Tag Archives for Six Nations

Itoje England’s youngest second row for 20 years

RUGBY – Maro Itoje has been named in England’s starting XV to face Ireland in the third round of the Six Nations Championship at Twickenham on Saturday. Itoje will be the youngest second row to start for England in the competition since Garath Archer 20 years ago, and only the eighth forward in the professional era to debut for England before his 22nd birthday. Continue reading →

PREVIEW: North by far youngest to earn 50th Test cap in rugby

RUGBY – Wales have named George North in their starting XV to face France in the teams’ Six Nations Championship encounter in Paris on Saturday. For North, it will be his 50 Test appearance, making him by far the youngest player in Test history to reach the half century. He beats the former mark held by Australia’s Joe Roff by more than a year.

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REVIEW: O’Driscoll out on a high, Ireland win Six Nations

RUGBY UNION –  Ireland defeated France 22-20 to seal their first Six Nations Championship since 2009. It was a fitting farewell for icon Brian O’Driscoll who leaves the international stage having featured in a world record 141 Test matches, 133 for Ireland and eight for the British & Irish Lions. Ireland also joined France, England and Wales as sides to win the competition on more than one occasion in the Six Nations era (2000-2014).

RECORD: O’Driscoll to improve Test appearances world record

RUGBY UNION – On Saturday, 8 March, Brian O’Driscoll can improve the world record for most career Test appearances, surpassing the 139 by Australia’s George Gregan. O’Driscoll has represented Ireland 131 times and the British and Irish Lions on eight occasions. O’Driscoll made his international debut on 12 June 1999 in a 46-10 defeat against Australia. Continue reading →

PREVIEW: 2014 Six Nations Championship – Matchday 2

RUGBY UNION – The following are previews for the second matchday of the 2014 Six Nations Championship.

Six Nations Championship 2014 – Week 2

Ireland – Wales (Aviva Stadium, Saturday, 8 February)

Head-to-head
> Ireland have the upper hand, having won nine of 14 previous meetings in the Six Nations Championship, and losing only five.
> Last season, Ireland were the only team to avoid defeat against eventual champions Wales, defeating them 30-22 in Cardiff in both teams’ season opener.
> The last 6N meeting in Ireland was won 23-21 by Wales on the opening matchday of the 2012 season. It laid the foundation for Wales’ Grand Slam winning campaign.
> Ireland lead the 6N series at home against Wales on four wins and three defeats.
> Ireland can become the first team to defeat Wales 10 times in the Six Nations.
> Wales have won 65 of the previous 119 Tests between the two. Ireland have won 48 and there have been six draws.

Ireland
> Against Scotland, Brian O’Driscoll made his 129th Test appearance for Ireland, by which he surpassed the record of 128 he shared with Ronan O’Gara.
> Including his eight Test appearances for the British and Irish Lions, O’Driscoll’s career total is up to 137 and he needs two more to equal the world record of 39 by Australia’s George Gregan.
> O’Driscoll has also equalled the record for appearing in most Six Nations seasons. He now shares the mark of 14 with Ronan O’Gara.
> Jonathan Sexton’s 13-point effort against Scotland raised his career total for Ireland to 314 and moved him up to third place among Ireland players behind Ronan O’Gara (1,083) and David Humphreys (560).
> O’Driscoll can become the third player to score points in at least 12 different Six Nations seasons. Ronan O’Gara (13) and Wales’ Stephen Jones (12) have achieved that.
> Ireland have not won successive 6N matches since 2010. They have played 17 matches in the competition since winning two in a row.

Wales
> In three of the four seasons Wales won the Six Nations (2005, 2008 and 2012) Wales won their opening two matches. The only other season in which they won their opening two (2009), Ireland won the Grand Slam.
> Wales have won 10 of their last 11 Six Nations matches, the one exception being their defeat against Ireland on the opening matchday last season.
> Wales have won five in a row. Their longest 6N winning streak is eight (2007-2009).
> Leigh Halfpenny has played in 52 Tests. In his first 26, he scored 75 points (average 2.9). In his last 26 Tests, he put up 331 points (average 12.7).
Scotland – England (Murrayfield, Saturday, 8 February)

Head-to-head
> Of 14 previous meetings in the Six Nations Championship, England have won 10, Scotland three and there has been one draw.
> The 15-15 draw on 13 March 2010 marked the last time Scotland avoided defeat against England in a 6N match, or in any Test against England for that matter.
> Scotland’s last victory over England in the Six Nations was their 15-9 triumph at Murrayfield on 8 March 2008.
> The last 6N encounter in Edinburgh was won 13-6 by England on 4 February 2012.
> Since 1871, these sides have met in 131 Test matches, with England winning 71 times, Scotland 42 and 18 matches resulting in a draw.
> The Calcutta Cup has been contested since 1879. In that span, England have claimed 66 wins against Scotland’s 39. There have been 15 draws in that period.
> England have held the Calcutta Cup since 2009, their longest stranglehold on the trophy since safeguarding it from 1991 to 2000.

