Poetic Justice

RED ROSE RATINGS – SCOTLAND 25 – 13 ENGLAND                Date: 24 th February 2018                Location: Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland                Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)                Attendance: 67,144 England’s grand slam hopes were scuppered as they were well beaten by a ferocious Scottish team who regained the Calcutta Cup for the first time in ten years. Eddie Jones admitted the defeat was his fault after the game and he will have much to ponder before his side face their penultimate game against France. 15 – Mike Brown (Harlequins) – 4 A far cry from his performance in the last match against Wales. Marked down for a poor pass when a rare opportunity seemed to open up and also failed to bring down a rampaging Huw Jones on his way to Scotland’s second. Produced nothing going forward. 14 – Anthony Watson (Bath) – 4 Looked for work and showed some good feet at one point to temporarily escape danger but his attacking threat was nullified

Only France and Italy remain winless after two matches in this year’s Six Nations tournament and with the two sides facing off its highly likely only one will still be searching come the weekend’s close. The loser will likely sit at the bottom of the table from there on out with nothing but the infamous wooden spoon to show for their troubles. The Azzurri have picked up two hefty defeats to tournament favourites Ireland and England, whilst France, according to the scores at least, have fallen short narrowly in their competition openers. A quick look at the results so far implies France should be able to brush aside an Italian outfit that has shipped over 100 points in just two games, even if them themselves are yet to taste victory. Yet the tournament’s annual whipping boys Italy will be approaching Friday night’s game with real hunger and belief, eyeing a rare Six Nations win. Here are the reasons I believe the Azzurri will feel only a second win ever across the border isn’t

RED ROSE RATINGS – ENGLAND 12 – 6 WALES                 Date: 10 th February 2018                Location: Twickenham Stadium, London, England                Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)                Attendance: 82,000 Wales fell short amid much TMO controversy as England maintained their 100% start to the campaign. Two early tries for the hosts proved pivotal as they found a way to hang on and fend off a battling Welsh side. The scene is now set for a bumper weekend in a fortnight with Wales taking on the unbeaten Irish and England contesting the Calcutta Cup with Scotland. 15 – Mike Brown (Harlequins) – 8 Wonderful display from the full-back who was a force in both attack and defence. Ran with direction and intensity causing constant problems for those in red. Last week he started with some nervy handling but was solid this time out and helped provide a sturdy base for England’s defence. 14 – Anthony Watson (Bath) - 6 Crucially involved in the biggest

RED ROSE RATINGS – ITALY 15 – 46 ENGLAND                Date: 4 th February 2018                Location: Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy                Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)                Attendance: 61,464 England, the much-fancied favourites, got their Natwest Six Nations campaign off to the perfect start with a bonus-point victory against the Italians in Rome. Here are my ratings for the English starters and prominent ‘finishers’. 15 – Mike Brown (Harlequins) – 6 Didn’t get off to the best of starts as he looked unsure and unreliable under the high ball, showed a marked improvement in confidence when he did make his first catch. Gave away a couple of avoidable penalties but this is part and parcel of Brown’s very enthusiastic and committed game. 14 – Anthony Watson (Bath) – 8 Scored two well taken tries and came close to a third. His second was a brilliant display of what Watson is capable of with ball in hand and if he’s given the smallest of opening