In an interview with BBC Scum V Dale McIntosh label’s regional academies a “joke” in a stern warning to the WRU.
Since arriving in the South Wales Valleys from New Zealand, McIntosh has embraced Welsh club rugby and has earned himself a seat at the top table of icons to be involved with club rugby.
Having arrived in 1989, the ‘Chief’ got stuck into Welsh rugby with Pontypridd, and after two decades of playing he decided to call it a day after 454 games at Sardis Road, and two caps for Wales in 1996/97.
ELEVENSES PONTY TRIVIA
Earlier today we asked you to name the top 3⃣ try scoring forwards in our history? ?
They are –
1⃣ Tommy David – 171
2⃣ Mike Shellard – 74
3⃣ Dale McIntosh – 73
A few 2 out of 3’s across our platforms, well done all ?#WeArePonty #Ole
pic.twitter.com/vMIE5tv7m1
— Pontypridd RFC (@PontypriddRFC) August 31, 2020
He then took on the head coaching role at the club, before moving on to coach Cardiff Rugby, Merthyr RFC, and now has his sights set on the top job at Brecon RFC for next season, so he knows the ins and outs of the grassroots game in Wales.
With Wales men’s sides at under 20 and senior level struggling to compete, and with many people in Wales believing to have the right answer to the problems, BBC took to ‘Chief’ to label the problems.
How would The Chief change Welsh rugby? ?
? BBC Two Wales
? https://t.co/44074gm49v pic.twitter.com/6SeUN8eZ1c
— BBC ScrumV (@BBCScrumV) May 1, 2022
“The Academies are a joke” he labelled. Having coached in the Premiership since 2007 he has seen a fair share of talent graduate from the league and go on to represent the regions in the professional leagues and further, but in recent years there seems to be a lack of direction with how these young players can reach their maximum capabilities.
Now, you can’t expect every player as young as 18 to be able to cope with the physicality or have the skillset good enough to compete at the top level straight away. This is where the Premiership is used as a stepping stone for young players to develop their game.
“The academies should be evenly shared out between each Premiership club, and that’s not the case,
“What is the premiership for? Is it a community game? Or is it a pathway for the young kids in the academies to develop their rugby?.”
In recent years the meaning behind the Premiership has been tossed about, is it the pinnacle of amateur Welsh Club Rugby? Or has it just turned into a stepping stone for the next crop of elite?
It seems to fit in that grey area in the middle, but there needs to be a balance that allows each team a fair share of these academy players to compete evenly with each other.
The 2021/22 Indigo Group Premiership Winners Cardiff RFC have come under some scrutiny from fans of the league, having seamlessly brought the league’s integrity into dispute having a squad with numerous contracted professionals involved, being labelled as ‘Cardiff B’.
With fellow Premiership sides based in the region, such as Pontypridd RFC and Merthyr RFC not receiving quarter the amount that Cardiff RFC have had, how is that fair on the clubs, and the players who are not being released by the academies to these two clubs?
“If that’s the case then it needs to be run along the professional game, not the community game.”
An alternative solution would be to run an academies league alongside the professional competitions, a ‘United Rugby Championship U’23’ so to speak. It would bring the standard of the Premiership down, but in terms of developing the next crop of Welsh talent it seems a fairer way of policing the situation.
“We’ve all got a duty to the game, no matter what level you are coaching or playing, it’s about promoting a product for people to stay involved and send the right message out, then we can have more people playing and enjoying rugby.
Hopefully that way we can then keep Welsh Rugby sustainable at the top end.”
Like many others in Wales, ‘Chief’ just wants the best for the Game to strive in Wales in the future, hopefully the WRU can take some of his advice and come to a decision that will benefit all involved.
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The common spot for a Rugby Head Coach to watch their side is from the stands, with the main reason of getting a clearer view of the game.
Since the dawn of the professional game, directors of rugby and head coaches have taken shelter up in the stands, but why do the majority of the Top14 club coaches in France manage their team from the sidelines?
