Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara steered his side to victory over Scotland on Sunday © Getty Images

Veteran Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara was cool, collected and apparently 'far from finished' having orchestrated his side's Six Nations victory over Scotland. The Irish Independent's David Kelly reports.

"As if his sublimely compiled selection of adroit deeds were not grandly sufficient unto the day thereof, Ronan O'Gara chooses to offer us with the sharpest of words the most cutting contribution to the ongoing vexed debate about Ireland's out-half dilemma.

"He has arrived into the mixed zone to pore over the details of what had often been a riotous display of chaos from his team, fortunately spliced with the type of relaxing antidotes to confusion that only O'Gara, with his seasoned control, can provide.

"And, with a clipped delivery that presents a resounding response to those -- including his team-mate Jamie Heaslip -- who would have questioned the decision to even start him yesterday, the 34-year-old stated clearly that his hunger can never abate.

"He has been asked to assess where he stands in relation to the competition for the cherished number ten jersey he has now worn some 106 times for Ireland. The answer is a swift riposte, eradicating all doubt that the master deems himself subsidiary to the apprentice."

Watching the current Ireland side is not good for your health according to the Irish Times' Gerry Thornley who was at Murrayfield to see his side almost snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

"As with the 19-18 win here four years ago and the 22-15 win here two years ago, the Scots were kept try-less – indeed they haven’t scored a try in eight games at Murrayfield dating back to 2009. Yet having outscored France by three tries to one, Ireland actually outscored the Scots by three tries to nil but all that again nearly counted for nothing – or at any rate very little – thanks in the main to Nigel Owens’ 13-4 penalty count to the home side. Another close finish for Nigel then.

"Ireland thus knew how France felt two seasons ago at Croke Park, when Owens awarded Les Bleus just two penalties in 80 minutes. In truth, Ireland were often their own worst enemies, especially at the breakdown where they are becoming serial offenders, especially for not releasing after the tackle. It’s an attitude thing as much as anything else, which must be undoing vast homework on referees. Maybe it’s time for a serious fine offence, or even demotion for the worst offender.

"That said, two or three looked harsh, and nearly all the debatable calls regarding forward passes seemed to go Scotland’s way, not least when Eoin Reddan’s flat offload inside to Sean O’Brien, whose barnstorming support runs were perhaps the stand-out feature of the game, was wrongly called forward inside the Scottish 22. Three times Ireland were also penalised inside the Scottish 22, for not releasing the player or the ball. At least they weren’t three-pointers."

In his column for the Western Mail, Wales wing Shane Williams looks back on his side's Six Nations victory over Italy in Rome.

"I know there will be a few moans and groans about the way we played, particularly in the second half, but Italy threw the kitchen sink at us.

"We expected it to a degree, but they were clearly hurting after what happened to them at Twickenham and wanted to prove a point in front of their home fans. They came at us like a pack of wild dogs. So I think we deserve a bit of credit for grinding out the win in a situation that might have proved our undoing in the past.

"...At 21-11 up, we wanted to press it home after the interval and take ourselves well out of sight, but that Italian pride I was talking about came to the fore. I think we equalled it, though, in terms of our defensive effort and, while it was disappointing to concede two tries, I think the work-rate in that department was outstanding again."

Former international hooker and Daily Telegraph columnist Brian Moore reflects on England's Six Nations victory over France.

"England’s prospects as serious World Cup challengers underwent a thorough physical examination. Make no mistake, this mattered to the French. They flew into England in the early exchanges, where James Haskell, Tom Woods and Nick Easter proved they can probably scrap with any back row and make hard yards.

"What remains uncertain is whether they can add dexterity and subtlety to their physical prowess. To become the complete back row they have to be link play without seeking contact and thereby keep themselves available in support of the ball.

"Martin Johnson has discovered a hitherto unfamiliar robustness in Tom Palmer, the man of the match. In addition to another good line-out performance, Palmer toughed it out in the tackles and breakdowns. This game may be a turning point in his career, where he goes from journeyman to automatic choice.

"When a front row has as little relative experience as England’s, there is a danger of implosion once severe pressure is applied. A few bad scrums lead to capitulation, penalties and penalty tries.The England front row so far in this tournament has impressed with the way it has solved the difficulties posed without having to resort to diving to ground and praying the referee mistakenly comes to their aid."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson reflects on another disappointing loss for the Scots against Ireland at Murrayfield.

"The plan to release Sean Lamont from his new inside centre channel ensured a hard day's work for the Irish back row and midfield, too, as he regularly took the Scots over the gain-line. The lineout again caused Ireland problems with Al Kellock and Richie Gray secure on their ball and picking off three Irish balls, while Gray resembled a wild horse on the loose with his blond mane and high charging legs prominent as green-shirted tacklers flocked, often in vain, to bring him down.

"But, what showed little difference to the opening defeats was the numbing ability to cough up possession through mistakes. It all added up to a failure to penetrate in the crucial last third of the field. It was like a surgeon opening up a body only to drop his instruments when he had to perform the clinical strokes."

Writing in The Independent, James Lawton believes Grand Slam-chasing England are going to have to find more if they are to win the World Cup crown.

"Johnson must deal with the least uplifting aspect of the hard-fought win over a French team that looked almost tinkered to death by their coach Marc Lièvremont.

"It was the lack of smartness and ultimate confidence displayed when Ashton made his errant choice – and whenever the midfield composed of Mike Tindall and Shontayne Hape was required to perform anything more than dreadnought defence. They are fine at that but if you are entertaining serious hopes of returning to the peaks of the game you need something considerably more.

"England were paragons of defensive force when they won the World Cup in 2003, a fact which was augmented by the presence of the young and extremely physical Tindall. However, his fellow centre that rainy night in Sydney was not a hulking mirror image like Hape but a player of great imagination and attacking bite, Will Greenwood. He happened to be a reassuring companion in an erratically performing lift before the game – and soon enough you would also have liked to see him, or someone with a similar range of assets, performing his good works out on the field."

The England forwards delivered a lesson in rugby realpolitik against France, according to The Guardian's Richard Williams.

"This was not a day for the swallow-divers, who found themselves shunted aside. Instead it was one for the grinders and tunnellers, the labourers at the workface. By giving Twickenham a lesson in rugby realpolitik as they took revenge for a narrow defeat in Paris last year, England delighted those who disdain the fripperies.

"The bigger the game, the more it's about the win," Martin Johnson said. "The biggest game of all, no one cares how you win it."

"On the eve of the match, and with all attention focused on Chris Ashton, the four-try hero of that delirious win over Italy a fortnight earlier, Nick Easter had expressed his envy of the French rugby public's willingness to recognise the value of forwards by turning them into heroes. None of England's supporters in the 81,000 crowd on Saturday would have left the precincts in any doubt about who had inflicted this important defeat on France.

"Ben Foden gave England the only try of the afternoon with a powerful surge, and Jonny Wilkinson came on to complete the winning margin by landing a majestic 45‑metre penalty with his first touch, but the stars of the day were the men in the boilerhouse. Not just the gnarled veterans, but faces as new and fresh as those to be found behind the scrum and in the back three."

England's Ben Foden celebrates a vital score against France at Twickenham © Getty Images

Ben Foden's try helped Martin Johnson's bright young things pass their biggest test yet and put down a World Cup marker, according to The Observer's Paul Hayward.

"Nobody likes them, but they don't care. Neither the stereotypical antipathy of France's coach, Marc Lièvremont, nor a fierce first-half Gallic assault could halt England's revival here as Martin Johnson's team closed in on a first Six Nations title since 2003.

"A law of top-level sport is that you find out how good you really are when the opposition drive a dump truck through your nice long-term development plan. Then the praise stops, errors multiply and the world goes dark. Can't cope with physical pressure? Go home, find another job.

"England endured and prospered as a Ben Foden try and Jonny Wilkinson penalty after the interval drove them to a 17-9 victory. All teams can trace a moment when promise turned to reality and in a World Cup year England may remember this clash as the day they became contenders in New Zealand."

The Observer's Michael Aylwin reports from Wales' Six Nations victory over Italy in Rome.

"Wales are still not right. This was a second win in a row, and when you have been on a recent run of eight without any at all, you'll take what you can get. An eight-point win is becoming an increasingly acceptable one against Italy in Rome, but defeats are still difficult to swallow, and this could easily have been one.

"Missed kicks and mistakes continue to plague the Italians – when it comes to genuine class they are still short, boasting only Sergio Parisse, who was excellent again. But if they are in the right mood they will kick up a storm and force any visitors to be ruthless and clinical if they want to put distance between them and their hosts. Wales were grateful here for a late James Hook drop goal to move them out of harm's way far later than they would have liked. Italy will argue that for a couple of bad penalty misses and a borderline call against them from the video referee, who disallowed Alessandro Zanni's claim for a try, Wales would have needed more than a drop goal."

Writing in his column for the Independent on Sunday, Bath's David Flatman reflects on the different character that have shaped his playing career.

" When I played at Saracens, Francois Pienaar was our chief executive. He was, for that matter, our head coach too, and our captain. I was always a bit disappointed when he didn't find time to cook the lunch as well. I'm sure I did see him driving the team bus once, though. He was a busy man.

"Naturally I would rib him while in the bath; suggesting his performance on the field was slipping due to an excessive workload, but inevitably he would reply by asking me who exactly I was, and what I was doing in the bath next to him. Then he would plug in his now archaic hands-free kit and stride, in his shoulder-padded suit, out to the luxobarge he called a car and begin barking instructions to his minions.

"Meanwhile, Kris Chesney and I would take up position at a small, hidden window and wait to see how he might react to the cars we had earlier commandeered and parked so close to his on either side that his only option was to climb in through a window. Quite degrading – one would have thought – for a man of his stature but, presumably as a result of having literally no time, in he would clamber without even pausing for breath."

Former Wales wing Ieuan Evans reflects on his country's narrow Six Nations victory over Italy in Rome - read his thoughts in the Sunday Telegraph.

"DISCIPLINE - It was an area that might have cost us in Scotland. We had two yellow cards and spent the best part of 20 minutes with a numerical disadvantage. On this occasion, we conceded 15 penalties and would have lost the game had Italy selected a kicker of any note.

"If we concede so many against either Ireland or France we will pay. We cannot afford to overstep the mark as often as we do. So, let’s show greater control and stop turning over ball. That’s the key.

"TEMPO - I listened to Nick Mallett before the game and he said that his side’s Achilles’ heel was playing against sides with pace. We did that in the first half and scored two excellent tries.
Sam Warburton’s in particular was quite outstanding. However, after that we allowed them to slow it down. In the end, it almost cost us. We have to find a way of dictating the pace of matches, for 80 and not just 40 minutes."

The Sunday Telegraph's Brendan Gallagher believes France coach Marc Lievremont's selection gamble failed to pay off against England.

"France wanted intensity, big hits, go-forward and muscle. Except that with the French, and with Chabal in particular, physicality is not something that can usually be measured in kilograms and biceps. It’s all to do with how badly they really want it.

"On Saturday the 'caveman’ spent most of the first half wandering around in a daze like a man blinking in the sunlight for the first time in years.

"Lièvremont fretted and frowned on the sidelines, aware that to bring him off too early would be humiliating and underline his own mistake, but eventually he lost patience and threw on Bonnaire, who thus reuntied with Thierry Dusautoir and Imanol Harinordoquy, the trio that served France so well in the opening two games.

"Lièvremont can’t say he wasn’t warned. That doughty old French warrior Serge Betsen has been warning all week that he didn’t fancy Chabal at No 8 for one second."

The Scotland on Sunday's Iain Morrison previews Scotland latest Six Nations clash with Ireland.

"Hope and expectation rests on the shoulders of the stand-offs this afternoon, the Scots hope Ruaridh Jackson delivers while the expectation rides with Ronan O'Gara. The pair belong to different generations and may as well come from separate planets so little do they have in common. The audacity of youth against excellence fired by experience. There is over a decade between them, with O'Gara turning 34 in eight days time, while Jackson was 23 on the day of the Welsh match (his birthday present was not being thrown into the fray).

"The Irishman is known for his brilliant game management, his ability to slide the ball into the unmanned corners of the field and let the opposition try to escape the stranglehold. Jackson is known for his willingness to take the ball to the line and to carve out half a yard of space for those around him. It's a ironic that, as Robinson ditches his percentage player, Kidney recalls his."

The Independent on Sunday's David Hands hails Jonny Wilkinson's temperament following his key contribution in England's Six Nations victory over France.

"But such games are also tests of temperament, of what Sir Clive Woodward, the World Cup-winning coach of 2003, called T-CUP – "thinking clearly under pressure". There were more mistakes than the England coaches would have liked but the players were able to regroup and re-establish the necessary foundations. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the display of Toby Flood. Before he went off, limping, he had run through the entire repertoire of his game, running, kicking, passing and tackling. Flood knows the regard England's coaches have for Jonny Wilkinson but he should take heart from an all-round game of such quality.

"So what does Wilkinson do? Emerge to kick a long-range penalty and re-affirm his status as a French nemesis. This is what Martin Johnson wants – the transition from one player to another, from one style to another, which will receive a far sterner examination in New Zealand in September.

"Wilkinson recovered the world points-scoring record from the All Black Dan Carter – not that that would have been on his mind. More to the point was the way England attacked their opponents in the second half. Their technique improved, they did not rush the pass, they were positive."

Ireland's Jamie Heaslip dives over to score against France in Dublin © Getty Images

The Irish Times' GerryThornley talks to Jamie Heaslip about his decision to stay with Leinster and about where the province and Ireland are headed.

"If any of Ireland’s front-liners were to have flown the coop post-World Cup, Jamie Heaslip was probably the likeliest. Aside from being a stellar international in the front line of the global market place, he also has a decidedly independent streak, formed from a young age, which made him more likely to seek pastures new.

"As the son of a military man, Heaslip has lived a somewhat nomadic existence anyway. He was born in Tiberias, Israel, while his father, now retired Brig Gen Richard Heaslip, was there on duty with the UN.

"His dad and brothers also played the game, so he’s been steeped in a sport he first took up with Naas Under-8s. He’s a truly world-class player. But rugby doesn’t consume him.

Reflecting on the negotiations which culminated in him signing a new three-year deal with Leinster and Ireland, he says: “That dragged on for a long time, but there were a whole load of reasons. I obviously looked down different avenues, looked at them in a lot of detail and weighed up all my options and it worked out pretty well. I’m happy enough.

“A stint in Australia, or in France, wouldn’t have been too bad,” he admitted during the week, when in typically ebullient mood. “I’ve lived abroad several times because of dad’s work and the thought of it really – I wasn’t against it. It would have excited me, I suppose, a little.”

Writing in the Irish Independent, George Hook reflects on Ireland's decision to hand Ronan O'Gara the No.10 shirt once again.

"He had been the youngest man ever capped by his country in his sport. Now, recalled in his declining years to face the world champions, he walked to the wicket to face the fastest bowlers on the planet armed with leg pads, a pair of gloves, a bat and a piece of pink sticking-plaster on his elbow. Brian Close was 45 years old.

"Ronan O'Gara might smile wryly at being compared to an English cricketer, but he knows that ageism is rife in sport. Coaches, like ageing Lotharios in search of a new girlfriend, often promote emerging young talent at the expense of older performers with the priceless gift of experience.

"The Munster fly-half is back after twice saving his country's bacon in this year's Six Nations Championship. Yet the hero of 2011 spent a difficult summer 2010 wondering if his contract would be renewed.

"At some point a 'retirement package' with a French club must have crossed his mind. Happily in all quarters, common sense has prevailed, and the pre-eminent fly-half in Irish rugby is back in his rightful place.

The World Cup is just seven months away, yet Warren Gatland seems even further away than ever from deciding who is going to be his pivotal No.10 when Wales begin their challenge against holders South Africa. The Western Mail's Andy Howell reports.

"Gatland, of course, had the perfect opportunity to give James Hook another confidence-boosting outing at fly-half during today’s Six Nations Italian job in Rome.

"But, lo and behold, the Wales coach decides to shuffle the 25-year-old to outside centre and bring back Stephen Jones for a clash Gatland’s men must win to maintain their hopes of being crowned European champions.

"Gatland claims Jon Davies’ hamstring injury was the reason for picking Hook in his third different position in as many games in this year’s tournament.

"But his decision is a retrograde step and a waste of a match in the countdown to New Zealand this autumn. Gatland knows full well what Jones can do at 10. Or what he can’t. Which is just as significant, judging by the way Hook fired Wales at Murrayfield.

"However, instead of giving Hook a run in the position he covets and having a close look at a promising youngster like Ashley Beck, Dafydd Hewitt, Gareth Maule or Ashley Smith, the rug has been pulled from under King James."

Martin Johnson's men must stick to their principles to beat French at Twickenham, according to the Daily Telegraph's Will Greenwood.

"On Saturday, it is all about England and their ability to inspire, to play from their own goal line, to have beautiful angles and support play. But while the natural order may be wobbling, it will be interesting to see how long it all lasts. The pressure of this fixture can easily see players revert to type. That will be the challenge for both France and England this afternoon: sticking to their game plan.

"You can trace the current topsy turvy state of Anglo-Franco relations back a year to England’s 12-10 loss in Paris. Ignore the score, look at the game. It was perhaps the day the beast was unleashed in this England team.

"They finally grew some teeth. France had to resort to strong-arm tactics to squeeze England.
The scrum won France five penalties and with it the scoreboard. Chris Ashton butchered a chance, kicked far too early with one man to beat. Johnson let his own demons out, waiting for the referee at half-time, to “discuss” the first half.

"But in defeat there was a tipping point for England. Dan Cole and Dylan Hartley substituted after 40; proactive moves to change the game. Johnson showed he was not afraid to do what needed to be done. Suddenly a team that had looked like flat-lining stepped up."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson believes the bold changes made to the Scotland team this week have the potential to instil it with a new sense of hope.

"Every team selection is about making the most of resources and Scotland's re-shaping this week stems from the same age-old premise, and is designed to help the side bounce back from opening defeats to France and Wales and claim a first championship win at home to Ireland since 2001.

"Injuries have forced Scotland to unleash a new pivotal core, the 8-9-10-12 axis of Johnnie Beattie, Mike Blair, Ruaridh Jackson and Sean Lamont. They have never played together at this level, with Jackson making his first Test start and Lamont his first appearance at inside centre. All but the Glasgow stand-off are fairly experienced but it will still inject a nervous excitement into the terrific Six Nations atmosphere of a near-capacity Murrayfield."

If France coach Marc Lièvremont hates the English, The Independent's James Lawton suggests is its because he fears humiliation for France in World Cup year.

"A number of hard questions will be asked at Twickenham this evening, not least at the front of the scrum, but let's start at the beginning.

"Who are these English upon whom French coach Marc Lièvremont heaps the old and bilious charge that they have created a common front of hatred, stretching from Waterford to Waitangi? They are, of course, a mongrel nation – one with the habit down the centuries of turning quite ferocious when sufficiently roused. This might well have been the underlying concern exercising Lièvremont this week.

"Pressure builds sharply in the rugby parish in a World Cup year and you don't have to be the deepest student of the game to know that recent history has come to rest firmly on the side of the English and their ability to rise up, even in the most parlous circumstances, and have a truly serious go at winning the tournament."

As England's wonder wing prepares to face France, The Guardian's Richard Williams is the latest to draw a comparison with dual-code great Jason Robinson.

