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Borthwick backs under-pressure Townsend before Calcutta Cup clash

  • ‘People should spend more time supporting him’

  • Itoje restored as England captain for Six Nations match

Steve Borthwick has called on Scotland supporters to lay off Gregor Townsend before the Calcutta Cup on Saturday, pointing out that his opposite number is his nation’s most successful coach of the professional era.

Townsend is under huge pressure after the defeat against Italy in Rome last weekend came after he bizarrely claimed a report he had agreed to take over at Newcastle Red Bulls after the 2027 World Cup was a ruse designed to distract his side before they welcome England to Murrayfield.

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The Breakdown | Test rugby coaches have a shelf life and Townsend must know he’s near the end

As pressure builds before Calcutta Cup, Scotland’s coach may well have reached the point of diminishing returns

The witty Anglo-American author Ashleigh Brilliant passed away last September at the age of 91, but his best lines are timeless. Beleaguered sports coaches worldwide will all recognise one of his characteristically pithy observations: “I try to take one day at a time – but sometimes several days attack me at once.” To be responsible for an under-pressure national side must induce a similar feeling.

So what do you do when coaching life starts serving you lemons? After a while there are only two options: try to ride it out, or accept it might be wiser for someone else to have a go. It can be a delicate judgment, often shaped by non-sporting considerations. Unless it becomes apparent, as seemingly happened with the recently ousted All Blacks coach Scott Robertson, that your dressing room has already made the call for you.

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Six Nations on road to perdition unless chastening Celtic wake-up call is heeded | Robert Kitson

Championship risks becoming a two-tier affair as Ireland, Wales and Scotland all lose on the opening weekend

Few competitions in the world have the capacity to turn wine into water quicker than the Six Nations. Only a few days ago players, coaches and fans of Ireland, Scotland and Wales were poring over the championship fixture list with their customary annual relish. Now, after just one round, they are having to deal with the most sobering Celtic wake‑up call for more than a quarter of a century.

Take your pick from the following trio of chastening outcomes. On Thursday night in Paris, as France dazzled in defiance of the damp conditions, Ireland were outclassed in every respect. In Rome, where the second half might as well have been played in the Trevi fountain, a below-par Scotland were flushed away. As for the quality of Wales’s first-half performance in south-west London the less said the better.

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Feyi-Waboso a major doubt for rest of England’s Six Nations campaign

  • Exeter winger injured hamstring in training

  • Feyi-Waboso to miss Scotland and Ireland games

Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has been ruled out of England’s pursuit of the triple crown while Steve Borthwick has concerns over the fitness of Ellis Genge for the Calcutta Cup on Saturday.

Feyi-Waboso pulled out of the 48-7 victory against Wales after sustaining a hamstring injury in training last Friday and was replaced by Tom Roebuck. According to Borthwick, the Exeter winger will be out for “a number of weeks”, ensuring he misses the trip to Murrayfield and the visit of Ireland to Twickenham a week later. Feyi-Waboso has not yet been ruled out of England’s entire campaign but the chances of him appearing seem remote.

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Arundell hat-trick fires England to emphatic Six Nations win against Wales

  • England 48-7 Wales

  • Earl, Roebuck and Freeman also score tries for hosts

No surprises here, not even a hint of one. England have had tougher training sessions in preparation for this Six Nations and by the end the scoreboard spoke for itself. Wales were not so much beaten as buried beneath an avalanche of seven white tries including a first-half hat-trick for the pacy Bath wing Henry Arundell on his first England start since the 2023 World Cup.

If not quite as big a rout as England’s 68-14 win in Cardiff 11 months ago, the flashing red warning lights were visible from the moment the visitors had two players sent to the sin bin in the first quarter. They never looked like recovering and, in its own way, this disappointment will sting as much as the 73-0 defeat by South Africa in November.

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Sloppy Scotland stunned as Italy make winning start to Six Nations campaign

  • Italy 18-15 Scotland

  • Azzurri score early tries and resist fightback

They say the Six Nations is all about momentum and Scotland, again, find themselves sliding rapidly downhill. Passion and effort are guaranteed from any Italy team but they were clinical here too and defended magnificently. They ruthlessly capitalised on Scotland’s often rank inaccuracy and a richly deserved win – their second in three years against Scotland – sets them up beautifully for the tournament.

The fly-half Paolo Garbisi played the appallingly wet conditions superbly to celebrate his 50th Test cap, testing the visitors’ defence with regular, spiralling contestable kicks and mostly striking the ball well off the tee. The centres Tommaso Menoncello and Juan Ignacio Brex, also marking his 50th cap, were sensational again while the energy and skill of the wing Louis Lynagh significantly softened the blow of Ange Capuozzo’s injury absence. Collectively, in difficult conditions, Italy’s handling and ball movement were far superior to Scotland’s and arguably, for Gregor Townsend and his players, there is no excuse for that.

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Italy 18-15 Scotland: Six Nations 2026 rugby union updates – as it happened

Italy shone through the storm to claim best possible start in Rome but Gregor Townsend’s Scotland flopped again

6 mins. The position is wasted by the visitors as the malfunctioning lineout show continues, the ball lost back to the Italian side. There’s some more traded possession via kicks as both sides try to find a groove in the damp conditions. Thus far all they are finding is a grumbling crowd at how poor it all is. But there’s a lineout coming for Italy in the Scottish half.

