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The Breakdown: Wales 96% lineout success and other statistics ahead of Super Saturday
Ireland head into the final weekend of this year’s Six Nations looking to secure the Grand Slam at the home of former champions England.
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Joe Schmidt’s side put paid to England’s hopes of a clean sweep in the concluding fixture in 2017, so Eddie Jones’ men will be out to spoil the St Patrick’s Day party.
Away from Twickenham, Italy are already assured of the wooden spoon having failed to register even a losing bonus point from their four matches.
The Azzurri’s opponents on Saturday are Scotland, who are involved in a four-way fight to secure second spot – a battle currently being won by Wales, who can make sure of finishing as runners-up if they secure a maximum haul at home to France.
With the help of Opta, we take a look at the best stats ahead of the championship’s conclusion.
The battle for second place is on…
Current #NatWest6Nations standings ? https://t.co/D9K06oXoRM#NatWest6Nations pic.twitter.com/vHmbJ7PNYh
— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 14, 2018
Italy v Scotland
Scotland’s record on the road does not make for pretty reading ahead of a trip to Rome – they have lost 17 of their last 19 away games in the Six Nations – although they may take comfort from the fact that their only two victories in that sequence both came at Stadio Olimpico.
Italy are on a dismal run, however, having lost their last 16 games in the Six Nations – the longest such run in the championship’s history.
Saturday’s clash is unlikely to be a high-scoring affair, with Italy (65) and Scotland (72) scoring the fewest points this season. Gregor Townsend’s men have also crossed for a joint-low tally of seven tries, along with France.
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Regardless of the result, there will be reason for Italy to celebrate with Sergio Parisse set to equal legendary former Ireland centre Brian O’Driscoll’s record of appearing in 65 Five and Six Nations matches.
1??0?? anni dopo, l'emozione è sempre la stessa!
il drop di Andrea Marcato alla Scozia nei minuti finali del test del 2008 al Flaminio#ITAvSCO pic.twitter.com/6aeJhYfrII
— Italrugby (@Federugby) March 15, 2018
England v Ireland
Should Ireland prosper at Twickenham, they will complete the Grand Slam for just the third time, having previously done so in 1948 and 2009.
This is the eighth time England and Ireland have met on the final day of the Six Nations – the men in green edge the win count 4-3.
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The Grand Slam has been on the line on four of those occasions, Ireland denying England three times while Clive Woodward’s all-conquering side got the job done in 2003.
England can feel confident of upsetting the party, having won their last 15 home games in all competitions, but Ireland come into the game on the back of winning their last 11 Test matches – their longest ever such run.
#ENGvIRE | Eddie Jones gives you the lowdown on his England squad to face @IrishRugby on Saturday ?
More here: https://t.co/6U0rdDacKZ pic.twitter.com/fXsWoeGLby
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) March 15, 2018
Wales v France
The respective recent records of these two sides point to a Wales win – Warren Gatland’s side have won seven of their last eight at home while France have lost seven of their past nine on the road.
Wales may want to target the lineout as a route towards victory, boasting a tournament-high success rate of 96 per cent while Les Bleus’ 78 per cent is the worst in the competition.
A win for Wales will be their 250th in Four, Five and Six Nations history, a tally matched only by England (258).
Mathieu Bastareaud was named as France captain in place of the injured Guilhem Guirado and the bruising centre has had quite the impact this year, with only Scotland’s John Barclay (six) winning more turnovers than Bastareaud or Wales’ Josh Navidi (five).
The Duke of Cambridge, Patron of @WelshRugbyUnion ? will attend the Wales ??????? vs France ??@SixNationsRugby match on Saturday. ? During his last visit to the Principality Stadium, The Duke met with beneficiaries of the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust pic.twitter.com/kdO4DQXfSK
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) March 15, 2018
Comments on RugbyPass
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1 Go to commentsI think Farrell despite all of the stick he gets in the media is still one of if not the best fly half in the world. He is literally the full package. He can kick one of the best in the world, probably has the best defensive game of a fly half in the world and if he wants to he can run, take contact and find an offload to keep the pace of the attack. I dont know why he isnt spoken more about still being one of the best in the world with the likes of dupont. Farrell is the ultimate captain and team leader and is experienced- he has been in nearly any situation you can think of. I still believe due to these reasons that he is England’s best ever player and is still one of the best players in the world.
48 Go to commentsBlues are dominating up front and that’s been a long time coming. They have won the up front confrontation which is where canes, hilanders and act brumbies are also strong.
3 Go to commentsJust watched brumbies v safas game sadly not a show in he’ll thryr anywhere near quarters or semi contention. Admittedly some issues around new comers bot what stands out for me is coaching management, poor game planning and accuracy.
5 Go to commentsOne tough SOB!
16 Go to commentsI’ve put on 4/5 kilos since the beginning of the season too. Not good kilos. Bad kilos.
3 Go to commentsSurely there’s a ‘no knobheads’ policy ?
2 Go to commentsWallaroos have no chance of beating the Black Ferns unless Canada upsets them in Christchurch tomorrow but I doubt that as well!
1 Go to commentsWhat a joke. Could the victim do a course to reverse the long term CTE damage from the cheapshot?
2 Go to commentsTruely great player. In social media and opinion pieces he was held up and flogged for the results. People wanted someone to crucify, and he was the captain. He was still an immense presence respected by his peers. His battles with Siya Kolisi belong up with with Collins vs Burger in my opinion. Unlucky to be carded in the final, but I don’t agree that his red card was the defining moment. Not when you look at the dominant performances of the Springboks (PSDT in particular.) I think Cane should be remembered for the spirit and physicality that is special to test rugby.
16 Go to commentsSam was the man until he got injured .
16 Go to comments_Crusaders versus Leinster _at the moment might be a rout! But I would like to see the Blues play Toulouse, the Hurricanes front up against Stade Francais, and the Chiefs go against Toulon.
157 Go to commentsLove it when we overlap! Promise it was not forethought.
19 Go to commentsjfc can this guy plz stay out of the news for one week
2 Go to commentsIf stormers aren’t available. Based on form and likely availability at the time of the wales Test, you’d think Masuku would be a no-brainer to start. But starting Jordan also makes sense having Masuku come off the bench to close out the game.
2 Go to commentsGlad Tom Curry not playing needs time to recover such a great player also his brother Ben how well is he playing now .
1 Go to commentsLet’s examine what might be irking the brainless E: Up until 20 years before this coming Julys tests: 16 games: 14 wins for SA; 1 win for Ire; 1 draw From 20 years until July’ tests Ireland V SA: 13 matches Ireland won 8; SA won 4; 1 draw Points scored Ireland 261; SA 189 Ave Winning Margin: Ireland 11 points; SA 4 points (away 3, home 6) Away win record: Ireland 33.33%; SA 25% Neutral matches 1: Ireland win RWC France 2023. Last SA win June 2016 (8 years ago) They boast 3 World cups in that period (they do boast). The above record is not good, probably not much better than theirs against NZ for same period. That’s why the dopey E is starting fights in his head. He will probably ship a yellow when things don’t go their way in the first test.
127 Go to commentsGoode is like a wet fart on The Rugby Pod and should be shoved aside. Jim knows what he is on about and can get on better without Goode’s nasty little cheap shots.
127 Go to commentsBrumbies will win, crusaders are pretty awful this year
1 Go to commentsThis has the makings of a good match. That’s Leinster’s second team but its a good one (stronger than the teams in SA recently). Ulster are really turning a page. Ryan back is huge, and Keenan too. This could be a cracker.
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