Three takeaways from the Six Nations
SPOTLIGHT: Ireland stayed on course for an unprecedented third successive Six Nations title with a dominant defeat of Scotland, England returned to winning ways against France and Italy inflicted fresh misery upon Wales.
AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from the second round:
Easterby stepping up as Ireland boss
The role of caretaker coach is a risky position in any sport, particularly when you are replacing someone who has enjoyed as much success as Andy Farrell has with Ireland.
But Simon Easterby, deputising while Farrell is seconded to the British and Irish Lions, made it two wins from two games in charge with a decisive 32-18 victory away to Scotland.
Easterby was an under-stated if highly effective loose forward during an Ireland playing career that yielded 65 caps and those same qualities have long made the 49-year-old a valued member of the backroom staff.
Prior to Sunday’s match, several voices urged Easterby to start Jack Crowley at flyhalf instead of Sam Prendergast following the latter’s uncertain display in an opening defeat of England.
But Easterby stuck with Prendergast and his faith was vindicated by the 21-year-old’s commanding man-of-the-match display at Murrayfield.
“He was good, wasn’t he?,” said Easterby of Prendergast. Many will now be saying the same of the coach.
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Match Summary
Daly’s class undimmed
Fin Smith hogged the headlines after his assured first Test start at flyhalf steered England to a thrilling 26-25 win over France at Twickenham as Steve Borthwick’s men ended a run of seven straight defeats by top-tier opposition.
Indeed it was Smith’s cleverly delayed pass that sent in replacement Elliot Daly for a 79th-minute try that paved the way for the Northampton No.10’s clinching conversion.
But England’s fourth try of the match also owed much to the superb wrap-around line run by Daly, who had only been on the field for three minutes.
This was Daly’s 20th try in 70 Tests and for all success, there remains a sense of ‘what if’ when it comes to his international career, with the Saracens flyer arguably the victim of his own versatility as a multiple-position player. But at the age of 32, he still knows how to finish.
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Match Summary
Garbisi guides maturing Italy
For so long the underdogs during their 25 years as the ‘sixth’ nation, Italy found themselves in the unusual position of being firm favourites to beat Wales.
The Azzurri duly delivered with a 22-15 win as they inflicted a record-extending 14th straight defeat upon the hapless Welsh.
Their success in a rainswept Rome owed much to a classic display of wet-weather rugby from Paolo Garbisi, with his effective kicking out of hand securing territory while the fly-half’s expertly judged grubber kick sent in wing Ange Capuozzo for a fine try.
Italy prefer to play a running game but they adapted expertly to the conditions – a sign of their increasing maturity as a Test nation.
“We were pragmatic and didn’t get distracted by playing a type of rugby which isn’t our favourite,” said Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada. “I’m really proud of them.”
Match Summary