"At 6ft and 14st 6lb, the 23-year-old Ashton is almost exactly the same height and weight as Sir Chris Hoy. Both men are formidable bundles of muscle but where the track cyclist concentrates those muscles in his powerful thighs, Ashton's most obviously pumped-up features are his shoulders and biceps. This is not how David Duckham or Rory Underwood presented themselves to the world. Although Ashton can turn on the afterburners, as an ecstatic Twickenham saw with his length-of-the-pitch try against Australia in November, there are many more dimensions to his game. Like Robinson, he has opened the eyes of his team-mates to new ways of damaging the opposition.

"The exception among his tries against Italy, and the one of which Ashton was proudest, came from a pick-and-go requiring quick wits and the sort of strength more readily associated with a flank forward. Once again, Ashton was demonstrating his marked disinclination to loiter on the periphery, waiting for the ball to arrive."

The Daily Mail's Martin Samuel talks to England winger Chris Ashton.

"Ashton has divided opinion in rugby, a sport still wrestling with the new frontiers of professionalism. Old sweats preferred try scorers to offer a manly handshake and return to the restart with nothing showier than a thin-lipped smile. To see Ashton salute the crowd before the ball has been grounded and then pitch forward in a balletic arc before meeting the turf is anathema to many.

They haven't seen the half of it. When England won the Rugby World Cup in 2003, the hero of the hour was Jonny Wilkinson, the consummate buttoned-down professional. This is World Cup year too, and with England coming to the boil under Martin Johnson, winger Ashton, by contrast, is Gazza. Not in that painful, lonely, ruinous way, but in his capacity to capture the imagination of the people, drawing in those who had previously avoided his sport.
Ashton has the potential to bring rugby to the masses. This may be a horrid thought for some, who fear the sport will change for ever. But it is true. 'Paul Gascoigne? You think I'll go off the rails?' he asks.

'It's a big question whether rugby is ready for it, whether I am ready for it. All I would say is that whatever it takes to make England successful, if that is the effect I have, if it makes rugby a bigger game and gets more kids involved, so be it. But it is not my intention to make myself famous on that scale. It wasn't Jonny's intention, either.

'The dive just happened. I haven't thought about it too much, but I am beginning to understand that some of what I do challenges the old-fashioned principles of rugby union. Maybe coming in from rugby league I don't have the understanding of what putting the ball down like that against Wales in Cardiff means. I'm just in my own little bubble, my own little world."

The Chiefs and the Highlanders observe a minute's silence in memory of those killed by the Christchurch earthquake © Getty Images

Writing in the New Zealand Herald, former All Black Inga Tuigamala reflects on the devastations wrought by the recent Christchurch earthquake.

"The New Zealand Rugby Union will face extraordinarily tough decisions regarding the World Cup - ones that none of us could ever have envisaged when this country was awarded the tournament.

"The Crusaders were right to pull out of their match with the Hurricanes, given the turmoil and emotional state of the players. It was comforting to hear Hurricanes prop Neemia Tialata voicing his sentiments about this and his support for the Crusaders players.

"Maybe the World Cup can be a rallying point, but we all know how long it has taken Christchurch to recover from the September 4 quake, which was not nearly as devastating as this one. The NZRU needs to take time in evaluating the overall situation.

"Cantabrians are a tough breed, typified by their Crusaders team.

"Richie McCaw, a remarkable character, has been strong, and yet through his words you can hear and sense the shock and pain.

"We are all feeling the same, and this is a time when the country must stick together."

Ireland winger Keith Earls is desperate for chance to shine against Scotland, the Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly reports.

"When Earls was first brought through at Munster a few years ago, he was kept under wraps, Ryan Giggs-style, to protect him from the inevitable hype surrounding a player who had earned rave reviews on his way up the underage ranks. He is far more comfortable with exposure these days, while retaining the enthusiasm of a youngster still relatively dazzled by the spotlight.

"And, although that starting slot has never been nailed down à la Bowe, there is still that surge of excitement when Earls receives the ball, the anticipation that something special could be about to happen. One recalls the wondrous try he scored against the Dragons in Musgrave Park in 2008 (one of three) when still a teenager.

"That was down the left also, as Earls kicked ahead and chipped the ball into his hands at full tilt, a skill so subtle that at first it was mistaken for a fortunate bounce. The following summer, he recovered from a torrid start on the Lions tour to convince a dubious British media exactly why he had brought to South Africa.

"And, last year, on the left wing in Fitzgerald's absence, he shone again with a try in Twickenham and two against Wales in Ireland's best performances of a hit-and-miss Six Nations championship. Against France, two weeks ago, it was Earls' surge down the left and weighted kick ahead that came agonisingly close to setting up the win Ireland's efforts deserved."

England will not be reining back on their attacking intent against France on Saturday according to the Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary.

"To judge by the tone and body language of Johnson at the team base, there is a real sense of resolve in the squad, a deep yearning to express themselves in much the manner that they have done in the tournament so far. Stop us if you can, mes amis.

"There are times when you do a double-take, check to make sure that it is England in swashbuckling mood and the French reining back, stockpiling their ranks with strong-arm operators. It has been quite a role reversal. Forget French flair. English élan is now in vogue.

"If England were to get ahead of themselves, then Johnson only had to remind them of the pain felt in defeat to the Six Nations Grand Slam champions last season. England lost that final match 12-10 despite making so much of the running. Johnson admitted that it was the most disappointing defeat of his 2½ years in charge."

Scotland captain Al Kellock insists the pain of his side's Six Nations loss to Wales will spur on his side when they tackle Ireland at Murrayfield. The Scotsman's Stuart Bathgate reports.

"Although the squad's attention has moved on to Sunday's Six Nations game against Ireland, the skipper implied that the hurt of the 24-6 defeat by the Welsh a fortnight ago could play a vital part in propelling the team to their first victory of this year's championship.

"It's still there, and it should be," Kellock said when asked if the players had got that result out of their systems. "The concentration has changed and the focus has changed - it's all about what we're going to do this weekend.

"You can't brush a performance like the Wales game (away], but it is very important that we focus on getting it right. We've trained extremely hard over the past week on some things that didn't go so well against Wales, and I'm pleased with where we are."

"The two-week gap between internationals, and the fact that Kellock and others did not play for their clubs last weekend, ensured there was no escaping an extended post-mortem on the Wales match, which followed the 34-21 loss in Paris a week earlier. "Generally when you play you've got the opportunity to fix it almost straight away - and I don't even mean the next game," the second-row forward explained."

England manager Martin Johnson has ruled out talk of a Six Nations Grand Slam and has urged his side to focus on the challenge of France. The Independent's Chris Hewett reports.

"Increasingly, Johnson is taking the old Clive Woodward approach to selection; that is to say, doing as little selecting as possible. He would not have made a change to the starting line-up that did duty on opening night in Wales but for the back injury that forced the loose-head prop Andrew Sheridan out of the side ahead of the meeting with Italy, and now Sheridan is fit again, it is a case of "status quo ante" as far as this weekend's proceedings are concerned. Alex Corbisiero, the young London Irish front-rower who made his Test debut against the Azzurri, will be on the replacements' bench. That aside, it is as you were.

"The manager was right to adopt a cautious note. While France won in Dublin last time out – "The result of the tournament so far, in my view," Johnson said – England do not travel to Ireland until the last round of matches on 19 March. As they have not prevailed in that fair city since Johnson himself led the charge towards a famous Grand Slam in 2003, the notion that all this England vintage have to do to emulate that achievement is beat Les Blues tomorrow is fanciful in the extreme."

England are now feared in a way they have not been since 2003 - they are deemed worth winding up again, according to The Guardian's Paul Rees.

"Marc Lièvremont prefers French mustard on his roast beef. He said this week he did not like the insular, flag-wrapping English, forcing the mercury out of the thermometer ahead of Saturday's potential Six Nations decider at Twickenham.

"Lièvremont, the France coach, was more measured in his comments than his back rower, Imanol Harinordoquy, had been some years before when he said: "The only memories I have of England and the English are unpleasant ones. They are so chauvinistic and arrogant."

"The England team manager, Martin Johnson, dismissed Lièvremont's remarks as he would brush crumbs off his jacket. He would have been far more satisfied than angry. When Harinordoquy performed his soliloquy, it was 2003 and England were about to conquer the world. It may be premature to say that manager Johnson's team is on a par with the one he captained eight years ago, but England are now feared in a way they have not been since 2003. They are deemed worth winding up again."

Ronan O'Gara returns to the Ireland No.10 shirt for Sunday's clash with Scotland © Getty Images

Declan Kidney’s team selection for Scotland, especially the return of Ronan O’Gara at out-half, has raised critical issues regarding Ireland’s progress towards the World Cup, according to the Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly.

"He's back in the saddle. After expressing their desire to improve communication and confidence levels in the squad, Ireland have turned, once again, to Ronan O'Gara as solution provider.

"With 105 caps, 987 international points (fifth in the all-time list) and a career decorated with match-winning performances for province and country, the Munster man could be the missing ingredient Ireland coach Declan Kidney is seeking.

"It is a remarkable and deserved comeback for the man who turns 34 next month. O'Gara had, in many quarters, been too readily consigned to the role of useful understudy since Jonathan Sexton came on the international scene with such confidence in the wins over Fiji and South Africa in November 2009.

"Sexton's progression with Leinster and Ireland has been a good news story for Irish rugby and he has taken to the international stage with considerable aplomb. However, those who viewed his elevation to the starting out-half role as a natural evolutionary process, which would see O'Gara gradually winding down his Ireland career, did not factor in the Corkman's pride and determination."

After some initial displeasure, former England hooker Brian Moore will hail Steve Thompson for equalling his appearances record against France at Twickenham. Read his thoughts in the Daily Telegraph.

"My equalling game, number 42, was against France at Twickenham in 1993; we won 16-15. Although I remember thinking about the statistic on the morning of the game, when I look back, it is another memory that dominates – it was Martin Johnson’s first cap.

"A quiet, gigantic edifice walked into the forwards’ morning meeting, held in my hotel room. Johnson was early and although calm, it was obvious that he was going through the mixed emotions that all first-cap players experience – a mixture of pride, doubt and expectation. Rather than play the old stager, I simply talked about what I felt when I first appeared in the white shirt. The point was to reassure him, indirectly, that it was acceptable to have elements of uncertainty about whether he would be able to play at this level and that he was not alone.

"I wonder what Steve Thompson will be thinking on Saturday morning? Foremost, he must be thinking about whether manager Johnson will maintain his tactic of sending him on as a replacement towards the middle of the second half. I can reassure him; he will and with that, Thompson will hold, with me, a significant and satisfying honour."

Scotland coach Andy Robinson has chosen this weekend's resumption of the RBS Six Nations Championship to shift from Dan Parks' kicking game to the running style favoured by young stand-off Ruaridh Jackson. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"In announcing a team with seven changes and a further positional switch, Robinson spoke of the need to restore pride at Murrayfield on Sunday but refused to criticise the dropped players - Parks, Rory Lawson, Nathan Hines and Richie Vernon.

"Instead, he highlighted the strengths of those promoted, with Moray Low replacing Euan Murray at tighthead prop, the return of Richie Gray and Johnnie Beattie to the pack and Chris Paterson in for the injured Hugo Southwell at full back. Murray's unavailability for Sunday games due to his religious faith saved him from a potential dropping.

"Rory Lawson's struggles at scrum-half have persuaded Robinson to give Mike Blair a second start in his charge, in a new half-back pairing with Jackson and, while Sean Lamont was always destined to return after good displays off the bench against France and Wales, few expected it to be at inside centre.

"Robinson is looking for a powerful gain-line breaker in the mould of the injured Graeme Morrison, so Nick De Luca shifts to outside centre to face Brian O'Driscoll, and Max Evans and Nikki Walker continue on the wings.

"It is a new core to the team and much will hinge on how the 8-9-10-12 axis comes together, supports each other and provides a launchpad for the rest of the team."

Sport24's JJ Harmse reflects on the difficult decision Rugby World Cup organisers following the Christchurch earthquake.

"An equally disturbing thought will be the options the IRB have with regards to Christchurch's hosting rights during the upcoming Rugby World Cup in September and October. As things stand at the moment, the last thing one would want to do is to deal the people of Christchurch another blow while they are down.

"To tell them they will lose their games while they are still trying to get people out of the rubble, might sound very cruel, but unfortunately, time is running out for all those concerned.

"I am no expert on earthquakes and trembles, but you need not to be to see that there is currently something not right with Mother Earth’s stomach in the Christchurch area.

"Although no one can predict there will not be another quake, I would say, there is a fair chance there will.

"And as no one can guarantee no loss of life if it happens again, it will be very naive from the IRB and the organising committee to presume that nothing will or could happen and that the thousands and thousands visiting the city will be safe.

"The earthquake, if it is due, will happen with or without the RWC in progress or not."

The Independent's Simon Turnbull profiles Ireland's Brian O'Driscoll as he closes in on a 78-year-old record.

"O'Driscoll's try haul in the competition he holds dear to his 32-year-old heart stands at 23 now, following his vital score in Ireland's 13-11 get-out-of-jail win in Rome three weeks ago. Just one more and the Leinsterman will have a place in the record books alongside the flamboyant figure who got his break on the wing for Scotland because Eric "Chariots of Fire" Liddell gave up the oval-ball game to concentrate on his preparations for the 1924 Olympic Games.

"In between 1924 and 1933, Ian Smith bagged 24 tries for Scotland in what was then known as the International Championship. In doing so, he eclipsed the 18 that Cyril Lowe scored for England from 1913 to 1923. Lowe – a 5ft 6in, 9st slip of a wing – would doubtless have plundered more had it not been for the rude interruption of the Great War. He was a crack fighter pilot, decorated with the Military Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross – said to be the inspiration for the fictional character that WE Johns called Biggles.

"Smith was quite a character in his own right. Born in Melbourne and raised in New Zealand, he was a footballer until he attended Brasenose College, Oxford, and turned to rugby – in the spirit of William Webb Ellis, a former student there. He qualified for Scotland because his family hailed from the Borders and the 24 tries he scored for his adopted country stood as an international record until David Campese surpassed it in 1987."

Rubble covers cars at the foot of the collapsed CTV building in Christchurch © Getty Images

Christchurch-based journalist Kip Brook offers a first-hand account of the devastation wreaked on the city by an earthquake in The Press.

"This is a war zone; but no sign of the enemy. People crushed to death; people trapped; people missing. Friends are missing. People's lives shattered forever.

"Christchurch's latest earthquake just before 1pm yesterday is New Zealand's worst natural disaster. The mood and atmosphere around the streets and suburbs of Christchurch is one of anxiety, fear and shock.

"The first I knew about what was to come was an ascending and violent rumbling noise. A 1.8 metre high wall to wall bookcase behind my desk tumbled down on me. Brook flew right across the room like paper darts. I was trapped for a time but in between the jolts managed to squeeze under a desk before being thrown to the other side of the room."

Gerry Thornley looks at the recent treatment of Ireland scrum-half Peter Stringer in The Irish Times.

"Undoubtedly, it helps that he and Ronan O’Gara have an intuitive understanding. O’Gara always looks a better player outside Stringer and it was great to watch the two in tandem on Friday night, whipping the ball out to midfield in the minimum time. Sexton, for the time being, can only imagine what it’s like, having heretofore played the grand total of one match on the end of Stringer’s service, against Argentina last autumn.

"One can’t help but feel Gordon D’Arcy, Brian O’Driscoll and the Irish backline would benefit accordingly. Perhaps not entirely unrelated, Lifeimi Mafi looked back to his self-confident best again on Friday. For his outside break in the 13 channel off quick ball from the tail of the lineout in the build-up to Munster’s third and Doug Howlett’s second try, the ball arrived in Mafi’s hands on the gain line in rapid quick time."

Chris Rattue criticises the lenient sentence handed to All Black Ma'a Nonu following his late hit on Jimmy Cowan in The New Zealand Herald.

"How sweet. All Black teammates Ma'a Nonu and Jimmy Cowan's love-in may have worked a trick at the rugby judiciary but it's done nothing to remove the image that our rugby rivalries are merely spats between branch offices of the New Zealand Rugby Union.

"Nonu knew the score, virtually admitting he got off lightly when Nigel Hampton, QC, gave him a one-week suspension for what amounted to a flying head-butt on Cowan, who reportedly asked that Nonu be treated leniently.

"This case of victim providing support is where the independence and credibility of Sanzar and its judicial system takes a flying hit. Cowan wasn't so quick to put pen to paper after Bakkies Botha head-butted the prone All Black halfback during a test."

Peter Bills questions Sean Fitzpatrick's assertion that the quality of rugby in the Six Nations is not up to scratch in The Independent.

"So Sean Fitzpatrick doesn’t believe the skill levels in the 6 Nations Championship have been good enough, thus far. He may be right. But we are entitled to ask for clarification here. Good enough for what and for whom?

"Presumably, the former All Blacks captain had in mind rugby in the southern hemisphere and the standards that will pertain at the Rugby World Cup later this year. And when you look at a lot of teams in the 6 Nations, certainly Wales, Ireland, Scotland and of course Italy, it is undeniable that a quantum leap is required to envisage those nations going as far as the semi-finals.

"Good enough, for sure, to get out of their pools as runners-up, but likely quarter final fodder for the big boys? Maybe."

Robbie Deans is set to extend his stay with the Wallabies © Getty Images

Greg Growden analyses the groundswell of support for Wallabies boss Robbie Deans in The Sydney Morning Herald.

"About 15 months ago, Robbie Deans was concerned his reign as Wallabies coach would end well before this year's World Cup.

"The losses were piling up. The All Blacks' domination over the Wallabies had become stifling, debilitating even. Deans was struggling to gain the support of several leading senior Wallabies.

"Privately, Deans even wondered whether he had the full backing of the Australian Rugby Union board. And, like any rugby coach, he knew that even though he had been successful at provincial level with the Canterbury Crusaders, failure on the field quickly leads to blood-letting on the other side of the fence. Rugby is a brutal, paranoid business. Deans would probably not have been shocked if the ARU had come up to him a year ago to give him the much-feared tap on the shoulder."

Hugh Farrelly talks to injured Ireland fullback Rob Kearney as the debate about the No.15 jersey rages on in The Irish Independent.

"The Irish have long been known as a nation of begrudgers, but also a people that, as recent history testifies, do not appreciate what they have until it is gone. Sport is particularly vulnerable to both traits.

"Former Waterford hurler Paul Flynn, a regular target of terrace abuse in spite of his consistent match-winning displays, is one example.

"Rob Kearney, the full-back currently rehabilitating from a knee injury that has ruled him out of action since November, is another."

Chris Hewett evaluates Martin Johnson's diplomacy following a few choice words from France coach Marc Lievremont in The Independent.

"During his decade-long shift in the dungeon-dark depths of the England scrum, Martin Johnson was never far from abandoning the "stiff upper lip" approach to international rugby, as defined by many an old-school-tie lock of yesteryear, and giving someone a fat lip instead. More Wade Dooley than Bill Beaumont, basically. Now, three years into his stewardship of the national team, he has discovered diplomacy, and if people find it a bore... well, that's their problem.

"There were those among the manager's small audience yesterday who would have killed for an anti-French barb or two in response to the weekend comments of Marc Lièvremont, head coach of Les Bleus, who, for reasons best known to himself, played the hoary old "everyone hates the English" card by way of accelerating the build-up towards the important Six Nations contest between the two sides at Twickenham on Saturday. Johnson was having none of it. In fact, he was comprehensively trumped on the badinage front by Toby Flood. "I quite like going to Paris, so it's a little frustrating knowing they don't like me over there," remarked the outside-half."

Mick Cleary yearns for the days when the build-up to England v France was infused with real bite in The Daily Telegraph.

"His opposite number, Martin Johnson, shrugged off the usual anti-English, no-one-likes-us jibes. It was no more than bit of fun, a pantomime villain routine.

