ENGLAND ON TOP.

Last weekend's Rugby Union internationals told ud quite a lot about the relative merits of the 6 home nations.

England's solid and determined play against France puts them firmly in place as the best of the northern hemisphere sides at the moment, while France themselves must be next best. The English defence repelled all borders and France only stayed in touch courtesy of three soft penalties. This was a hard fought match though, surprisingly, the French were unable to cross the English try-line while England not only scored a try but almost had 2 others. The English second-half performance was a step up from the first and they must now be odds-on to complete the 'Grand Slam' in Dublin on March 19th.

Wales and Italy produced a scrappy game with many mistakes. The Italians showed lots of determination but had no cutting edge; the Welsh produced far too many errors and were not convincing. Compared with England's demolition of the Italians 2 weeks ago, this was a weak performance from Wales and doesn't bode well for their chances in the World Cup. It does suggest that England might be a whole class above Wales, but it leaves the Italians propping up the table.

Ireland beat the Scots but neither side looks likely to trouble England on this form. Both sides made many mistakes and the Irish gave away far too many penalties; neither showed a real cutting edge. The Scottish defence was weak and the Irish hardly looked strong enough to challenge England. Scotland improved dramatically as the game went on but it was 'too little, too late' in the end and Ireland held on for a not altogether deserved victory.