Six Nations news: England star 'slapped' by opponent as Wales rivalry ignited

Wales skipper Jac Morgan made 25 tackles without missing any against Scotland on Saturday.

According to Opta Stats, that is the most of any player to maintain a 100% success rate in the tournament this year.

Irish flanker Josh van der Flier says his side "have to get the misery out of the way" in the build-up to their final Six Nations game with Italy.

Ireland can still win the title if they beat The Azzurri, but will be reliant on England and France slipping up.

"I think one of the things I find that's really important is you have to get all the misery out of the way on Monday or Tuesday, so it's not hanging over you for the rest of the week," he said.

"Those things are hanging in the back of your mind and you can't let them drag into next week."

Wales forward Dafydd Jenkins has warned England the hosts are desperate to end England's Six Nations title heopes in Cardiff.

Steve Borthwick's side can finish top if they win and Scotland do them a favour against France in Paris.

"This is the game you dream of playing in as a kid," said Jenkins. "This game is a special one, and one we're definitely up for.

"They can win the championship, so we can't be having that in Cardiff."

England lock Ollie Chessum says he's ready for any stick Welsh fans can throw at him ahead of England’s Six Nations clash in Cardiff.

Speaking of his side's trip there in 2023 when England won 20-10, he saod:  "It wasn't even game day.

“A car pulls up next to us, and mum and grandma in the front seat, and the kid just gives us the middle finger.

“If you look out the bus window, and you'll see a young lad with his old man, and they both give you the middle finger. That's the kind of thing that sticks out in my memory.

“It does rev you up. For me, it is the best away day as a player – Cardiff away in the Six Nations and with the nature of the fixture, being the final round, we are chomping at the bit to get down there.”

READ MORE HERE.

Ireland attack coach Andrew Goodman has said Tadhg Furlong, Ronan Kelleher, Mack Hansen, James Lowe and Garry Ringrose should be available for selection for their final Six Nations match with Italy. 

The Irish can still win the title if both Wales and Scotland do them a favour against England and France respectively this weekend.

Furlong has not played in the tournament following a calf injury, while Kelleher, Hansen, and Lowe missed the France clash. Ringrose returns from a one-game suspension.

FFR President Bernard Laporte has vowed to appeal the decision not to punish Tadhg Beirne and Andrew Porter over the incident that injured Antoine Dupont.

"Anger must not take over and we will respect the final decisions. But we are determined to activate all possible appeals to make our voices heard," he told L'Equipe.

"What shocked us, or bothered us, is that the referee did not go and study the images of Antoine's injury himself. We find that disturbing. Eventually, we will be heard."

It seems the bookmakers aren't expecting France to slip up against Scotland this Saturday. 

According to Betfair, the French are 1/12 on for the title. England are at 10/1, Ireland 22/1, and Scotland 375/1.

Former Irish hooker Keith Wood belives that Cian Healy, Peter O'Mahoney and Conor Murray waved goodbye to Dublin in the right way despite the defeat to France on Saturday.

He told Slingo: “I really liked the manner in which the three of them decided together and said, 'Yeah, we're going to stop at the end of this season with Ireland. We're not making too much fuss, there's nothing really going. Let's not build this into a year of talking about it.’

“I thought that was a really cool way of doing it.”

France star Louis Biellie-Biarrey could break a record in Saturday's title-deciding clash with Scotland. 

Les Bleus can win the Six Nations if they beat the Scots in Paris after a fine campaign. 

And Biellie-Biarrey is one try away from becoming the outright leading scorer of tries in a single campaign. 

His seven tries are tied with Jacob Stockdale from 2019.  

Former England scrum-half Matt Dawson criticised his former side's display against Italy.

Despite winning 47-24 to keep their Six Nations title hopes alive, the Red Roses were regularly cut open by their visitors and appeared to take their foot off the gas in the final quarter.

“I have been disappointed that England have been unable to maintain the level of that good stuff we've seen," Dawson said on BBC 5 Live during the latter stages. "There has been a handful of opportunities were England have had so much forward momentum yet they manage to slow their own ball down."

The Six Nations has had a dramatic impact on the world rankings.

You can read about all the changes by clicking here. 

Steve Borthwick must pick the strongest possible England team to face Wales. 

His side remain in with a chance of winning the Six Nations and are best placed to take advantage of any slip-up by France against Scotland. 