"What a far cry from the glory, gory days when Brian Moore’s every caustic word was pinned to the France dressing-room walls, guaranteed to enrage every Gallic hero of true blood.

"Little did they realise – or perhaps they did – that the more they reacted, the more it invited the next deliberately provocative statement from the England hooker."

Hurricanes centre Ma'a Nonu reflects on his red card against the Highlanders © Getty Images

The Ma'a Nonu who turned up for the opening round of Super 15 is the one Graham Henry should think seriously about deleting from his World Cup plans, according to the New Zealand Herald's Chris Rattue.

"Nonu, the Hurricanes' midfield back, is the bloke most likely ... to stuff up years of careful planning on the big day.

"On the face of it, his ridiculous high and late charge on Highlander Jimmy Cowan was the last thing the All Blacks needed to see in an opening Super 15 weekend, where the highlight was a dazzling game at Eden Park.

"Maybe it was exactly what Henry needed to see, though, because Nonu showed he remains a potential trainwreck ready to arrive at the Sandringham Rd station.

"So Cowan "milked" the situation by staying down. There is still no need to obscure what really happened in Wellington on Friday night, where a drab contest was swung the visitors' way by Nonu's red card dismissal."

Writing in his column for the Western Mail, winger Shane Williams talks up a resurgent Wales.

"The Six Nations is, as usual, turning out to be a fascinating tournament and I suppose our game will be seen as the lowest profile one of the lot outside Wales this weekend. People are labelling the England-France clash as the championship decider and you can’t really blame them on what we have seen so far.

"But there will be a few more twists and turns yet. We need to go about our own business in the next two games and try and go to Paris with three wins chalked off. Who knows, if we can do that we could be playing for the title ourselves out there. It’s one step at a time, but that’s the incentive for us now."

When someone is shortlisted for the International Rugby Board's Junior Player of the Year award, he must be special - as the Brumbies' Robbie Coleman proved on Saturday night. The Sydney Morning Herald's Greg Growden reports.

"The 20-year-old inside-centre could be excused for a quiet initiation, especially when encountering head-to-head such a notable international veteran in Umaga. Instead Coleman, the latest of a long line of fine footballers who have emerged from St Edmund's College in Canberra, took over the occasion with a near-perfect first-half, which included scoring the standout try of the opening round.

"The highlight of a mistake-ridden game was when Coleman grabbed the loose ball in open play and decided to make a difference. He first ran at, and then in between, two Chiefs defenders to find himself in open space. In front of him was Muliaina, as good a defensive fullback as any in international football.

"That didn't deter Coleman, who kept his angle, until a great step off his right foot had Muliaina going the wrong way, and with it emerged a clear passage to the try line. That was not Coleman's only memorable moment: he was also involved in numerous upfield charges, ensuring he will hold the Brumbies No.12 jersey for some time."

Former England hooker and Daily Telegraph columnist Brian Moore previews England's Six Nations showdown with France.

"Although the French scrum is powerful, it did not repeat its demolition of the Scottish pack when faced with an only average Irish scrum. The English tight five can ensure parity in this phase of the game, provided they concentrate.

"If France select Sébastien Chabal to add yet more muscle, the French line-out options are thereby lessened and in this crucial area England have been close to fault-free. This could see Martin Johnson’s team gain a significant edge and would go long way to deciding the match.
Although James Haskell cannot be faulted for his performances in the absence of Lewis Moody, the captain’s reintroduction would be wise because a match-up of brute force is not in England’s interests, given the way they are playing.

"Support for strike runners and getting to the resultant breakdowns first is more important than straight bashing contest."

This year could be another big one for Richie McCaw's bank balance © Getty Images

Who are New Zealand rugby's big earners? the Sunday Herald's Gregor Paul details those thought to be the top 10 best paid and how that list might change after the World Cup.

"1. Richie McCaw - Estimated Retainer: $750,000

"There was an air of desperation in early 2008. The country was reeling from theWorld Cup disaster and senior figures were talking of leaving. The New Zealand Rugby Union wanted to make a definitive statement; showing they still had something to offer. McCaw was the man they had to lock in first. The skipper was revered by team-mates. The plan was to persuade McCaw to stay and then hope others would be tempted to follow suit, which is why the NZRU came up with an enormous package. His importance to the national team was impossible to overstate.

"2. Dan Carter - Estimated Retainer: $750,000

"The best first five in the world and the only genuine test-class No 10 in New Zealand, Carter is almost the sole reason the All Blacks have enjoyed a near 85 per cent win record in the last seven years. The All Blacks just aren't the same team without him - remember the early part of 2009 when he was injured?

"If he had left at the end of 2008, as he would have if the sabbatical option hadn't been presented, the All Blacks would have been in real trouble. While the NZRU couldn't pay him as much as the likes of Perpignan or Toulon, they had to make the best offer they could - and drive the pay scale to a new level."

Stricter policing of the offside rule at rucks could be a feature of the game by the time the Rugby World Cup begins.The Sunday Herald's Gregor Paul reports.

"The biggest concern is that players on the immediate fringe of the ruck are usually half a metre to a metre offside and that prevents the attacking team halfback from being able to run down the channel between the breakdown and the first defender.

"[SANZAR Game Manager Lyndon] Bray says the message has been given to referees that they have to be vigilant and ruthless; set the tone early by penalising those teams who set up their defensive guard at rucks deliberately offside.

"The other area being targeted for improvement is scrums. While the engagement descended into farce during the ITM Cup and for much of the November test schedule, Super Rugby statistics from last year are encouraging.

"Across the competition, there were 28 per cent fewer re-set scrums. If the Waratahs, Lions and Cheetahs are removed from the equation, then there was actually a 37 per cent improvement.

"Bray says the goal is to see another 30 per cent improvement this year from all teams and strive for what he calls the golden 80:20 rule - where, for every five scrums, only one requires to be re-set."

Martyn Williams might be 35 but he showed why he should still be in the Wales squad, his skill and vision proving fundamental as the Blues leapt from fourth to second in the Magners League. The Wales on Sunday reports.

"The veteran flanker produced the most subtle of passes to create the only try in front of a decent crowd of 10,741 at Cardiff City Stadium last night.

"Ninety-eight times capped Wales international Williams was controversially left out of Wales’ Six Nations squad by coach Warren Gatland.

"But his creative ability off the replacements’ bench would have been ideal when it came to providing a link between forwards and backs, especially if Wales were chasing a match.

"Blues coach David Young was quick to hail the latest performance of Williams, saying: “I thought he was excellent. He was the real stand-out player that was going to cut them apart because Leinster’s defence was physical and tight.”

"Asked if he was surprised Williams had been ditched by Wales, Young diplomatically replied: “We all were.”

A drop in skill levels has left European rugby miles adrift of the Tri Nations, writes the Irish Independent's Neil Francis.

"In the movie Meet the Fockers Robert De Niro's character Jack Byrnes is astonished to see that Gaylord Focker (Ben Stiller) has certificates for finishing 12th in the school gymkhana adorning the family sideboard. "I've never seen people celebrate mediocrity like you do."

"We are two matches into a Six Nations championship that begs a question: have we turned into the Fockers?

"We see seven tries in a video montage of the French match in Paris two weeks ago and suddenly the French are swashbucklers again. Five-minute highlight packages seriously distort reality.

"RTE on their Aertel page described last Sunday's match in the Aviva as a 'classic'. Madre Deo, a classic? No question my pulse quickened when the great escape beckoned in the 78th minute, but I've seen much intermittent quality over the years which has been better in terms of skill levels and entertainment quotient and you'd be embarrassed to bring them up in the same sentence as last Sunday's game."

Former Irish internationals Ralph Keyes, Ciaran Fitzgerald and Ollie Campbell tell the Irish Times' Gerry Thornley what Ireland did wrong and how they can progress after going so close against France.

"Imagine, for a moment, that Seán Cronin holds on to that fateful 78th-minute pass from Brian O’Driscoll against the French last Sunday. Ireland recycle the ball off Cronin and, as they had done in four multi-phase attacks inside the visitors 22 (including the over-ruled Luke Fitzgerald try early on), eventually cross the whitewash again. We’d have been heralding a famous four-tries-to-one Irish win and there would already be muted talk of a Grand Slam.

"It would be full steam ahead with the running game, but of course, on such wafer thin lines are many Test matches decided, and this is a results business. But in the fall-out from the infuriating defeat to France, there has been exasperation and sympathy rather than condemnation for the Irish team.

“Definitely one that got away, for sure,” says Ollie Campbell. “To score three tries to one and lose by three points, oh that will hurt. That will hurt for a little while.”

"As Campbell acknowledges, the championship is probably out of reach already given how England boosted their points difference against an Italian team who suffered a hangover from their near-miss against Ireland and optimistically went for a more attacking but strictly non-tackling outhalf in Luciano Orquera."

Berrick Barnes has revealed his anguish at what he described as a sub-par 2010 for the Waratahs and Wallabies, and declared himself back to his best.The Sydney Morning Herald's Josh Rakic reports.

"Barnes struggled for game time at Super Rugby and international level last year, being shifted from his preferred No.10 position to inside-centre in place of Daniel Halangahu and Matt Giteau respectively. But with a year in Sydney under his belt, a new two-year contract with the Tahs and scintillating trial form, Barnes said he was ready to return to the lofty heights he expected from himself.

''I did it tough early in that Super 14 - and probably all the way through the season, if I'm being honest,'' 24-year-old revealed to The Sun-Herald. ''And then early in the Test year I struggled, too. I didn't start really feeling myself until the end of Tri Nations/club season and then going into the spring tour.

''But all those things made the year what it was for me - it was tough. A bit of a roller-coaster, lots of ups and downs. But at the end of the day, I think I'm better for it. I feel like I'm really back to being myself.''

Approaching halfway in the Championship, the Six Nations is already making its mark according to the Sunday Telegraph's Paul Ackford.

"The roller coaster of reputation - On the slide after two games are two British Lions, Euan Murray for three halves of abysmal scrummaging and Gordon D’Arcy for one mess of a tackle plus a host of dropped passes and other fumbles. Going the other way: Sean O’Brien and Richie Gray, both Lions of the future.

"Unlikely to last the distance - The glass door in the coaches’ box at Murrayfield which took a pasting from Andy Robinson as he watched his side go down 24-6 to Wales, Italian outside half Luciano Orquera patently out of his depth against England and Martin Johnson’s frown lines if England continue to win.

"The stats that matter - Twenty-seven tries have been scored so far in the Championship, 14 of them by wingers. Italy have made the most tackles (253), France have missed the most (28), Scotland have completed more passes (402) than any other side, England have created twice as many line breaks (17) as the other nations, Wales have kicked possession away the most (on 57 occasions) and Ireland top the table at forcing turnovers (8).

Dan Parks' game doesn't fit in with Andy Robinson's style of rugby but can the coach afford change at such a crucial position, according to the Scotland on Sunday's Iain Morrison.

"The headline in one Dublin paper last week read: "Kidney Refuses to Press Panic Button". Well, I say each to their own. A little panic might just be what Scotland needs - a good old fashioned, hair-on-fire, shrieking stampede - because something pretty drastic is required to galvanise the men in blue after their shocker in the 24-6 loss against Wales.

"...He has been excellent for so long that we almost forgot just how bloody awful Dan Parks can be. But he gave everyone a painful reminder against Wales. Scotland have tied their fortunes to the Aussie playmaker so, when he has a stinker, the team are invariably doomed.

"The fly-half was charged down (by a prop forward) early in the game and that seemed to set the tone. Parks kicked aimlessly, missed tackles and, on the odd occasion he attacked the gain line with the ball in hand, he looked about as comfortable as an elephant on ice. Most of the time he hung back in his comfort zone, 15 yards behind the line. Scotland's biggest problem is attempting to play an expansive, running ball-in-hand game with a resolutely kicking fly-half. "

Dylan Hartley got a six-month ban for gouging an England team-mate but made Wales coach eat humble pie. Now the happy hooker has France in his sights. The Independent on Sunday's Hugh Godwin writes.

"So what goes through the mind of an England hooker when the whistle goes for the first scrum against France, and the baleful eyes of Thomas Domingo, William Servat and Nicolas Mas are trained on you, and the dreams and fears of 80,000 Twickenham spectators and millions beyond are vested in your next move? "It's a feeler, the first one," says Dylan Hartley. "You don't know if they will go early, or drive you up, or take you down. You have to go in with a checklist that you're going to do every time. The French have a good front row, we've seen that. But if you sit there worrying about what they're going to do, you forget about yourselves and what you're good at."

"The scrum was talked about a great deal before England played Italy last weekend – and it was a non-event. In 80 minutes there were four put-ins, a total that will surely be exceeded next Saturday, with greater pressure on the pass and the man in possession, and red-zone penalties encouraging one side or the other to try their luck. How does Hartley see it going? "'Dylan Hartley crumbling', you mean? 'Dylan Hartley bottling it'? It doesn't happen." No, that wasn't the headline I had in mind. Just that it could be a match full of scrums? "You prepare for the best French team possible getting off that bus," he says. "We'll be prepared for that."

The Oberver's Eddie Butler believes France must beware for England know how to bypass their own inelegant midfield through the skill of Toby Flood and his wings.

"Toby Flood is the revelation of the year, his speed of reaction and precision of pass pulling England willingly forward. Chris Ashton is the most obvious example of England's response to the prompting from 10. Once upon a time David Duckham, a genuine genius, stood on the wing at Twickenham and could count chilblains in bigger numbers than passes. Now there is only a danger of overloading Ashton, of setting him up for a gang-tackle that speaks of opponents well briefed in his runs and irked by his gestures.

"But even here, at strategic level, England may yet be a step ahead of the game. They have already found a way to bypass their slightly inelegant midfield, where Mike Tindall and Shontayne Hape are more of the tank-stopping school of centres. Why try to make them into ballerinas when Flood and Mark Cueto, coming off his wing, can sweep the ball from one touchline to the other in two passes?

"There is nothing any opponent can do about the power of the England pack. Dan Cole and Tom Palmer have clearly accepted the invitation – the demand – to make an impact, Dylan Hartley to prove a provoker wrong.

"There may be the odd quibble about the balance of the back row in a game of duress but the return of Lewis Moody could solve that, a scavenging 7, allowing James Haskell to launch himself, fresh-legged off the bench, as a runner in the final quarter."

Tana Umaga is shackled on his Super Rugby return © Getty Images

Wayne Smith takes a look at Tana Umaga's remarkable return to the Super Rugby landscape with the Chiefs in The Australian.

"There is a story, probably apocryphal, that at the end of the West Indies tour of Australia in 1979-80 Donald Bradman was asked how he would have fared against the terrifying Caribbean pace quartet of Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Joel Garner and Colin Croft.

"I probably wouldn't have averaged much more than 50," the Don is reputed to have answered. And then, after a momentary pause that showed he had comedic timing every bit the equal of his timing with the bat, he added, "Of course, I did turn 71 back in August".

"Maybe he wasn't joking. He was, after all, periodically shooting lower than his age on the golf course at the time, so it's just possible he was giving no more than an honest appraisal of his chances."

Former England coach Brian Ashton compares England's win over Italy with the turgid spectacle at the Stadio Flaminio 12 months ago in The Independent.

"Admittedly, the Christian name belongs to some other Ashton, of whom I shall say more later, but as those in the midst of the celebrity whirl never cease to point out, all publicity is good publicity, irrespective of the fine detail. England's victory over Italy also had its thrilling aspects: there has been a transformative air about the side for the last 10 months or so, and while Martin Johnson is absolutely right in saying that this is not the finished article and that nothing has yet been won, there can be no denying that some of the rugby played just recently has been very watchable.

"There was the sharpest of contrasts between events at Twickenham a week ago and those in Rome this time last year: a game I remember chiefly for the fact that my wife and I found ourselves surrounded by passionate Azzurri supporters while the blustery wind played havoc with the temporary seating high up in Stadio Flaminio. The 2010 match was a desperate affair, dominated by turgid set-piece play, mind-numbing "through the phases" stuff and a call-based "playbook" approach to the attacking game that prized territorial position above all else. Now the emphasis seems to have switched to speed of ball at the tackle area and keeping defences on the move."

Will Greenwood criticises Chris Ashton's swallow-diving technique in his column for the The Daily Telegraph.

"I know it’s about the rugby and I shouldn’t get drawn into the chat about ‘that’ dive or ‘those’ dives. But as someone who likes to see themselves as a try-scoring expert, it is difficult to bite your lip.

"I am not sure what all the fuss is about, because Chris Ashton is not very good at the try-scoring dive. The acceleration into the take-off is good. The balance to get there, the quick glance around to check that the runway is clear of any would-be tacklers; that is great. The one-armed signal to warn of the intent, to build us up mentally for what is about to come, that is outstanding.

"Great athletes have used similar techniques. Mike Powell in Tokyo, Bob Beamon in Mexico, Carl Lewis in Los Angeles, they would, at this point of the dive, sit back in admiration. It’s just that after this crescendo, it all goes downhill from there."

Scott Murray recounts his favourite Five Nations memories in The Guardian's The Joy of Six.

"If you were a fan of rugby union in the late 1950s and early 1960s, you were really a fan of rugby union. Just take a look at these scorelines: Wales 0-3 England (1957), Scotland 3-3 England (1958), France 3-3 England (1960), Scotland 3-0 Wales (1961), Scotland 3-3 England, Wales 3-0 France, Ireland 3-3 Wales (1962). When Scotland lost 6-0 to Wales at Murrayfield in 1963, there were 111 lineouts."

Gareth Delve and Danny Cipriani face up to a humiliating opening defeat against the Waratahs © Getty Images

Following the Melbourne Rebels' chastening opening day Super Rugby defeat to the Waratahs, the Sydney Morning Herald's Greg Growden predicts a tough season for the Rebels and questions the influence of Danny Cipriani.

"It will be an excruciatingly long season for the Melbourne Rebels, and the Waratahs should finish on top of the Australian conference if they continue using their opportunities as wisely as they did last night.

"The Rebels went for the old bump and grind physical game, and compressed themselves in the middle of the field. That played right into the hands of an excellent Waratahs defensive line, which sucked all the energy out of the Rebels.

"Also the Rebels were so giddy by having to run around and around in circles pre-game trying to deny there was a problem with their star signing Danny Cipriani. There was a discipline issue, but that apparently was a long time ago. Hmmmm. What cannot be avoided is that it is very strange for a new province's big name to be sitting on the bench for their first game."

Writing in the New Zealand Herald, Wynne Gray admits the Blues are an unknown force heading into this season's Super Rugby competition.

"Success is a fading art for the Blues. It has been seven years since Xavier Rush held the Super Rugby silverware aloft to salute the climax to a superb season.

"The Blues have the core of last year's squad returning for action this year and coach Pat Lam has made consistently strong noises about his confidence in the squad to perform and break the seven-year glitch. Lam believes his side can make the playoffs and for him to continue in a job he clung on to this season, he and his staff will need to make that sort of impact.

"Those who ask about the Blues chances this season may as well ask you for the Lotto numbers as well. Sure they have a clutch of highly credentialled players, many who will give the World Cup squad a shake. But they have had similar calibre men since 2003 and done little to suggest further honours."

The Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly believes a strong performance against Scotland at Murrayfield will give Ireland a huge lift for the rest of the tournament.

"Confidence would eradicate the fluffed passes and knock-ons currently riddling these Irish players and Murrayfield next weekend is the perfect chance to locate that missing ingredient.

