France deservedly won the Six Nations Championship. However, Scotland once again demonstrated their strength and potential to challenge the world's top teams in their match in Paris, with their tenacious performance being truly impressive.
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03-16, 2025Scotland had opportunities to take the lead in the first half. The game might have turned out very differently if French player Pierre-Louis Barassi had been sent off for a high boot to the head in the first half. But Scotland consistently lacked the spark to finish, and this lack of precision plagued them throughout the championship, taking a heavy toll.
England did all they could to put pressure on France earlier in the day by defeating Wales in Cardiff in a record-breaking rout. Wales' performance was arguably their worst in recent years, undoubtedly ending any hopes for fringe Lions players to be selected for this summer's tour.
Ireland narrowly and arduously escaped with a win against a constantly improving Italy, with several star players underperforming in their match in Rome. How players perform under pressure will be key for Andy Farrell to examine this week. In this regard, England performed the best out of the three teams playing away.
Cardiff is often the burial ground for England's hopes and dreams. Twelve years ago, when the two teams were competing for the title, Wales defeated England 30-3, snatching the Six Nations crown and ensuring that most of the Lions' test players that year came from Wales. Now, England has once again entered this "pressure cooker" filled with fervent nationalism, plunging those once-boisterous fans into deep despair after Wales suffered a humiliating 17th consecutive defeat.
England had many standout players. Maro Itoje? Yes. Will Stuart? Yes. The Curry brothers? Absolutely. But even more noteworthy was Fin Smith, who firmly grasped the England No. 10 jersey and did everything he could to ensure he would wear it for the Lions' first test in Brisbane. His consistent performance, including accurate cross-field kicks, well-timed passes, and comprehensive playmaking ability, made his selection increasingly justified.
Finn Russell is undoubtedly also a consideration – he was outstanding in the first half for Scotland's constant assault on France. But Sam Prendergast's performances have been somewhat stagnant and inexperienced, while Jack Crowley did not fully seize his opportunity in the game in Rome. In addition, there is a forgotten pair in the England squad: George Ford, an unexpected inclusion in the England squad, performed well, while Marcus Smith, despite his talent, will not be able to play at No. 10 for England with Fin Smith in the team.
Picking the Lions' back-row players for the first test is perhaps the most difficult job in sports. Everywhere you look, there are outstanding players. This week, as is often the case, England's trio performed well: Tom Curry, Ben Curry, and Ben Earl all excelled, while Tom Willis and debutant Henry Pollock also impressed after coming off the bench.
Scotland's No. 8 Matt Fagerson and Ireland's counterpart Caelan Doris are also in excellent form. Although Wales captain Jac Morgan was out of sorts against England – understandably, he was tired after having to carry the entire national team on his shoulders for the first four rounds – he is a consistent player and will contribute to the Lions. Rory Darge and Jamie Ritchie also performed well in the brutal forward battle against France in Paris, but their performance waned when France's "Bomb Squad" – the French version of South Africa's "Bomb Squad" substitutes – collectively entered the game.
This is a position with a high attrition rate, so perhaps we will see most of the above players at some stage of the test series, but Andy Farrell's biggest challenge will be the composition of the squad. Given the wealth of talent in this area, coupled with the trend of picking a 7-1 bench split, don't be surprised to see some of these players appearing in the midfield later in the game if the situation arises, just as Earl did as a center for the last half hour in Cardiff.
A positive for Wales? In short, former Wales front-rower Adam Jones's gaze deep into the depths of the Millennium Stadium said it all. At least it's all over.
What happened to Ireland? After being beaten by France last time, Ireland needed to respond strongly to end this year's championship on a high note – but they didn't. Italy's disciplinary issues – they were down to 14 men for 30 minutes of the game due to yellow cards – were probably the only reason Ireland stayed ahead.
Jack Crowley's three missed kicks certainly didn't help, but Jamison Gibson-Park was lackluster, centers Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw underperformed, and even the lively winger Josh van der Flier was surprisingly quiet. James Lowe remains a beast, showing it on one wing, while Hugo Keenan was excellent at fullback, and Mack Hansen showed what Ireland missed last week with some impressive runs. Front-row forwards Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, and Tadhg Furlong also performed well.
Perhaps it was because this match was relegated to the last game of the day on Saturday, geographically far from where all the action was happening in Northern Europe. Perhaps it was simply because of knowing that the championship was almost over and there was nothing to play for. But this attitude will not win a Lions tour, as more players were not selected for the test team.
Scotland's lack of a killer instinct hurt them. Scotland may feel they had an opportunity to do something special in Paris, especially when Tom Jordan crossed the try line before the break, ending a brilliant counterattack and giving Scotland the lead. But unfortunately, as has been the case for Scotland in this championship, small margins ultimately hurt them.
In this case, Blair Kinghorn was judged to have just touched the sideline before recovering the ball, so the try was disallowed. France never looked back. This has been the story of Scotland in this championship, they have played some brilliant rugby, but either turned off the switch and been caught on the counterattack, or simply failed to find the try line when needed. The lack of a killer instinct is hard to pinpoint – on paper, this team is exciting. In the first 40 minutes against France, it was they in their light blue jerseys who lit up Saint-Denis, not the hosts.
With Finn Russell pulling the strings, D'Arcy Graham and Jordan roaring in midfield, and Duhan van der Merwe's power, this team should be putting opponents to the sword. If picking a Lions team today...
1. Ellis Genge (England) 2. Dan Sheehan (Ireland) 3. Will Stuart (England) 4. Maro Itoje (England) (Captain) 5. Chandler Cunningham-South (England) 6. Jamie Ritchie (Scotland) 7. Ben Curry (England) 8. Ben Earl (England) 9. Alex Mitchell (England) 10. Fin Smith (England) 11. James Lowe (Ireland) 12. Tom Jordan (Scotland) 13. Tommy Freeman (England) 14. Tom Roebuck (England) 15. Blair Kinghorn (Scotland)
Replacements: Jamie George (England), Zander Fagerson (Scotland), Pierre Schoeman (Scotland), Matt Fagerson (Scotland), Caelan Doris (Ireland), Tom Curry (England), Finn Russell (Scotland), Tommy Freeman (England).
