Who’s hot and who’s not!

Colin Newboult
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It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons after the weekend.

THEY’RE ON FIRE!

Superb Scotland: 38 years of hurt is finally over for Scotland as they broke their Twickenham drought by beating England 11-6 in a hugely deserved victory in their Six Nations opener on Saturday. Throughout their squad and including head coach Gregor Townsend, Scotland had England on the ropes in terms of game-plan and execution as the likes of Hamish Watson and Stuart Hogg put in faultless performances that stunned the reigning champions. The big question now is can this Scottish side back it up and go on and win the Championship this season?

Masterclass from Antoine Dupont: Is there a better player in the world than the classy France scrum-half? The Toulouse player was deservedly named player of the Six Nations in 2020 and he continued in that vein at the start of the 2021 tournament. Dupont was utterly outstanding against Italy, setting up four of their tries in the 50-10 victory, and scoring one himself as Les Bleus opened the tournament in impressive fashion. It may not have been the toughest of tests for either the half-back or the team but it indicated what they are capable of.

Sale Sharks: It’s been a positive impact from new director of rugby Alex Sanderson as they won again on Friday, this time away to in-form Bristol Bears. Granted, the hosts were without several internationals such as Ben Earl, Harry Randall and the injured Semi Radradra, but it shouldn’t take anything away from the Sharks’ performance as they move right into the mix at the Premiership summit with that 20-13 win.

Ealing: Ealing made it three wins from three in the Trailfinders Challenge Cup on Saturday as they beat Saracens for the second time in the competition, this time at StoneX Stadium. The impressive 39-26 victory saw them cross the whitewash five times and they know that another triumph, in a fortnight against Doncaster Knights, would see them win the inaugural Trailfinders Challenge Cup. Form and results like this can only do Ealing’s push for recognition at the top table of English rugby the power of good as they continue to make a name for themselves.

Blues acquisition: First it was the rugby union switch being announced and then Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was confirmed a Blues player after signing a two-year contract that will also see him link with Auckland through to the end of 2023. The rugby league superstar played union a decade ago and at 27 years of age there is still a good deal of rugby left in his career. This is another excellent bit of business from the Blues as they look to become the number one side in New Zealand. With Tuivasa-Sheck’s presence, this should put them even closer to the Crusaders.

COLD AS ICE!

Turgid England: Underdone much? Maybe that’s being kind to England as they truly were woeful against Scotland in their Six Nations opener on Saturday. Yes, their Saracens players had not played for a good while but the squad as a whole were well off the pace against a Scotland side that dominated for the vast majority of the Twickenham clash. Criticism has flowed since the loss, with Lawrence Dallaglio, Mike Brown and Sir Clive Woodward all having their say on the performance. Surely a backlash will be coming against Italy this weekend?

Peter O’Mahony: Ireland’s hopes of snatching a victory in their opening fixture against Wales in Cardiff was hindered significantly by the sending off of O’Mahony on Sunday. The Munster flanker had no defence for his inexplicable clear-out at the ruck that left Wales tighthead prop Tomas Francis holding his chin on 14 minutes. That left boss Andy Farrell with 14 players and while they reacted positively to the card initially, eventually the man disadvantage caught up with the visitors and Wales turned the screw in a result that left O’Mahony red faced.

Italy: The question as to whether there should be promotion or relegation in the Six Nations has started early this year after the Azzurri were thrashed by France in Saturday’s opening game of the tournament. The result was not exactly a surprise but that’s what made it all the more depressing for both Italian fans and neutrals alike. Les Bleus didn’t even need to get out of third gear to win by 40 points as the hosts’ flimsy defence was torn to shreds. There was a lack of belief in a side that have not won a game in the Six Nations since 2015 and you wonder when the improvement will actually come. Head coach Franco Smith has very much placed his trust in youth, giving chances to several talented former age-grade stars, but there needs to be some sort of development, otherwise the calls for Georgia to be included will grow louder.

Wasps: After suffering a narrow defeat to Exeter in last season’s Premiership final, there was plenty of optimism and big expectations in Wasps’ ranks as they approached the 2020/21 campaign. They made a superb start as they beat current tabletoppers Bristol Bears in their opening match and despite losing their next two matches against Gloucester and Newcastle, Lee Blackett’s side bounced back with an emphatic victory over Exeter in Round Four. Wasps continued to impress as they beat Bath next in a high scoring affair at The Rec, but have gone off the rails subsequently as they were beaten by Harlequins and Northampton – surprising outcomes as both those fixtures were at their Ricoh Arena headquarters. Their poor form has seen them drop down to ninth position in the standings and they will be desperate to return to winning ways when they face 11th-placed Worcester at Sixways this Sunday.

Blunder from Josh Adams: Wales wing Josh Adams received a two-match ban from the Welsh Rugby Union on Wednesday after he breached Covid-19 regulations by attending a family gathering last weekend. Adams, who was released from the Wales squad, missed the Ireland match and is also excluded from this weekend’s appointment with Scotland at Murrayfield. Wales head coach Wayne Pivac said Adams had “embarrassed himself” after he attended a gathering with his immediate family present last Sunday – the day after the Welsh team were released from camp ahead of their Six Nations opener. Unfortunately he’s no one to blame but himself. Such a blunder.

 

Blues