The first sport you think of when seeing coaches on the side is football and the absolute classic moments we have witnessed from this, such as the Louis Van Gaal dive, Mourinho knee slide, and Wenger standing on top of the dugout.
Coaches on the touchline needs to be a standard thing…pic.twitter.com/l9fmGmVNPs
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) May 3, 2022
But more recently we have seen these Top14 coaches clashing on the touchlines, with Ronan O’Gara being a repeat offender of getting into some touchline drama.
But during a time when men’s Rugby is finding it hard to appeal to a new and younger audience, could having these moments of overexuberance from the coaches help the game capture a wider audience?
It may seem a far stretch, but with Rugby’s coverage seemingly catered for the older generation, a shakeup like this could be the spark the sport could need.
Christophe Urios and Ronan O'Gara
? #UBBSR #TOP14 pic.twitter.com/rpIaXN289c
— Ottavio Arenella (@OttavioArenella) April 2, 2022
Most recently South African Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus swapped the comfort of the directors’ box in the stands for water carrier duties for the Springboks to carry on direct messages to the players that were sent from the stands.
There was outrage at the Rugby World with many calling for there to be laws in place that mean; no member of the coaching staff should be allowed near the pitch. But why are French club coaches always overlooked?
Another International coach who often positions himself near the touchline is England Head coach Eddie Jones, albeit for the last 15 minutes or so.
Jones, believes he got the inspiration of operating from the touchline during his time in Japan, and he told The Rugby Paper:
“Having that balance of being able to get how the game is evolving, and then add something to the emotional side of the game, could make it quite interesting.”
When it comes to entertainment value and being innovative in how we can make the game more exciting, we can most certainly look to Eddie Jones and football for that inspiration in innovation.
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England maintained their position at the top of the TikTok Women’s Six Nations table after thrashing Ireland 69-0 at Welford Road in front of a record-breaking crowd of 15,836. Meanwhile, France kept their Championship hopes alive with a win in Wales, and Italy beat Scotland for their first win of the campaign.
Lark Davies opened the scoring with barely two minutes shown on the clock, before the visitors were twice reduced to 14 women after the break when Dorothy Wall was sent to the sin bin and Sene Naoupu received a red card for a head-on tackle.
Local girl Emily Scarratt was given the honour of leading the Red Roses out on her 100th cap. Scarratt was in good form converting five tries as England added nine tries in the second half to run out comfortable winners. Davies, Lydia Thompson and Poppy Cleall bagged a brace of tries as Simon Middleton’s side ran riot in the second half to make it four wins out of four.
England’s nearest challengers are France who also made it four from four after a 33-5 victory at Cardiff Arms Park on Friday. France sealed the win thanks to a first-half which yielded 26 points without reply.
The victory for the French sets ups a mouth-watering winner takes all clash with England in Bayonne on Saturday afternoon.
England sit at the top of the pile by virtue of a far superior points difference which stands at plus 248 with France’s difference only 116.
The only other game played at the weekend featured Italy who defeated Scotland 20-13 to pick up their first win in the championship.
Italy fell 10-3 down at the break but a fine second-half comeback secured the win.
Alongside the winner takes all battle in France on Saturday, the final round of matches in the Six Nations will see Wales up against Italy with a 12 pm kick-off, whilst Ireland are at home to Scotland in the final game of the tournament at 8 pm.
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Next year’s Six Nations fixtures were released on Wednesday, with Wales opening the tournament with a game against Ireland at Cardiff on Saturday 4th February 2023 at 2.15 pm.
A mouth watering encounter looks on the cards when England have to go to Dublin to play Ireland in the last match of the tournament on Saturday 18th March at 5 pm.
Ireland, who finished runners up to France in this year’s table, entertain champions France in the second round of matches.
Italy, who won their first Six Nations match since 2015 by beating Wales at Cardiff, play Wayne Pivac’s side in Rome on 11th March.
