six nations fixtures

With regard to Farrell as a coach, I think his reaction to McCloskeys tackle on Marcus Smith tells it all. He was more happy with determination and work rate of the defence than any flash tries

England will lose; they're going to give away too many penalties, and their discipline is shocking

It was the start of borthwicks tenure Tim and genge was captain

Love your reviews Tim and enjoying Jordan's contributions . Ireland to win in Dublin . Scotland will be physically and emotionally drained after their epic win against France and a week is not enough time to recover . France to win in Paris . No matter what the motivation England are hampered by their rigid coaching . Wales vs Italy , really couldn't call it , delighted Italy have done so well but would love Wales to win for the sake of Welsh Rugby and the benefit of the 6 Nations competition . Likewise if Scotland could manage a win would be great for Scottish rugby and the 6 nations competition .

You're conveniently forgetting to mention that England, indeed, reached the last RWC final, but almost certainly due to the fact the other highest ranking squads in the world were all sitting on the other half of the table. They still, however, remain a side to be reckoned with.

Tim, England’s World Cup success is always an interesting discussion, but the real question isn’t the results, it’s the side of the draw they land on. Take 2023 as the clearest example. England’s first genuine Tier-1 challenge was the semi-final against South Africa. Before that they faced Argentina, Japan, Chile, Samoa and Fiji, solid teams, but none of the heavyweights. Meanwhile South Africa had to navigate what many called the “pool of death” with Ireland and Scotland, then play France in Paris in the quarter-final, and only then meet England. So one team’s route was: Argentina → Fiji → South Africa The other was: Ireland → France → England → New Zealand. That’s not remotely comparable in difficulty. And if you look ahead to the 2027 World Cup draw, the same conversation is already starting. Because the draw is done years before the tournament, it locks teams into positions based on old rankings. Form changes, teams rise or fall, but the bracket doesn’t. That’s why you often end up with multiple top-five teams knocking each other out early, while another side gets a far clearer run to the semi-finals. Some people argue that’s just luck of the draw. Others say it’s very convenient for English television audiences. Either way, it’s a debate worth having.

Those permutations broke my brain.

VIDEO CORRECTION- England on 6 points, not 5

Predicting this six nations is a fools errand. This championship has been insane

With regard to Farrell as a coach, I think his reaction to McCloskeys tackle on Marcus Smith tells it all. He was more happy with determination and work rate of the defence than any flash tries

England will lose; they're going to give away too many penalties, and their discipline is shocking

It was the start of borthwicks tenure Tim and genge was captain

England v France is called le crunch because of a successful ad campaign for French apples in the 80s... god i feel old

2006 was first physical trophy for the invisible cup, Triple crown. Brian O’Driscoll accepted the first plate after Ireland defeated England 28–24 at Twickenham on March 18, 2006. The term was first used in print by The Irish Times in 1894.

According to some sources the first verifiable use of the term Le Crunch was in the Irish Times in 1981 to describe the physical nature of the match (France won 12-16 at Twickenham their 3rd Grand Slam) and there is evidence the paper borrowed an advertising slogan for apples as a pop-culture reference.

With regard to Farrell as a coach, I think his reaction to McCloskeys tackle on Marcus Smith tells it all. He was more happy with determination and work rate of the defence than any flash tries

It was the start of borthwicks tenure Tim and genge was captain

Love your reviews Tim and enjoying Jordan's contributions . Ireland to win in Dublin . Scotland will be physically and emotionally drained after their epic win against France and a week is not enough time to recover . France to win in Paris . No matter what the motivation England are hampered by their rigid coaching . Wales vs Italy , really couldn't call it , delighted Italy have done so well but would love Wales to win for the sake of Welsh Rugby and the benefit of the 6 Nations competition . Likewise if Scotland could manage a win would be great for Scottish rugby and the 6 nations competition .

The greatest annual sporting event has 1 World cup between them. They need World rugby to somewhat rig the draw for the number 1 and 2 seed to face each other in the QF of the WC

Tim, England’s World Cup success is always an interesting discussion, but the real question isn’t the results, it’s the side of the draw they land on. Take 2023 as the clearest example. England’s first genuine Tier-1 challenge was the semi-final against South Africa. Before that they faced Argentina, Japan, Chile, Samoa and Fiji, solid teams, but none of the heavyweights. Meanwhile South Africa had to navigate what many called the “pool of death” with Ireland and Scotland, then play France in Paris in the quarter-final, and only then meet England. So one team’s route was: Argentina → Fiji → South Africa The other was: Ireland → France → England → New Zealand. That’s not remotely comparable in difficulty. And if you look ahead to the 2027 World Cup draw, the same conversation is already starting. Because the draw is done years before the tournament, it locks teams into positions based on old rankings. Form changes, teams rise or fall, but the bracket doesn’t. That’s why you often end up with multiple top-five teams knocking each other out early, while another side gets a far clearer run to the semi-finals. Some people argue that’s just luck of the draw. Others say it’s very convenient for English television audiences. Either way, it’s a debate worth having.

