The Six Nations after the Six Nations

In reverse order, I think I'd take a neutral's perspective of each of the Six Nations.

France: Oh dear. Don't see how PSA can survive after taking the wooden spoon. Selections were wrong and there was the stubborn persistence in particular with Michalak. At least he had the sense to return Fofana to his rightful place and the centre combinations and wingers suddenly looked a lot better. The problem was with the tactics. It's criminal to have an arsenal at your disposal and not use them. 73 points for was only better than Ireland and we all know the problems they've had on attack. Picamoles was the stand out player for me and performed in every game for France. The only problem was the French pack didn't seem to have eighty minutes in them and the backs never seemed to be able to play with any space. They now face three tests in New Zealand and though they tend to lift their performance, they will be facing a NZ side who has England in their memories of their last game.

Ireland: Oh dear. Don't see how Kidney can survive either. Intent on playing a Munster side without those kinds of players, notably in the pack. They started with a hiss and a roar against Wales in the first half but then looked a paler version of themselves and that continued throughout the rest of their campaign. I'm not sure whether Italy or Scotland was their lowest point but I would plump for the latter as they had so much possession and couldn't find a way to break the line. They scored the fewest points out of all the teams and their senior players - notably their captain - did not give a good account of themselves. At least in Jackson they have unearthed a replacement for ROG who really needs to disappear from the international scene. Someone who still has a lot to give but may well retire from test rugby is BOD and if he does leave Ireland will have real problems finding a centre combination as though there are many names, none at this stage gives any confidence.

Italy: A marked improvement. They conceded the most points but is this their highest placing in the 6N? They scored two very good victories against France and Ireland and though those teams finished below them that achievement shouldn't be dismissed. They have yet to find a way to replicate the passion and commitment they play with at home though they did make England look a bit ordinary. Orquera has been a mixed bag but he has had enough good games to warrant further selection. Parisse is very good at eye-catching moves but sometimes I feel he needs to put in the harder work. I'm not sure the captaincy helps him and he was lucky that his yellow card didn't prove costly in the end yesterday. For me their game has evolved, particularly in the backs and that their tactics to offload the ball in the tackle and keep it alive is causing the opposition some problems. Their kicking can be varied and attacking minded but at times it can be wasteful, though they are by no means the only team with that problem. What is pleasing to me is that they have become a team more attack minded instead of relying on their pack to win them games.

Scotland: A mixed bag. 3rd place is a good achievement for them but they will feel let down by certain performances where they could've been more competitive particularly in their last two games against Wales and France. They started off with a mixed performance against England with their defence letting them down but at least they took the game to England. They went on the counter attack and caused problems at times for England. Against Italy they were positive and reaped the rewards. Then they went into their shells and I think the Ireland result was more of a curse for them than a blessing. Teams can win with little possession but when you get the ball you can't kick behind the line and hope the opposition make a mistake. I lost count at how many times Scotland had numerical advantages and chose to kick behind the line. It was obvious they were team orders but you have very good wingers in Visser and Maitland so why not use them when the opportunity presents itself. Draw and pass and let the ball outrun the defence. You cannot expect to win a test match being so conservative. Laidlaw is a great goal kicker for Scotland but you need to be more aggressive and choose your moments wisely to run the ball back or test the defensive line.

England: Good but some minor changes are needed. It seems unfair that the last game undoes what they achieved in their first four games. They looked like they were carrying on from their NZ performance against Ireland but then seemed to slip in standards thereafter. They closed out games which is a sign of a good team that wasn't allowed to play well. But not reaching triple figures for points scored in 5 games is a poor return. They didn't convert possession into scoring opportunities. The selection of the back three and back row need to be looked at in particular. Their scrum was solid but against Wales they gave away the advantage. The dynamism seemed to disappear from their attack and a lot of that may be down to confidence. But if a player is not performing then he needs to be dropped. I think there was a case for including Wade in the squad and seeing whether he was up for the job. Farrell seemed to lose his composure in the last two games but I think the young man will learn from those experiences and he looks a better bet than Flood. This defeat will hurt but maybe it will be a catalyst for making changes that should've been made in the previous games when England won but looked far from convincing in certain areas.

Wales: Astonishing. Not so much in the way they played but the character they showed. Their defence was outstanding after that abject first half display against Ireland but then again none of the sides that faced them after that first game showed much initiative on attack. That said, not to concede a try in all that rugby is a great effort. I still would like to see Wales be more creative in attack and Halfpenny to enter the line more and for the centres to vary things up a little. But let us not forget where the Welsh team were after their horrific autumn and after that first half against Ireland. You could see the body language in the players, in particular the senior players. It was all negative and they just looked like they wished they weren't there. Let us not underestimate the second half performance against Ireland. Although they didn't win the match, you could see the transformation in the players. Biggar after that charge down was heading the same way as Priestland but he came back in that match and he proved to be the difference in the French match. Warburton took a while longer to turn his form around but his partnership with Tipuric was outstanding near the end of the campaign. The front row looked woeful against Ireland but the Welsh scrum came to be the best by some distance at the end of the round. To do what they did is an incredible achievement and I think the last back to back wins in the 6N or 5N was in 1979. Special mention must go to Howley. When everything goes well the coach is forgotten but when things go bad the knives come out. Howley must have had the full Ginzu 2000 knife set out after that Ireland game but he knuckled down and grinded out the wins and got the confidence back and by the England game had the boys on fire and full of confidence. Wales now must take this achievement and look to get their confidence back playing against the SH. The autumn internationals is a long time to wait for that but if the Lions get a fair share of Welsh players they must view this as an opportunity to stamp their mark on Australia and feel that winning sensation.