Scotland
> Scotland have lost their last three and nine of their last 11 in the Six Nations.
> Fourteen of Scotland’s 18 victories in the Six Nations have come at home.
> Scotland have registered only one try in their last four Six Nations matches combined. That try was scored by Tim Visser, who crossed over against France on 16 March 2013.
> Scotland have failed to pick up a victory from their opening two matches in 10 of their previous 14 Six Nations campaigns.
> Greig Laidlaw has scored 47 of Scotland’s last 54 points in the Six Nations.
> In the match against Ireland, Laidlaw became the sixth player to reach 100 career points in the Five/Six Nations and only the second in the Six Nations era, behind Chris Paterson.
> Scotland have lost their last three Test matches and were outscored 77-21 in them.

England
> For only the third time in 15 seasons, England have started out their Six Nations campaign with a defeat. Only two teams managed to win the trophy after losing their opener, France in 2006 and Wales in 2013.
> In only one previous 6N season (2005), England lost their first two matches.
> England have lost their last two away matches in the Six Nations after winning four in a row away from home.
> Luther Burrell scored a try on his Test debut against France last week. In the professional era, four England players have registered tries in their first two Tests, Dan Luger, Mark Cueto, Matt Banahan and Manu Tuilagi.
> For the first time, England have lost two Six Nations matches in a row under Stuart Lancaster. They won eight of their first nine 6N matches with Lancaster as their head coach.
> The last Six Nations season in which England suffered more than one defeat was 2010.
> England have conceded 56 points (average 28.0) in their last two 6N matches, both defeats. They only conceded 79 (average 13.2) in their previous six, all victories.

France – Italy (Stade de France, Sunday, 9 February)

Head-to-head
> From 14 previous meetings in the Six Nations, France have won 12.
> However, Italy have won two of the last three, including last year’s meeting, a 23-18 victory over France at the Stadio Olimpico.
> France’s last Six Nations triumph dates back to 4 February 2012, when Les Bleus emerged victorious 30-12 at the Stade de France.
> France’s last 6N win in Italy came on 21 March 2009, when the French destroyed the Italians 50-8 at the Stadio Flaminio.
> France have always registered at least two tries in their Six Nations matches against Italy.
> The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy has been contested since 2007. France have won it five times, Italy have collected it twice.
> Italy have collected only three victories from a total of 34 Test matches facing France.

France
> By defeating England, France moved ahead of their rivals in terms of victories in the Six Nations. France (48) lead the all-time table from England (47) and Ireland (46).
> France already have as many 6N victories this season (one) as in the entire 2013 season.
> In their opener against England, France recorded three tries. It was the first time they managed more than two in a Six Nations match since crossing over four times in their 30-12 home victory over Italy on 4 February 2012.
> France have failed to win any of their last three 6N matches on a Sunday.
> Of France’s 21 defeats in the Six Nations, 14 were suffered on the road and only seven came at home.
> Yoann Huget has scored three tries in his last two Tests combined. He had recorded only two tries in his first 21 Tests put together.
> Against England, Huget became the first France player to score more than one try in a Six Nations match in nearly three years. On 19 March 2011, Lionel Nallet crossed over twice against Wales.
> France have collected four wins, two draws and five defeats in Six Nations matches under Philippe Saint-André. A win against Italy would make theirs a balanced record under their current head coach.

Italy
> Only one of Italy’s 11 victories in the Six Nations came away from home, their 37-17 victory at Scotland on 24 February 2007.
> Italy have started their Six Nations campaign out with consecutive defeats in 11 of their 14 previous seasons in the competition.
> In the match against Wales, Marco Bortolami made his 100th Test appearance. This gave Italy its fifth Test centurion, which equals the record by Australia and New Zealand.
> Against Wales, Mauro Bergamasco broke the record for longest Test career by an Italy, surpassing the 15 service years by Sergio Lanfranchi. With 96 caps under his belt, Bergamasco looks to become Italy’s next centurion.
> Also last weekend, Michele Campagnaro equalled a team record by scoring two tries in a Six Nations match, joining Alessandro Troncon as the only players to do so. Troncon crossed over twice on 1 April 2000.

PREVIEW: 2014 Six Nations Championship – Week 1

RUGBY UNION – The following are previews for the Week 1 matches of the 2014 Six Nations Championship.

