The 2020 edition of the Six Nations Tournament is anything but predictable. Besides the amazing results registered on the field, the implications of the coronavirus epidemy have the potential of leaving this year's tournament without a conclusion. After week 4 out of the 5 in total for the Six Nations Tournament, things are still far from being settled and everyone is trying to figure out how this situation can be unlocked. While we all wait for a conclusion, let's check out the main talking points after the latest matches played.
England's Win Over Wales
Besides some negative aspects about this match, like the red card received by Manu Tuilagi or the clumsy handwork displayed by Joe Marler, England has every reason to be happy with their last performance. Everyone expected a physical challenge against Wales even though the opponents did show signs of slowing down in the previous matches. However, the confrontation was actually better than all the expectations. England started well, scored to stay in front and shoed an excellent defensive appetite. Besides an important win in the tournament that takes England one step closer to winning the tournament, the victory against Wales is also an important boost in morale. Coupled with France's stunning defeat in Scotland, it could mean that a bonus-point win in Rome, or wherever the match is going to be played, could be more than enough to claim the championship.
Wales Risk-Taking Strategy
You don't have to be an expert to observe that Wales has transformed their way of playing. Right now, they look like a hybrid, playing with ambition and ready to adopt risky strategies. At the same time, they also maintained elements of the Warren Gatland era. And while this hybrid way of playing has proven to be quite successful in the first matches at the Six Nations tournament, the last few clashes proved that this strategy only work if there are no errors. However, quite a lot of errors have found their way in Wales' game and that ended with the team conceding 24, 27, and 33 points in the last matches. Opening up the game has proven to be costly for Wales and this can pretty much be the reason why they were unable to defend their title.
Scotland Picked Up Momentum after Beating France
It was clear that things were not going very well for France even before the Six Nations tournament started. If you went through any UK betting sites list before the World Cup, you wouldn't find one that offered the right odds for the way Scotland performed in that competition. So, after such a big disappointment at the World Cup, they looked unable to shake it off in the Six Nations tournament either. Things looked even worse when Finn Russel couldn't be counted on. However, Scotland managed to buy some time in their victory over France. And not just any win, the 28 – 17 registered at Murrayfield is enough to give Scotland the peace needed to rebuild and find their way back into the rugby elite. Furthermore, if they keep up the good performances and France doesn't manage to find their winning route, the Scottish team could just as well take 2nd place this year.
Defensive Indiscipline Could Cost France the Trophy
Even if Shaun Edwards did an excellent job transforming France's defense tactics, it looks like not even such an imposing character as his can't really transform the rugby culture in the hexagon in such a short time. Everything seemed to go according to plan in the opening three victories, however, the same discipline couldn't be observed against Scotland. Sure, the red card seen by Mohamed Haouas in the first half can also be used as an explanation for the result. However, things were not looking good for France against Scotland even when the numbers were even on the field.
With all the trouble with the coronavirus lurking around, it's still left to be seen if Ireland and Wales will still play their postponed match. However, as Italy sits at the bottom of the board with 0 points and Ireland is currently 4th gathering 9 points in the three matches played so far, there shouldn't be any important changes in the table. One option spread by fans on social networks would be to just take Italy out of the competition and simply not count the matches against the Italian side. However, things aren't as easy as some fans would want to be and we are still waiting for a resolution in this case.
