England strike telling blow in Lions year

England’s 30-3 Six Nations defeat in Cardiff in 2013 had a decisive impact on Warren Gatland’s British and Irish Lions squad that summer, with the way the red rose wilted under the intense Millennium Stadium atmosphere paving the way for captain Chris Robshaw to miss out on the squad.

This time around, it was England that did the talking and sent a message to Gatland – leave us out at your peril. With two rounds down, England remain the only unbeaten team left in the Six Nations, and the likes of Elliot Daly and Maro Itoje are putting their hands up for a first XV birth in Gatland’s squad.

The positive is that Wales did not wilt like England did four years’ ago, but while the individuals in red at the Principality Stadium did not play themselves out of the squad, those in white may have played them out of the starting line-up.

Ireland find the right way to blow off the cobwebs

The best medicine for an opening weekend is to take on the weakest team in the Six Nations and run nine tries past them in a 63-10 rout. Ireland sent out a statement that they’re far from done in this year’s championship, and claimed the first try-scoring bonus point of the tournament to boot.

That additional point is an important one, as it currently puts them in front of Wales, Scotland and France, with all four picking up losing bonus points in the one game they each lost. With England still due to travel to Dublin on the final weekend of the championship, Ireland need to make sure they win all their matches and hope they’ve racked up enough bonus points to beat England to the title. This championship is still far from over.

Six Nations team of the weekend - round two Show all 15 1 /15 Six Nations team of the weekend - round two Six Nations team of the weekend - round two stuart-hogg3.jpg Bagged his third try of the tournament as his footwork left Baptiste Serin of France on his heels. Could have done better to prevent Gael Fickou’s score, but his attacking flair still ensured he was the standout 15 this weekend. Six Nations team of the weekend - round two elliot-daly1.jpg His match-winning try will go down in English folklore, but it was his determination to chase Dan Biggar and beat him to the loose ball after his interception that saved England in Cardiff. Has jettisoned into Lions contention over the last two weeks. Six Nations team of the weekend - round two garry-ringrose1.jpg If he eased himself in last weekend Ringrose dazzled against Italy as he beat five men and made more metres than anyone else in Rome rout. Bagged a try of his own for good measure. Six Nations team of the weekend - round two gael-fickou1.jpg A constant thorn in the Scottish defences’ side as he combined power and precision to burst open gaps in the line. Took his try very well, reaching out to score that immediately capped the Scots’ momentum. Six Nations team of the weekend - round two liam-williams1.jpg Just ousts Simon Zebo thanks to his illusive running against solid defender Jack Nowell and beautiful line the cut through the England defence and score on the stroke of half-time. Had another chance when he combined with Jonathan Davies, and unlucky to be on the losing side come the full-time whistle. Six Nations team of the weekend - round two dan-biggar1.jpg About as good a defensive display as you will see from a full-back. Made an exceptional 14 tackles as Nathan Hughes tried to ram the ball down his throat, and his interception on his own line saved Wales from conceding and gained them 80m in the process. Unlucky not to bag himself a try, as the combination of Nowell, Daly and a forward pass robbed him of three chances to score. Getty Six Nations team of the weekend - round two rhys-webb.jpg Unlucky not to score when his lunge for the line saw him ground the ball short, but he opened the space for Liam Williams to touch down with a smart line at the English defence. Could find himself in trouble for what looked to be a deliberate knee to Maro Itoje though. Six Nations team of the weekend - round two cian-healy.jpg A very good showing from the loosehead as he got the better of Sinckler in the scrum and it was fitting that he departed in the 51st minute by winning a penalty at the set-piece. Six Nations team of the weekend - round two niall-scannell.jpg In at the last minute following Rory Best’s unavailability through illness, Scannell coped exceptionally well and helped run a 100 per cent lineout in Rome. Chipped in with seven carries for a 21m gain too to allow the back-row and back line to take the glory. Six Nations team of the weekend - round two dan-cole.jpg Came up trumps for England when it mattered most as Wales chose to scrum a penalty that resulted in Cole turning in Rob Evans and relieving the pressure, proving the old dog still has some bite left in him. Six Nations team of the weekend - round two joe-launchbury.jpg A brilliant display of determination with the ball and grit without it as he led the way with the most tackles a well as the second-most carries, and combined with Itoje to drive home England’s advantage in the scrum. Six Nations team of the weekend - round two courtney-lawes.jpg One of his finest performances in an England shirt that proves he’s another benefitting from the Eddie Jones effect. One bone-shuddering hit on Biggar set the tone for England’s defensive display, and also contributed with an impressive 20 tackles. Six Nations team of the weekend - round two cj-stander.jpg Three tries will always go a long way to getting you in the team of the week for any flanker, but that only tells half of the story. The Munster man was unstoppable, making 73m and beating 11 defenders and helped put Italy out of the game before half time. Six Nations team of the weekend - round two kevin-gourdon.jpg The standout French forward as they imposed themselves on the Scottish pack, both in the scrum and the loose. Scotland had no answer when it came to scrum time, but it was Gourdon’s running with the ball in hand that really stood out and he also put in some monster hits defensively as the opposition crumbled. Six Nations team of the weekend - round two nathan-hughes.jpg Beats Jamie Heaslip to the shirt by the slimmest of margins, but it was his ability to break the gain line that wins him the shirt. Smashed his way through the line with 22 carries and his 75 metres contributed enormously, none more so than the smart break from the base of a ruck that led to three points.

Scots grow sick of being the brave

Ask any fan who watched France’s 22-16 win over Scotland to describe Vern Cotter’s side and more often than not you’ll hear the word “brave” crop up. It’s a label quite frequently used in relation to Scotland in the years under Vern Cotter, but it is not one they enjoy hearing as it usually refers to a defeat.

Had Scotland held on against the French when they took the lead through Tim Swinson’s try, they would be celebrating a famous victory in Paris that ended their 18-year barren spell. Instead, the loss brings back the idea that Scotland are still just a yard short of challenging at the very top of the tree.

Italy stuck in a decline

The table makes bleak reading for Italy. Conor O’Shea’s side have already shipped 96 points in their two opening defeats, and a five-point gap has already opened up between them and the nearest challengers.

But what will be more alarming, particularly for O’Shea, is how they collapsed in Rome on Saturday afternoon. While Italy may not win many matches, they at least make matters difficult for the opposition, especially when in front of their home fans. That they had already shipped 28 points by half-time made bleak viewing any Italians, and also added weight to the calls for relegation to be introduced.

There’s nothing quite like Cardiff under the lights

In The Independent’s predictions for the Six Nations, the anticipated highlight for me was a first trip to Cardiff for Wales vs England. It didn’t disappoint. From the Cardiff Arms Park Male Choir rousing the fans to the flamethrowers shooting high into the air as the teams emerged, everything was built up for a thunderous occasion.