Round one.

The Six Nations kicked off with a bang this weekend, with three cracking games. Wales silenced all their doubters with an absolute demolition of Scotland at the Principality, while Ireland were saved by the boot of Johnny Sexton against France.

On Sunday, a spirited Italian side were eventually swept aside by a very professional performance by England. Eddie Jones’ remain remain the team to beat, but Wales will now head into their fixture this weekend with plenty of hope.

Here are five talking points.

Wales are here to play.
Most people didn’t give Wales a chance this weekend, given their current injury list. But they proved us all wrong, with a magnificent performance against Scotland. The big question ahead of the game was give the amount of Scarlets in the team, would they be allowed play their incredible brand of rugby? The answer is yes. And the result is terrifying. Wales are most certainly here to play.

Scotland fail to impress.
What happened here? Were Wales good? Yes. Were Scotland poor? Most definitely. Gregor Townsend’s men looked lost and ran out of ideas very quickly. Big improvements needed ahead of France’s visit to Murrayfield this weekend.

Ireland’s dream is still alive, just about.
The boot of Johnny Sexton has kept Ireland’s hopes of a Grand Slam alive, but Joe Schmidt’s men have a lot to work on. Yes Paris is a tough place to go to, and France were much better than anyone expected. But Ireland looked very one-dimensional at times. They can take great confidence from the win, but much more expected from them this weekend.

England are still the team to beat.
Owen Farrell once again showed why he’s one of the world’s very best this weekend, with an inspired performance against Italy. Conor O’Shea’s men were much improved for the most part. But England didn’t panic and went about their job in a very professional and comprehensive manner. Still the team to beat, and favourites to win an unprecedented third title in-a-row.

Italy have improved, kind of.
Two excellent tries and some good attacking play. Italy have improved, kind of. Complete capitulation in the last quarter meant they were beaten well in the end by England. Some of their defensive play begged belief at times. Really can’t seem them winning anything this year at this rate, expect perhaps the Wooden Spoon.