Six Nations: Five matches that will set pulses racing during the Championship

Ahead of this year’s Six Nations Championship, we take a look at the five fixtures which should set the spectators’ pulses racing during the tournament.

Round 1 – Scotland v England (Murrayfield, February 5)

Defending champions Wales‘ encounter against Ireland is also an appetising one but there will be plenty of interest in the Calcutta Cup clash at Murrayfield. Although England might have the better overall record in this fixture, Scotland will fancy their chances of clinching a win over the Auld Enemy. In recent years the Scots have held a slight edge in this Six Nations meeting and they have been on the winning side twice since 2018, with England winning once and the sides played out an exciting draw at Twickenham in 2019.

There’s several direct duels to get excited about but the fly-half battle is the standout one with Scottish playmaker Finn Russell and his English counterpart, Marcus Smith, sure to provide plenty of excitement when they go head-to-head. Last year’s clash saw Scotland ending a 38-year wait to win at Twickenham and they will be confident on home soil but will face a stern task against a young and hungry England side, who despite some injuries have plenty of squad depth.

Round 2 – France v Ireland (Stade de France, February 12)

Les Bleus and the men from the Emerald Isle should come into this match in a confident mood as they are favoured to navigate their tournament openers with home victories over Italy (France) and Wales (Ireland). With outstanding talents in the likes of World Player of the Year Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, Gregory Alldritt and Julien Marchand in their ranks, France will be favourites to seal a win but they face a daunting task as their opponents also have excellent and experienced players like captain Johnny Sexton, Bundee Aki, Jack Conan and Tadhg Furlong to lead their charge.

With players of that calibre on show, it sets the scene for a riveting showdown and don’t be surprised if – like last year – this fixture goes down to the wire yet again. France were on the winning side in Dublin on that occasion but Ireland have made great strides under Andy Farrell since then with an Autumn Nations Series win over New Zealand amongst their achievements during that period and they will fancy their chances of causing an upset in Paris.

Round 3 – Scotland v France (Murrayfield, February 26)

Both these teams have improved tremendously recently and if things go according to plan for them by this stage of the tournament, there should be a lot riding on the outcome of this match. After France dominated the fixture between 2007 and 2015 – when they won 10 successive matches – Scotland have improved tremendously and the last 10 encounters between these sides – from 2016 to 2021 – are evenly split with five victories apiece between the pair.

Last year’s corresponding encounter in Paris was an entertaining and thrilling affair with Scotland clinching the result and their first win in Paris since 1999 courtesy of a memorable 27-23 triumph. With both these sides employing expansive game-plans, this match should be just as exciting and it’s difficult to predict a winner.

Round 4 – England v Ireland (Twickenham, March 12)

Eddie Jones’ troops will be out for revenge when they face off against Farrell’s men as the Irish completely dominated proceedings when these teams faced off at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin last year. Ireland’s convincing triumph condemned England to second last place in 2021’s final Six Nations standings so there will not be a lack of motivation from the Red Rose players ahead of this encounter.

That should not faze Ireland’s players though and the fact that last year’s 32-18 win ended a four-match losing streak in the Six Nations against England will boost their confidence ahead of this match. The fly-half battle will play a key role in this outcome and the duel between England’s Smith and Sexton of Ireland should be an enthralling one between two exciting players at the opposite ends of their respective careers.

Round 5 – France v England (Stade de France, March 19)

Matches between France and England are usually hard-fought with no quarter asked or given and this one should be no different as these sides are early favourites to win the tournament. That means that this showdown could be a straight shootout for the title and with both sides able to call upon world class players, it promises to be an epic contest.

When the sides met in Round Four at Twickenham last year, England sealed a narrow win and that result also ended France’s Grand Slam hopes. France were leading during the game’s closing stages and were set to win their first match at Twickenham since 2017 until a late Maro Itoje try clinched the home side’s victory. Fabien Galthie‘s men will not forget that heartbreaking defeat and will be determined to turn the tables.

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