Rugby

Ireland looking proper solid too. So far.

Wales Scotland was scrappy if entertaining. Either side would be taken apart by England, Ireland or France.

France Ireland is a war of attrition. France has a smothering defence that is not letting Ireland play the phases they want. Ireland need to come out in the second half and play 10-15 yards wider of the breakdown. Properly commit two to each breakdown instead of relying on easy quick ball as France are just all over it causing Ire to over commit and lose players.

Also, French supporters can fuck off with their whistling during kicks

Sexton. Absolute genius.

Absolutely brilliant!

Worth the previous 70 minutes!

From Brian O'Driscolls Instagram after the match.

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^ Hahaha! Amazing. So bad it's brilliant.

I shall eat humble pie with my Scotland prediction also...

Anyone else feeling nervous about getting ill in Paris, if that's an example of the anatomy knowledge of the medical profession?

I am from France but wanted to congratulate England for the team built by both Lancaster and Jones.
Front row was good, Vunipola is a very interesting ball carrier, Coles is very limited/classic in the rugby approach but you have to have this type of player in the front row. Shame that George does not have the chance to be starting instead of Hartley, but Jones seems to like the tough dimension that Hartley could bring and I think he is very reliable for line-outs throws.
More and more impressed by Itoje that seems to play completely effortlessly at any position (second or back row) and with any type of play (defense or attack). Launchburry is not quite demonstrative but does the dirty/obscure work quite well and is pretty solid.
Was looking forward to see the back row in action as for me Lawes is more a second row but Jones does seem to have him accommodate good in the back row. Precious for line-outs as he is tall but "light" and good defender but in my opinion he does not offer much in attack.
I was pretty impressed by Simmonds performance both in defence and attack. Commentors of the match said he did not have much of a number 8 profile, but I am glad that he offers an alternative to "common" profiles as in my opinion there should be no such thing as a typical profile for a position (I am talking about profile rather than role if it makes sense). I read that Jones said he was not sure Simmonds could be big enough to play international 8 (which is understandable) but with what I saw yesterday he could very be international level by compensating his "lack" of size by a style of play mixed between speed, explosiveness and game intelligence. He might be smaller than others but he seems to have a good defensive spirit. Glad to see that you don't have to be hulk to perform at international level.
Quite liked the performance from Robshaw which is the type of player that does the important hard work in the shadows for the team, same as Launchbury.
Another player that I did not know was the sub Underhill, seems like he his a strong defensive force but does not seem to bring any difference in attack.

The association between Youngs and Ford was great, shame that Youngs got ruled out. What is the other option for scrum half after Care?

Very impressed also by Farell that I used to hate but found that his game and mostly his attitude have evolved strongly towards a reliable force for England. He is a ferocious defender, and seems to play effortlessly (like Itoje) in different style of play (kicking, passing, etc.).
Not much convinced by Te'o, but set pieces were very well executed (despite poor italian defense) and I found that both May and Watson injected the touch of speed required at the right moments. However, very poor defense from May on one italian try, he seems to be a little lost sometimes (which is not the case for Watson apparently).
Does England have any other option than Brown at fullback (except Watson)? He is surely reliable but does not quite seem to offer much in attack.

Quite impressed by a winger from Wales (number 11 I think? can't remember the name), performed different styles with speed, collisions, etc. but also by Scott Williams which seems very good. Nice performance of the forwards also with a dynamic style of play pleasant to watch. Richie Gray brother is definitely a huge player for Scotland, impressing family. Quite liked the hooker also and Watson. Russel did not seem to have his usual sparkle.

Can anyone tell me if Aki is any good for Ireland? I am very astonished that Ireland did need to make a foreign player play for them (same for Stander). I thought there was enough forces in Ireland but I admit that Stander can produce outstanding games, but don't know Aki at all.
Ballsy Sexton with the crosskick before the dropgoal.

Quite desesperate with France at the moment but we need a revolution for the whole system from the education of young players to the national Top 14. We are so late compared to other nations that it is scary and so obvious that it seems everyone is seeing it but us

This. Last thing you'd want is a dose of brain damage to the knee.

If you can get WiFi , BBC online has the games, not England though. Think ITV has some, but not sure whether they stream live.

BBC have the games where the home team begins with a consonant.
ITV have the games where the home team begins with a vowel.

[EDITED FOR CORRECTNESS]

(Yes, this is how they decided to split it up.)

Both stream live.

What? Wales and France both begin with a consonant and were both on the BBC. There's that theory gone out the window, unless you meant it the other way round.

[D'oh. Not so ninja edit.]

These itv commentators are terrible. One bloke in particular

ITV commentary is shite.. got my heart racing when wales came close to scoring tries second half..

How I hate England, but held on

England losing their composure...

Eat that, Jeremy Guscott

The disappointment of the Wales match / result is being turned over by the Scotland / England game.
Watching it with my Scottish mate is helping too.
As is the dozen cans of meantime

Not McEwans or Tennants, I am disappoint..

Buckfast coming up next

Scotland to beat England. Lolz

Didn't think you got cauliflower ears like that anymore!

So that's 1 team unbeaten and 2 with one loss?
Exciting - so so so so much better than rugby championship

Well Scotland sure showed England. England seemed to assume how the breakdown would happen and look lost when Scotland forced it and made better decisions. All those superstars looking pretty ordinary. Really like watching little hamish Watson.

Hope this is just a lesson for England on the road to a good world Cup...

Agreed - always thought Watson should've been pushing for a Lions test place and a shoo-in for the squad - never see him have a quiet game, nor me out muscled.

I do think England 'superstars' get some unfair stick. Most are equally as modest/humble as any other 6N player but I guess being the best/most successful team (on average year on year), a little bit like Man U of 90s, make them easy targets - especially as the media seems to inflate their ego. Much like Sco v Wales, England won't become poor overnight however I've been waiting (for longer than I expected) for them to be found out by a more determined team who refused to roll-over and accept a bludgeoning war of attrition defeat before the match had even started.
Well played Scotland

ffs Scotland throw away passes