The first weekend of the 2012 6-Nations' Rugby tournament has produced nothing to frighten the horses.
France defeated a lacklustre Italy with very little effort and barely got out of second gear. The Italians started brightly enough but had none of their usual aggression either in the scrum or the tackle; they proved pretty toothless and all the French had to do was take the opportunities given to them. How good the French are will only become clear later in the tournament.
The Calcutta Cup match at Murrayfield saw an 'all-changed' England take on the Scots in another disappointing game. The Scots were all effort, but huffed and puffed to little effect; England defended well enough when called upon, but showed little imagination or penetration themselves. The match could probably have gone either way, but England had the benefit of an opportunist try when Hodgson charged down an ill-judged kick by Parks; this proved decisive in an otherwise drab match and England came away with the spoils. Neither side seems likely to challenge for the 6-Nations crown though.
The final match of the weekend was an entirely different affair. From the kick-off, Ireland and Wales showed far greater enthusiasm and determination than had been apparent in either of the first 2 games.This was a hard fought match, with the score, and the tide, see-sawing throughout. In the end, a foul tackle less than a minute from the end proved decisive as Wales' Leigh Halfpenny sent the penalty kick through the posts for his side to finally take the lead and win 23-21. It was a good rugby match and it seems certain that these sides will be the ones to challenge the French as the tournament gathers pace. Wales were, perhaps, marginally better, but the Irish have nothing to be ashamed of in their performance.
Roll on week 2.
The final match of the weekend was an entirely different affair. From the kick-off, Ireland and Wales showed far greater enthusiasm and determination than had been apparent in either of the first 2 games.This was a hard fought match, with the score, and the tide, see-sawing throughout. In the end, a foul tackle less than a minute from the end proved decisive as Wales' Leigh Halfpenny sent the penalty kick through the posts for his side to finally take the lead and win 23-21. It was a good rugby match and it seems certain that these sides will be the ones to challenge the French as the tournament gathers pace. Wales were, perhaps, marginally better, but the Irish have nothing to be ashamed of in their performance.
Roll on week 2.
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