The good news for fans of the tournament who wish to go and watch the games, is that there will be no Friday night fixtures. This year’s tournament featured one Friday evening match when Wales faced France at Cardiff. A crowd of 63,000, some 11,000 short of capacity, sent out a message to the organisers that Friday evening games just don’t work with fans.
Six Nations fixtures 2023 (all times GMT)
Saturday 4 February
Wales v Ireland (14:15)
England v Scotland (16:45)
Sunday 5 February
Italy v France (15:00)
Saturday 11 February
Ireland v France (14:15)
Scotland v Wales (16:45)
Sunday 12 February
England v Italy (15:00)
Saturday 25 February
Italy v Ireland (14:15)
Wales v England (16:45)
Sunday 26 February
France v Scotland (15:00)
Saturday 11 March
Italy v Wales (14:15)
England v France (16:45)
Sunday 12 March
Scotland v Ireland (15:00)
Saturday 18 March
Scotland v Italy (12:30)
France v Wales (14:45)
Ireland v England (17:00)
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This weekend will see Round 3 of the women’s Six Nations, with three sides currently holding a one hundred per cent winning record heading into the weekend.
The match off the weekend has to be the match up at Kingsholm where England face Wales. Both sides are unbeaten, with something having to give on Saturday afternoon.
England will start the game on top of the Six Nations table by virtue of points difference. They have already defeated Scotland 57-5 and last time out thumped Italy in their back garden 74-0.
Wales have recorded victories over Scotland (24-19) and an opening round win in Ireland 27-19.
The Red Roses have named their side ahead of the epic encounter with winger Jess Breach returning back to the side for her first appearance since May 2021.
The winger has been dogged by health issues, having ankle, back and shoulder injuries and Covid-19 which has kept her out of the side.
Coach Simon Middleton has named seven other changes to the side that won in Italy with scrum-half Lucy Parker making her first England start in Gloucester.
Outside centre Emily Scarrett returns to the starting 15, while winger Lydia Thompson is ruled out with a minor injury picked up in training this week.
The Red Roses have already amassed an astonishing 131 points in only two games with just five points conceded and will go into Saturday’s crucial game as favourites for a third straight win and sights set on a fourth consecutive Six Nations.
On Sunday unbeaten France make the trip to face Scotland looking for their third straight win. France will go into the game firm favourites for win number three, with Scotland still looking to break their duck in the tournament.
The final match of the weekend sees Ireland host Italy at 5 pm. Both sides sit at the bottom of the table, still awaiting their first victory in this year’s competition.
Ireland will fancy their chances of opening their account against an Italian side that have already shipped 113 points in two matches and only scored six points thus far.
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Gloucester star Louis Rees-Zammit has been dropped for Wales’ Six Nations match with England this weekend.
The 21-year-old has been a staple in the Welsh setup after his breakout season last year and immediately got a call up that autumn.
Many have speculated the ankle injury he sustained before the Ireland game is the reason for his omission but nothing was mentioned of the injury in relation to his exclusion.
All of Rees-Zammit’s learning of the international game has had to come thick and fast, only playing for Wales in the last 18 months.
With that being said, his adaptation to play a different way than the style that saw him burst on the scene has not been as promising.
The style in which Wayne Pivac’s team has played so far this tournament has benefited the inside ball and a strong kick-chase is reliant on a strong defence.
This is not the style in which Pivac teams have played in recent years hence why Rees-Zammit had such a meteoric rise to the Welsh squad.
Now that the teams’ direction has taken a change, his game needs to adapt also.
The chances being created are nowhere near close to the chances created from the previous Six Nations team. Unfortunately, a malleable style is needed for him to play in games of this magnitude.
Alex Cuthbert and Josh Adams are expected to make the starting 15 and Jonathan Davies is expected to be the only non half-back to make the bench.