I hope you guys come down under for the world cup. The GBR & KOKO live shows were great, it would awesome if you guys were there as well.

Despite having been to almost (and certainly followed every) Rugby World Cup, I still believe that the Six Nations is the best sports tournament ever, across all sports. Impossible to explain to those that don't have the two prerequisite signatures in their DNA profile (born in one of the six nationsand raised as an avid rugby fan), but nothing quite matches the 6Ns. The tension, the rivalry, the excitement, the ribbing, the highs, the lows, the banter, the camaraderie, the sheer enjoyment of the Six Nations. And this has been one of the very best (and I say that as an Englishman) and long may it continue. 🤘🤘🤘🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇮🇪🇫🇷🇮🇹🏉🍻

2006 was first physical trophy for the invisible cup, Triple crown. Brian O’Driscoll accepted the first plate after Ireland defeated England 28–24 at Twickenham on March 18, 2006. The term was first used in print by The Irish Times in 1894.

I've been a fan of your channel for a long time and I appreciate your objective unbiased, and balanced observations (along with 'Two Cents' and a few others). Like you I also take a keen interest in WW1 and military history generally - probably because both my grandfathers fought and lived through WW1 - with my maternal grandfather surviving the Quintinshill disaster (along with his brother) and on recovery, ending up at Galllipoli (7 Royal Scots). So my ears pricked up when you mentioned The Somme, Passchendale etc, and your references to 'England' and 'Englishmen', as if that was the only nationality there (apart from the Germans, obviously). I didn't have to check because I already knew that it was ANZAC troops who led the attack during the First Battle of Passchendale ! In fact that particular campaign and series of battles saw English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian etc etc troops taking part. We're told that 9 Divisions - 5 British, 3 Australian, and 1 New Zealand - took part in that first battle. As (at least) one of the 5 British Divisions was the 9th (Scottish) Division, it's safe to assume that English troops were in the minority. That Scottish Division were on the ANZAC north flank at the start of the battle. Another of my grandfathers 4 brothers died in that battle (11th or 12th Royal Scots - we're not sure), and another died later in the Somme campaign. I started reading the history when I left the Royal Marines (1979), and was shocked by constant references to 'England', 'English troops', and 'British' when (as we both know), there were hundreds of thousands of troops from all over the Commonwealth fighting, dying, and being wounded/disabled in every place affected by that horrific war. Anyway, my Grandparents were Irish, English (although that lot always called themselves 'Northumbrian - not English'), Scots, and ..... Finnish - so although I'd like Scotland to get the Triple Crown tomorrow I'm also hoping that England either steal a win or keep France to 3 tries. But mostly, I want rugby to be the winner.

Ireland vs Scotland: Scotland's away performances this Six Nations suggest to me they're not capable of slaying Ireland in Ireland. We'll have to wait and see Italy v Wales: As a Welshman whose heart has been restored with hope after the recent performances both home and away, I want to say it's a real 50/50, especially as it's in Cardiff. If I were a betting man, the head does lean towards Italy however. France v England: Going to be a much closer game than many people are suggesting, but you can't bet against France at home to win the Championship.

Amazing choice to have Scotland beat ireland in Dublin. Not very likely.

Maybe it's national bias, but Scotlands recent record against Ireland is dire, and the game being in Dublin makes me think a Scotland win is a long shot

Ireland were very fortunate in their results against Italy and Wales. Where it not for some dubious decisions by the match officials, Ireland could easily have been staring at a wooden spoon.

fra v eng, at least it wont be a french ref or k dickson

GLOBAL LAW TRIAL 16.18 A player who is, or was part of the maul may not play an opponent who is near it (within 1m), and who is attempting to play the ball away. This scrum half was withing inches of the maul. So once again clear and blatant cheating that lost England the game. This is a referees cheating sport and it has been proven time and time again. Hundreds of occasions the best team has lost due to a bias ref. Why do you cowards not even mention this?