On Saturday, Ireland were crowned Six Nations Champions having beaten Scotland in Dublin.
Following their disappointing quarter-final exit in last year’s World Cup and the retirement of talismanic fly-half Jonny Sexton, Ireland are now back-to-back Six Nations winners. Italy also impressed with their two wins and a draw off the back of World Cup thrashings. Scotland continued to underperform, and Wales’ young squad finished last. France and England, despite inconsistent performances, finished second and third respectively.
Ireland
Ireland’s first match away in France was a must-win. Both were expected to challenge for the title, and France had tasted similar bitterness in their World Cup exits. Ireland were without Sexton – Jack Crowley stepped up at 10. Ireland came away with a convincing 17-38 victory, showing their typical attacking cohesion.
Their dominant defense saw no points conceded in their 36-0 win against Italy. Against a lacklustre Wales, the Irish 31-7 victory was no surprise.
At Twickenham against England, Ireland finally came unstuck. They had some misfortune – injuries to wingers and early substitutions diluted their physicality. Their discipline slipped as captain Peter O’Mahony was yellow-carded. In England’s best performance for years, they clinched a 23-22 win with a last-minute drop goal, ending Ireland’s hopes for successive Grand Slams. Having accrued bonus points in each of their games, Ireland were almost guaranteed the championship going into the final game. Despite an improved Scotland, Ireland held out to clinch the title. They weren’t as dominant throughout the tournament as in 2023 but were deserved champions.
🏆 2024 CHAMPIONS ☘️
Congratulations @IrishRugby 👏👏👏#GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/Z0YhKY5zBL
— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 16, 2024
France
France seemed lucky to have finished second. They were sub-par in their first three games, and arguably should have lost all of them. They bungled a win against Scotland, with a controversial Scottish try ruled out at the death. The hangover of World Cup disappointment felt heavy and the French attacking flair was lacking. Discipline was too sloppy with two red cards in their first three games. In Round Four, switching to scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec, France secured their only convincing win out of three, with champagne rugby returning and French power overwhelming Wales to a 24-45 win. In their final game against England, their narrow 33-31 victory earned them a second-place finish.
England
Coming from their third place at the World Cup, coach Steve Borthwick aimed to establish the identity of his England team. Implementing defensive strategies and building a smoother attack were priorities, but England started slowly. A predicted away victory to Italy was closer than expected, finishing 24-27 thanks to Italian bursts through loose English defense. A dogged 16-14 home victory to Wales was followed by an atrocious display away against Scotland. Far too many handling errors from England let Scotland counterattack at will.
The great shock was their home game against Ireland. They produced the best England performance in years and won by a single point. Attack was fluid and ever-threatening. The Twickenham fans finally had something to sing about. The last-minute drop goal would ensure England’s best Six Nations finish since 2020. Similarly lively in their final game away in France, England narrowly lost 33-31. With many eyebrows raised about England’s shoddy style of play in the opening games, fans can now feel reassured that this team has purpose.
Scotland
Under coach Gregor Townsend, Scotland have always looked threatening and play great attacking rugby but still have nothing to show for it.
First, they tore Wales apart in the first half then two second half yellow cards let Wales in the game for a tight 26-27 finish. Many argued they should have beaten France in Round Two, with refereeing controversy preventing Scotland’s winning try. The pace of winger Duhan van der Merwe blitzed through England with his hat-trick ensuring a 30-21 home victory. In the final two rounds, Scotland disappeared. They were soundly beaten 29-31 away in Italy and despite strong defence at times, fell to a 17-13 defeat to Ireland in the final game.
Italy
Italy have been the plucky underdogs since they joined the Six Nations in 2000. They’ve finished last 18 times and were on a 36-match losing streak until 2022. Now, they have a strong team and are finally a true threat. Despite their loss to England, they were impressive but were smashed by Ireland a week later in Dublin. A huge defensive effort earned them a 13-13 draw away in France and could have won if not for a dramatic late penalty miss. Their tenacity, physicality and cohesion brought them a 31-29 home win against Scotland. Wales met the same fate, as Italy secured the 21-24 away win. Under new coach Gonzalo Quesada, this team has clearly turned a corner.
Wales
Welsh rugby is definitely in a mess. The finances of provincial and club rugby, threats of a player strike before last year’s England game and a transitional period for the national team amid retirements and overseas moves all brought pressure. Their first half against Scotland was woeful. Coach Warren Gatland described it as the worst 40 minutes of rugby in his coaching career. Wales may have lost all five games but there were signs of some individual brilliance. Aaron Wainwright and Tommy Reffell were impressive in the back row and winger Rio Dyer showed great pace in attack. After their final defeat to Italy, Gatland offered his resignation, but it was rejected. Going into the tournament, fans didn’t expect much from this side. Perhaps the baptism of fire will prove fruitful in a few years.
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