The refereeing this 6N has been very up and down. The scrums in particular were a farce in many matches and the grounds were similarly woeful. Something needs to be done to reward teams who have the scrum advantage and not allow weaker scrums to use their tricks to sway the ref. After the opening round where attack was the key to victory, there were few highlights in terms of attack with England vs France and Wales vs England being the standout games. Wales showed though how important it is to treat one game at a time and to never lose hope. To turn around your season and to climb out of the abyss to reach the summit is an amazing achievement and that for me will be my lasting memory of the 2013 6N.

Nigel Owens has been the example for the refs. He deserves the plaudits.

Good call TJ. He was the up and most of the rest were the down I alluded to.

TJ wrote:Nigel Owens has been the example for the refs. He deserves the plaudits.

So did Walsh, he could of pinged Wales and England off the park, but he did everything he could to try and let the game flow, England were nearly always off side and Wales were in at the side of the ruck a lot, but he wanted a flowing game.

A lot of the tempo and excitement yesterday was down to Walsh wanting a flowing game.

Well, 3 good opening games and an enthralling last 3 with only the 'purists' getting much out of the middle (spectators that is). It's provided real insight into where the teams are.

Clearly Wales come out best after a remarkable turn round with a team that finally put in the performance all Welsh fans (and others) felt was coming.

England needed to be humbled, painful though it was to watch, to stand any chance of being forced to address problems that have been apparent for some time. The endless accolade of being a well grounded outfit is going to be put to the test and the coaching staff have to learn the lesson first.

Italy should be nearly as happy as Wales after putting in 3 good performances, one of them away which is a first, and taking 2 big scalps. They are definitely improving.

Scotland and Ireland have to start again but have some good new talent to work with. Fancy that Ireland will recover 1st but both need to top quality caoches.

PSA must surely realise that Gallic insanity in selection has to end. With the talent available that was a shameful performance.

I enjoyed the tournament and disappointments aside look forward to the Summer tours and the AIs to see what has been learned.

Cheers for the synopsis mate. A good read.

Very proud of Wales holding on to their title. It was a massive challenge after the awful way we started.

I certainly hope this gives more good grounding for the future.

England started well against a talented scots team but like in 2011 steadily regressed, or, were figured out, throughout the tournament. Again by the last game their negatives were heavily exploited.

Scotland are making great progress towards being back to the their top half of the tournament, talented players just need to settle in. There is a bit of depth under the 1st xv too. Lets hope they find the right coaches to go forward.

Italy were sublime on minute appalling the next. Their offloading game vs France, Ireland and England was superb. More of that rather than the attempted forward attritional stuff in their other two games. It looks like Italians like to run...!

Ireland were a good side suffering from injuries playing badly. Great start to the tournament, after that gane with england the team was held together by glue and duct tape. New coach and some excellent youngsters need to invigorate the team in the autumn.

France were apathetic, pathetic and unrealistic. St Andre is a boring conservative coach scared to let players play the game. That is not what we want from France. Michelak is a fabtastic creative player being forced to play a Jonny wilkinson type game plan. Ridiculous, sack the coach.

Agree with much of this -

Wales: great character to come back from a dreadful start to the championship. A case of good players coming back into form and finding a couple of others who are good international quality (Biggar is solid, Tipuric very good). Confidence is such a big thing for them - 8 consecutive defeats then 4 wins with no tries conceded. Still some question marks about a one dimensional attack in the midfield but generally encouraging.

England: a last match hammering from Wales and Walsh put a big dampner on an encouraging campaign for a young and inexperienced side. Wins in Dublin are as rare as hen's teeth for England, so that was particularly pleasing, as was the ability to win close games without playing really well. The foundations of an very good side are in place with the front 5, flankers and half backs, but once Morgan got injured we lacked a big power carrier in the back row. The balance of the centre partnership and back 3 also need addressing - Barritt and Tuilagi offer good power and defence, but lack a willingness to pass, which 12trees inclusion would counter. Brown was really the only success of the back 3, and most of us want him back to his best position at full back.

Scotland - a mixed bag. Some things to be encouraged by, not least the 3 wins and the fact that for the first time in years there is a serious attacking threat from deep. And this achieved without either of their good specialist 7s - when Rennie is fit they will be able to field an very strong back row. Still some weaknesses, in particular 10 and 13, but it no longer looks to be papering over major cracks.

Ireland - almost unfair to judge after injurymageddon. Quality players getting old (even BOD), others in poor form (Heaslip played like the weight of the world was on his shoulders) and a few injury cover 'stop gaps' led to a very disappointing outcome.

France - On paper one of the (if not THE) strongest side in the championship. Absurd selection, disinterested players and a conservative game plan. All suggests the French camp was not a happy place to be during what has to be their worst Championship performance for 30 years or more. Never mind the sack, PSA will be lucky if Madam le Guillotine isn't brought back into service. Really unfair on Picamoles that all his fantastic efforts was undermined by the omnishables that was everything else.