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The Breakdown: A statistical look at the fifth round of Six Nations matches

Wales coach Warren Gatland
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Three teams can still win the 2019 Six Nations as we enter the final round of matches this weekend.

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Wales are in the driving seat, but they must defeat defending champions Ireland in order to be assured of the title and the Grand Slam.

England could also steal victory if Ireland win in Cardiff and Eddie Jones’ men defeat Calcutta Cup rivals Scotland.

Meanwhile, there is little on the line for Italy and France as they reprise a usually one-sided fixture.

With the help of Opta, we take a statistical look at the fifth and final round of matches.

Italy v France

Italy have endured another miserable Six Nations campaign and history would suggest it is unlikely to get better against France.

The Azzurri – on a record 21-match losing run in the Six Nations – have only beaten France twice in 19 meetings in the championship, winning just three of 40 such clashes in all competitions. However, Les Bleus have only won once themselves in this campaign.

Sergio Parisse is set to captain Italy for the 50th time in the competition.

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Wales v Ireland

The Grand Slam is on the line for Wales as they face defending champions Ireland, with Warren Gatland’s men chasing their 12th in tournament history and fourth in the current format. It would also be the fifth time the Grand Slam has been won at the Principality Stadium – Ireland accounted for one of those.

Wales – on a 13-Test win streak – have won their last two home Six Nations matches against Ireland, but Joe Schmidt’s men have triumphed in their last four championship away games.

Welsh captain Alun Wyn Jones will win his 134th cap and draw level with Gethin Jenkins as his country’s most capped player, fifth in the worldwide list.

Watch: Wales head coach Warren Gatland on Grand Slam match with Ireland

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England v Scotland

If Wales slip up, England will have the opportunity to take advantage and win the championship if they can beat Calcutta Cup rivals Scotland, who won the sides’ last Six Nations meeting.

That was Scotland’s first win in 10 against their old rivals in the competition, however, while England have only lost four of the teams’ 48 Twickenham clashes – most recently in 1983.

Scotland’s last trip to England saw them suffer their joint-worst defeat in the history of this Test fixture, going down 61-21.

Watch: Eddie Jones speaks to RugbyPass ahead of England’s final Six Nations game.

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NoLongerARuck 1 hour ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

The Six Nations produced so many compelling games and so much of action packed moments that you can only conclude that its the best international comp out there at the moment except for a world cup. If Wales improve it will be even better especially given the strides Italy have made in recent times. The Rugby Championship is now taking a hiatus in a year it really should be building toward something better which is terrible considering the competition was so tight last year. The Nations Champs promises much but one gets the feeling that the 6 Nations teams will not be at their peak given its at the end of their long season. In terms of rugby quality and entertainment Id rather watch the 6 Nations over everything else other than a world cup right now. The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field. In terms of entertainment the North wins. In terms of winning? They are making strides but until they win another world cup or get a team to rank number 1 again for an extended time again they cant really say they are better than the South.

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