As with every week, here’s my comprehensive breakdown of the weekend’s action from the Six Nations tournament in Europe.

Italy versus Wales
The first game of the final weekend of the Six Nations Championship saw Italy host Wales. Wales needed a huge points difference to have any hope of winning the tournament, but the early signs were not encouraging for them.

A penalty against Luke Charteris for obstruction from the kick-off gave Kelly Haimona the chance to put Italy ahead early on, and he duly obliged.

Wales tried to put pace on the game from the start, but everything they did was rushed, and at times, poorly executed. They were not helped in this by Rhys Webb’s nervous performance early on. He made three costly mistakes in the first 22 minutes of the game: an intercepted pass, a box-kick out on the full, and an attempted flick-pass back inside which ended up going out of play.

Every time a Welsh player went into contact, they looked to get their hands free to offload, but they could not do this fluidly in the first half. Both teams tried to play expansive rugby, and it was clear that Italy, unlike the previous week against France, were well up for this game. They troubled Wales with quick-paced, varied attacking play, with Edoardo Gori also testing them out around the fringes.

The teams exchanged penalties for the first quarter, with Italy having more control over the game than the visitors.

However, Wales’ try in the 18th minute provided them with somewhat of a grip on a game where they were being dominated in a number of collisions. The try began with good offloading play by Wales. A line break by Jonathan Davies led to a quick recycle, from which Leigh Halfpenny put in a well-weighted kick for Jamie Roberts to collect and score.

Italy responded well, though, with a well-constructed maul advancing into the Welsh 22, giving them the momentum to put Giovanbattista Venditti in to score a try in the 24th minute, putting Italy in the lead.

After this, Italy really began to dominate the scrums, with their grizzled front row clearly having an advantage over their inexperienced counterparts.

A scrum penalty provided them with a platform for attack, and from a lineout they sent Samuela Vunisa barrelling through midfield, only to be halted by an uncharacteristically meek challenge from Halfpenny.

The talismanic fullback injured himself in the process. Despite the major loss of one of their best performers, Wales rebounded, managing to apply enough pressure to earn themselves a shot at goal just before half-time. Dan Biggar put the kick over in Halfpenny’s absence, putting his team into a 14-13 lead going into the second half.

There was only so long that the Italians could keep their efforts up in the second half, as conditioning has always been their Achilles’ heel in the Six Nations. It was more a case of when, rather than if, they would capitulate.

As it happened, it only took seven minutes for Liam Williams to touch down following a quick tap penalty from Webb.

A procession of tries followed, as Wales opted for quick taps from penalties rather than lineouts, as they realised that taking the Italians on at tight had not worked in the first half.

Six tries followed Liam Williams’ score, with George North, Sam Warburton, Webb, and replacement Scott Williams all getting their names on the score sheet.

Although it must be noted that the tries were partly due to fatigue on the part of the Italians, some of Wales’ attacking play was exceptional. Warburton, in particular, showed great athleticism after 68 minutes of a tough Test match for his try, but Justin Tipuric played an excellent link-man role after his introduction in the 55th minute.

Wales’ last try came in the 73rd minute following a knock on at an Italian lineout a few yards out from the Welsh try line. Wales sensed the weakness, and moved the ball wide for an excellent length of the field score. At this moment, it looked like Italy had absolutely nothing left, and that Wales would finish the game with a 48-point winning margin, a huge gap in the context of points difference.

However, a spilled ball from Gareth Davies saw Italy score an excellent solo try through Leonardo Sarto, reducing the gap between the two teams to 41 points following Luciano Orquera’s conversion.

It was a fitting end to a highly entertaining game, and it proved crucial with regards to the winning margins that Ireland and England would need to achieve to overtake the Welsh on points difference.

Scotland versus Ireland
The second game of the day saw Scotland host Ireland in Murrayfield. Ireland knew that they needed to win by 21 points or more to overtake Wales on points difference.

An early mix-up from the receipt of the kick-off was worrying for Ireland, and it suggested that maybe the knowledge of needing a big win had them rattled. However, they went about their business in an efficient, clinical manner thereafter, putting phases together patiently to manufacture a try through captain Paul O’Connell in the fourth minute.

It was clear from the off that Ireland were trying to move the ball wide whenever there was even a hint of space in the Scottish defensive line.

It was similar to the style of rugby that they played in the second half against Wales the previous week, and it was highly effective against a Scottish defence that was not up to the task. Robbie Henshaw and Luke Fitzgerald in particular put Scotland under enormous pressure by slicing open their defence out wide.

Ireland continued to dominate proceedings for the rest of the first quarter, scoring another three points from Scottish indiscretions at the ruck, before putting themselves 17-3 up through a try from Sean O’Brien following a clever piece of misdirection at the lineout.