The experience and the defensive prowess that comes with that selection is the best Pivac can produce when wanting to play a more physical game against England.
In particular with the high-ball and the kicking game, this is an area that Rees-Zammit is not known for and why he was omitted from the squad.
As much as the decision at first appears a shock, to the people who have a vested interest in the Premiership, it is not a shock.
The form in which Rees-Zammit played to get his first Wales call up is form of the past. His game has not been as explosive as it was last season.
When what you are known for in the game you are no longer doing to the same standard, some people high-up are going to start wondering whether or not there is a better option to pick.
That is what this is for Rees-Zammit but it is not the end of his Wales time for sure.
As for now, he knows that first-team rugby is not dead-set for him, which is probably needed. To learn to continue pushing is what every young professional needs to learn.
This can be the little knockback that could send him on another strong path going forward.
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]]>A return of 91 International and British & Irish Lions caps over 11 years to any squad would make anyone ecstatic. This weekend, a resurgence for Wales and Bath star Taulupe Faletau has come perfectly timed for Wayne Pivac’s team.
It is safe to say that under Pivac’s reign of the Welsh squad, there has been a sense of underachievement. Out of the 24 games Pivac has been in charge, Wales have won 11 of those games.
Seven of those wins are against Italy or a tier-two nation. Another two of those wins could be argued to the luck of red cards, no strike anybody wants on their record.
Faletau can be the phoenix rising from the flames of what Pivac is currently overseeing. Having two starts in two weeks for Bath after a lengthy absence from playing has pushed his fitness immensely, playing in very high-tempo games.
Even though both games were losses, the performance Faletau helped Bath produce against Leicester Tigers just one weekend before Wales’ match against England cannot be overlooked.
Bath, bottom of the Premiership table and 43 points behind the league leaders Leicester, put in their best performance of the season together losing by only four points despite being down to 14 men for a portion of the game.
Wales, off the back of an underdog win against Scotland, have been lacking squad experience so far this Six Nations. Faletau’s know-how and knowledge of the game on-field certainly can be the key to beating an unconvincing England side that could form the foundations of a positive Six Nations and a helping hand to Pivac and his job.
The ability and control Faletau has over the ruck and ball carrying speed really strengthens Wales’ back-row with the standout performances Taine Basham has been having, becoming a real dual-mobility threat to any opponent.
Pivac was known for his attacking rugby at Scarlets which has wavered in recent years under the Wales role. The re-introduction of Faletau coming up against England, who are more attacking minded with the introduction of Marcus Smith along with their defensively questionable performances as of late, presents a real opportunity for this Wales squad.
Only time will tell whether or not this can be an influential return to the national team or if it is seen as a prayer from Pivac that is intended to take something from Warren Gatland’s time in charge and portray it as his own without working.
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]]>And having arrived to study during the pandemic, I never had the opportunity, in the first year of residence at least, to soak in the true atmosphere of anything in Cardiff in truth.
So when the turn of the year dawned, despite my barren distaste for what I formerly cussed as ‘egg-chasing’, the highlight of my winter’s schedule was the 12th February – when Scotland came to town.
The two sides headed into the crunch test with contrasting openers. Ireland demolished Wayne Pivac’s men 29-7, with the entirety of the Welsh structure put into question, and the Kiwi’s position scrutinised under serious threat.
Scotland on the other hand are the perennial underdogs, and their win over bitter rivals England had accelerated dreams of a first Six Nations triumph.
The Atmosphere
Everyone, including my university colleagues with little to zero interest in the sporting world, always spoke of the Rugby days.
The bustling streets, the face painting, the reality that you couldn’t enjoy a beverage without queuing for at least half an hour. It all seemed nonsensical.
Alas, the inner critique and curiosity got the better of me. I made a deliberate effort to experience the streets of Cardiff on Saturday, in my mind to prove that this romance of Rugby in this great nation was built on false foundation. I could not have been more wrong.