"The Scots drew on the confidence gained from their Croke Park triumph and used it to fashion excellent results in Argentina (twice) and at home to South Africa. However, after a decent showing in Paris, they looked woefully short on confidence (Sean Lamont aside) at home to Wales last time out, incapable of stringing coherent passages of play together and uncertain in defence.

"Now, it is up to Ireland to prey on that insecurity and use Scotland as a springboard for the remainder of the tournament and on to the World Cup."

Scottish Rugby Union chief executive Gordon McKie discusses Andy Robinson's apology following the defeat to Wales and the disappointing ticket sales with The Scotsman's Stuart Bathgate.

Scotland supporters voted with their feet in two different ways last week - once in the case of those who opted to stay away from the Wales game, and a second time in the case of those who walked out early after seeing the team go 16-0 down in the first half. "Yes, we were very disappointed with the performance," McKie accepted. "It was unacceptable, and one I'm sure Andy (Robinson] will want to tackle head-on next week when he comes back.

"I saw them (leaving] as well. That sort of thing I do notice and it troubles me greatly. Andy was not slow to apologise to me personally, which is a measure of the man. He recognises there is a correlation between performance and attendance, and people leaving early is unsatisfactory from our perspective. The team need to play to a level that makes people want to stay till the end of the game."

In the Daily Telegraph, Wasps centre Dom Waldouck says he and team-mate Riki Flutey can take their midfield partnership to international level.

"With this in mind playing with Riki is quite a luxury due to he threat he provides on the ball as he often attracts defenders creating space for players around him. It then becomes up to those players to read Riki’s movement’s and exploit the space he manufactures. As a centre pairing this understanding only comes through experience as we both familiarise ourselves with each other’s movement patterns and preferences of play.

"Hopefully with time and continuity such learning will show in ever-improving performances. Partnerships in rugby and in particular the midfield are obviously very important. To build a strong and successful centre partnership would go some way in getting our Wasps side back on track in our efforts to push towards silverware at the end of the year.

"Perhaps it could even become a potential international partnership given time time to blossom."

Rod Macqueen's Rebels will make their Super Rugby bow against the Waratahs on Friday © Getty Images

Melbourne plan to unleash a radical ''hybrid'' form of rugby when they make their Super Rugby bow against the Waratahs. The Sydney Morning Herald's Jamie Pandaram reports.

"The Rebels have held secret training sessions with the coaching staff of Carlton's AFL team, while rugby league great Andrew Johns has been coaching the midfield players on running lines specific to the 13-man code for tomorrow night's Super Rugby opener against NSW. While this new brand of rugby might also help in luring young league and AFL stars to switch, Rebels chief executive Ross Oakley said the club was determined to sign a number of off-contract Wallabies stars by the end of the season.

''I would like to think we can excite some Wallaby types, and if our style of play can be developed relatively quickly, and players see us playing a new style of rugby, there maybe some real attraction there,'' Oakley told the Herald.

''We will be looking at Wallaby-type players, that is no secret, and if that is to happen in the next five months, we need to work out where these players come from and get them interested in that we're doing. We're going to play an entertaining brand of rugby. [Coach] Rod Macqueen is a very strong innovator.

''We will be taking parts of Australian football, parts of rugby league, and incorporating it into our game. It will be a hybrid union mix that will incorporate strengths of the other two codes."

With Tony Buckley's departure to Sale and the scrum continuing to plague Munster, the question of front-row production has become a live one down south. The Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly reports.

"In many ways, Tony Buckley was the great, white hope.

"Since he first caught the eye as Shannon's socks-rolled-down, front-row behemoth at the start of the last decade, 'Mushy' was seen as the long-term future for Munster and Ireland rugby, regularly referred to as 'the new John Hayes'.

"Ten years on and, despite 88 provincial caps and 21 for his country, the 30-year-old has never conclusively proven his worth at the top level in the one area where prop-forwards are defined -- consistency. There is no questioning Buckley's talent, his performance off the bench against Fiji in 2009 stands unchallenged as the most skilful by an Irish prop in the modern era, while there are other displays that readily come to mind."

Is Welsh rugby heading for a huge player exodus? And, if so, where does that leave Gatland’s 'law' that demands the best Welsh players are playing in the country? The Western Mail's Andy Howell reports.

"Wales coach Warren Gatland had seen a trickle of departures and believed action was needed to stem the tide by warning them that they risked jeopardising their international careers if they moved outside our border.

"But the pronouncement now looks like hot air as Welsh players in the prime of their rugby lives, or on the way up, either turn their backs on the Welsh regions or consider pocketing the huge and potentially life-changing buckets of cash on offer in France.

"At one stage England was the favoured destination for French stars.

"But the exchange rate between the United Kingdom and France means the boot is now on the other foot. The French are staying at home and their country has become a haven for British stars, Welsh ones included."

Bulls captain Victor Matfield has sounded an ominous warning to their Super Rugby rivals - Sport24 reports.

" The Bulls believe their best is yet to come, captain Victor Matfield said at the team's first press conference of the year on Wednesday.

"Things haven't changed that much during the off-season when we worked hard on improving some facets of our game, but I do feel our best is yet to come," said Matfield.

"The skipper's belief in continued improvement has a lot to do with the team that Bulls coach Frans Ludeke selected for their first Vodacom Super Rugby fixture against the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.

"Apart from a few injury enforced absentees and the introduction of wing Bjorn Basson, the team is almost an exact replica of the one that brought home two Super 14 titles in the last two years."

The Independent's Chris Hewett reports that Anglo-French relations may be about to get frosty once again.

"A year ago, the flamboyant owner of the big Parisian club Stade Français, Max Guazzini, could be heard accusing the Rugby Football Union of holding the England flanker James Haskell "prisoner" during an almighty row over Six Nations player availability – an incident that led directly to a hardening of Twickenham's line on the issue, which now amounts to a "go on, make my day" attitude towards international personnel tempted by the lavish financial rewards on offer across the water. And where does Jonny Wilkinson, the highest-profile exile of them all, figure in the great scheme of things? Why, he is free to do as he likes.

"The World Cup-winning outside-half has been granted permission to play for Toulon in their Top 14 championship game at Agen this weekend. Indeed, he was released from England camp at the start of the week and has been training on the shores of the Mediterranean for the last couple of days. As for Haskell, who paid a heavy price for his French connections in 2010... well, that's still a different story. Stade Français, who have equally pressing domestic business in Brive tomorrow night, have not been given access to their player – or, indeed, to Tom Palmer, the Test lock currently in the form of his life."

Will Quade Cooper be playing for Reds beyond this year? © Getty Images

Wallabies playmaker Quade Cooper has hinted that he may make the Reds his long-term home. The Sydney Morning Herald's Phil Lutton reports.

"Where the fast-stepping Quade Cooper goes on the rugby field is anybody's guess. When he's in the mood to entertain, which is almost always, conventional wisdom is thrown out the window like an old apple core.

"The other mystery surrounding Cooper in 2011 is of more consequence to Queensland rugby and the ARU, or potentially rugby league. Given he's become one of the hottest properties in either rugby code, there is much riding on the outcome of his contractual talks this season.

"For his current employers, Cooper's lofty talk this morning of playing 100 games for the Reds, who begin their Super 15 campaign against the Western Force on Sunday, would have been sweet music to their ears.

"QRU chief executive Jim Carmichael, as well as coach Ewen McKenzie, are confident Cooper will remain at Ballymore beyond this year, even though his one-year deal expires at season's end."

There is no guarantee that Os du Randt will be the Springboks’ scrum coach during this year’s World Cup in New Zealand. Sport24's Hendrik Cronjé reports.

"Sport24 understands that certain teams in the World Cup, as well as wealthy European sides, are waiting to hear whether Springbok coach Peter de Villiers will extend DuRandt's contract as scrum coach.

"If the extension fails to materialise, Du Randt may join an overseas side after this year’s Super Rugby competition. He does not currently have a contract with the South African Rugby Union (SARU).

"However, he will be the Cheetahs’ scrumming consultant during the competition. The former Bok prop could not be reached on Tuesday, but an informed source confirmed to Sport24 that there was major doubt about his continued involvement with the Boks."

Writing in his blog for the Irish Times, Ireland's Jamie Heaslip insists his side must kick on from their narrow defeat at the hands of France.

"The positives from the game are plentiful. Our patterns and pace really caused the French trouble; we scored three tries and nearly a fourth against them. We constantly moved them around in defence, creating space to attack. Our own defence, for the most part, didn’t allow them the room to play. Wave after wave it held firm, our shape was good, and it felt like they never really threatened. Despite this, we will have to improve further in order to kick on and enhance our game.

"On a personal note it was finally great to get out and play. I’m not a great spectator of the game and to be thrown back in at the deep end in that match was a serious sink or swim situation, but one I relish. To be part of that group of players is something I love and a hard one to explain.

"The novelty of waking up today and having stud marks, scrapes and feeling some pain is actually comforting. I know it might sound weird, but I strangely quite like it. Too long sitting on the sidelines. All the bumps and bruises tell me I’m alive in a strange way."

Wales try king Shane Williams has revealed his future at the Ospreys is clouded in uncertainty. The Western Mail's Andy Howell reports.

"The shock news will stun supporters of Wales’ flagship region and prompt interest from the biggest clubs in European rugby. Williams’ contract at the Liberty Stadium runs out at the end of the season and he insisted there’s nothing firm on the table from Ospreys’ power-brokers.

“I have been talking to the Ospreys and I want to stay, but I don’t have a concrete offer from them at present,” explained the 33-year-old.

"Williams raised his record Wales try tally to a staggering 53 with the double strike which helped clinch a pressure-relieving 24-6 Six Nations victory over Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend. Those touchdowns took his European Championship total to 22, just one behind Ireland great Brian O’Driscoll and two down on record-holder Ian Smith, the Flying Scotsman who crossed 24 times in the 1920s and 1930s."

It’s somehow fitting that Danny Cipriani should end up playing for a side called the Rebels while Chris Ashton turns out for the Saints, according to the Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary.

"Cipriani has headed to Australia where many a non-conformist soul has ended up in the past looking for a spot of correction, self-inflicted or otherwise.

"Ashton, meanwhile, will make a visit on Tuesday to Martin Johnson’s headmaster’s study at England’s Pennyhill Park training base, ready to stuff a few textbooks down his shorts lest the punishment for defying the big man’s orders not to swallow-dive when scoring tries turns out to be of the corporal kind.

"It’s indicative of the change in mood in the England camp, as well of the nature of offences, that Cipriani’s brushes with authority turned out to be so damaging while Ashton’s up-yours celebration has all the hallmarks of pantomime.

"True, he’s sure to get a dressing-down from the England manager for the simple reason that Johnson’s original objection to the flamboyant touch-down remains: not only would the Northampton wing look a pillock if the ball did slip from his one-handed grasp but, more pertinently, the team would suffer."

Former Scotland coach Jim Telfer believes only three players who took part against Wales deserve pass marks, and thinks some of the others may not be mentally tough enough for Test rugby. The Scotsman's Stuart Bathgate reports.

"Although some players said afterwards that the poor start had virtually ensured a home defeat, Telfer argues that two chances around the hour mark - for Nikki Walker and John Barclay - could have brought them back into the contest. "If one of these chances had been taken, Scotland would have been within three points of Wales with 15 minutes to go and we could have kicked on and won.

"We didn't deserve to win, however, and serious questions must be asked about the mental toughness of some of our players. If they thought that they just had to turn up and assume that the result they achieved against the Springboks (Scotland's last Murrayfield match, in which they beat the world champions) would automatically follow last Saturday when they returned to Murrayfield, then they were given a very rude awakening by a Welsh side hurting from criticism at home but still containing some world-class players.

"And it was those players - Shane Williams, Jamie Roberts, Ryan Jones and James Hook in particular - who led by example. Only Sean Lamont, Kelly Brown and, to lesser extent, John Barclay compared favourably with their opposite numbers."

Scotland were well beaten by Wales © Getty Images

Scotland legend David Sole reaches for the thesaurus in order to properly describe Scotland's performance against Wales in The Daily Telegraph.

"One of the great things about modern word processing software is the thesaurus facility and its ability to suggest a plethora of alternative words to substitute for the one that you first considered.

"For example, looking for an alternative to inept, one is spoilt for choice – incompetent, ham-fisted, hopeless or bungling all pop up. There aren’t quite as many synonyms for toothless, but ineffectual is probably not a bad choice.

"You see, it is hard to find exactly the right adjective to describe Scotland’s performance against Wales on Saturday because it is probably best described by a number of different words, most of them already in the above paragraph – as Captain Kellock admitted after the match, the team simply didn’t turn up."

Robert Kitson hypes the return to action of Danny Cipriani, who is set to spearhead the Melbourne Rebels in their Super Rugby bow in The Guardian.

"Stop me if you have heard this before. Talented player whips up a storm at Twickenham, showing nil regard for the conservative ways of the old-school English rugby player. Nothing to declare but his genius, as Oscar Wilde used to write in his Guardian blog. A bit cocky, maybe, but where is the harm? Last weekend it was Chris Ashton; three years ago, lest we forget, it was Danny Cipriani against Ireland.

"If Ashton needs something to return him to earth after a weekend of skydiving, he could do worse than ponder the subsequent career trajectory of Cipriani, once the Icarus of English rugby himself. A lot of us watched the latter shred the Irish on that memorable afternoon in March 2008 and foresaw nothing but success for the confident golden child. Instead all it took was a bad leg injury and a change of England management and Cipriani was suddenly on the outer, his profile in the showbiz columns swiftly eclipsing his on-field deeds."

David Kelly talks to Ireland prop Cian Healy about rugby, hip-hop and art in The Irish Independent.

"November 15, 2009. It is minutes before Ireland play Australia in Croke Park. The stadium is buzzing. The crowd are cheering. The tannoy is screeching. The Irish dressing-room is bustling.

"Cian Healy hears none of it. His head is throbbing with a rhythmic, pulsating hip-hop beat. The music must imprison him in order for him to liberated from outside distractions, thoughts and needs.

"Jerry Flannery can't believe what he's seeing. This debutant bouncing around, drumming his fingers on his tree-trunk thighs. "Normally fellas would be white with the fear," Flannery reports afterwards."

England's Chris Ashton takes the aerial route to score a try against Italy at Twickenham © Getty Images

England wing Chris Ashton has to take note of the Italian reaction after his first try according to The Independent's James Corrigan.

"Any over-exuberance on his part is completely understandable. What he should never care about is offending any of the blazers' sensitivities. They like to see their try-scorers touch down with the minimum of fuss, accept the pat on the back from the goal kicker after handing over the ball and then run immediately back to their own half. In their dusty old book, ecstasy should definitely not be the main part of it. But it is, as even the giggles of Martin Johnson signify. Anyone who can bring a smirk to that grisly countenance, let alone anything so euphoric as a laugh, clearly has the ability to spread the joy far and wide.

"Yet what Ashton may want to guard himself against are the charges of being a sneerer, of belittling the opposition, of going airborne in the guise of saying "this is so bloody easy I'm even prepared to risk dropping the thing". There is a clear and present danger of that, which may be lost to him in that wave of jingo sweeping through his own country. Goodness knows why, but there are those who regard the English as arrogant and English rugby as yet more arrogant. To these misguided souls, the "Ash Splash" will be another gross manifestation of that particular nation's superiority complex."

The sense of an opportunity lost lingered long into the stadium air at Lansdowne Road last night according to the Irish Times' Gerry Thornley.

"Despite the Sunday kick-off, the Six Nations made a raucous and entertaining, if flawed, return to the refurbished old ground, but for all the talk of French flair it was Irish mistakes which snatched a threes-tries-to-one defeat from the jaws of victory.

"For sure, some of the depth and width which the French backs applied looked both ominous and pretty, but much of their recycling was slow and ultimately Ireland limited them to one try, and that off a missed tackle.

"But combined with the concession of 18 points from penalties – remarkably, seven of France’s nine penalties which an unconvincing Dave Pearson awarded were within kicking range – France did not have to work anything like as hard for their points.

"The surfeit of three-pointers also reflects how Ireland enjoyed a 50-50 split of possession, yet until the final quarter France had much more of the territory."

The Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly reflects on Ireland's agonising Six Nations defeat to France in Dublin.

"Any player will tell you that it is preferable to be on the end of hammering than come within inches of a famous victory and be denied just as it is in your grasp.

"And that is specifically what happened as Ireland launched a wonderful last-ditch drive for which took them from their own 22 to the French line. Keith Earls took off down the left and stroked through a clever kick that Maxime Medard failed to deal with and when he was gobbled up by the feral Irish chasers a try looked inevitable only for substitute Sean Cronin, just on for Rory Best, to knock on the ball.

"It was one of a host of similar unforced errors as Ireland carried on from Rome in terms of shooting themselves in the foot with their mistakes. However, when Ireland were good they were very, very good -- as their three tries testify -- and in terms of intensity and commitment to the cause, this performance was at the level Ireland need to hit at the World Cup."

In his column for the Western Mail, Wales winger Shane Williams highlights the positive influence of team-mate James Hook.

"James [Hook] and Stephen Jones each bring different things to the table, different qualities. But as we’re each Ospreys I am inevitably more used to what James does and I just adore playing next to him.

"Hooky brings the unexpected, but I’m able to read him like a book. I just know what he’s going to do, as if there’s some sort of telepathy going on.

"For that first try I read his mind. I knew he was going to go for that gap, which was why I was able to get on his shoulder and take the pass for the score. Hooky unsettles defences because they are wary of him trying the unexpected, but I also thought that he kicked beautifully at goal, considering he hasn’t had much time at No.10."

The Daily Telegraph's Brian Moore believes that midfield duo Mike Tindall and Shontayne Hape are at centre of England's development in 2011 Six Nations.

"It is de rigueur to slate the alleged lack of dimension in England’s centre partnership, but [Chris] Ashton’s dazzle obscured much of the straight running and decoy angles cut by Shontayne Hape and Mike Tindall.

"Last week England found a couple more players to add to the list of those who can handle Test rugby. This match enabled them to add Alex Corbisiero, which is particularly satisfying as he is a prop. There is still much work to do, but England are fashioning the tools with which to handle the task and with every such discovery do their prospects grow."

Scotland fans who witnessed their Six Nations defeat to Wales will have had their faith tested by a performance that offered heaps of disappointment and precious little encouragement. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"How did this bunch of players turn in their worst team performance in navy jerseys and finish the match as mental wrecks, apologising to all and sundry and searching in vain to understand how the flickers of promise from defeat in France on the opening weekend could turn to ashes so easily?

"The first 30 minutes of this game wrap up the story. These were two teams heading for the kick-off at Murrayfield with something to prove, the Welsh players even acknowledging it with dark humour by playing the song 'Under Pressure' on the team bus in response to coming into this match without a win in eight games.

"Scotland did not seem to be under the same pressure, having won five of their last seven Tests and, in Paris, finally uncovering a way to scoring tries. But when this game started in the same jaw-dropping fashion to that against France, Scotland losing their first scrum and subsequently the game's opening try, pressure seemed to grip Alastair Kellock's men. Nerves had been visible before then. Kelly Brown had knocked on, Hugo Southwell had sclaffed a kick to touch and Dan Parks had a clearance kick charged down by loosehead prop Paul James in the opening minutes, the start of Scotland's obsession with handing over possession."

Chris Ashton scores against Italy with his signature swallow dive © Getty Images

Writing for the Mail on Sunday, injured Enlgand captain Lewis Moody says the exuberant Chris Ashton is the ultimate team player.

"I know people call me Mad Dog but it has to be said that Chris Ashton is a little bit barking! Even so, as far as I’m concerned, he can do whatever he likes if it means he scores four tries for England. And that includes celebrating with his famous swallow dives.

