Six Nations: week two preview

Week two kicks off on Saturday afternoon with England taking on Italy. This should be a relatively easy match for England as Italy has never been much of a contender. Last year they were bottom of the table, only managing to beat Scotland at their home stadium. However, they did play pretty well against Ireland last weekend but that could be saying more about the Irish performance than their own. Nevertheless, maybe Italy are finally getting into their stride after 11 years of playing in the Six Nations.

After England managed to secure a win against Wales last week at the Millennium stadium, something which they haven’t managed to do since 2003, things are looking quite positive for them. The next three matches will be played at their home stadium, Twickenham, and they are hoping to keep the wins rolling in. Although it is a World Cup year, with the introduction of all the new players, it seems like Martin Johnson's focus is on more long-term, training up new key players for the 2015 World Cup which will be hosted in England. Players to keep an eye on this week are again Flood, who was announced as man of the match last week, and Ben Youngs. This pairing are set for great things but hopefully Johnson will preserve their strength for more important games yet to come.

Prediction: England win

Also on Saturday we have Scotland v Wales. Last year’s game was an exciting one, with what was set to be a Scottish victory until Wales turned it around in an outstanding second half. This year the game is taking place at the Scottish home of Murrayfield, so I think Wales will have their work cut out if they want to secure another win this time around. With Halfpenny being set to miss this game as well, Wales’ chances are very slim.

Scotland played a good strong game against France last week and, although they weren't quite able to pull off a win, they showed great stamina and determination. I think this week they’ll feel like they have something to prove and will push themselves more than ever before. I think they will be presenting a strong defence and also attacking side this week.

Prediction: Scotland win

Sunday afternoon sees Ireland taking on France at the Irish home, Aviva Stadium. Both teams are usually quite strong, coming first and second place last year. However, the Irish team didn’t really perform up to standard last weekend – almost being beaten by Italy. I hope this week they’re playing a bit better and actually put up some competition for France.

France gave a good performance against Scotland last weekend and I think if they keep it up, they could be well on their way to getting the Grand Slam this year. I see this game being quite one sided toward France and lots of tries and a good scrum will keep this team ahead this week.

Prediction – France win

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