As soon as I took my first step onto St Mary’s Street, one of two mainstays in the city centre, I saw it. The sheer volume of people flocking like peckish seagulls. The surround sound of chatter, of laughter, and of Scottish and Welsh enjoying each others’ company – it immediately tilted a crooked smile from cheek to cheek.
I walked through the town, with children face painted, fans draped in Welsh flags and kilted men singing folk songs of old emanating through my peripherals, and I stopped, turned and listened.
“Too-ral-ay, oo-ral-ay addy,
We went up by train and by car.
When the juice of the barley was flowing,
We all saw the game in the bar.
“Oh! We loaded the bus up with flagons,
And left about twenty past seven.
We stopped fourteen times between Neath and Bridgend,
We were still in Glamorgan at eleven.
Singing…”
A song written by Max Boyce, the singers belted it out in a way that struck a chord with the ever-growing surrounding crowd. They attracted hundreds of walking donators, who contributed to a fundraiser for Tenovus Cancer Care.
We trundled out of the town centre, looking for a bar to watch it in that really displayed an echo of Welsh culture. Sadly they were all full to the brim, as my colleagues had warned, so we located a local Wetherspoons.
Donning a Welsh football shirt seemed like a semi-controversial idea on a day in which its brotherly game takes precedence. But Greg, an elderly gentleman who sat next to me, said this:
‘As long as it’s bloody Welsh, no one cares mate’.
The Match
The feeling in said Wetherspoons was a little flat. With the entirety of Welsh Rugby falling to its knees in the previous week, it would take a monumental effort to beat the best Scotland side of recent memory.
But history was on the hosts’ side. Scotland have not beaten Wales in Cardiff since 2002. This time they were favourites, a tag Gregor Townsend’s men found almost alien in these circumstances.
The visitors made a bright start, with number eight Matt Fagerson and hooker Stuart McInally prominent, but Wales counter-attacked from their own 22 through a thrilling Owen Watkin break, then Biggar kicked a fifth-minute penalty from 40 metres.
Biggar doubled Wales’ advantage three minutes later, booting a second penalty following more impressive Wales phase-play. Scotland were rocked back on their heels.
But they responded impressively, helped by a strong Duhan van der Merwe run, then Russell floated a pinpoint long pass to Graham, who finished in the corner for an outstanding try.
Another successful Russell penalty gave Wales further food for thought as rain fell steadily, only for Biggar to complete his penalty hat-trick and put his team back to two points adrift.
Russell followed suit through his own penalty treble, yet Scotland then experienced a testing few minutes as number eight Matt Fagerson went off injured then Wales hit them with a try.
Biggar opted to kick a penalty to the corner rather than for goal and Wales drove the resulting lineout to impressive effect, allowing Francis a simple touchdown that levelled things up at 14-14.
Townsend sent on a trio of front-row replacements just five minutes into the second period, and Russell’s fourth penalty put Scotland back in front with 30 minutes left.
Biggar and impressive full-back Liam Williams gave Wales injury scares, but they both continued after treatment and Cuthbert went close to scoring a try before another Biggar penalty levelled the game again.
Scotland suffered a second injury blow midway through the half when substitute prop Rory Sutherland departed, then Russell was sin-binned after Cuthbert was inches away from a corner touchdown.
Biggar then kicked a drop-goal before the visitors’ could settle, winning the match for Pivac’s men to reignite their Six Nations hopes.
The Message
Don’t underestimate the culture in Welsh sport. The independence, the love and the will to win matches anything else in the British Isles – and the pints are pretty good too!
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]]>Ben Youngs equalled the England Men’s appearance record in Sunday’s 33-0 victory over Italy in Rome, but should Eddie Jones have rewarded Raffi Quirke with minutes in the Six Nations?
After a disappointing 20-17 defeat to Scotland in the opening round of the Six Nations, it was vital England bounced back against a side they have never lost against.