"Chris is a really great guy to have around the squad — always bubbly, always positive and always quick with the banter.

"You need characters in your squad and Ashy is definitely one of those. As a player you always keep your feet firmly on the ground and Chris does that. He realises the team is the most important thing."

In the Sunday Telegraph, London Irish coach backs newcomer Alex Corbisiero to retain his place after making an impressive England debut against Italy.

"I was impressed too by the debut of Alex Corbisiero. He is one of those hard-working players who has great strength and mobility and he carries well for us at London Irish.

"I said at the start of the season that I thought Corbs would be in the World Cup squad for New Zealand and it is great that England did not hesitate to pick him when Andrew Sheridan picked up an injury. I sent him a text on Friday night to tell him just to do the basics well and everything would come good, and I thought he handled himself well against Martin Castrogiovanni, who is one of the best tight-heads in world rugby.

"I think Alex did enough to keep his place at least on the bench for the game against France, while James Haskell is another who is going to be hard to shift out of the back row if he maintains this sort of form."

Tom Enlgish describes Scotland's performance in defeat to Wales as a "colossal disappointment" in Scotland on Sunday

"Scotland showed a cataclysmic inability to seize the moment when Wales were reduced to 14 and then 13 men in the first half. They scored just three points in that period and in those moments they ceded a massive psychological advantage to the visitors. It was the seminal passage of the evening. As Warren Gatland said: "That was the game."

"This was a colossal disappointment for Scotland and they were in no mood to soft soap it in the aftermath. The look of dejection on the faces of Andy Robinson and Al Kellock said everything. They were hurting, they were embarrassed, they were sorry."

In the Sunday Telegraph, former Wales winger Ieuan Evans insists Warren Gatland's job was never in danger.

"First of all let’s just say that regardless of the outcome of this game, Warren Gatland would not have lost his job. I don’t know that for a fact, but believe me, it would have been a crass decision to have ditched the coach in World Cup year. Wales have done it before and I was involved in it before. It is stupid to even talk like that.

"So, a win and thank goodness for that. Like every other Welsh man and woman, I was beginning to wonder where it was coming from. There are only so many times you can say, well, that was close.

"I was getting a bit fed up with listening to the same old platitudes. Thankfully, no more."

In the Independent on Sunday, Hugh Godwin reports how the foreign invasion on the Top 14 is causing the French national team concern.

"As the queue of players grasping at the mega-Euros on offer in France's Top 14 Championship grows ever longer, so Marc Lièvremont, the head coach of Les Blues, is becoming more exasperated. "I am delighted that players like Jonny Wilkinson are playing in France but as a selector it is a problem," he said. "You go to a league match and the teams you are watching have so many foreign players."

"The trickle of foreigners in former flanker Lièvremont's playing days – he was a member of the Grand Slam side in 1998 and made it a double as coach when he landed the same prize last year – has become a torrent. Wilkinson's Toulon recently added Wales's Gavin Henson to their roster and Kingsley Jones, the Welshman who has been linked with a coaching job at the club, predicts wealthier French sides will soon run the equivalent of two playing squads totalling up to 50 players."

The New Zealand Herald's Paul Gregor believes Australia's successful retention of their top stars could have positive effects across the Tasman.

"Australia's early retention of a number of Wallaby stars, including Adam Ashley-Cooper, Berrick Barnes and Stephen Moore, could have a major benefit on this side of the Tasman.

"The Wallabies are determined to build a new legacy in the coming years. Not since the likes of John Eales, Tim Horan and George Gregan led them to World Cup glory in 1999 have they really scared the rest of the world. The current crop, with players such as Quade Cooper, Will Genia, Ben McCalman and Kurtley Beale in their mix, believe they have the ability to win trophies, including the World Cup.

A triumphant announcement from across the ditch could be enough to nudge a few senior All Blacks towards extending their time here."

Can Marc Lievremont's side make it two from two against Ireland this weekend? © Getty Images

The Daily Telegraph's Brendan Gallagher looks ahead to France's Six Nations showdown with Ireland in Dublin.

"Sunday, however will, be the acid test. Even poorish France teams are occasionally capable of turning on the style in a one-off match – it is in their DNA – but top-notch France sides do it week after week and against the very best. Confronting a fired-up Ireland in Dublin should give us a pretty fair indication as to just how good France circa 2011 are. And how good they could become.

"Lièvremont has, with good reason, earned the reputation as the crazy professor of world rugby, experimenting wildly and using just about every able-bodied French-qualified played in the T14, or so it seems. But now in World Cup year has come the moment to nudge that final component into place, solder the last rivet, stand back and push the green button.

"So far so good but there is no turning back now, he really does need to go with the finished product throughout this Six Nations and see the various combinations grow and mature. France looked genuinely impressive against Scotland and have to trust their instincts again."

Wales coach Warren Gatland's mind games in the build-up to his side's Six Nations clash with England are nothing new according to All Blacks legend Colin Meads. The Western Mail's Simon Roberts reports.

"Ask Sir Colin Meads about Warren Gatland’s love for mind games and a wry smile crosses his face.

"For Meads, arguably the greatest and most feared All Black of them all, stretches his mind back four decades.

“You had a Welshman who was a master of that stuff,” said Meads, whose nickname “Pinetree” is etched in rugby folklore. “Carwyn James.” It is a statement delivered by the former All Black captain – who was voted New Zealand’s player of the century in 1999 – with a twinkle in the eye.

"For Meads clearly identifies Gatland’s fondness for getting under the skin of opponents – note his recent pre-match attack on England hooker Dylan Hartley – to the greatest coach Wales never had. Meads made 55 appearances for New Zealand in a 14-year period (1957-71) when caps weren’t handed out like confetti.

"A revered figure throughout the world of rugby, Meads will forever be linked with Wales because of James – the celebrated son of Cefneithin in the Gwendraeth Valley. James guided the British and Irish Lions to their only Test series victory over the All Blacks in 1971 when Meads was New Zealand captain."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson previews Scotland's latest Six Nations clash wtih Wales at Murrayfield.

"Consistency of performance is one thing, but Scotland head into their second game of the Six Nations Champonship knowing that even if they retain the good elements of their play from Paris last weekend and improve the poorer aspects there is no guarantee that this game will follow the same pattern as any they have played in before.

"One often wonders what the machine-like All Blacks would make of a tournament that travels around six European capitals and where the unexpected is the only constant for players, coaches and supporters. Scotland and Wales losing their opening matches in the 2011 Championship was not the biggest surprise, as reigning champions France and tournament favourites England represent the most formidable foe. Yet, both sides flicked through the embers of their opening battles knowing it could have been so different. Had both controlled the ball better at crucial times there was enough in the Celts' performances to have won both games."

The Independent's Chris Hewett previews what is likely to be a testing day for England debutant Alex Corbisiero against Italy at Twickenham.

"England thought they knew precisely where they stood in relation to this year's Six Nations Championship following their precious opening-round victory in Wales eight days ago.

"Suddenly, they find themselves thinking again. The withdrawal of their Lions prop Andrew Sheridan from this afternoon's meeting with the strong-scrummaging Italians at Twickenham means Alex Corbisiero of London Irish will make his debut at loose head against no less a figure than the fearsome Martin Castrogiovanni. It should be quite a meeting of minds.

"Born in New York, the newcomer has Italian ancestry: his grandfather Riccardo left the tough southern city of Naples for the Big Apple in the 1950s. The Argentine-born Castrogiovanni, widely acknowledged as a godfather of the set-piece, also has links to a part of Italy where the words "respect" and "honour", long part of the front-rower's vocabulary, take on a slightly darker hue. His folks hail from Sicily. "Real mafia country," as he once said."

The front-row battle is as important as ever, particularly at Twickenham where England's Alex Corbisiero faces Italy's Martin Castrogiovanni, according to Shaun Edwards in The Guardian.

"What is it about scrummaging that catches the imagination of so many rugby people? To the untutored it's just eight men pushing against another eight or, in the words of one rugby correspondent who should have known better, merely a way of restarting play. We know better.

"However, it's still a surprise that a week into the Six Nations, I guess scrummaging is a major – if not the major – topic of conversation, with suggestions of shenanigans in the front row in Rome and a man-of the-match performance by a loosehead prop in Paris.

"I don't really want to get involved in what went on behind the scenes in Rome, but it was interesting to see that Ireland still aren't comfortable, particularly at loosehead prop, but then again not many are against a guy like Martin Castrogiovanni and there are plenty of reasons to believe he will help keep scrummaging centre stage well into next week."

Mike Phillips' performance for Wales against England left him open to criticism © Getty Images

Scrum-half Mike Phillips has been singled out as Wales’ weakest link by Lions legend Jim Telfer ahead of tomorrow’s Six Nations showdown at Murrayfield. The Western Mail's Simon Thomas reports.

"In a startling blast, former Scotland coach Telfer has identified scrum-half Phillips as the root of winless Wales’ problems.

And he warned he expects a comfortable home win for the Scots... words which should fire up Warren Gatland’s team as they look to bounce back from their England woe and return to winning ways again.

Telfer, assistant to Ian McGeechan on the 1997 Lions tour to South Africa, reckons powerful Ospreys star Phillips believes he is a back-row forward and only passes the ball as an afterthought.

Telfer claims this is having a negative impact on the talented Welsh back-line and says he expects the winless run to extend to nine matches tomorrow.

Coming from such a respected figure in the game, Telfer’s words will really strike a chord and provide Phillips with the motivation he needs to prove a point.

“The Welsh backs are each talented individuals but are lacking collective confidence,” said Telfer.

“The root of their problems are at scrum-half, where Mike Phillips thinks he’s a back-row forward most of the time and only passes the ball out as an afterthought.”

Southern hemisphere rugby officials are banking on the revamped Super 15 competition to revive the sport's appeal to fans and broadcasters in difficult economic times and in an increasingly cutthroat sports marketplace. Sport24 reports.

"The inclusion of a fifth Australian team based in sports-mad Melbourne, the establishment of regional conferences to produce more fan-friendly derby matches, and the substantial lengthening of the season are all intended to offer value to broadcasters and intrigue to fans.

The organisers SANZAR believes the changes will help reverse a recent decline in live and television audiences and rejuvenate a competition which began with 12 teams in 1996, increased to 14 teams in 1996 and will now have 15, with suggestions of further expansion into the Pacific and South America.

Rugby is in a strong position in New Zealand, particularly as it prepares to host this year's Rugby World Cup. In South Africa, home of the Bulls who won last year's Super 14, rugby weathered the inevitable upsurge in the profile and popularity of football during and after last year's FIFA World Cup.

But in Australia, rugby faces immense pressure to maintain its audience share in what Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O'Neill calls a "incredibly bloodthirsty market."

The Independent's Chris Hewett reflects on England's decision to opt for the same again when they tackle Italy at Twickenham on Saturday.

"England's decision not to fast-track the Leeds flanker Hendre Fourie into their starting line-up for tomorrow's Six Nations contest with Italy spawned an intriguing conspiracy theory, based on the notion that a brilliant performance from the South African-born forward at Twickenham might complicate the selection process when Lewis Moody, the injured captain, returns to action – possibly in time for the eagerly awaited meeting with France in a little over a fortnight. The pack would undoubtedly be better balanced with a specialist breakaway in the open-side position, but Fourie must make do with a seat on the bench.

"Elsewhere, there was no decision to be made – least of all in the front row, even though the Italians will concentrate their efforts in this area. England's scrummagers did a job on their Welsh opponents in Cardiff seven days ago, and if they can hang together against the formidable Azzurri trio of Salvatore Perugini, Leonardo Ghiraldini and Martin Castrogiovanni, a second successive championship victory will be very much on the cards. "I expect it to be a big part of the game and it will have its challenges," said Dylan Hartley, the England hooker, yesterday. "Eighteen inches of hair and a beard in my face? Lovely."

Will Scotland cope with a measure of expectation after the three tries in France? The Guardian's Paul Rees investigates.

"It would have been tempting for the Scotland coach, Andy Robinson, to seek solace in defeat in Paris on Saturday evening. His side had scored three tries, as many as they managed in the whole of last season's Six Nations, and they rattled the defending champions despite a retreating scrum.

"Instead, he saw the 80 minutes as an opportunity lost, pointing out that France's four tries came after Scotland had been turned over. Look after the ball, was the message, and the result will look after itself. Robinson does not do excuses: never mind that Scotland had lost on the opening weekend for 10 of the previous 11 campaigns or that their recent record in Paris was no better, he was not going to provide a cloak for his players to hide behind.

"Robinson was a brave choice by the Scottish Rugby Union because of his nationality and the belittling way he was treated by England. He had resuscitated his career at Edinburgh after being sacked by England at the end of 2006, but if there was a perceived danger the Scots would quickly turn on a red-rose reject if results and performances did not improve, it did not materialise."

The Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly previews Ireland's Six Nations showdown with France in Dublin.

"If Kidney's men can match them in the scrum. This is not simply Mike Ross coping with Thomas Domingo, as he did for Leinster v Clermont in December, or Cian Healy managing Nicolas Mas, it requires a unified effort from all eight and the back-row, as ex-Ireland loose-head Reggie Corrigan put it, "working their asses off".

"If Ireland can engineer quality possession from the back of the line-out. Jamie Heaslip's return will help in this regard, but he is still not as lofty as the French back-row jumpers Imanol Harinordoquy and Julien Bonnaire.

"It requires careful planning to get the best attacking ball off the top and forwards coach Gert Smal will have earned his corn this week if Ireland manage it.

"So many ifs and so little certainty does not breed the confidence that Ireland have lacked for some time now, but Sunday would be a good day to produce.

"Even with the injury problems, the talent is there and the experience of last weekend's escape to victory in Rome will stand to these players -- the reason Kidney has stuck by them."

The Scotsman's David Ferguson speaks to Scotland's Richie Gray in the wake of his strong showing against France that silenced his critics - amongst them the ex-England international and now pundit Jeremy Guscott.

"Typically, looking for a contrary view, Guscott wrote in a newspaper column before the start of the RBS Six Nations Championship that he could not understand why people were labeling the Glasgow lock as a player to watch in the tournament. Gray's improvement this season from a promising young kid into an adept and powerful professional had all and sundry picking him out pre-tournament as Scotland's "one to watch".

"Guscott dismissed that, insisting that Gray was "slow and cumbersome", like "Bambi on ice" and predicted that he wouldn't have any impact on the 2011 tournament. Even as Gray was striding through French tacklers during Saturday's game, setting up the field position for the first try, winning lineout ball against Imanol Harinordoquy and getting back to make try-saving tackles, and those comments were thrown back at him by a fellow ex-England international, Guscott shouted "but he'll still finish on the losing side".

"...Relaxed and smiling, Gray revealed that he had gone out to find the offending article and still had it at his Glasgow flat. "My girlfriend texted me on the morning and said he had been quite harsh on me, so I went out and bought the paper and had a good read through it, and it gave me an extra drive for the game.

"I just wanted to read what he said and some might say his comments could have been justified, looking at certain games he's looked at. Everyone's got their opinion and I'm not saying it's the wrong opinion. I suppose everyone's got their opinion and I'll just try to change it as much as I can."

James Hook will fill the Wales No.10 shirt against Scotland this weekend © Getty Images

Wales' decision to opt for James Hook at fly-half means a move away from Warren Gatland’s structured game plan according to Gwyn Jones in the Western Mail.

"It is with reluctance rather than enthusiasm that Warren Gatland hands James Hook the prestigious No.10 jersey.

"For the past two years the Welsh coaching staff have steadfastly refused to consider Hook as a fly-half, but as the pressure grows following the recent dismal run of results, Gatland has yielded to the public’s clamour.

"Wales under Gatland have pursued a very structured pattern. They have built their game around these ideas and picked players who are most able to execute their plan.

"...As we know Wales rely on a strict pattern of play which includes a specific kicking strategy, running the identical way in possession, and high recycle rate and Gatland turned to the reliable Stephen Jones to implement that policy.

"However, this once successful pattern is not working and hasn’t done for some time. Selecting the more instinctive Hook at outside-half is a move away from Galtand’s rigid ideology."

Tonga's prime minister says this year's Rugby World Cup will not be a real competition because "unfair" eligibility rules prevent Pacific nations from fielding some of their best players. The New Zealand Herald reports.

"Lord Tu'ivakano said International Rugby Board (IRB) rules barring a player who has represented one country from ever taking the field for another, protected the game's traditional powers from being challenged.

"The law is a sore point for Pacific nations, whose best players are often lured to New Zealand or Australia as youngsters, but cannot represent their homeland even after their careers with their adopted countries are over.

"If they're going to have a real World Cup, then they need to give the other countries the chance to have their own players," he told AFP in an interview on Tuesday.

"Tu'ivakano said Tonga had players in top international competitions who could not represent their country at the World Cup, which runs from September 9 to October 23 in New Zealand, robbing the team of valuable experience."

The Irish Times' John Sullivan meets the Ireland winger who admits he would appreciate getting his hands on rather more quality ball against France on Sunday than was served out to him on his Test debut.

"McFadden is as eloquent off the pitch as he is on the other side of the whitewash. It's just as well because at the official post-match dinner in Rome he thought he'd escaped back to his seat on the presentation of a cap to mark his first appearance for Ireland only to be beckoned to return to the top table by Brian O'Driscoll and invited to address the assembled audience.

"It was on the pretext that every debutant underwent the same protocol. The Ireland captain was being slightly economical with the truth. McFadden smiled: "Drico did summon me back up. It was grand. I tried to get back into my seat as quickly as possible as I didn't have a speech prepared. It was nice; he was trying to make a big deal out of it for me and it was a big day for me. I didn't mind.

"Last week was unbelievable for me, to be honest with you, really; it gave me an incredible buzz. Thankfully we got the win because otherwise it would have been a day to forget if we'd lost. We held in there and got the drop goal in the end.

"It was an unbelievable experience (but) I would have liked to have got my hands on the ball a little more, to be honest: fingers crossed this week will be different."

Nothing beats experience when it comes to setting up a Super Rugby team from scratch according to the Melbourne Rebels. The Sydney Morning Herald's Stathi Paxinos reports.

"Critics have questioned how many older players there are at the Rebels, which includes Stirling Mortlock, 33, Julian Huxley, 31, Greg Somerville, 33, Hoani Macdonald, 32, and Sam Cordingley, 34, as well as the several experienced players who are past the halfway point of their sporting lives.

"However, for Western Force captain Nathan Sharpe, New South Wales Waratahs coach Chris Hickey and his skipper Phil Waugh, experience was one of the most important elements Melbourne has for its first season.

"Hickey said there was no alternative for a start-up team but to buy in experience and critics were uninformed. ''Those people probably don't understand the value of experience in the team and I think that's been the real strength of the recruitment program that the Rebels have undertaken,'' Hickey said.

''As a coach, experience is something you can't develop, you've got to buy it and I think that's what the Rebels have been able to do."

Will Carling, the former England rugby captain, has been reunited with his stolen Apple iPad he left on a train after tracking it with a sophisticated tracing device. The Daily Telegraph's Andrew Hough reports.

"The 45 year-old claimed that he felt like a “spy” after he tracked the thief to a block of flats in Woking, Surrey on Wednesday.

"But after the alleged thief fled, the former Rugby international went in chase while detailing his gripping cyber “adventure” to his almost 46,000 followers on Twitter.

"Users of the microblogging site were then given a blow-by-blow account as he tried to keep up with the thief over the coming hours.

"He was later reunited with his device after tracking them using an Apple system called “MobileMe”.

"The drama begin after Mr Carling, the youngest ever England captain at 22, left the portable device on a train on Tuesday."

