Six Nations halfway house: Can Scotland or Ireland stop France’s procession?

It's a fallow week in the 6 Nations so Alfie Reynolds, Elgan Alderman and Stuart Barnes discuss all of the action from round three.

They chat about Scotland's nervy performance in Cardiff as Gregor Townsend's side (just!) got the victory. Was this Scotland banishing demons from previous campaigns? Or have they once again failed to back up an impressive performance against England?

Barnsey gives his verdict on what on earth is going wrong for England following a terrible day at Twickenham in defeat to Ireland. And, Elgan was in Lille as France remained unbeaten by winning against Italy.

Could the Italians now be the favorites to beat England for the first time in their history? Are Ireland or Scotland best placed to challenge for the title alongside France? And, which nation benefits from the timing of the fallow week?

***

The Ruck Live!

Before the final whistle is blown on the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, there’s the small matter of Super Saturday. This year the final round promises to be even more explosive, with rivals England and France going head-to-head in the very last match of the competition at the Stade de France.

Tough-tacklers Courtney Lawes and Serge Betsen will join Charlie Morgan, Senior Rugby Writer at The Times, and Alfie Reynolds — host of our podcast The Ruck — to compare notes on Le Crunch and the biggest moments of this year’s tournament.

Book tickets on thetimes.com/events

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.