Be Excellent To Each Other

Not saying that I'm finding Ireland v Wales dull, but I've just descaled my kettle and accomplished more than the boys in red have this afternoon.

I've decided the real match is whether I'd put Hugo Keenan or Dan Biggar on my fantasy ["Only Connect" team - Ed.].

Q. What's the connection between that Welsh try and my newly descaled kettle?

Right, Calcutta Cup Time!

Half-time: oh, this is tense.

Think the Scots have the upper hand but England could still swing it.

Ireland v Wales was clearly the warm-up act, happy just to be on the bill.

Secretly hoping for a drop goal

Scotland v England

You know that thing about how England's going to blow it away, going to throw it away?

Well, today was a clear example of that. They could have done so much better.

Quite a good game until the last 5 minutes, which were bullshit.

France v Italy time.

Via the ever-excellent Guardian live sports blog, here's Dupont clearing loving his dressing gown:

https://twitter.com/GQ_France/status/14 ... 2503524356

Élu meilleur joueur de rugby du monde en décembre 2021, @Dupont9A est en couverture de notre premier numéro @GQSports, photographié par Thibault-Théodore en @BALENCIAGA couture — disponible dès demain.

Head of Editorial Content: @pam_boy #GQFrance #Balenciaga #GQSports pic.twitter.com/FTnOMs7aDK

— GQ France (@GQ_France) January 24, 2022

I own smaller tents.

Half-time.
Enjoying this far more than I was expecting.

France v Ireland

I'm now convinced that Dupont is an advanced rugby playing robot.

Half-time.

This is an excellent game. Hansen's try was awesome.

Yes!

Really enjoyed that.
Tense throughout.

The present, I reckon.

Scotland v France

Half-time: Hogg's fumble with an open field is the stuff of nightmares.

A few French mistakes but watching the current squad play remains a thing of beauty.

Really enjoying this.

Excellent game.

England v Wales- Half-time

What a mess. Not a good mess, not an exciting mess, but the kind that makes me wonder why I watch this. In short, it's the rugby equivalent of a terrible episode of "Doctor Who".

Second half was a vast improvement.
That first English try, snatched from the line out, was awesome.

That was a tense finish. Wales should have got that, if they had managed to keep their penalty count down.

Wales got so close to breaking France's defences yesterday but never quite managed it. I think it's the toughest game France have played in a while.

I watched the first half, and I wasn't really sure how the score was so low on both sides (if that makes sense).

This is going to be a tense game.

A hell of a mess for both sides. That red card was justified however; a completely illegal tackle.

I did enjoy Gibson Park's look of confusion when he got the ball before he spotted Keenan however.

It's getting quite a lot less tense now.

That whistle when Steward nabbed the ball and got so far down the field was painful.

Neither side covered themselves with glory today but England did amazingly well with 14 players.

I was on my feet cheering at that point.

Well done Italy. That was a great match.

Sixmas Eve!

Of course, if France don't get the grand slam they deserve, everything I know about about rugby is wrong.

It'd be unsporting for other teams to give them an advantage by ditching established coaches on controversial circumstances so at least... Oh.. really? With a World Cup coming up? Seriously?

It's been bugging me all tournament but I really don't like the current England shirt. It looks like they're all bleeding.

It would explain the scoreline

That was painful.

I don't like the shirt or that performance..

From the first two minutes, I knew England were going to get steamrollered

we (England) can only get better