Max Evans is looking forward to running out at Murrayfield against Wales on Saturday and insists the injury suffered by his brother in the same fixture last year won't pose a problem for him. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"Max Evans is comfortable that he will cope with the emotions of facing up to Wales in the rematch of the game which ultimately ended his brother Thom's rugby career, but he revealed that his younger sibling will not be there as it would be too emotional.

"It was in the first half of Scotland's second match in last year's RBS Six Nations Championship match in Cardiff that Thom suffered a spinal injury after crashing into Lee Byrne, the Wales full-back. It was a match that Scotland performed superbly in, but, in a dramatic conclusion, allowed a 24-14 lead to slip away and Wales to win.

"Max Evans admitted that, only with match analysis some time later, did he appreciate what had happened in the game as he had finished it with concern only for his brother, who was by then lying in the nearby Cardiff hospital. Unlike many who suffer spinal injuries, Thom recovered the full use of his limbs, but he retired from professional rugby and is currently in Los Angeles studying acting."

The Independent's Simon Turnbull reflects on Andy Robinson's decision to sign a contract extension with Scottish Rugby.

"In truth, Robinson has looked as much at home in his regulation Scotland coaching kit as he used to in the blue, black and white of his beloved Bath. He still splits his time between Edinburgh and his family home in the former Roman spa town where he was a fixture for 13 seasons on the open-side flank for the rugby battalion stationed at the Recreation Ground.

"There had been much speculation of late that the man who guided Bath to the Heineken Cup in 1998 would return as head coach after serving out his original contract with Scotland, which was due to run until the end of the 2012 Six Nations. The club's multimillionaire patron, Bruce Craig, was a contemporary of Robinson at Loughborough University.

"Asked whether he had been approached by "any other organisation," Robinson stopped short of a denial. "It's not for me to comment on," he said. Asked whether he felt it was important that his future had been resolved ahead of this autumn's World Cup, Robinson added: "I think what it does is stop people, when they don't have anything to write about, wanting to make up stories about me going elsewhere. It also means that there is a consistency of understanding that there will be stability over the next couple of years, which I think is important."

Leicester fly-half Toby Flood deserves much of the credit for England's rediscovery of open rugby according to < Ahref="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/feb/09/six-nations-2011-toby-flood-england" target="new">The Guardian's Rob Kitson.

"With every passing day England sound a happier, more purposeful team. No one is suggesting they are suddenly invincible but, compared with 12 months ago, the difference is almost tangible. The catalyst? Examine their fortunes before and after Toby Flood was trusted to start ahead of Jonny Wilkinson last March and it is hard not to make a direct link.

"Flood's man-of-the-match performance against Wales last Friday simply underlined the new order. Credit has tended to go elsewhere but England, at this precise moment, would not swap him for any other fly-half in the championship.

"Quietly and intelligently, he has unlocked areas of England's game which had rusted up, to the point where opponents are unsure what is coming next. At Test level, that is the most precious of gifts. The 25-year-old Flood has also shown what a little artfully channelled ambition can do. Beginning in Paris and continuing through Sydney, Twickenham and Cardiff there has been a much greater desire to cast off the imaginative shackles."

How similar is Ireland coach Declan Kidney to his football counterpart Giovanni Trapattoni © Getty Images

In terms of selection, tactics and substitutions, Ireland's rugby coach is drawing comparisons with his soccer counterpart but that could be about to change spectacularly, writes the Irish Independent's Hugh Farrelly.

"On the surface, there would not appear to be a whole lot of similarities between a 71-year-old fashion-conscious Italian football manager and a 51-year-old rugby man from Cork, happiest with a tracksuit and a whistle.

"However, following Ireland's disappointing, and nerve-wracking, victory over Italy last weekend, Declan Kidney has been likened to Giovanni Trapattoni in terms of his approach to the Ireland team.

"While there are areas of commonality to be found between the two national coaches -- starting with their 2008 appointments -- it is overly simplistic to say both men operate under the umbrella of inherent conservatism."

All Blacks and Crusaders captain Richie McCaw has played down concerns over a foot injury that will sideline him for the start of the season. The New Zealand Herald reports.

"Being a World Cup year All Blacks' fans should naturally be worried but talking to Radiosport's Tony Veitch this morning McCaw said the reaction to his injury was a 'bit crazy'.

"End of the day it's just a sore foot. It's going to take a wee bit to come right but hopefully they forget about it once the rugby starts next weekend."

"With 212 days remaining until the start of the Rugby World Cup, McCaw says that leaves plenty of rugby ahead with the Super Rugby and Tri Nations.

"It's still a long way from a rugby point of view. We've got a lot of rugby between now and then. I think for everyone that's the focus for this year.

"Six weeks out of an 18 week competition...it is a big part but it's not the whole lot."

"McCaw says experience will help him bounce back and be match-ready for the Crusaders as soon as possible.

Japan coach John Kirwan wants to bring back Christian Loamanu for his World Cup squad even though the winger has received a lifetime ban for drug use. The New Zealand Herald reports.

"Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU) chairman Noburo Mashimo told reporters Kirwan wanted to reinstate the Tongan-born Loamanu but admitted there would be problems with the move.

"Loamanu, 24, won 16 caps for the Brave Blossoms and played at the 2007 World Cup, but was sacked from Japan Top League side Toshiba Brave Lupus in February 2009 and banned by the JRFU after two doping test specimens revealed traces of cannabis.

"Mashimo told Japanese media: "It will be difficult to bring him (Loamanu) back after the decision has already been made on this case. However, we'd better listen to what the head coach would say and see how much he needs the player."

"Mashimo added that he had advised Kirwan, the All Black legend who became Japan coach months before the 2007 World Cup in France, to state his case at the union's executive meeting in March."

Ireland No.8 Jamie Heaslip reports from his side's Six Nations base in his latest blog for the Irish Times.

"I have decided to write this update in the same frame of mind as the man at the heart of Irish camp goes about his business. He has me writing this while sitting in one of his loungers and listening to the soundtrack of The Godfather. He says that this will keep my mind moving while the body rests. His personnel mantra is, “You might think I’m doing very little because I’m not moving but in fact I’m doing a lot with my mind constantly working”.

"This mantra is constantly under scrutiny from some of the players in camp, but he does get the job done. Although a phrase in camp is, “If you want to know what the mood of the Irish squad is go to Rala’s (baggage master extraordinaire) room”.

"In here the atmosphere is relaxed yet slightly tentative. The result from the weekend is welcome but so too are the mistakes. As a first outing in a 6 Nations goes, it wasn’t ideal from a performance point but the result was what we wanted."

South African concerns that the expanded Super Rugby tournament will lead to players suffering from exhaustion at this year's World Cup have been laughed off by their Australian counterparts. The Sydney Morning Herald's Greg Growden reports from the Super Rugby launch in Sydney.

"With just over a week before the start of the Super Rugby competition, which involves a 33 per cent increase in the number of games, a new conference structure, more local derbies and a fifth Australian team, Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has warned that players could find the new structure too demanding.

"Mindful that South African provincial sides that make the finals could be involved in 19 matches between February and July in three different time zones, De Villiers said: ''There is a concern that the players could physically be totally exhausted after the Super Rugby competition. The competition is going to be more intense and therefore more exhausting.''

"But when the Australian Super Rugby launch was held at the Sydney Observatory yesterday, there was not an oxygen bottle in sight. Instead the Australian contingent argued they wouldn't mind more top-class games.

"When told of De Villiers's comments, Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O'Neill said: ''We don't share that concern, and at five minutes to midnight it is a bit late to be raising it. In planning and formating this competition, everyone had an opportunity to voice any concerns. The pros and cons were workshopped pretty thoroughly.''

The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports as Scotland skipper Al Kellock underlines the team ethos running through the squad in the wake of prop Euan Murray's battering against France.

"There have been plaudits from Scotland supporters for the Paris performance despite the 34-21 defeat, which stemmed from the ambition the team showed to attack the French with ball in hand as well as the penetration and finishing of three try chances. However, such has been the improvement in the Scottish pack in the past two years that the sight of a scrum being driven backwards was unexpected.

"It clearly surprised the players too, and Kellock insisted that the misfiring early scrum, which cost Scotland a penalty try, was an area now receiving major attention.

"France are a very strong scrummaging team," he acknowledged, "but over the last couple of seasons so have we been and that's what is most disappointing.

"Euan can only play as well as the rest of the pack. They're going to put pressure through the tighthead - every team will try to. We've got to make sure we're helping him out. It wasn't on Euan - it was on all of us. We were all very upset with the way the scrum went."

The Western Mail's Simon Thomas reflects on Warren Gatland's decision to hand James Hook the No.10 jersey for their Six Nations clash with Scotland.

"So Warren, why have you finally handed James Hook the No 10 jersey? “It’s all the pressure from the Western Mail, isn’t it.”

That was Gatland’s tongue-in-cheek response to the opening question about the change of fly-half at yesterday’s press conference. One would hope there’s a bit more to it than that, but the coach’s quip does point to the public and press clamour for Hook to be handed the reins in place of Stephen Jones.

"...He’s worn 12, 13 and 15, but not 10, with Jones having pretty much monopolised that berth. The general coaching conclusion seemed to be that Hook didn’t have the game management to occupy the key play-making role, an opinion reinforced by the Ospreys choosing to select him in the centre and play Dan Biggar at fly-half.

"But now – after a defeat to England that has extended Wales’ winless run to eight matches – Gatland has decided to turn back the clock three years and hand Hook the keys to No.10 for Saturday’s trip to Murrayfield."

There will be more than national pride at stake when the two Leicester tight-head props Dan Cole and Martin Castrogiovanni face off at Twickenham on Saturday. The Independent's Chris Hewett writes.

"Back in the long-lost, halcyon days of West Country rugby, when the state comprehensive schools in one small city were producing players of the calibre of Jeremy Guscott and John Hall and all roads led directly to the ornamental iron gates of the Recreation Ground, the revered coach Jack Rowell was frequently heard to tell one of his charges: "That may be good enough for England, but it's not good enough for Bath." Dan Cole, very much a man of the present, must hear a Midlands version of that message every time he takes the training field at Leicester. The best tight-head prop in the country is merely the second-best tight-head prop at his club. Strange, but true.

"There's a pecking order at the club and the way I see it, I'm not the number one," he said yesterday, his eyes narrowing in the time-honoured fashion of a front-rower with a point to prove. "Castro is the number one." By Castro, he meant Martin Castrogiovanni, the folk-hero prop from Argentina who declared for Italy back in 2002 and has become one of the more effective, as well as one of the most recognisable, individuals in the international game. And as luck would have it, the two men will meet, in full warpaint, at Twickenham this weekend in the second round of Six Nations fixtures."

Wales coach Warren Gatland did not give his new No.10 a resounding vote of confidence before the trip to Edinburgh according to The Guardian's Paul Rees.

"No position excites more debate in Wales than fly-half but the chatter will rarely have been more animated than it has been this week. It is a measure of the desperation in which Wales are mired, 10 months after their last victory, that they have turned to a player for the match against Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday who has not started at No10 for 19 months: James Hook.

"The Wales coach, Warren Gatland, admitted that the selection of the 25-year-old was a punt and wondered aloud whether he should have gone instead not for the veteran Stephen Jones, who is dropped to the bench, but the uncapped Scarlet Rhys Priestland. Gatland wants his side to show more creativity and nous behind the scrum.

"Hook was Gatland's first fly-half, inspiring Wales to victory against England at Twickenham in 2008, but within a year he was being played in the centre, outside Jones, and it is nearly two years since he started at No10 for his country. His region, the Ospreys, have not used him in the position, other than at the end of matches in which they are playing catch-up, since September 2009."

Richie Gray enjoyed a huge match for Scotland © Getty Images

Allan Massie reviews an open encounter between France and Scotland and reserves praise for the excellent Richie Gray in The Scotsman.

"Our sports editor must be prescient. The back page of Saturday's sports section had the headline: "Scotland's three stirring tries are not enough"; and lo and behold, they weren't.

"The headline of course belonged to Norman Mair's report of the France-Scotland game at the Parc des Princes in 1979, reprinted for general interest.

"The score that day was 21-17 to France. So history didn't repeat itself exactly. Still it came close to doing so, and indeed in many respects this splendid open match, played at pace, with high levels of skill and, it seemed, consistent good humour with no tiresome niggles, recalled a good many Parisian encounters between France and Scotland from, say, the early Seventies to the late Eighties - the days of Andy Irvine, Jim Renwick, John Rutherford, the Hastings brothers, and superb back rows on either side. Moreover no Scottish lock since the great Alastair McHarg can ever have got himself about the field as the marvellous young Richie Gray did on Saturday."

Robert Kitson looks at the peculiarities of the recent refereeing in the Six Nations in The Guardian.

"Anyone who thinks referees are bit‑part characters does not watch enough modern Test rugby. One weekend into the Six Nations Championship and Ireland are already weighing up whether to make an official complaint regarding the French official Romain Poite. A penalty count of 13-5 against the Irish almost sunk them in Rome, made worse by Nick Mallett's revelation that Poite had previously written to the Italian Rugby Federation apologising for his handling of the same fixture 12 months ago.

"Cue conspiracy theories and much Irish muttering. The possibility that their front row might have been skewered by a superior force was, clearly, inconceivable. Yet, as observed last week, the 35-year-old Poite is renowned for his stern refereeing of the scrummage and, with the International Rugby Board on the warpath over collapsed scrums, there was always a good chance of acrimony. Ireland knew trouble was brewing the moment Poite's appointment was announced."

Hugh Farrelly picks the brains of former Ireland prop Reggie Corrigan as Declan Kidney's men prepare to take on strong scrummaging France on Sunday in The Irish Independent.

"The scrum. It was an issue for Ireland in the November Series, it was an issue in their narrow win over Italy at the Stadio Flaminio last Saturday and it will be an issue heading forward into the remainder of the Six Nations and on to the World Cup.

"The French are coming to town with a scrum that humiliated Scotland, and their renowned tight-head Euan Murray, in the Stade de France. Their superiority at scrum-time allowed France to establish a platform that launched their eventual 34-21 victory, and if they establish the same dominance on Sunday, Ireland are in real trouble.

"Former Ireland loose-head Reggie Corrigan knows all about the power of the French scrum. Now working as a scrum coach with Leinster at Academy and domestic underage levels (as well as coaching Greystones' promotion drive from AIL Division 3), Corrigan faced France five times between 1998 and 2006 during an international career that yielded 47 caps."

Mick Cleary marvels at the mercurial French following their opening Six Nations win over France in The Daily Telegraph.

"The call has already gone out to New Zealand passport officials to check the paperwork carefully when the French squad arrive in Auckland for the Rugby World Cup in early September. Just which lot will land?

"The supine, angst-ridden mob who had a collective nervous breakdown against Australia in November, or the gung-ho, on-message, fast and fancy-stepping outfit that shredded Scotland at the Stade de France on Saturday evening? Not even the French know the answer to that one.

"If the Six Nations championship does its best to reinforce national stereotypes, then we can only thank the Lord, sir, for the mercurial, flighty French. Just as you think you’ve got then nailed down, they switch masks and give you another face. Keep ’em guessing, that’s the trick."

England's Tom Palmer tackles Wales' Dan Lydiate during their Millennium Stadium clash under the Friday night lights © Getty Images

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Brian Moore reviews the opening Six Nations action.

"With statistics and damn lies you can construct any scenario, but the conclusions wrought by the following are irrefutable. Time in possession – Wales 27min 11sec, England 27-26; ball won in opponent’s 22 – Wales 1, England 30.

"Gatland’s team are close to the edge and their established stars are misfiring badly. A lack of precision from hand and boot and lateral meandering obliterated much of Wales’ positivity. Their talented centre pairing was anonymous.

"Wales could study France, who threatened to eviscerate Scotland in Paris on Saturday. Having witnessed at first-hand a French team flowing atop their crowd’s baying, I know that at times the Scots felt bewildered by the pace and dexterity of what appears to be a team with five extra men.

"The three rules when playing France: Don’t give them loose turnover ball, don’t kick loosely and don’t be loose. The Scots broke all of these and only heroic defence prevented France from making them pay for every transgression."

With the Rugby World Cup approaching, the New Zealand Herald's Gregor Paul issues 10 Commandments required if the All Blacks are to complete their quest.

"...6 The Nonu/Williams conundrum - It's kind of lovely that the All Blacks have two world-class options at second five-eighths. But it's also a hindrance.

"This coaching panel have achieved plenty, shown themselves to be smart, innovative and flexible. They have, however, in the past shown a tendency to get in a selection muddle when they have genuine choice.

"Potentially Ma'a Nonu and Sonny Bill Williams have the ability to be the critical point of difference.

"The former is the best linebreaker in world rugby, the latter is the best off-loader; possibly the best ever seen. They can't both start. Nonu has an established relationship with Conrad Smith, the first choice centre.

"Williams could probably develop a relationship if he's given the chance - he's that type of player. Nonu can be sulky if he doesn't start. Williams could be sluggish to get into the game if he enters off the bench.

"There are pros and cons to both players and the selectors could tie themselves in knots deliberating on the best policy. Whatever choice they make, they have to be clear and honest with both Williams and Nonu when explaining why they made it."

England's loss could be Melbourne's considerable gain according to Wallabies legend Michael Lynagh - the Sydney Morning Herald's Ed Jackson writes.

"There's a lot of interest in the Melbourne team with Cipriani playing there, a huge amount of interest in it actually," the legendary No.10 told AAP from the Laureus Sports Awards in Abu Dhabi.

"It's unfortunate circumstances that somebody as young and talented as him feels he has to leave because for whatever reasons he's feels he's not getting a fair look-in into the national set-up.

"I think there's faults on both sides. I think he's a very talented player and he's got a lot to offer and leaving the environment that he's been in might be good for him. He certainly seems to think that going to Melbourne is a good opportunity to develop himself as a player and a person and I tend to agree with him."

The Western Mail's Simon Thomas sifts through the debris of defeat to England on Friday night and examines where Wales go from here.

"Although there were one or two issues at the scrum on Friday, including one strike against the head, it wasn’t the major weakness many had feared it would be. So Craig Mitchell is odds on to get another start at tighthead prop, providing him with an opportunity to make amends for his costly sin-binning.

"While the pack largely picks itself, it’s much harder to predict what Gatland will do with the backs. There was no penetration or fluidity behind at the weekend, with far too much lateral play and crabbing across the field.

"Gatland’s trademark strategy of taking play to one touchline and then coming back the other way is fine if it exposes tight forwards in midfield and creates mismatches. But, at the moment, all it’s resulting in is the ball going back and fore from one side of the field to the other without anyone actually going forward."

Scotland coach Andy Robinson was left underwhelmed by his side's opening Six Nations defeat to France, according to The Scotsman's David Ferguson.

"Gone is the impassioned thrusting of positives typical of predecessors, the focus on what was going right and hope that what was going wrong could be kept behind closed doors. Instead, refreshingly, Robinson made it clear that while the positive aspects of Saturday's 34-21 loss would provide something to build on in training this week, as they prepare to welcome a Wales team to Murrayfield, hurting from their opening night loss to England, there should be no pleasure derived by his players from their defeat.

"Where he struggled was when asked if this weekend's start to his second Six Nations represented a step forward from the one a year ago, where they lost to France and then in Wales. Can the side this time bounce back from the opening day defeat and defeat Wales back at Murrayfield? He is confident they can, but admitted that he felt a horrible sense of deja vu when comparing his first away match this year with the first away game of last against Wales."

In his latest piece for the Daily Mail, England's Ben Foden reacts to the fallout from his headline-grabbing column ahead of his side's Six Nations victory over Wales.