Express Sport's Fraser Watson picked the team he thinks Borthwick should select. 

You can read his decisions by clicking here.

Scotland boss Gregor Townsend has not ruled out using the controversial 7-1 substitute tactic in a bold plan to ruin France’s Six Nations party on Super Saturday. France can win this year’s tournament with a win in Paris this coming weekend.

Townsend is reported to have raised concerns to World Rugby about the trend of teams naming seven attacking subs on their bench. France and South Africa have adopted the tactic, which allows them to refresh their forward line against tiring defences late in games. The Scotland chief insists his comments during the governing body’s Shape of the Game forum were misrepresented and he has not ruled out naming seven attackers on his bench in a bid to overcome Six Nations leaders France.

READ MORE HERE

The Six Nations comes to an end this weekend.

France are strong favourites to win the title, sitting a point above second-placed England. Les Bleus will lift the trophy if they beat Scotland on Saturday evening.

Round 5 Fixtures

Saturday, March 15 | Italy vs Ireland | 2.15pm

Saturday, March 15 | Wales vs England | 4.45pm

Saturday, March 15 | France vs Scotland | 8pm

Steve Borthwick has called up Bath centre Max Ojomoh to England camp after Ollie Lawrence’s Six Nations ending setback.

Ojomoh, son of former Bath and England flanker Steve, played in England A’s recent 28-12 win over Ireland A but is a long shot to be involved against Wales this weekend with Elliot Daly in pole position.

England rugby hero Matt Dawson has sparked a war of words with Ellis Genge by telling the prop that his criticism of pundits is “utter nonsense”. It comes after Genge said those criticising Steve Borthwick’s side were “out of touch”.

The 30-year-old argued in February that the praise of England’s performances was never as loud as the criticism. His comments were made amid a national newspaper column in which 2003 World Cup winner Will Greenwood wrote that England “play no rugby” under Borthwick, despite their Calcutta Cup victory over Scotland.

Genge’s reaction prompted former England star Chris Ashton to admit on the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast that he felt reluctant to be too critical of Borthwick’s players. Speaking on the same platform, Dawson did not agree and hit back at Genge.

“Just say exactly how you feel,” the former scrum-half told Ashton. “And saying exactly how you feel doesn’t mean you’re being critical.

“You are well within your rights from your international career to have... That would be my answer to Ellis Genge, by the way. Just because you’re playing the game now and someone’s a little bit older than you, doesn’t mean that they don’t understand the game. That is utter nonsense.

“I don’t care what he thinks. I genuinely don’t care what he thinks about what me or another pundit will say, whether he listens to us or not, that’s his decision. But you are well within your rights, you understand the game.”

Wales duo Josh Adams and Tom Rogers have been released from the Six Nations camp ahead of the final match. 

Both wingers were injured earlier in the tournament but remained with the squad. 

Wales are hoping to avoid another wooden spoon but face a resurgent England in Cardiff on Saturday. 

Fin Smith has praised interim Wales boss Matt Sherratt for giving him a 'slap' which kickstarted his career. 

The England star was a young player at Worcester Warriors when Sherratt was on the coaching staff. 

“He sat me down for a really honest conversation that I won’t forget when I was midway through my first year as an 18-year-old,” explained the fly-half.

“He was saying Faz (Owen Farrell) and Fordy (George Ford) were playing week in week out, and if I wanted to get to that level - which he said at the time that he thought I could - then I really needed to push.

“He encouraged me to get in and kick on my days off, use my free time to look at videos, be practising my skills, my passing. That was really good.

“It is easy to go in as a young lad, turn up and follow the same path, and I think if you really want to jump out ahead of the crowd you have got to be putting extra work in.

“So he gave me a bit of a slap, told me to crack on and do a bit more - and I am super-grateful he did that.”

Jamie George has taken a dig at Wales ahead of England’s final Six Nations match.

The Red Roses have the opportunity to take advantage of any slip up by France and win the tournament.

But they face an improved Wales team in Cardiff and George has ramped up the pressure on Matt Sherratt’s side - claiming a game against England is Wales’ version of a World Cup final.

"Wales are going to be so motivated - England against Wales in Cardiff is huge," the hooker told the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

"It will be their World Cup final. It doesn't get much bigger than Wales against England in Cardiff."