However, some loose kicking and inaccuracy in the lineout allowed Scotland to come back into the game in the final 10 minutes of the first half through a Finn Russell try, which began with an excellent break from Stuart Hogg.

The first half finished 20-10 to Ireland, and although they still had work to do, the 21-point winning margin was very much a reality. Ireland began the second half in the same manner as they had the first, dominating territory and possession.

Another breakdown penalty saw Jonny Sexton tack on three points to Ireland’s tally, before Ireland once again put Scotland through phases as they did at the start of the first half. They made good use of bringing Tommy Bowe in off his wing to exploit the space created by well-executed wrap-around moves.

At this point, Ireland really began turning the screw in the scrums, and a penalty for collapsing provided Ireland with a lineout a few yards from Scotland’s try line. They set their maul, and generated good forward momentum.

Conor Murray recognised that maul alone would not get them over the line, and he cleverly moved the point of attack while Scotland were retreating. A few phases and another clever moment of misdirection from Ireland later, and Jared Payne skipped between two Scottish defenders to score in the 50th minute.

One more score was needed to give Ireland the lead in the championship, but Sexton missed two kicks at goal which could have proven costly by full-time. However, by the end of the third quarter, he managed to put one over to set up a nervy climax for Joe Schmidt’s team.

Murray and Sexton’s kicking kept Scotland pinned in their own half in the final quarter, as Ireland began to play more conservatively in order to close out the game. They eventually forced an error, with Dougie Fife carrying the ball into touch.

Ireland secured the lineout, and a few phases later, O’Brien barrelled through Tommy Seymour and placed the ball down skilfully for his second try, pushing the score line out to 40-10 in Ireland’s favour.

A late surge from Scotland saw Hogg managing to get over the Irish try line only to lose control of the ball just before grounding due to a vital tackle from Jamie Heaslip. The game finished 40-10 to Ireland.

Their work was done in terms of the points difference that they needed, but they still had to watch on as events in Twickenham would ultimately decide the Championship.

Ireland’s collective performance was exceptional, but several individuals stood out. Rory Best put in a huge shift around the pitch, making several tackles, and imposing himself at the breakdown effectively.

Paul O’Connell led his team in a professional manner that most Irish supporters have come to take for granted. As well as dominating the lineout, he excelled in the loose, and if it turns out to be his final Six Nations game, he can have no regrets with the performance he put in.

In the back row, Peter O’Mahony was outstanding. O’Mahony’s best performances in green have been attributed to his involvement at the breakdown, and while he got through a huge amount of work in that area against Scotland, it was his ball-carrying in the second half that really stood out. In the second quarter in particular, Ireland repeatedly got him onto the ball in wider channels to devastating effect.

Sean O’Brien was back to his rampaging best after an injury-ravaged few seasons in a performance that showed just why he is considered one of the top flankers in the game. His two tries were well taken, and capped off an explosive performance.

Jamie Heaslip didn’t make as many yards after contact as his back row colleagues, but he won collisions at crucial moments when Ireland needed to maintain their momentum. His last-ditch tackle on Stuart Hogg proved to be vital in the context of points difference.

Despite each of them being injured or below full fitness at various stages during the tournament, these three players were more effective as a unit in this game than they have been for quite some time, easily out-performing their pedestrian Scottish counterparts.

Murray and Sexton put the Wales game well behind them and put in performances that got full use out of their wide array of skills.

There was a call for Eoin Reddan to be brought on for the final quarter, but Murray’s kicking and game management was needed to keep Scotland at bay in, in order to ensure that Ireland finished the game with the winning margin that they needed.

Sexton will no doubt be fuming over his missed kicks at goal, but every other aspect of his performance (including decision-making, booming touch-finders, and quality distribution) was exemplary.

Henshaw and Payne combined well in the centre, and although they did not show too much in attack in the earlier stages of the tournament, they exploited space effectively in this game.

Henshaw’s distribution was excellent, while Payne’s running lines were used to good effect. In spite of this, it would be worth the Irish management’s time to look at starting Henshaw alongside Fitzgerald in midfield in at least one of Ireland’s World Cup warm-up games in August, as these two in tandem carved Scotland’s defence open at will.

Rob Kearney didn’t reach his usual high standards, but Ireland made more use of Tommy Bowe’s running lines and strength in contact than they have done in any of their other four games.

Ireland’s away fixtures against Scotland over the last few years have followed a certain pattern. Normally, Ireland make a few line breaks in the first quarter which they do not manage to finish, partly due to good covering defence by Scotland. They then turn down shots at goal in the pursuit of a try.

This leads to frustration on their part, and as a result, more missed try-scoring opportunities, all the while having no points to show for their efforts. Scotland, for their part, are usually happy to make last-ditch tackles and kill the ball on the ground illegally in this type of scenario.