Jones’ men remained professional in the Italian capital, scoring five tries and claiming a bonus-point ahead of their crunch clash with Wales at Twickenham in two weeks time.
Jack Nowell started his first England match in 1065 days, however, the winger’s return to international action ended within 10 minutes after he failed a Head Injury Assessment. The England medical team and referee have come under fire for initially allowing Nowell to continue before his withdrawal minutes later.
Shortly after the Exeter Chiefs man’s departure, the Red Roses found the breakthrough. A neat one-two between Max Malins and the impressive Marcus Smith set up the fly-half to score his second try in as many weeks.
Saracens’ Jamie George scored twice before the interval to give England a comfortable 21-0 lead at half-time. The first, a typical forward’s drive over the line from close range, but for his second, the hooker showed winger like speed to race clear down the right before finishing in the corner under pressure.
Smith, who scored all the points in England’s defeat to Scotland, turned provider when his perfectly weighted pass allowed Elliot Daily to run clear in the corner. With England 28-points ahead after four second half minutes, Jones turned to his bench.
With half-an-hour to go, Youngs was brought on for cap No.114 – the joint record number of caps for a male player alongside Jason Leonard. It must be noted that Rochelle Clark’s 137 caps for England Women’s team makes her the most capped player in England international history, but nevertheless, Youngs is on the verge of setting England Men’s history in the home of English rugby.
Milestone ?@benyoungs09 joins Jason Leonard as England's most capped men's player ???????
Congratulations on an incredible achievement Ben ??? pic.twitter.com/mLKMINW7HQ
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 13, 2022
The Leicester Tigers scrum-half has had his critics as of late. Former England utility back Austin Healey has publicly criticised Jones for his selection of Youngs, in which he questioned if the head coach had ‘forgotten the nature of opportunity.’
Supporters have been vocal as well on social media on the decision. Against a side who have lost all 29 of their fixtures against England, and who have finished bottom of the table 16 times in the last 21 championships, many wanted Jones to reward Quirke with minutes over an experienced figure who came on with the score line 28-0.
England held onto their clean sheet in the second-half whilst adding a fifth try in the closing stages. Bristol’s Kyle Sinckler was in support of teammate Malins to crash over underneath the posts. The win in Rome sees England sit second in the table ahead of Round 3, three points behind leaders France who have won two from two.
Sale Sharks’ Tom Curry captained England for the second-week running in the absence of Owen Farrell and Courtney Lawes. However, there was no place again in the matchday squad for youngsters Quirke and Bevan Rodd.
Like Smith, Quirke has burst onto the scene at club level and been rewarded with early international opportunities. The scrum-half announced himself when he came off the bench to score a crucial try in England’s 27-26 victory over world champions South Africa at Twickenham only three months ago.
Quirke’s omission from the squad is not down to experience as substitute scrum-half Harry Randall had only made two appearances – the same as Quirke – for the senior team before being handed his first Six Nations start. The Sharks no.9 has scored four tries in eight matches for the north west side this season, whilst Randall has scored one in 11 for Bristol Bears.
England’s loss is Sharks’ gain. With Faf de Klerk back available from injury, Alex Sanderson has the master and apprentice at his peril. Former Sale director of rugby, Steve Diamond, felt the full effect of this on his return to the AJ Bell, as his Worcester Warriors side were heavily beaten 36-12.
AJ MacGinty shined once again for Sharks, as his days at the AJ Bell continue to fall. The USA international worked his magic once more in the pick of the tries, as he effortlessly cut through the Warriors line before dinking the ball over the top for the inform Arron Reed to pick up and dive over.
AJ carving it up ?
The @SaleSharksRugby fly-half pulled the strings in usual fashion for Arron Reed to get his first of two ?
Catch the highlights show on @ITVRugby tonight at 11:45pm ? pic.twitter.com/CY0tciltPT
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) February 13, 2022
It was a first Premiership start of the season for de Klerk, although it was a rocky first-half for the South African. His attempted clearance was charged down which allowed Warriors a second try. However, in the second-half, he showed his quality. His delicate pass set up the onrushing Manu Tuilagi who charged over from metres out.
