Six Nations: Power rankings after Round Two as Ireland move clear of the rest

Colin Newboult

With the fallow week depriving fans of any Six Nations action on Saturday and Sunday, it gives us time to take stock and delve into the opening two rounds.

It has been a superb start for Ireland while Wales have endured a disastrous opening, but is that really reflective of where they stand?

Equally, France may currently reside in fourth position in the actual table, but their schedule gets easier from hereon in after their humdinger against Ireland.

1) Ireland

There is no stopping Andy Farrell’s men at the moment, and they deservedly reside at the summit after impressive victories over Wales and France at the start of this tournament. After previously struggling in World Cup years – 2019 a perfect example – it looks very different for this set of players. Their opening 40 minutes against Wales set the tone and they maintained that intensity and physicality in the second match with France. In a potential title decider they came away with a superb triumph, which has opened the path towards a Grand Slam. Although a tough clash with Scotland at Murrayfield awaits, we are backing them to win their remaining games.

2) France

They may have endured an inauspicious opener against Italy – escaping with a 29-24 triumph in Rome – but we felt the French did enough in the defeat to Ireland to keep themselves in the upper echelons of the European game. Les Bleus played a full part in one of the great Six Nations games, despite not quite managing to get over the line. They were much more disciplined, a threat with the ball and solid in the set-piece. Fabien Galthie’s men still need to make improvements in certain areas ahead of their home Rugby World Cup, but they are not far away from getting it right.

3) Scotland

Gregor Townsend’s outfit appear to have made great strides judging by their impressive victories over England and Wales. Fly-half Finn Russell has produced several magic moments while in Duhan van der Merwe, they have the tournament’s most dangerous outside back. Combine that with a pack which is solid in scrum and lineout, as well as being a nuisance at the breakdown, and you have the makings of a very good team. There are still a few areas of concern, and they have yet to face France or Ireland, but the Scots are trending upwards.

4) England

Mediocrity remains the overriding thought when it comes to this Red Rose side, but they do appear to have developed in a couple of facets. The maul was impressive against Italy and they looked more defensively assured, while there were standout performances from Jack Willis and Ollie Lawrence, but the phrase ‘it was only Italy’ comes to mind. The Azzurri are an improving team, but the final two games against France and Ireland will show where England really stand. New head coach Steve Borthwick still has a number of questions to ponder.

5) Wales

It has so far been a disaster for Warren Gatland on his return to the Wales coaching hotseat as they reside at the bottom of the table following heavy defeats to Ireland and Scotland. However, we’re not quite sure we can put them below Italy just yet, especially when you consider the overall quality the respective sides possess. The fallow week really gives Gatland a chance to discover what they need to do to right the many wrongs from the previous two matches. As a result, victories over England and the Azzurri in their next games are realistic targets for the Welsh, although we ultimately think that they won’t do enough to finish above fifth. Rumours of strike acti0n from players ahead of the England game adds to their woes and is another issue to contend with, but the Italians need to do more on the pitch to get above the Welsh.

6) Italy

There is no doubt that they are, at the very least, a competitive side in the Six Nations nowadays. Their Autumn Nations Series campaign marked a big step forwards, and they followed that up with a superb showing against France, but the performance at Twickenham on Sunday was a disappointment. There was, however, enough in the second-half display to suggest that Kieran Crowley’s can secure at least one win from their final three matches. The home match with Wales certainly offers the best opportunity, but they will need to improve a few things for that to happen, irrespective of the Welshmen’s current problems. Italy’s maul defence was poor against England and their exit strategy remains a real issue so, until they get that sorted, Crowley’s side won’t be winning many games.

READ MORE: Six Nations: Who benefits most from the fallow week?

England