Round 3 of the Men’s Six Nations returns is upon us this week with three more exciting matches. On Saturday, Ireland travels to England in a battle to see which team is most likely to challenge France for the crown. The second game of the day sees a Wales team desperate for a win taking on a Scotland side buoyant after taking down England at Murrayfield last weekend.
Sunday sees France travel to Lille to host Italy. It is a more difficult match than usual, with Italy having beaten Scotland and pushed Ireland all the way last time out.
England VS Ireland
Saturday, 21 February – Twickenham Stadium, London
England look to rebound from that Scotland defeat as head coach Steve Borthwick makes three changes to his starting XV. The most exciting of those changes sees 21-year-old lightning rod Henry Pollock be given his first Test start, replacing Sam Underhill in the back row. He will start at No. 8, with Ben Earl moving to the flank. Guy Pepper has also been dropped to the bench, with British Lion backrower Tom Curry on the other flank.
Ireland has responded to sneaking a win over Italy by making five changes of their own. The No. 10 position is still in flux, with Jack Crowley returning to start for the under-fire Sam Prendergast. Prendergast, who started Ireland’s first two matches, is out of the matchday 23 entirely.
Jamison Gibson-Park will partner with Crowley in the halves, replacing Craig Casey, who drops to the bench.
The set piece will decide this game. Ireland has been uncharacteristically terrible in the scrum, with Italy taking them to pieces last weekend. England will go after the scrum, with their front row, led by the opportunistic Ellis Genfe, expected to target the Irish.
England should win this. hey will be keen to prove the Scotland game was just a blip, so expect them to win and cover.
Wales VS Scotland
Saturday, 21 February – Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Wales has lost both matches in this tournament. They have scored just 19 points, while giving up 102. Sure, those games were against England and France, but this is a team in crisis.
Scotland knows how to score points. They are an attack-minded team, ruthless when possession is lost. In Finn Russell, they have a fly-half who is more than capable of piling on the Welsh misery. I find it hard to see Scotland winning this by any less than three tries. Take them minus the points.
France VS Italy
Sunday, 22 February – Stad Pierre-Mauroy, Lille
I find the line interesting here.
I expect France win, and win by a comfortable margin. The likes of Antoine Dupont, Tomas Ramos, and Louis Bielle-Biarry are playing at an astonishing level. They have more than enough in their tank to pile on the points.
The Italians, however, have shown a lot this tournament. Their scrum has been simply outstanding, and they know how to keep the scoreboard working in their favor. France wins this, but the line of almost 28 points seems high. Take Italy to cover.