"On Friday I felt like the most hated man in Wales after my last column about England aiming to beat our smaller neighbour. I could have looked pretty stupid if we'd lost, but I was confident that we would walk the walk after I talked the talk.

"...didn't think my comments were that bad. England is a bigger country than Wales - that's just a fact. I wasn't trying to be derogatory. The article was more thoughtful than that.
As an England player who was going to be playing in Cardiff, I didn't expect the Welsh to love me anyway, but I suppose I singled myself out for extra attention by saying what I did.
I honestly think it's good for the game, though; passion is what it's all about. It was good for Dyls (Dylan Hartley), too, because after all the stick he'd been getting from Warren Gatland and others, I took some of the focus off him.

"But I didn't upset England fans, my team or the coaches. I knew I had caused some hostility so it was in the back of my mind before the game, but I'm not really affected by outside factors. I was more nervous about playing away from home in front of 75,000 people and making sure I didn't let anyone down."

The Independent's Robin Scott-Elliot reports having taken in the opening Six Nations action from the comfort of his sofa.

"Putting rugby on the nation's premier channel across Friday night prime time is bold scheduling and, as a fluffy little preview feature about one of England's players going out with a pop star showed, there was an awareness among the BBC's editorial team that they were not preaching to the converted here.

"Rugby – of either code – is an alien concept to the masses as well as one of those sports where the rules are a mystery even to those who play and watch the game. But the BBC had the ideal pairing to guide us through all the head-scratching, plot twists, known unknowns, unknown unknowns and male voice choirs in Brian Moore and Eddie Butler, the Mulder and Scully of the commentary box."

The Guardian writers assess the teams and their prospects following the opening round of the Six Nations.

"England's young guns are tough nuts - You had to be inside a seething Millennium Stadium to appreciate fully the sort of pressure which Tom Palmer, Tom Wood, Louis Deacon and Toby Flood were under. The way they handled it suggested England are hardening into a side which can consistently perform in any environment, a recurring problem in the early stages of Martin Johnson's tenure. Such mental hardness is not acquired easily but it is a rugby coach's dream: if his players can block out 70,000 Welshmen singing Land of My Fathers they can block anything. In World Cup years, with the sudden-death element adding to the intensity, it is not necessarily the most naturally gifted teams who prosper. England might not be the best squad of individuals in the championship – France at their best can be irresistible – but they are developing into the toughest side to beat. There is a crucial difference."

France coach Marc Lievremont had plenty of reason to smile following his side's latest Stade de France success © Getty Images

The Sunday Telegraph's Paul Ackford was amongst those impressed by France's eye-catching victory over Scotland in Paris.

"They had pockets of flair and if they lost concentration at various stages in what was an enthralling encounter, it was probably because they were saving themselves for the bigger games to come.

"Twickenham towards the end of the month springs to mind. It should be lip-smackingly exciting.
It was not so much the scoreline at the end of the game which advertised France’s welcome return to form, more the fact that it came against a resurgent Scotland who actually played pretty well themselves.

"That was the beauty of this encounter. It had everything. Seven tries, four from France, three by Scotland.

"The physical beauty of big men running into each other with intent on their faces and murder in their souls. It had some elusive running — strangely, given their reputation — by Scotland’s midfield and back three. And it had a scrummaging performance of stunning eloquence by the portly-looking Thomas Domingo."

The Irish Independent's Brendan Fanning reports from Ireland's narrow Six Nations victory over Italy in Rome.

"Ireland came within two minutes of losing their unbeaten Six Nations record against Italy yesterday only for Ronan O'Gara to save them with a last-gasp drop goal at Rome's Stadio Flaminio.

"Italy's Luke McLean had put the home side ahead with a try out wide which, crucially, Mirco Bergamasco failed to convert. That left the door open for Ireland to pull back a penalty or drop goal, and having regained the ball at the restart, Declan Kidney's side held it long enough for O'Gara to drop over the winning kick from 22 metres. It was reminiscent of the Grand Slam win in Cardiff two seasons ago when O'Gara, who replaced Jonathan Sexton in the final quarter yesterday, put Ireland ahead in similar circumstances.

"For Ireland to have been out of the running for that prize again, and probably the Championship as well, after the first game would have been a hammer blow to a team looking to build ahead of the World Cup. Never have Ireland struggled so badly with their finishing against the Italians since they lost to them three times running in the 1990s."

The Australian Rugby Union has taken quick steps to stem a mass player exodus according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

"The Sun-Herald revealed two weeks ago that some of the code's biggest names - including Matt Giteau, Dean Mumm, Luke Burgess, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Drew Mitchell and Stephen Moore - were on the verge of finalising deals with clubs in France. With these clubs looking to finalise their rosters unusually early in mid-February, ARU officials were caught on the hop during their annual holidays.

"But The Sun-Herald can reveal ARU chief executive John O'Neill and Wallabies coach Robbie Deans have been holding meetings thick and fast as pressure mounts on officials to secure the bulk of the youthful playing roster - with most off-contract after this year's World Cup - before it affects the Wallabies' World Cup preparation.

"As reported, Stephen Moore had all but agreed to join Paris's Racing Metro a fortnight ago, but a late play by the Brumbies and ARU have helped the Wallabies secure their first re-signing victory."

Legendary Wales No.10 Barry John launches a withering attack on the state of the national team in the Wales on Sunday.

"It’s sad, but it’s as bleak as I’ve ever known it and the rugby itself is clueless and bland.

"I’m still amazed that in this day and age, where money is a priority in every household, that the Millennium Stadium is full and the supporters are so forgiving.

"It says a lot about the Welsh persona when it comes to following the national rugby team but surely even the most diehard fans from the north to the south will soon realise that as a product it’s pretty empty. The game against England is always top of the list in priority for both players and supporters, there is no doubt about that.

"But now the team seems to be devoid of adrenaline, personality and nous. It seems as though we play the game by numbers and no-one has a clear way of how to break patterns.

"Our structure is lacking movement, both in management and muscle and in the short term I can’t see where we are going.

"It’s easy to say we should drop so and so but who have we got to take their place?"

England's Nick Easter reflects on his side's Six Nations victory over Wales in his column for the Sunday Telegraph.

"Simon Shaw, who’s done a few bus trips through Cardiff in his time, reckons there were fewer V-signs than normal as we drove through the crowd to the ground. If anything, there were a good few England supporters in town with plenty of thumbs-up to send us on our way. That was true inside the stadium as well.

"There were times when I thought Floody had missed a kick because there were cheers ringing round the ground. In fact, it wasn’t the Welsh celebrating a miss, it was our lot giving it what for. It gives you a lift, I can tell you.

"Mind you, the Millennium lived up to its reputation all right during the warm-up. You couldn’t hear yourself speak it was so loud. It didn’t help when the brass band moved in on our turf. I did think we’d have to run right through them if we were going to complete our routines. We just moved.
Nothing should knock you out of your stride. That was our motto during the week. Nothing, but nothing, was going to get in the way."

The Scotland on Sunday's Iain Morrison was one of those blown away by an exhilirating clash at the Stade de France.

"It is one of rugby's oldest unwritten rules that a team that needs to win will usually beat a team that wants to win and that was undoubtedly the case in Paris yesterday evening.

"The French side that had been humiliated by the Wallabies last time out exorcised a few ghosts and played some breathtaking rugby. "French flair" is no longer quite the oxymoron it became under Bernard Laporte because a couple of late tries from Imanol Harinordoquy and Damien Traille might not be bettered in the remainder of the tournament.

"There was something for everyone last night because the Scots played their full part in an open and exciting match without ever doing quite enough to suggest that they could actually win it. Andy Robinson's side will bemoan the loss but, after seeing France score the opening try as early as the third minute, the Scots scored three of their own and had to operate throughout this match with a set scrum that was creaking at the best of times and conceded a penalty try when the going got really tough."

France's francois Trinh-Duc led an ominous display as Scotland's big plans and bigger pack were plastered in Paris, according to the Independent on Sunday's Simon Turnbull.

"The Dalhousie Pipe Band were granted the freedom of Montmartre yesterday morning, the gendarmerie escorting the kilted troupe from the shadow of the Sacre Coeur and down Rue Lepic, past the bemused patrons sipping espresso outside the Café des Deux Moulins, in which Audrey Tatou did her waitressing in Amélie. It was different for the band of Scots on the pitch in the French national stadium on the north side of town last night.

"Andy Robinson's men might have arrived with five wins out of six, including a November success against South Africa, but when it came to the Six Nations they were unable to make more than token headway. True, the Scots did cross the opposition whitewash on three occasions, but they were chasing the game from the fourth minute and were no match for the champions in substance or in style.

"The French may have crumbled to a 59-16 defeat against Australia here three months ago but last night Marc Lièvremont's side were never in any serious danger. They had Scotland's heavy pack rolling backwards for most of the evening, forcing a penalty try, and they scored four tries, one of them conjured up with a magical party-piece from the Montpellier fly-half François Trinh-Duc."

The Observer's Michael Aylwin reports from France's impressive opening Six Nations victory over Scotland.

"Wide open they say this Six Nations is, and they are right, but France have put down the heftiest ante. They left us for a while there, what with the traumas of their summer and autumn, but this was a return to the form that won them the grand slam last year – not so great on defence, maybe, but with a nose for opposition weakness as heightened as ever.

"Because Scotland were no one's idea of mugs. Many were the plaudits coming their way in the build-up, and they repaid them with a performance of verve and persistence that would have done for a few other teams in this championship. Indeed, it would have done for France on a different day. Three tries in Paris – it is not often Scotland manage that anywhere. Unfortunately, France scored four – and they were worth at least that many.

"There was a bite to everything they did, as vicious in the way they caressed the ball into Scotland's exposed parts as the way they bludgeoned them into submission at scrum time. Scotland moved the ball nicely, it is true, looking confident as they swung the ball hither and thither, but much of the time it seemed in the hope of something opening up for them. With France, there was a devastating focus to the bouts of running and handling. They looked, they saw, they went – straight to those places that might hurt Scotland most."

Regardless of what happens at the World Cup or whether Graham Henry wants to stay on, the All Black coaching job will be opened to challengers at the end of this year, according to the Herald on Sunday's Gregor Paul.

"The New Zealand Rugby Union has decided to follow the recommendations made by the independent report into the 2007 World Cup failure and invite applications for arguably the country's toughest job. The move means that even if Henry steers the All Blacks to World Cup victory, he will have to apply to retain his job.

"We think this is the best way to go," says NZRU chief executive Steve Tew. "This was the recommendation made in the Tricker/Heron review [2007 independent report] and we want to have a fully transparent process, win or lose."

"While Henry has not given any public indication of his intentions, speculation is strong that he will move aside after the World Cup.

"Wayne Smith, one of his assistants, has been clear he doesn't covet the head role, having served in that post in 2000-01. He was close to shifting to Wales in 2008 to coach the Ospreys club and is open to an overseas shift.

"Steve Hansen is believed to be focused on succeeding Henry and will be one of the strongest candidates."

Wales' James Hook failed to have a significant impact on Friday's clash with England © Getty Images

Wales boss Warren Gatland must switch James Hook to the No.10 shirt if they are to rescue their Six Nations campaign according to the Western Mail's Delme Parfitt.

"Grim. As grim as it gets for anyone with the three feathers imprinted on their heart. There have been worse Wales performances. God knows there have.

"But the sheer magnitude of this clash, of all clashes, with the old enemy, ensures that the morning cup of tea will have a bitter taste this morning in homes the length and breadth of the Principality.

"Confidence was the key in the end. England’s players had it, and it came from an encouraging autumn series and stellar European campaigns by Northampton and Leicester, who provided the rump of their side last night.

"Wales didn’t. At least not in sufficient quantity. And no wonder when all four regions have flopped in the Heineken Cup and the national side is on a run of one win in 11, the manner of which makes you wonder when on earth they will win a Test match of real significance again."

England's victory over Wales in Cardiff was a defining moment for Martin Johnson's side according to the Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary.

"Land of Hope and Glory? Yes, why not? Delighted England fans certainly thought so as they streamed out of the Millennium Stadium on Friday night, victory over Wales already putting their side in the driving seat for Six Nations honours and suffusing dreams with thoughts of World Cup honours. This was a defining moment.

"England have proved poor travellers in the Six Nations and this was a performance that silences any doubts about their ability to deliver under duress and on the road. They will carry it with them to New Zealand in September.

"England knew that they had to strip the match back to its basics: be direct, be accurate and silence that crowd. They did just that with a trademark try from wing, Chris Ashton, in the 14th minute. It was a deflating experience for Wales and their support.

"It was some task to try to reduce the Millennium Stadium to a mere ‘rectangle of grass,‘ as Martin Johnson had urged in midweek. The place has an aura, and the locals have centuries of perceived grievances to fuel their larynx. England were playing a nation more than a team."

The Independent's James Lawton reports from England's opening Six Nations victory over Wales in Cardiff.

"They were without their captain, Lewis Moody, but there was no shortfall of men willing to take up the fight and this effort of will appeared to be beautifully crowned when Chris Ashton, the most potent attacking figure in the new team, ran in the second of his two tries.

"At 23-9, Johnson, so embattled so recently, could afford to stand up from his seat with the aura of a man who may just have come through the worst of his times as the tyro coach who couldn't begin to match the weight of his performances as a player.

"Well, he is looking much more the man in charge of both his team and himself now.

"In the end he knew some of the angst that came to him when his team looked so raw and ill-shaped, when fashioning a few coherent moves let alone a striking victory seemed several bridges away. So much so that when the Welsh flailed away in the second-half rally – and came within one score of drawing level – it was the old guard, the ultimate one, who preserved the victory.

"Jonny Wilkinson kicked a reassuring penalty and made one of his classic tackles to preserve England's triumph but then that might just give the wrong impression."

A fiercely contested Six Nations opener left England with many reasons to be optimistic for the rest of the tournament. The Guardian's Richard Williams reports.

"Even before England opened the scoring in the 14th minute the white shirts had started to play with an infernal rhythm, moving precisely through their phases and waiting for Welsh indiscretions. Or, as it turned out, a piece of lamentable defending that allowed Toby Flood to glide through a corridor as wide as the M4 before feeding Chris Ashton for a 10-yard dash to the line.

"The wing raised his arm as he neared the line, just as he had done with his length-of-the-pitch effort against the Wallabies at Twickenham in November. It might be wise of him to save the gesture for his more spectacular efforts, of which there will no doubt be more. His second try, midway through the second half, requiring him to do no more than catch a simple pass, make two unopposed steps and fall over the line, offered no opportunity for a repeat.

"If neither of these sides is quite, on recent evidence, close to the standard of the very best of their predecessors, last night they provided a satisfying battle of age-old archetypes."

England's silencing of Warren Gatland and his Wales side at the Millennium Stadium sets them up for a strong assault on this year's Six Nations according the Daily Mail's Chris Foy.

"This may not sit alongside beating Australia in Sydney last June but it comes close, given how much was at stake and the hostility England faced.

"The result sends them into a series of home matches against Italy, France and Scotland with a realistic chance of mounting a strong challenge for the RBS Six Nations title.

"The door to glory stands ajar, ready to be forced open. Days after being honoured with a 2010 try-of-the-year award for his length-of-the-pitch classic against the Wallabies in November, Ashton took his scoring tally to five in seven Tests.

"But if his was the most eyecatching contribution, England were also well served by their physical, abrasive forwards, with debutant Tom Wood, fellow flanker James Haskell and lock Tom Palmer leading the charge.

"Dylan Hartley was wonderfully composed and delivered a masterful exhibition of line-out throwing as the perfect riposte to Wales coach Warren Gatland's pre-match barbs about his supposedly suspect temperament."

The Sydney Morning Herald's Stathi Paxinos previews the Rebels entry onto the Super Rugby stage.

"The Rebels, who play their final trial game tonight against the Crusaders, will run onto the field as a Super Rugby team for the first time on February 18 when they take on the New South Wales Waratahs at AAMI Park. Having been awarded the licence for the 15th Super franchise last year - nearly six years after Melbourne was overlooked for inclusion into the Super 14s - the Rebels have an enormous task of putting together a competitive unit for this season.

Off the field it has a strong coaching panel headed by another World Cup-winning coach in Rod Macqueen, who was also the inaugural coach of the Brumbies, and respected assistants Damien Hill and Mark Bakewell. On the field, Macqueen has assembled a mixture of end-of-career veterans, former Wallabies who have fallen out of favour at their previous teams and promising youth. The squad has been criticised by many and slated as finishing near the bottom, but [former Wallabies coach Bob] Dwyer believes it has ''enough quality there to be viable''.

"The Rebels have precedents in the Brumbies, who entered the competition in 1996, and the Western Force, in 2006. The Brumbies cobbled together a squad of largely unwanted players from NSW and Queensland and became a powerhouse, making the final in 1997 before winning the competition in 2001 and 2004, while the Force has struggled for on-field success."

England boss Martin Johnson shares a joke with his players ahead of their clash with Wales on Friday night © Getty Images

England headed across the Severn Bridge in an upbeat frame of mind with Martin Johnson declaring that they have the resources to take on all-comers. The Daily Telegraph's Mick Cleary reports.

"They are not even fussed as to whether the Millennium Stadium roof is shut. Wales prefer it closed as the decibel count within is ratcheted up in favour of the home support. England have the perfect opportunity to spoil that initiative. But no.

"We're very relaxed either way,'' said Johnson. ''If there's wind and rain about, we'll probably agree to close."

"Johnson's body language has always been indicative of a mood. It used to be the glower that caused mothers to lock up their daughters and opponents to duck. On Thursday it was the measured assurance of his persona that suggests the squad is in a good place. Of course, whether the Millennium proves to be another sort of place entirely is the issue. Johnson was asked if England were on the cusp of something special?

"We all know that we'll be on the cusp of something else if we don't win," said Johnson, the realist. ''It's now about playing the game."

"True. Perspectives change quickly in sport, the scoreboard an unforgiving ready reckoner. Stout of heart, though, and refreshed in body after a two-week build-up, England are full of hope that they can bring to an end their lamentable away record in the Six Nations. The RBS Six Nations championship has never had such a high-profile Friday night opener. Forget the tournament for the moment: this is a cup final."

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has been spotted sporting the controversial holographic wristband that claims to improve performance and keep the body at an optimal "ionic balance". The New Zealand Herald's Katherine Irvine and Derek Cheng report.

"The Power Balance wrist band is endorsed by sportsmen such as professional NBA basketball player Lamar Odom and professional beach volleyball player Todd Rogers, but has courted controversy because of a lack of evidence that it does anything.

"When the hologram comes in contact with your body's energy field, it allows your body to interact positively with the natural frequency stored in the hologram," the Power Balance Facebook page says.

"They restore optimal electro-magnetic balance and promote free-flowing energy pathways - NO PROMISES, JUST RESULTS." But last month Power Balance Australia admitted there was no "credible scientific evidence" to support its claim that the wristband improved strength, balance and flexibility. It apologised for its misleading promotions and offered purchasers a full refund.

"It is unclear if the Prime Minister believes in the benefits of the band, and he did not return calls last night."

Ireland and Leinster stalwart Brian O'Driscoll chats to the Irish Independent's Vincent Hogan having signed a new deal with the Irish Rugby Football Union.

"Maybe it's taken all this time to strike a contented balance, for there is no drudgery in the discipline now. He says he treats himself occasionally. The night of the recent Heineken Cup defeat of Saracens, he drove down to the Diep noodle bar in Ranelagh to collect dinner for himself and Amy.

"From there, he stepped across the street to a newsagent's and, for a self-confessed "chocaholic", this isn't always wise. "I saw this large bar of Toblerone," he says, laughing now.