Quirke was introduced for the final half-an-hour, and he certainly left his mark. The youngster’s quickly taken penalty allowed Cameron Neild, to rather unorthodoxly, kick in behind the Warriors defence to Reed for his second try. Quirke then turned provider when his weaving run and pass fell into the hands of Rohan Janse van Rensburg who ran in Sale’s sixth try of the match.
Sharks have now won three back-to-back Premiership matches for the first time this season. For most of the campaign they have been perfuming well below expectations, however, after a positive start to the new year, which has seen Sale only defeated once in the league, Sanderson’s side sit four points behind Harlequins in fourth.
With de Klerk and Quirke, along with Manu Tuilagi offering a powerful boost to the back-line, breaking into the top four now seems an achievable feat.
Quirke and Rodd will re-join the England camp in preparation for the visit of the reigning champions in a fortnight. The duo though will be at Sanderson’s disposal this weekend. Sale travel to Northampton Saints on Saturday as they look to leapfrog the East Midlands side in the table, and dependent on results, Sharks could see themselves in the play-off places by the end of the evening.
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Ireland’s Grand Slam dreams were dashed as quickly as they began after Saturday’s 30-24 defeat to France in Paris.
The clash in Paris was a battle between the two favourites to claim the title and the fans were given a treat as the two went head to head.
France led almost instantly with a try from Antoine Dupont, the scrum-half going over after just 67 seconds, the earliest Ireland have ever conceded a try in the championship.
Melvyn Jaminet was magnificent as France became the first team to defeat the Irish since they did likewise in Dublin 12 months prior.
A try from newly-capped international Mack Hansen and second half efforts from Josh Van Der Flier and Jamison Gibson-Park were not enough to keep Andy Farrell’s team’s winning run going but they did gather what could prove to be a crucial losing bonus point.
Joey Carbery put in a valiant effort deputising for the injured Johnny Sexton but Farrell will be hoping to have him captain back for the rest of the run-in. Sexton cannot go on forever and Carbery has shown he is capable of stepping up but Sexton’s experience could prove vital as Ireland chase the title.
Which brings on the main point, all is not lost.
The Grand Slam itself is done for another year, with only France now capable of taking home the ultimate honours. But the Triple Crown remains in sight and will be at least some consolation should the French drive on from here.
As for the championship itself, things are of course now out of Ireland’s own hands but that is not to say a title winning season is not on the cards.
Next up for Farrell’s men is a home match with Italy in a couple of weeks’ time. Anything less than a bonus-point win would be a big surprise and it is the perfect fixture to forget the defeat in Paris and restore some confidence to the squad.
Wales and England have also brought themselves back into the fold and will face off at Twickenham next up. It is hard to envisage England losing to another near neighbour so soon after the Scotland defeat. A win would all but end the hopes of the Welsh.
France will face a tricky trip to Edinburgh to take on Scotland who may be slightly downbeat after their defeat in Cardiff but will be looking to give their own supporters something to cheer once more. A narrow French win would most likely ensure a three-horse race.
France would then face Wales in Cardiff under the lights on a Friday night. Backed by a vociferous home crowd, this is perhaps the most likely place we could see the Grand Slam hopes go up in dust. This would open the door for Ireland to go and claim a win in the backyard of their arch-rivals at Twickenham to leave the title once again in their own hands.
In this scenario, it would come down to a final day showdown with Scotland in Dublin. With a new brand of attacking rugby on display and backed by a full house of 50,000 supporters, a bonus-point win would be well within reach to claim the first title of Farrell’s reign.
This may be a slightly idealistic look at the next few weeks but what it shows is that Ireland and Farrell should not lose heart. There are more twists and turns to come in this championship. If there is one thing we should learn from the past is that we should rule nothing out.
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