4 mins. Scotland have their first lineout and their attempted catch and drive is spilled by Matt Fagerson as he looked to set up the maul. However, Ref O’Keefe determines the reason for said spilling was an illegal early drive from Italy. Penalty Scotland and it’s sent to touch in the Azzuri 22.

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Wales must remember miracles are possible or the Six Nations will lose a slice of its soul

The off-field politics are toxic, Wales are on a terrible run and England are flying, but everyone needs Saturday’s game to be competitive at Twickenham

Are you a Wales fan reading this on the train to London? If so, let’s huddle in tight and try to stay positive. In round one of the Six Nations everyone starts equal. There is rain around and England have a couple of significant injuries. Steve Tandy is a capable guy and there are some talented individuals at his disposal. In this grand old championship miracles have been known to happen.

C’mon boys, believe. That red jersey still represents something special. All that history, all that fabled lineage. Gareth, Gerald, Jiffy, Alun Wyn … they’re all right with you. It’s only 80 minutes and opportunity knocks. Under the radar is a useful place to be. And, look, it’s not even called Twickenham these days. Allianz Stadium could be anywhere.

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‘An experience you can’t buy’: Louis Rees-Zammit on his NFL adventure and fresh hope for Wales

Lightning-fast attacker lines up at full-back against England insisting that his gridiron tilt will only help his rugby

The late, great Tom Petty wrote the song that, ultimately, defined Louis Rees-Zammit’s American football adventure. “Runnin’ down a dream, that never would come to me …” Twelve months ago Rees-Zammit was in New Orleans watching the Superbowl and still hoping to carve out a multimillion dollar NFL career. Now here he is, back in a Welsh rugby shirt and eager to make up for lost time.

Sliding doors and all that. This weekend in America all roads lead to this year’s Superbowl in California: the Seattle Seahawks v the New England Patriots . But as Wales’s 25-year-old prodigal son prepares for the contrasting vibes and smells of a sodden Twickenham in February, he insists he still has no regrets about the gridiron flirtation that removed him from Six Nations circulation for two years.

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My simple message for England: get the ball into Arundell’s hands early against Wales | Ugo Monye

Expectations abound for Six Nations and Bath wing deserves another shot in the starting lineup to show his raw attributes

Optimism abounds about England’s Six Nations chances. They go into a tournament considered as one of the genuine favourites for the title for the first time in years and they have the body of work to back that up after 11 consecutive victories. That sort of winning streak leads to greater expectations but these players can walk tall and handle external pressure.

I would warn against expecting another 50-point victory against Wales on Saturday, however. The fixture list aligns perfectly for England – if Steve Borthwick were to handpick his side’s schedule then this would probably be it – and while I fully expect them to beat Wales and claim a bonus point, we have to remember that they are never at their best at the start of a campaign. The Professional Game Partnership might have made some aspects of bringing together players from 10 different clubs an easier task, but it is still a challenge. As a result, we cannot expect that England will be at their fluent best at Twickenham.

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England suffer big Six Nations blow with Feyi-Waboso ruled out of Wales clash

  • Key player suffered hamstring injury in training

  • Roebuck makes surprise return as replacement

England have suffered a major setback on the eve of their Six Nations opener against Wales with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso ruled out with a hamstring injury, prompting a surprise recall for Tom Roebuck.

Roebuck is the beneficiary of Feyi-Waboso’s injury, called into the side to make a first appearance since picking up a toe injury in England’s November victory over the All Blacks. England are still investigating the extent of Feyi-Waboso’s injury - sustained in training on Thursday - and it remains to be seen if he will feature at all in the Six Nations.

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Now or never for Townsend’s Scotland with head coach in Six Nations spotlight

Ravaged Italy await a Scottish squad that has too often flattered to deceive while Ireland begin post-mortem after France humbling

If not now, then when? The stakes are never low in the Six Nations but for Scotland and Gregor Townsend the 2026 championship feels more loaded with significance than most.

Under the tutelage of the 52-year-old head coach, the many disappointments of recent campaigns have been met with an assurance that there is potential for success in this squad. Between now and mid-March would be a handy time to prove it.

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Bielle-Biarrey stars as France outplay Ireland to lay down a Six Nations marker

  • France 36-14 Ireland

  • Bielle-Biarrey scores twice in dazzling display

The Six Nations is under way and already a couple of things are ­crystal clear. It is going to take a seriously good team to beat France in Paris in this year’s championship and ­watching them attack will be an ­absolute treat. Ireland were not so much beaten as outplayed by ­opponents who will be even more dangerous with a dry ball at their disposal.

Never mind the argument about brief in-game adverts during ITV’s coverage. Irish fans would probably have preferred a total 80-minute blackout or, failing that, an entire evening of cookery programming. Instead those back at home had to watch the visitors being repeatedly sliced and diced by seemingly ravenous hosts. Talk about eating your greens.

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France 36-14 Ireland: Six Nations 2026 opener – as it happened

Les Bleus opened the tournament with a dominant victory in Paris

7 mins. The attack is contained by France and a forced pass in midfield is spilled by a green hand. France will have a scrum in their own 22.

5 mins. The Ireland scrum creaks, but holds enough for Gibson-Park to clear their lines. This but of solid work is followed soon after by Osborne banging a MASSIVE 50:22 to give his side their first attacking platform of the game.

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