6N: Six takeaways from round two of the 2025 Six Nations
Yesterday at 06:59 AM
1. Was this the worst 30 minutes of Townsend's coaching career?
There have been some low points in Gregor Townsend's career (the second half against Wales last year, Ireland in RWC'23, Italy last year), but few if any can match the miserable opening 30 minutes of Sunday's one-sided encounter. Scotland were awful. Sorry, but it's true. The gap with Ireland is not closing but going the other way. The home side didn't throw a punch for almost the entire first half and they didn't land one until Duhan did his acrobatic thing in the corner on the stroke of half time. When Scotland were 17-0 down the score flattered them. For 30 odd minutes Scotland were unable to do the basics of the game, catching and passing the ball and recycling the breakdown. They were unable to keep the ball for any length of time partly due to a raft of handling errors and partly down to the pressure that Ireland exerts upon the opposition in all aspects of play. It was agony to watch and not much fun, I imagine, to play in. The highlight for me was seeing Sir Chris Hoy deliver the match ball and receive an ovation that the rugby simply didn't deserve.
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2. Ireland are very good and very cynical
Ireland are a seriously good side who brought an intensity to almost everything that they did that Scotland failed to match but Sunday's visitors are also very good at pushing the boundaries. To borrow an old phrase rolled out regularly by former Scotland coach Andy Robinson, “nothing happens on a rugby field by accident”. First up, this is obviously not true because you doubt Finn Russell and Darcy Graham chose to crack each others' coconuts. But it does say something important about the cynicism of sides and the cynicism that referees need to police a game these days. Does anyone except (referee) James Doleman really think that Robbie Henshaw didn't know what he was doing when he knocked the ball on with Scotland pressing hard? Ireland players flop on the top of the breakdown ball to ensure that the opposition must do some heavy lifting to get them off it, which uses up precious energy. Furthermore the Irish have adapted very quickly to the new law preventing anyone from blocking chasers from getting to the catcher. At a Scotland restart, a three-man Irish pod threw a man up with no intention of catching the ball. The referee presumes that the Irish pod simply misjudged the flight of the ball but the referee simply isn't cynical enough. The supposed ‘catcher’ let the ball sail past him and the intended catcher, who did field it, was shielded from any Scottish chasers. It's cynical when the opposition does it but very smart when it's your team.
3. Steve Borthwick shows some class
When interviewed shortly after this absolute belter of a Test match had finished, the England coach could have used the narrow win to settle a few scores with all the many media outlets that have been using him as a pinata over the last few months. Instead he said what a brilliant match it had been. He was right on both counts. Someone once said that you should never pick a fight with someone who buys their ink by the barrel and that remains true, at least if you tweak it for the digital era. The team's performance was rebuke enough to his critics although it will be forgotten very quickly if they lose to Scotland in two weeks time. Borthwick was also right about the match, it was brilliant and helped no end by the French attitude since they arguably brought a surfeit of confidence across the Channel with them. The spectacle of those final minutes with the lead changing hands, not through penalties but tries, was almost Shakespearean in nature; drama at its best, the very reason we watch sport.
4. France only has themselves to blame
It happens in sport. One side has the upper hand, as France did in that opening 30 minutes, but they can't put the ball in the back of the net (so to speak). Ok, that's not quite true, France did score, a belter, from Louis Bielle-Biarrey on 29 minutes, but that was cancelled out by Ollie Lawrence five minutes later so the teams went into the half-time sheds all square and England were already beginning to believe that their luck was changing. How many tries did France leave out there with unforced handling errors? One mistake belonged to Antione Dupont, who could not hold a simple scoring pass from full-back Thomas Ramos on the 20 minute mark with the scoreboard at 0-0. Damian Penaud did the same thing two minutes later and there were at least two, if not three, other unforced errors, one of which went to the French hooker Peato Mauvaka who spilled a (difficult) scoring pass from Bielle-Biarrey in the second half. It helps a team's sense of destiny when the opposition repeatedly fires the ball into the crowd with the goal posts unattended. England have been so close so often in recent matches that the French side coming over all Inspector Clouseau must have given them the belief to go on and win this zinger of a tie.
5. A word of warning to Italy
Italy conceded two late tries to Wales' driving maul. The first went to subby Aaron Wainwright and the second was a penalty try. The twin scores threw Wales a lifeline the visitors didn't really deserve and were unable to capitalise on. They also gave Italy a proper fright because each try was accompanied by a yellow-card, for Marco Riccioni and Dino Lamb, which reduced Italy to 13 players for the final two minutes. The bad news for Italy's defence coach is: if your team is conceding maul tries to Wales, wait until you play Ireland, England and France.
6. The coach has gotta go
I hesitate before calling for coaches to resign or be fired. It's such a cliche and rarely the panacea that people expect but I will make an exception in the case of Warren Gatland. Selection is the main role of a modern day coach, get that right and other things should fall into place. Get it wrong and, well, anyone who saw Wales perform in Rome will know what happens. ‘Gats’ has always been a somewhat perverse selector, which he got away with because of all his success. After 14 straight losses he has no cover. Ben Thomas is a centre who can play ten and that is exactly what he looked like, against France last weekend and again in Rome on Saturday afternoon. As one pal of mine put it: "He didn't seem to want the ball". Gatland overlooked an experienced fly-half in the form of Gareth Anscombe who happens to play outside Wales scrummy Tomos Williams at Gloucester. Anscombe has played Test match rugby for a decade, winning 35 caps along the way, and is still only 33-years-old. The other howler from ‘Gats’ was starting Aaron Wainwright on the bench because the breakaway made a huge impact with the ball in hand and scored a try, when he eventually emerged around the hour mark. Welsh pals would also like to see Gloucester's free scoring, 6ft 5ins centre Max Llewellyn (son of Gareth who won 92 Welsh caps at lock) given a run. The Italy game was winnable for Wales, but only if their celebrated coach had selected his strongest side.
And a bonus one …
7. Is the grubber making a comeback?
The kick-pass is a useful tool. It was mostly absent from the weekend's action although Fin Smith connected with fellow Saint Tommy Freeman for England's sublime second try. But we also saw the return of the grubber. Twice in the Italy-Wales match scrum-half Tomos Williams grubbered the ball in behind the Italian defensive line for Josh Adams and twice the Welsh winger was unable to control the ball in the wet, slippery conditions. Had he played the ball with his foot we might have had a different game? (Incidentally, on that theme, Hector Patterson hacked the ball the length of the field to score a try for the Scotland under-20s on Saturday evening!) Penaud grubbered the ball behind the English defence to create France's first try for Bielle-Biearrey at Twickenham. Fin Smith tried a grubber in the second half, without the same success, and just seconds later Alex Mitchell did the same on the opposite side of the field only to see French prop Jean-Baptiste Gros appear from another dimension to save the day. Expect more of the same in round three because a grubber helps counter that hard press that defensive coaches employ these days.
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The post 6N: Six takeaways from round two of the 2025 Six Nations appeared first on Scottish Rugby News from The Offside Line.
