who had been brimming with confidence and seemingly on course for a 2^nd Grand Slam in a row. Ireland must now pick themselves up and head to Murrayfield next week back on form, while England will head into their encounter with France with eyes on the main prize, a thought that they may have previously not dared to dream of.