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Six Nations Preview Round 2

Guinness Six Nations – Round 2 | Who’s playing, where to watch and latest predictions

Following an exciting opening round, the Guinness Six Nations resumes this weekend with England playing Wales at Twickenham, Scotland welcoming France in Edinburgh, and Italy traveling to Dublin to face a strong Irish side in an attempt to cause a major upset.

After a spirited victory over Italy in Rome, Steve Borthwick will be confident to secure another win in this all-time classic against their rivals Wales.

Warren Gatland’s team however hopes to build on a thrilling loss against Scotland, where a late rally came dangerously close to a stunning comeback triumph.

Scotland also hopes that their defeat by France in the second part of their match in Cardiff will act as a wake-up call.

Scotland hosts France in Round 2 of the Guinness Six Nations 2024

What     Scotland v France

Where  Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium (Edinburgh)

When    14:15, Saturday 10th February

How to watch    BBC1

Preview: France by 10

Last year, Murrayfield was the scene of Scotland’s first-ever back-to-back Six Nations victory, when they defeated Wales 35-7 after an incredible 29-23 triumph over England at Twickenham. France travels now to Edinburgh following their disappointing defeat over Ireland last Friday.

Les Bleus, led by Fabien Galthié, enter the game already shaken by their historic 38-17 home loss to Ireland, in which they were reduced to 14 men after Paul Willemse’s second yellow card. As a result, the lock is not available this week.

Though they won’t have a sizable Marseille audience for this match, France—who are missing their lucky man, Antoine Dupont, as he tries his hand at sevens—may find solace in the memory of their 32–21 victory against Scotland at the Stade de France the year before.

The hosts, on the other hand, go into the match certain that they can win at Murrayfield because they have defeated les Bleus at home in three of the last four Six Nations matches. Returning co-captain Rory Darge, for example, will face a formidable task, but with Finn Russell and Duhan van der Merwe in the starting XV, there is hope.

Teams

Scotland

K Rowe; K Steyn, H Jones, S Tuipulotu, D van der Merwe; F Russell (c), B White; P Schoeman, G Turner, Z Fagerson, G Gilchrist, S Cummings, M Fagerson, R Darge, J Dempsey

Substitutes: E Ashman, A Hepburn, E Millar-Mills, S Skinner, A Christie, G Horne, B Healy, C Redpath.

France

Ramos, Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Bielle-Biarrey, Jailbert, Lucu; Baille Mauvaka, Antonio, Woki, Gabrillagues, Cros, Ollivon, Alldritt (capt).

Substitutes: Marchand, Taofifenua, Aldegheri, Tuilagi, Roumat, Boudehent, Le Garrec, Moefana.

England welcomes Wales in Round 2 of the Guinness Six Nations 2024

What     England v Wales

Where  Twickenham Stadium (London)

When    16:45, Saturday 10th February

How to watch  ITV1

Preview: England by 12

When England hosts Wales, the stakes are high, yet the recent form of both teams suggests a different narrative from what fans might anticipate.

Recent encounters hint at a gritty battle, where scoring opportunities may be scarce. Despite England being labeled as favorites on home turf, the handicap of 12 points appears overly generous.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Looking back at their recent clashes, England has emerged victorious in three out of the last five encounters against Wales. Last year’s Six Nations witnessed England securing a 20-10 win in Wales, followed by Wales claiming victory at home during a World Cup warmup match. In a subsequent warmup fixture at Twickenham, England narrowly clinched a 19-17 win.

England’s Decline and Wales’ Progress

England’s decline in form over the past couple of years culminated in the dismissal of Eddie Jones by the end of 2022. Despite reaching the World Cup semi-finals last year, Steve Borthwick’s tenure has seen limited improvements.

Hopes were high for England to bounce back this year, yet the Six Nations campaign didn’t kick off with the desired level of performance, despite securing a win. Their recent 27-24 victory against Italy in Rome showcased resilience, but England still seemed lacking in direction, a longstanding issue.

Credit must be given to the Italian hosts, who displayed remarkable prowess, reminiscent of their performance over the past 12 months. However, England struggled to assert control, highlighting a persistent challenge they’ve faced.

Meanwhile, Wales underwent a coaching change, appointing Warren Gatland before the 2023 Six Nations. While there have been signs of improvement, Wales might still require more time to regain their former competitive edge.

In their recent match against Scotland, Wales suffered a narrow 27-26 defeat at home. Despite mounting an impressive comeback, they fell short in capitalizing on late opportunities.