However, Ireland did not fall into that trap in this game. They found the perfect balance between kicks at goal and kicks down the line, knowing that accumulating points was more important in the grand scheme. The team and their coach deserve full praise for executing their game plan to near perfection, responding brilliantly to their disappointment in Cardiff the previous week.

There were a few bright sparks from Scotland throughout the game. Hogg was a counterattacking threat throughout the game, and Greig Laidlaw and Russell kept the Irish defence honest. But despite the improvements since Vern Cotter took over, the results are still not going their way.

They put in good performances in some of their other games in the tournament, but in this game, they reverted to type, defending poorly and approaching the breakdown with a high degree of cynicism.

England versus France
While the Italy-Wales and Scotland-Ireland games were excellent, it was the final game in Twickenham between England and France that was the most entertaining. Ireland’s dismantling of Scotland meant that England needed to beat France by at least 27 points to win the tournament.

Some awful early passing early on from France led to a try for Ben Youngs within the first minute, and it seemed as though England would get the winning margin that they needed without much of a fuss. More poor passing from France made it seem that a landslide defeat was looming for them. But a penalty kick from Jules Plisson reduced the margin and gave France a chance to regroup and grow into the game.

A mistake from Courtney Lawes led to a quick counterattack from Yoann Huget and a try for Sébastien Tillous-Borde in the 13th minute. The effort on the French players’ part to provide good support lines was reminiscent of the type of back-play that France used to produce up until about six years ago.

Another controversial try four minutes later from Noa Nakaitaci signalled France’s intentions. They were not just going to roll over and hand England a championship. They were moving the ball wide with purpose, getting around the outside of England’s defence with frightening ease.

Nakaitaci and Huget continued to terrorise England’s defence, almost combining to score another try, and it became clear that England were going to have a difficult task on their hands to contain France. France’s brace of tries woke England up though, and they responded with a try through Anthony Watson in the 30th minute created by an excellent break around the ruck by Youngs.

Youngs was in exceptional form, causing France a lot of problems through quick passing as well as darts around the ruck. He was rewarded for his efforts a few minutes later with another try of his own following a quick tap penalty from Mike Brown. The first half finished 27-15 to England, who found themselves in a difficult situation: they could score tries easily, but France were able to rebound quickly and score themselves, meaning that England could not pull away on the scoreboard in the manner that they needed to.

The second half began with another French try, this time through Maxime Mermoz in the 42nd minute, making England’s mountain just that bit more difficult to climb. England responded in kind with a try through George Ford minutes later, following brilliant interplay between Chris Robshaw and Youngs. However, the way the game was unfolding still played into France’s hands. It was clear that they didn’t mind losing, so long as it meant that England wouldn’t win the Championship.

The sides continued to exchange tries through Jack Nowell, Vincent Debaty, and Billy Vunipola, but by the 50th minute, it became clear that France were becoming increasingly exhausted, as they began emptying their bench. The last of their score came in the 65th minute through Benjamin Kayser, and after that, their objective was just to not let England score enough to lift the trophy.

They managed to do so, but not before a frenetic final two minutes which saw France camped on their own try line, trying desperately not to give England the converted try they needed. To make matters even more complicated, France decide to use a penalty awarded to them at the death to tap-and-go, not realising that time was up.

They recycled for a few more phases, almost turning possession over, before realising that the clock was in the red. Rory Kockott booted the ball out of play, ending one of the most enthralling days of rugby that has ever occurred in the Northern Hemisphere.

The sense of frustration among the English players and coaches was evident, as the result meant that Ireland were crowned Six Nations champions for 2015.

It may have been a disappointing game from an English point of view, but from a neutral point of view, it was a great Test match, and it was encouraging to see France at their vibrant best.

In contrast to their other performances in the tournament, France showed a clear understanding of how to exploit space in a display of traditional French flair. Their passing was not particularly crisp at times, but they knew when to shift the ball on, and when to straighten up.

It wasn’t just the quality of France’s wide movements that was impressive either. Their tackling in close was consistently brutal throughout the game, and the work rate of their forwards to get back into their defensive alignment was something that has not been seen from France for quite some time.

Although some of his wild passes gifted England scores, Jules Plisson has improved immeasurably over the last season. His kicking out of hand has always been impressive, but, in last year’s championship, he seemed to have a phobia of the gain line. This year he attacked it comfortably. At 23 years of age, he still has plenty of room for improvement, and after Camille Lopez’ form falling apart mid-tournament, Plisson looks set to be the best bet as France’s long-term starting 10.

Maxime Mermoz and Gaël Fickou combined brilliantly in the centre. Their distribution, running lines, and awareness of space were first-rate, and they showed how, even in the modern game, it is not always best to opt for bash merchants in midfield.

