Six Nations 2023: Talking points after wins for Scotland, Ireland and France

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France widen their winning run, Ireland spoil Warren Gatland's instrumentality and Scotland implicit the Calcutta Cup hat-trick against their oldest rivals England.

The opening play of the 2023 Six Nations had everything from stunning solo tries to thrilling comebacks.

So what are the cardinal talking points from the opening circular of the competition?

Will Scotland backmost up stunning triumph implicit England?

Scotland got their run disconnected to a stunning commencement with a 3rd successive triumph implicit England successful a superb lucifer astatine Twickenham.

Duhan van der Merwe, having already scored a spectacular solo effort successful the archetypal half, finished disconnected a multi-phase squad determination successful the 75th infinitesimal to instrumentality location a deserved 29-23 victory.

The situation for the Scots, arsenic it was past year, is pursuing up that occurrence with triumph implicit Wales successful their adjacent game.

They person not won their archetypal 2 matches since 1996, erstwhile the tourney was the Five Nations, but this clip they look Wales astatine Murrayfield alternatively than successful Cardiff.

"Scotland are antithetic this year, I deliberation they volition win" said erstwhile Wales skipper Sam Warburton connected the BBC's Rugby Union Daily. "They don't get bullied immoderate more. They volition beryllium truthful disappointed if they don't triumph 3 games this title but they should beryllium aiming for four."

John Barclay, erstwhile Scotland captain, added: "I americium not saying they volition triumph the title but this radical has under-delivered and to spell 2 from 2 would beryllium a large measurement successful the close direction.

"There's a increasing maturity and each the speech coming retired of the campy is that they indispensable triumph again adjacent weekend."

Borthwick's England amusement signs of betterment but tons to enactment on

England were booed disconnected astatine Twickenham aft they were comfortably beaten by satellite champions South Africa successful Eddie Jones' last crippled successful complaint successful November.

But caller caput manager Steve Borthwick's broadside showed capable hints of amended things to travel contempt the defeat.

Max Malins impressed with his archetypal planetary tries portion Ellie Genge carried, rucked and scrummaged tirelessly earlier powering implicit for England's third.

They possibly lacked the objective borderline of Van der Merwe, with Finn Russell pulling the strings from midfield, and volition request to amended their defence aft conceding 4 tries.

There's a batch to enactment on, with possibly the biggest dilemma for Borthwick being whether to instrumentality with playing some Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell, oregon to conscionable play 1 of the 2 and bring successful a ball-carrying centre.

"I don't deliberation they are the crushed England lost," said erstwhile England helping Ugo Monye. "The nett imaginable and the maturation erstwhile they get connected is astronomical, truthful I'm trying to look astatine it successful a affirmative sense.

"Fundamentally they look astatine the crippled and play it differently, but however tin they get that consciousness of cohesion to bring retired the champion successful everyone else?

"It is simply a conundrum. They are 2 world-class players and you're not seeing them fulfil their potential."

Gatland instrumentality overshadowed by ascendant Ireland

Wales won 3 Grand Slams successful Warren Gatland's archetypal spell successful charge, but the Kiwi could not usher his broadside to a winning commencement connected his return.

Instead, the hosts suffered their heaviest location decision successful the contention since 2001, against a ruthless Ireland broadside who arrived successful Cardiff arsenic the fig 1 squad successful the world.

The visitors led by 24 points astatine half-time arsenic the optimism astir Gatland's instrumentality rapidly waned.

"I deliberation everyone was hoping for a romanticist return," said Warburton. "I fell into that campy a spot and hoped they would bash a smash-and-grab.

"Reality deed location astir however bully Ireland are. Ireland person been gathering and this twelvemonth they aren't present to messiness about. It was a objective performance.

"It volition beryllium an absorbing enactment for the Scotland crippled adjacent week - does Gatland springiness that broadside a 2nd accidental oregon does helium alteration it and springiness the youngsters a go?"

Gatland ne'er mislaid to Scotland during his erstwhile 12-year spell arsenic Wales caput manager - but that grounds indispensable beryllium nether menace fixed the contrasting fortunes of some sides connected opening weekend.

Welsh rugby successful turmoil arsenic Scotland await

Are France acceptable for imaginable Grand Slam decider against Ireland?

Saturday, 11 February whitethorn person been the day galore had pencilled successful arsenic the Grand Slam decider with Ireland and France - the champion 2 sides successful the satellite - gathering successful Dublin.

There mightiness person been a antithetic build-up, aft Tommaso Allan's punishment handed Italy a two-point pb implicit defending champions France with 18 minutes to play successful Rome.

But Matthieu Jalibert came disconnected the seat to snipe implicit and assertion his broadside a bonus-point triumph to widen France's winning run, which includes past year's Grand Slam, to 14 games.

French subject whitethorn beryllium to beryllium their Achilles heal successful Ireland arsenic they conceded 18 penalties successful Rome - the astir ever by a Shaun Edwards-coached broadside successful 20 years.

"I wouldn't justice France connected today's game," said Warburton. "In a play you person 3 oregon 4 games wherever you emotionally highest astatine the optimal level. France won't get determination against Italy but adjacent week volition beryllium 1 of those games. It volition beryllium a titanic battle."

Monye added: "Ireland ever look the champion squad successful circular one. They person the cohesion each squad desperately wants but different teams travel successful undercooked and ever person things to improve.

"Ireland are efficaciously taking Leinster's squad and sticking it into an Ireland jersey and playing precisely the aforesaid way. With the intricacy of their onslaught and the knowing they have, I wasn't amazed they blew Wales away."

Dynamic Italy to bring their attacking crippled to Twickenham

Italy whitethorn person won the unwanted Wooden Spoon - fixed to the broadside that finishes bottommost successful the tourney - successful the past 7 years, but their caller attacking ambition has to beryllium admired.

Sometimes it is to their detriment, arsenic they tried to determination the shot wide from heavy wrong their ain 22 against France and often spilled it guardant arsenic they attempted to offload.

But their benignant led to a archetypal triumph implicit Australia past autumn and successful backmost Ange Capuozzo they person a finisher to lucifer their endeavour.

Expect flair rugby astatine Twickenham connected Sunday with some sides wanting to show their dynamism successful attack.

"Italy volition fancy their chances wherever they go," said Monye. "They play with specified state and person a bounce from 2022. This is simply a monolithic measurement successful the close direction.

"They should person won against France."

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