Trailing 20-0 at halftime and 27-0 just after the break, Wales initiated a spirited resurgence with three converted tries and one unconverted, falling agonizingly short by a single point. Their focus now lies on overturning this outcome in the upcoming fixture.

TEAMS

England

Forwards: 1 Joe Marler, 2 Jamie George (Captain), 3 Will Stuart, 4 Maro Itoje , 5 Ollie Chessum, 6 Ethan Roots, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Ben Earl

Backs: 9 Alex Mitchell, 10 George Ford, 11 Elliot Daly, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 13 Henry Slade, 14 Tommy Freeman, 15 Freddie Steward

Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Alex Coles, 20 Chandler Cunningham-South, 21 Danny Care, 22 Fin Smith, 23 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso

Wales

Forwards: 1 Gareth Thomas (Ospreys), 2 Elliot Dee (Dragons), 3 Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff Rugby), 4 Dafydd Jenkins (CAPTAIN, Exeter Chiefs), 5 Adam Beard (Ospreys), 6 Alex Mann (Cardiff Rugby), 7 Tommy Reffell (Leicester Tigers), 8 Aaron Wainwright (Dragons)

Backs: 9 Tomos Williams (Cardiff Rugby), 10 Ioan Lloyd (Scarlets), 11 Rio Dyer (Dragons), 12 Nick Tompkins (Saracens), 13 George North (Ospreys), 14 Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby), 15 Cameron Winnett (Cardiff Rugby)

Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias (Scarlets), 17 Corey Domachowski (Cardiff Rugby), 18 Archie Griffin (Bath Rugby), 19 Will Rowlands (Racing 92), 20 Taine Basham (Dragons), 21 Kieran Hardy (Scarlets), 22 Cai Evans (Dragons), 23 Mason Grady (Cardiff Rugby)

Ireland faces Italy in Round 2 of the Guinness Six Nations 2024

What     Ireland v Italy

Where  Aviva Stasium (Dublin)

When    15:00, Sunday 11th February

How to watch   ITV1

Preview: Ireland by 32

Ireland are in sublime form with 18 wins from their last 19 internationals. Their one defeat came to New Zealand in the World Cup quarter-final, so I don’t see them falling short at home to Italy. However, Italy have proven themselves a very capable side of late, so I fancy them to get inside 34 points.

Head to Head

Ireland have won their last 14 matches against Italy, including a 33-17 win at home in a 2023 Rugby World Cup warm-up game last year. Italy last beat Ireland in 2013 and in total, have only won four times in their 36 matches.

Ireland Form

Ireland will still be disappointed with their 2023 Rugby World Cup performance. They went into the tournament as the world’s No.1 side and performed well, beating the eventual champions, South Africa in the group stage.

However, in the quarter-final, Ireland came up short against an inspired All Black side. It wasn’t a choke as it was probably one of the best games of rugby ever played between two superb sides.

Ireland put that all behind them last week to show that they are still right up there, beating France 38-17 in Paris. It was a result few saw coming but the Irish dominated from the first whistle.

Italy Form

Italy are a vastly improved side of late despite some poor results. The Italians were very impressive in the Six Nations last year despite losing all five games.

At the World Cup they underperformed as France and New Zealand annihilated them. However, bar those two results, the Italians have shown over the last 12 months how good they can be.

Last week was a case in point as Italy, at home against England, went into the break 17-14 up. The lack of experience told in the end as England snuck home to win 27-24. But, with more experience, Italy could and should have won that game.

Teams

Ireland

Keenan; Nash, Henshaw, McCloskey, Lowe; Crowley, Casey; Porter, Sheehan, Bealham, McCarthy, Ryan, Baird, Doris, Conan.

Replacements: Kelleher, Loughman, O’Toole, Henderson, Van der Flier, Gibson-Park, Byrne, Larmour.

Italy

Capuozzo; Pani, Brex, Menoncello, Ioane; P Garbisi, Varney; Fischetti, Lucchesi, Ceccarelli, N Cannone, Ruzza, Izekor, Zuliani, Lamaro (capt).

Replacements: Nicotera, Spagnolo, Zilocchi, Zambonin, Vintcent, Page-Relo, Allan, Mori.

Quick Links

Guinness Six Nations 2024 | Team-by-Team Guide

Guinness Six Nations 2024 | Your Complete Guide

Lovell Rugby

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