France’s back three were also highly effective in how they imposed themselves on the game. Despite a near-mortifying try-squandering moment, Noa Nakaitaci was a nightmare for England’s defence while Yoann Huget was back to his abrasive, spiky best. Scott Spedding, who had been written-off as a mundane catch-and-kick full back, displayed an ability to counterattack which France did not make enough use of throughout the tournament.

Unlike Ireland, England went for the jugular too early in the game, and this may have ultimately cost them the Championship. When France began to show signs of fatigue from around the 55 minute mark, England were able to score tries at will.

If they had spent more time trying to wear France out in the first quarter by mauling them and putting them through phases, the sting would have been taken out of the French attack, and England would likely have won the Championship.

The championship in review
The final weekend of this year’s Six Nations Championship provided an excellent display of how the game should be played, but it does not mask the fact that the rest of the games in the tournament were dominated by kicking and defence, making for difficult viewing.

It took the possibility of three teams winning the tournament on the final day before all teams involved decided that they were going to attempt to play watchable rugby for 80 minutes.

There was more entertainment value in any one of the three final games than there was in all of the games in the other four rounds. Hopefully this will show the tournament organisers that the introduction of the bonus-point system is long overdue.

Looking ahead
At the start of the tournament, I made the point that the most interesting aspect of this year’s Six Nations Championship would be to ascertain if any of the teams involved could raise their intensity and accuracy to levels where they are capable of beating New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, or Argentina.

Going by the way they played over the course of the tournament, it would seem that most of the teams involved would struggle to be accurate enough to beat any of the top Southern Hemisphere teams. However, England, Wales, and Ireland (and France when it suits them) seem capable of raising their intensity levels sufficiently to be competitive, even though they still make too many mistakes when presented with scoring chances, as well as in other areas of their game. Sometimes, a high level of intensity is enough to defeat one of the top four, but not always.

To their credit, England were the only team who played entertaining rugby for the entire Championship. They have more attacking options in their back line with the Burrell-Joseph axis, but these players were exposed defensively throughout the tournament, particularly in their final game. Brad Barritt and Manu Tuilagi are better defensive organisers but their selection would mean that England would be less likely to score tries.

England also have a difficult decision to make at 10 going into the World Cup. With Owen Farrell, they will have shape and structure but very little to offer in terms of running rugby. On the other hand, if they choose Ford, they will be dangerous out wide, but will not have the required composure to win tight games.

Ford is an excellent player, and will improve with experience, but at this stage his personality is not forceful enough to take control of the England team. That type of leadership can only be obtained through more game time, but it seems as though the World Cup will come long before he makes enough progress in this area.

Wales have shown again that, on form, they can play at a level that would be enough to compete against most of the top teams in the world. Their problem, however, is that they cannot maintain consistency of performance. They were excellent in their final games against Ireland and Italy, but they were out-muscled by England, and their win over Scotland was not exactly convincing.

This does not bode well for them as they have two formidable opponents in their World Cup pool in Australia and England. They will need to perform to full capacity to get a win over one of those two, or else qualification to the quarter-finals is unlikely.

On the plus side, Webb and Biggar have taken ownership of the 9 and 10 jerseys respectively. This has given Wales a more composed feel in their back line. Webb now provides them with a supply of quick ball that allows their backs to do maximum damage. Biggar provides Wales with a level of stability from 10 that they have not had over the last few years with Rhys Priestland.

As mentioned earlier, Scotland regressed in their last game against Ireland, and their World Cup pool now seems that little bit tougher. A win against South Africa was always going to be unlikely, but if they put in a performance as poor as the one they put in against Ireland, Samoa are more than capable of beating them.

Ireland showed in their last game against Scotland that they have more than one string in their bow. Although Scotland’s defence was poor, Ireland were adept at keeping the ball in hand, and playing attacking, try-scoring rugby.

Although they won the Six Nations (and they deserve huge credit for doing so), Ireland have cause for concern going to the World Cup. On the face of it, they would seem to have the easiest pool in the World Cup with France and Italy. But upon closer inspection, it is not that simple.

Italy showed against Scotland and in the first half of their game against Wales, that they are more than capable of troubling better teams. As badly as their performed for most of the most of the Championship, France are capable (as they demonstrated against England) of turning up and playing a style of rugby that could unsettle any team.

Ireland’s clash against Wales demonstrated just how dependent they are on the fitness and form of Murray and Sexton to win games. In terms of Ireland’s chances of progressing beyond the quarter-finals, it boils down to the following. How many consecutive games can they play before one of Murray or Sexton has a bad day? And more importantly, how many consecutive games can they play before Sexton’s hamstring goes again?