With the mighty France up against the underdogs Italy at the Stade de France this weekend, both England and Ireland must be wondering whether Saturday afternoon is even worth the hassle.
But the fact of the matter is that the 2010 Six Nations has not been concluded just yet. With 160 minutes of rugby still to be played for all six competitors, there is still everything to play for: even in spite of the fact that France will inevitably crush Italy on Sunday.
First up, Ireland and Wales go head-to-head at Croke Park on Saturday afternoon. It’s the first time the two sides have met since that glorious Irish day at the Millennium Stadium last March. Ronan O’Gara’s iconic drop goal, which sealed Ireland their first Grand Slam in 61 years, will live long in the memory of every Irish rugby supporter, who were all optimistic for a repeat performance this year.
Things have not panned out quite like that, obviously; but Declan Kidney’s side will still be in with a shot of winning the championship with a victory against Wales in Dublin.
This match will be particularly special for the man who was so instrumental in Ireland’s success last year, Brian O’Driscoll, as he makes his 100th appearance for his country. The 31-year-old becomes Ireland’s second centurion after teammate John Hayes, and how O’Driscoll would like to mark the occasion by getting one over on the man who handed him his international debut back in 1999, the Wales coach, Warren Gatland.
Wales’ narrow 26-20 defeat against pre-tournament favourites France a fortnight ago will give them confidence that they can arrive in Ireland and play to their full potential. But Ireland have a very impressive record in Dublin – just five defeats in their last 26 matches at home since 2000 – and have also beaten Wales eight times in their last 10 meetings.
Ominous signs for the Welsh; but when a thirst for revenge comes into the equation, the formbook tends to be cast to one side.
From one set of rivals going head-to-head to another: later on Saturday afternoon, the 127th Calcutta Cup will be fought out at Murrayfield.
After two wins in their first two matches, normal service was resumed for England with a thoroughly disappointing 20-16 defeat to Ireland at Twickenham two weeks ago. And now, the pressure is well and truly on Martin Johnson to secure a win against Scotland ahead of their final Six Nations match against France a week on Saturday.
In typical Johnson fashion, the England head coach hasn’t been persuaded to implement too many changes from that lacklustre display against Ireland, meaning the likes of Toby Flood, Chris Ashton and Courtney Lawes must wait even longer for their chance to shine; while Jonny Wilkinson, Ugo Monye and Lewis Deacon are the men who must step up and take control for England.
Scotland will be desperate to win this weekend’s match for two very important reasons. First, the pride factor: defeat against England in any walk of life does not sit well with the Scottish public. And then there’s the fear of picking up the dreaded Wooden Spoon, which seems increasingly destined to wing its way to Murrayfield with every passing match.
But Andy Robinson’s side are currently stuck in a rut. Their 9-8 victory over Australia in the autumn was a vintage performance of courage, determination and spirit; but since then Scotland have lacked any of those essential qualities and have lost their last four matches - scoring just two tries in this year’s Six Nations in the process.
Scrum-half Danny Care suggested earlier this week that England are on the verge of producing something special. Barring the final match against France, there will be no better time for Martin Johnson’s players to do this than Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, there is a slim chance that France could be crowned the 2010 Six Nations champions if both England and Ireland slip-up. Regardless of their respective results, though, France really have the bit between their teeth and anything less than a demolition of the Italians this weekend would be a major surprise.
Expect unprecedented odds of up to 1-250 for France to win in Paris. Italy may have beaten Scotland in Rome a fortnight ago; but they are still developing as a team, and this weekend’s match against the likes of Thierry Dusautoir, Imanol Harinordoquy and Morgan Parra is likely to see them out of their depth.
England and Ireland know what they have to do to take the championships to the final weekend and it will certainly be a big test of both team’s character and resolve.
But can they really produce something special – or are they destined to crumble under the pressure?
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