"So I'm thinking 'God I love that stuff. We won today. We won well. Maybe I deserve it'. So I come out of the shop, I'm walking across the road and -- of all people to meet -- I see Gordon D'Arcy. He hadn't played that day because of injury and he's like 'Well, well, well, well, well, what do we have here?'

"He's caught me in the act. I'm standing there, with this big bar sticking out from under my oxter -- it's difficult to hide something that size -- and I immediately go on the defensive. I'm like, 'Some of us played 80 minutes today, maybe some of us deserved it!' Sure enough, within 24 hours, that bar of Toblerone was gone. I felt justified. But then you go in that Monday and I think it makes you train harder because you feel you've got to get it out of your system."

Scotland coach Andy Robinson has urged his side to stand up and not be bullied by France in what he expects to be a giant battle in Paris on Saturday. The Scotsman's David Ferguson reports.

"Robinson has stuck with the majority of the side which took Scotland to a record high of sixth in the IRB World Rankings last year, claiming five wins in their last six games and taking the scalps of Ireland, Argentina (twice), South Africa and Samoa. However, that run of success came after an opening four matches in the Six Nations in which his team flattered to deceive, losing to France, Wales and Italy before hanging on for a draw with England at Murrayfield.

"Robinson and his assistants Gregor Townsend and Graham Steadman were then six months into the task, and now, a year on, they believe they are forming a team with a hard edge on the international stage. This would be a good championship in which to uncover a real attacking threat as Scotland head to New Zealand in September for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

"Robinson dismissed talk of that tournament as his squad flew out of the capital yesterday before howling gales and rain grounded planes, instead striving to focus on how his side might take control of the reigning Grand Slam champions in their intimidating back yard."

Tonight sees the Six Nations stakes raised to new level for Wales coach Warren Gatland - the Western Mail's Simon Thomas reports.

"There's no such thing as an unimportant Wales-England match, but seldom can the stakes have been as high as they are for tonight’s Millennium Stadium showdown.

"For Warren Gatland and his team, in particular, this is match of truly seismic significance.

"Gatland’s men are desperate for a victory against the old enemy for all kinds of different reasons. After a barren run of seven games without a win, they badly need to rediscover the winning habit from the point of view of confidence and self-belief.

"Defeat would leave them facing a tortuous and potentially disastrous Six Nations campaign, with three fixtures to come on the road. It would also be the worst possible start to a World Cup year and see the pressure on Gatland reach new heights.

"Conversely, a win would kick-start their championship crusade in the same way that opening day victories over England did in the Grand Slam years of 2005 and 2008. So you couldn’t really have a bigger game."

England scrum-half Ben Youngs has a maverick streak and a creative impulse that can see him join Wales' Gareth Edwards as one of the sport's greats - according to The Independent's James Lawton.

"Benjamin Ryder Youngs is not a trifling name but then nor are the possibilities for its 21-year-old owner. Astonishingly, in that he is making his first start in Six Nations rugby tonight against Wales, England's scrum-half is charged not only with making a strikingly decisive impression but maybe even setting the tournament's agenda.

"It is a tribute to something which might be described as instant gravitas, a potential to stride quickly beyond the line that separates the merely good players from the potentially great.

"Youngs may be in no more than the foothills of such ambition but there is no question he has created an extraordinary degree of expectation."

England's Ben Foden believes England's attacking potential will allow him full expression on the Millennium Stadium stage. The Guardian's Rob Kitson reports.

"Certain assumptions are made whenever Wales play England. Not because they are true but because cultural stereotypes are hard to shift. Thus it is that a large section of the home support will expect England to play snore-inducing rugby tomorrow night. Boring, boring England. They cannot attack the way the Welsh boys do. "Try and stay awake," sniggered the trailer for the England tactical segment on Scrum V when the BBC programme did its otherwise spot-on preview show.

"Boring? Even listening to Ben Foden for a few seconds is to understand English rugby is changing fast. Growing up just outside Chester, he knows a bit about Anglo-Welsh rivalry. "For years England were branded as a team who played very tight and used to grind out victories. People used to moan about it but now, with the players we've got, we can afford to play a wide game. I've always been an attacking player, I've always wanted to run with the ball. They haven't tried to rein me in."

"It is precisely this modernist attitude that has enabled England to stir from the creative coma into which they slipped post-2003. Foden studied drama at A-level and, in the nicest possible way, it shows. On the darkest of Welsh nights he still wants to sparkle."

England's Jonny Wilkinson is the latest subject of The Guardian's Small Talk.

"Anyway what about your favourite TV show? I don't actually watch that many. I tend to find other things to do while my other half watches a few of the soaps. When I'm at home and just doing something else I quite like having The Simpsons on in the background. I was watching The Inbetweeners a little bit when that was on. But to be honest one of the things I do find most incredible … on a Saturday, after a game, it's sometimes nice to be at home and the sheer escapism of watching You've Been Framed. Joy. Often involves a bit of rewinding and pausing.

"What would you tuck into for your final meal? I'm a big fan of chicken fajitas. And the odd curry as well. And I've always been a fan of mashed potatoes, chicken, things that are very, very simple. And we've just got a breadmaker, so we sometimes make some bread and stick some raisins in it. I'm a big fan of that as well.

"What's going in Room 101? Oof. Good question. I think I would put in … I tell you what. I bought Baywatch series one for my other half last Christmas. That's getting an airing at the moment, but it's actually quite impressive so that's not going in. It's going well."

February 3, 2011

There's no telling who will win Six Nations

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 02/03/2011

Martin Johnson's England maybe favourites for the Six Nations but will they win the Championship? © Getty Images

The Daily Telegraph's Brian Moore is relishing a wide open Six Nations campaign.

"This chronic ability to surprise is one reason that the Northern Hemisphere’s premier international competition remains popular, even though it only sporadically produces of true quality. Self-appointed aficionados of top class rugby scorn this enduring regard, often by comparing the standard of rugby displayed with that of the Tri-Nations.

"Such criticism fails to appreciate properly the position of the Six Nations in both sport and rugby in this part of the world.

"Since the demise of football’s Home Internationals, there is no other regular opportunity for expression of national identity and good-natured enmity in the three most popular team sports, football, rugby and cricket, in Great Britain, Ireland and France. This, and the natural edge present in all versions of the local derby, adds millions of occasional fans and viewers yearly, without hugely expensive promotional campaigns and in this rugby is extremely fortunate.

"For the Home Internationals broadcasting committee, the body charged with selling the rights, protective listing removes the need to address the divisive and difficult problem of balancing the need for widespread coverage to drive participation and the basic need for cash to fund participation.

"Terrestrial TV provides much more of the former; satellite TV much more of the latter."

Kidney springs few surprises

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 02/03/2011

Declan Kidney showed his hand for Ireland’s opening Six Nations assignment in Rome this Saturday along largely anticipated lines although, of course, to a degree his options were limited, according to The Irish Times' Gerry Thornley.

"With a dozen Test players sidelined, the team could perhaps be said to be operating at two-thirds of optimum level. Hence, three players will be making their first Six Nations starts, Mike Ross, Seán O’Brien and Fergus McFadden, yet only one of these Leinster tyros will be making their full Test debut, namely McFadden.

"Most of the damage in the casualty ward is in the backrow and the back three, and it’s an impressive statement of the customary loose forward strength in depth that in the absence of Jamie Heaslip and Stephen Ferris, Ireland can still field Denis Leamy, David Wallace and O’Brien, with the in-form Shane Jennings on the bench.

"The permutation at the back was always going to be more untried, and the most eye-catching selection, in between McFadden and Keith Earls on the wings, is Luke Fitzgerald at fullback. After missing virtually all of last season after knee reconstruction, Fitzgerald hit the ground running this season.

"He had a couple of outings at fullback, his preferred position, for Leinster and also for Ireland against Samoa (out of 13 Test starts, his only one at fullback to date) but another knee injury against the All Blacks a week later interrupted his momentum. In truth, his three comeback matches for Leinster haven’t offered a compelling case on his behalf, though his last outing, against Racing, was the best of the three.

"But form is temporary, class is permanent. Fitzgerald seems simply to be trying a little too hard, and no doubt his coaches have said encouraging words in his ear, as has Brian O’Driscoll, something the Ireland skipper effectively admitted yesterday."

Harvey hits back at 'party central' criticism

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 02/03/2011

The Rugby World Cup "party central" will be "a destination second to none" and will be ready in time for the event, Auckland Waterfront Development Agency chairman Bob Harvey says. The New Zealand Herald's Paul Harper reports.

"His comments follow criticism from former All Black Marc Ellis that $14 million was too much to spend on a temporary structure at Queens Wharf, which he described as "the wrong end of town".

"I think they should be putting a temporary tent in Victoria Park and all you'd have to do to market it is say it is the biggest audio-video screen in New Zealand history. Victoria Park is right by Ponsonby, so it is in the right place," Mr Ellis told the Otago Daily Times.

Mr Harvey said Mr Ellis was "a little out of touch". "The fan centre is locked in place," he said. "It's all on time."

"Party central" has been mired in controversy and disagreements - from its location on the waterfront to the heritage merits of two 100-year-old cargo sheds on the wharf. Late last year one of the sheds was dismantled, while the other will be refurbished - at a cost of $4 million.

"The temporary building - dubbed The Cloud - will host around 6000 people for a range of events, including a Tourism New Zealand visitor site, VIP functions and concerts."

Boks get jump on RWC foes

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 02/03/2011

The Bok management will get an ideal opportunity to study their opening RWC opponents in the Six Nations, writes Sport24's JJ Harmse.

"There is some truth in the argument that there are no secrets between the top international sides any more as they play each other so many times a year and because the technical analysis of matches has improved so much in the last decade.

"So although the Bok file on Wales is probable thicker than usual already, they still have been given an unique opportunity to find out everything they need to know - and more - on their opponents.

"Wales will also play England (twice) and Argentina (once) in August as part of their final preparations, but those late matches are often more geared towards giving fringe players in the squad some game time ahead of the real deal.

"This time around the Bok coaches will be able to study some newish faces, like Morgan Stoddart on the wing, the midfield combination of Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies (with Roberts at outside centre) and how debutant Rhys Priestland shapes up.

"I am not sure if Peter de Villiers has roped in other rugby minds to help him on the technical side this year or whether someone like forward's Gary Gold will perform that duty as well, but let us hope for a pragmatic approach from our national coach."

Is Tindall the man to fire up England?

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 02/03/2011

The Independent's Chris Hewett reflects on Martin Johnson's decision to hand Mike Tindall the England captaincy.

"It might reasonably be said that the injury problems affecting the full-time captain Lewis Moody have resulted in England being placed in the charge of a man operating in one of the team's problem areas, but precious few midfielders are putting up their hands for selection just at the moment. The obvious contenders are considered to be too lightweight, too flaky or too injury-prone.

"Olly Barkley, Dominic Waldouck and Dan Hipkiss fit into one or other of these categories, while the eternally unfortunate Mathew Tait is thought by the hierarchy to fit into all three. England are unlikely to turn away from Tindall until the brilliant Leicester teenager Manu Tuilagi reaches full flower.

"If the back division pretty much picked itself, Johnson and his back-room colleagues performed all sorts of contortions in rebuilding a line-out shorn of Moody, Tom Croft and Courtney Lawes – three of their four "go-to men".

"The decision to play Louis Deacon, the Leicester tractor, ahead of the more gifted Simon Shaw had everything to do with the seizure of primary possession, as did the move to introduce the uncapped Tom Wood into the back row. Wood will wear the No 6 of the blindside flanker, with James Haskell clad in the openside's No 7 shirt. However, their roles will be largely interchangeable as they attempt to snuff out the threat of the ball-hungry Cardiff Blues turnover specialist Sam Warburton."

Powell asked to play the joker

Posted by Graham Jenkins on 02/03/2011

Andy Powell asked to marshall youthful Wales back-row and has set his sights on England debutant Tom Wood, writes The Guardian's Paul Rees.

"Andy Powell will on Friday make his first appearance in the Six Nations since the day, nearly a year ago, when he commandeered a golf buggy from outside Wales's base in the Vale of Glamorgan and set off down the M4 in search of breakfast. The Lions No8 was subsequently thrown out of the squad, charged with drink-driving and released by Cardiff Blues.

"A career that had taken in enough clubs to fill a golf bag appeared to be over. Although he was chosen in the squad for Wales's summer tour to New Zealand, he pulled out amid speculation that he was going to change codes and join the Crusaders. He remained in rugby union and enrolled in the school for lost souls at Wasps where he has rediscovered his zest for the game.

"As the 29-year-old sat today in the Wales hotel not far from where a number of buggies were awaiting a driver, it was clear that his country need him now as much as it ever has. Wales need a victory over England on Friday, and there was a palpable tension with even the Wales coach, Warren Gatland, failing to come up with a quip as he announced his starting line-up."

February 2, 2011

Injuries have devalued Six Nations

Posted by Huw Baines on 02/02/2011

Leigh Halfpenny has become Wales' latest casualty © Getty Images

Peter Bills believes that injuries have robbed the Six Nations of its status as a world class competition in The Independent.

"Accept that and you’ll love the fun and frivolity in Cardiff this Friday night. You’ll have a ball marching down the Champs Elysees as a Scot on the morning of the France v Scotland game this Saturday afternoon. And if you’re one of the thousands of Irish fans in Rome, half of them wearing leprechaun suits and funny ginger beards, you’ll be up half the night in the Irish pubs of the Italian capital.

"But please, please – don’t pretend this is a top notch international level competition. It isn’t and it cannot be when so many of the best players won’t even make the trip to Cardiff, Paris or Rome.

"England will play Wales in Cardiff without two thirds of their best back row – their captain, Lewis Moody plus Tom Croft - and their most dynamic lock forward, Courtney Laws. They may yet also be without a replacement flank forward, Hendrie Fourie, which would mean a third choice guy would get the nod."

Out with the old

Posted by Huw Baines on 02/02/2011

Hugh Farrelly takes a critical eye to a new-look Ireland selection for their Six Nations opener in The Irish Independent.

"One new cap, three players making their first Six Nations starts and a backline set on attack mode -- Ireland's team to take on Italy in Rome on Saturday represents something of a new departure.

"Of course, injuries have been a significant factor in this selection, but it has allowed Ireland coach Declan Kidney to set a fresh template, kicking on from the Grand Slam format of two years ago and pointing the way forward after a relatively disappointing 2010.

"Not least in the front-row where Kidney has, belatedly, turned to the scrummaging power of Mike Ross."

On the road

Posted by Huw Baines on 02/02/2011

Robert Kitson takes a look at the importance of winning your away games in the Six Nations in The Guardian.

"The away trip. Try as they might, teams find life very different once they leave the security of home. How often have players uttered the time-honoured line: "It's just another field with the same-shaped posts." Who are they kidding? If away games are nothing to be worried about, how come visitors struggle so consistently? The green, green grass of home is a hugely powerful stimulant.

"Which leads us directly to the guts of this year's RBS Six Nations championship. Would you believe that, statistically, the best travellers in Six Nations history are the French? As the statistics below reveal, they have won 18 games out of a possible 27 on foreign soil in the past 11 seasons. Contrast that with, say, Scotland who have won away just four times over the same period. England? Guess how many victories they have managed away from Twickenham in their last 16 Six Nations forays? Answer: Four. Three of those were in Rome and one in Paris. You have to rewind seven years to locate the last English away win against a rival home union."

Sean O’Brien. Remember the name

Posted by Huw Baines on 02/02/2011

Gavin Mairs talks to one of Ireland's brightest hopes - Leinster flanker Sean O'Brien - in The Daily Telegraph.

"Sean O’Brien. Remember the name. If the Leinster back-row forward does not yet enjoy a high profile beyond the shores of Ireland, there is a good chance he will be a household name across the home unions by the end of the RBS Six Nations Championship.

"The Carlow-born 23 year-old has, quite simply, been the outstanding player of the Heineken Cup pool stages, one of the main reasons the Irish province finished as the second-best ranked side in the quarter-finals from a pool that contained heavyweight opposition in Saracens, Clermont Auvergne and Racing Metro.

"O’Brien, playing his first full Heineken Cup campaign, scored four tries as Leinster won five out of their six pool matches, with his ball-carrying and phenomenal work rate earning him his first start for Ireland against Samoa last November. The Amlin Opta match statistics for Leinster’s victory over Saracens at the RDS Arena in Dublin in January reveal just what a potent attacker he has become in a side which includes such forces of nature as Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll, Luke Fitzgerald and Isa Nacewa."

February 1, 2011

An honest environment

Posted by Huw Baines on 02/01/2011

Warren Gatland wants a culture of honesty in the Wales camp © Getty Images

Donald McRae talks to Wales coach Warren Gatland about building a culture of honesty among his squad in The Guardian.

"As Warren Gatland relaxes in his chair, running a meaty hand through his spiky grey hair, the softly spoken New Zealander seems to be the opposite of a finger-pointing controversialist. The 47-year-old coach of Wales, who play England in Cardiff on Friday evening in a humdinger of a Six Nations opener, appears as amusing as he is thoughtful. And yet few other men in international rugby cause the stir a cheerful Gatland creates with his cutting words.

"It makes for an intriguing mix whether Gatland is questioning the temperament of England's hooker, Dylan Hartley, a New Zealand-raised firebrand, or looking candidly at the flaws in his own team. Last year he blamed Alun Wyn Jones for Wales's defeat at Twickenham, when the lock was sent to the sin-bin at a vital stage in the match against England. More recently, in November, Gatland announced that he had stripped Ryan Jones of the captaincy after the final whistle against Fiji, when a disappointing draw had resulted from the flanker conceding a late penalty.

"We're trying to create an honest environment," Gatland says, acknowledging that Wales are in the midst of a terrible slump. "We don't want to be running away from things or trying to hide. We should be hunting out the challenges. And that's something that not all the players, or the Welsh people, are comfortable with: being self-critical or critical of others. But if we're going to improve that's something we've got to continually address."

Resuming hostilities

Posted by Huw Baines on 02/01/2011

Gavin Mairs talks to Andy Powell as the Wales No.8 prepares to go up against some familiar faces in England shirts in The Daily Telegraph.

"Yet for 80 minutes on Friday night the 29 year-old intends to suspend all the positive experiences he has enjoyed as a Welshman who, in the aftermath of the ‘Buggygate’ controversy, went to England to rediscover both himself and his love for rugby.

"Instead he will revert to the boy from Brecon who first dreamt of playing for Wales when he picked up a rugby ball at his local high school at the age of 11.

"There will be no mixed emotions. He loves his new life in London, where he lives in an apartment at Vauxhall Bridge, and can be as anonymous as the next man on the tube."

Ross is the man

Posted by Huw Baines on 02/01/2011

Hugh Farrelly runs the rule over the options available to Ireland coach Declan Kidney against Italy in The Irish Independent.

"When Ireland's senior and Wolfhounds squads were announced last week, it was immediately apparent there would be some movement between the two before the team was named to take on Italy.

"The three leading candidates for elevation from the second string were scrum-half Tomas O'Leary, tight-head Tony Buckley and full-back Gavin Duffy and, while Buckley's hamstring problem in the disappointing defeat to Scotland 'A' mitigated against his chances, the other two were duly included in the 26-man senior panel for Rome that will be whittled down to 22 this afternoon.

"As was Kevin McLaughlin, the Leinster blindside who made his debut against Italy at Croke Park last season but has been chronically short on game time this season due to injury. The trio of call-ups spelt bad news for Peter Stringer and Mike McCarthy, who were cut from the senior squad as a result."