Wales – Italy (Millennium Stadium, Saturday, 1 February)

Head-to-head
> Wales have won the last six Six Nations encounters between these two. The overall head-to-head record in 14 previous 6N meetings is 11 wins to Wales, two to Italy and one draw.
> That one stalemate is the only result Italy have ever achieved in a Six Nations match, or any Test match, in Wales. They drew 18-18 on 11 March 2006. Both of the Azzurri’s 6N victories over Wales came at the Stadio Flaminio (in 2003 and 2007).
> Wales have never failed to register less than two tries in any Six Nations match against Italy.

Wales
> Wales are the defending champions from 2012 and 2013. Last year, they joined England (2000-2001) and France (2006-2007) as teams to retain the Six Nations Championship.
> Wales can become the first team to win the Six Nations in three successive seasons and become the first team since France (1986-1989) to win this competition, or its predecessor Five Nations, at least three years in a row.
> France’s run of four successive championships in the late 1980s included two titles that were shared. No team has ever won three outright championships in a row in the history of the Home Nations/Five Nations/Six Nations.
> Last year, Wales won the Six Nations Championship despite registering only nine tries in five matches, their lowest output in any season since the competition expanded to six teams in 2000.
> Wales have won nine of their last 10 Six Nations matches, the one exception being their defeat against Ireland on the opening matchday last season.
> Wales have conceded nine or fewer points in five of their last seven 6N matches.
> Wales’ next penalty goal will be their 200th in Six Nations rugby (2000-present). Only France (207 penalty goals) have kicked in excess of 200 penalty goals in the competition.
> In the Wales v Italy 6N encounter on 20 March 2010, Tom Prydie became the youngest player in 6N history at 18 years and 25 days. He also became the youngest ever player to represent Wales.
> Wales have won only one of their last four season openers in the Six Nations and five of 14 total.

Italy
> Italy have collected one win and nine defeats from their last 10 Six Nations season openers.
> The one victory in that stretch came last season, when Italy defeated France in Rome.
> In 2013, Italy avoided the Wooden Spoon for the second straight 6N season.
> Marco Bortolami can become the fifth Italian and the 29th player overall to reach 100 Test caps.
> That would see him join countrymen Alessandro Troncon, Andrea Lo Cicero, Martín Castrogiovianni and Sergio Parisse.
> Italy can become the third country, and the first from Europe, behind Australia and New Zealand, to produce five Test centurions.

France – England (Stade de France, Saturday, 1 February)

Head-to-head
> England have won each of their last three Six Nations encounters with France, dating back to a 12-10 France victory on 20 March 2010, a win that secured the Grand Slam for France.
> Their head-to-head in record in 14 previous 6N encounters: 9-5 (no draws) in England’s favour.
> Even so, France have a winning record over England in 6N matches at the Stade de France: 4-3.
> This will be the 98th Test match between these countries. Of the previous 97, England have won 53, France 35 and there have been seven draws.
> England’s last Test defeat against France came in the quarterfinals of the 2011 World Cup (19-12).
> France need only nine points to reach 1,500 at the Stade de France. They have lost three of their last four Test matches at this venue.

France
> France are coming off their worst ever season in the Six Nations era, finishing last in the competition in 2013. It was the first time since 1999 (the last Five Nations season) that they collected the Wooden Spoon in the Five Nations/Six Nations.
> Their dismal 2013 campaign came only three years after their Grand Slam winning effort in 2010.
> France still own the best track record in Six Nations rugby: 47 wins and two draws (21 defeats) from 70 matches. England are right behind them on 47 wins and one draw (22 defeats).
> France’s track record in Test matches in 2013: two wins, one draw and eight defeats. Both victories came at home, against Scotland and Tonga.
> Philippe Saint-André has faced England 10 times in Test matches, eight times as a player and twice as a head coach. He has ended up on the losing side in eight of those 10 Test matches.
> Wesley Fofana has scored a try in each of his last two Tests against England. Six France players, including Philippe Saint-André, have scored more than two career Test tries against England.
> Pascal Papé can pick up his 50th cap for France. He made his Test debut on 14 February 2004.

England
> England have scored only one try in their last four Six Nations matches combined. That one try was registered by Manu Tuilagi against France on 23 February 2013.
> England have averaged 9.3 tries over their last seven 6N campaigns (2007-2013), whilst averaging 19.4 tries over their first seven (2000-2006).
> England’s five 6N tries in 2013 were their fewest in a Six Nations season. They had six in 2010.
> England have finished second in four of their last six 6N campaigns, including the last two.
> England have won eight of their last 10 Six Nations matches, the two exceptions being defeats to Wales. England also won eight of their 10 Test matches in 2013, the exceptions being the 6N defeat against Wales and a 30-22 loss against the All Blacks to close out the season.
> England have won 12 of their 14 season openers in the Six Nations, including each of the last five.
> In 22 matches with Stuart Lancaster in charge, England have collected 14 wins, one draw and seven defeats. Five of their seven defeats came against southern hemisphere nations, the other two came against Wales.

