Championship risks becoming a two-tier affair as Ireland, Wales and Scotland all lose on the opening weekend
Few competitions in the world have the capacity to turn wine into water quicker than the Six Nations. Only a few days ago players, coaches and fans of Ireland, Scotland and Wales were poring over the championship fixture list with their customary annual relish. Now, after just one round, they are having to deal with the most sobering Celtic wake‑up call for more than a quarter of a century.
Take your pick from the following trio of chastening outcomes. On Thursday night in Paris, as France dazzled in defiance of the damp conditions, Ireland were outclassed in every respect. In Rome, where the second half might as well have been played in the Trevi fountain, a below-par Scotland were flushed away. As for the quality of Wales’s first-half performance in south-west London the less said the better.
Remarkably this was the first time since 2000 that all three Celtic nations have lost on the opening Six Nations weekend. Partly that has been a byproduct of how the fixtures have fallen but, even so, it should prompt alarm bells. It would be typical of Scotland to rebound and beat England this Saturday and Ireland could easily do likewise at home to Italy. But the less cosy longer-term outlook is that the Six Nations once more risks becoming a two-tier tournament.