Ireland – Scotland (Aviva Stadium, Sunday, 2 February)

Head-to-head
> In 14 previous Six Nations meetings between these two, Ireland have collected 11 victories and three defeats.
> Scotland’s only Six Nations victory over Ireland in an away match was their 23-20 triumph at Croke Park on 20 March 2010.
> Scotland’s other two victories came at Murrayfield, including last season’s 12-8 win. Scotland have yet to record consecutive 6N victories over Ireland. Scotland’s last string of victories over Ireland in the Five Nations/Six Nations came in the late 1990s, when they won five in a row against Ireland.
> These sides have met in 128 Test matches total, with Scotland winning 66 and Ireland winning 57. There have been three draws.

Ireland
> Ireland are coming off their most unsuccessful campaign in the Six Nations, finishing in fifth place in 2013. That supplanted a fourth place finish in 2008, one they responded to by winning the Grand Slam the next year.
> Ireland won their opening match to the Six Nations in eight of the previous nine seasons, the exception being a home defeat against Wales in 2012.
> Brian O’Driscoll has been included in Ireland’s squad. The veteran Centre has amassed 136 Test appearances and needs another three to equal the record of 139 by Australia’s George Gregan.
> O’Driscoll needs one more Test appearance to establish a record for Ireland at 129, by which he would overtake O’Gara’s 128. O’Driscoll has also represented the Lions in eight Tests.
> O’Driscoll will be taking part in the Six Nations for the 14th time, equalling the competition record by countryman Ronan O’Gara. The latter had been the only player to have featured in each of the first 14 seasons of the Six Nations, but he has not been called up to the squad this year.
> O’Driscoll has played in all but one of Ireland’s 14 Six Nations seasons. He missed the entire 2012 campaign due to injury.
> O’Driscoll has played in 60 Six Nations matches. The competition record for the Five/Six Nations is 63 by O’Gara.
> O’Driscoll already holds the record for most tries in the Five/Six Nations (26).
> O’Driscoll’s last multiple-try match in the Six Nations came almost 10 years ago. On 22 February 2004, he crossed over twice against Wales. Since that day, a player recorded at least two tries in a 6N match on 46 occasions, by 35 different players.

Scotland
> Scotland came third in the Six Nations last year, equalling their best finish in the competition. In 2001 and 2006, they also collected a bronze medal.
> Last season’s campaign was also the first since 2006, in which they managed to rack up more than one victory.
> Scotland’s last championship came in the last year before the expansion to the Six Nations. In 1999, they emerged victorious in the Five Nations.
> Scotland have started only one of their previous 6N campaigns with a victory, their 2006 home win over France. All other 13 openers ended in defeat for Scotland.
> David Denton, Matt Scott and Ross Rennie all made their Test debuts against Ireland.

PREVIEW: Six Nations Championship (Week 4)

imageRUGBY UNION – Week 4 of the 2013 Six Nations Championship brings us Scotland – Wales from Murrayfield on Saturday, followed by Ireland hosting France at the Aviva Stadium. On Sunday, table leaders and Grand Slam hopefuls England host Italy at Twickenham.

Scotland – Wales (Saturday 9 March 2013, 15:30 CET)

 > Scotland has won successive Six Nations matches for the first time since the competition was installed in 2000.

> Scotland’s last three match winning streak in the Five/Six Nations dates back to 1996.

> Scotland have lost their last five against Wales in the Six Nations and eight of their last nine against them. Scotland’s last victory over Wales in the 6N was a 21-9 triumph at Murrayfield on 10 February 2007.

> That 21-9 victory marks the only time Scotland have kept Wales from scoring more than 21 points in a 6N meeting between the two.

> Greig Laidlaw leads Scotland on 34 points, which is already one more than the 33 by which he led his team in the 2012 Six Nations. It is the most by a Scotland player in a 6N campaign since Dan Parks posted 57 in 2010.

> Stuart Hogg leads Scotland on two tries. The only Scotland player to produce three tries in a 6N campaign was Tom Smith in 2001.

> Ross Ford will make his 28th Six Nations start at Hooker, constituting a new competition record. He surpasses the 27 by countryman Gordon Bulloch.

 > Wales have not allowed their opposition to score double figures in four of their last five 6N matches, the exception being their 30-22 defeat against Ireland that started their 2013 campaign.

> Wales have won seven of their last eight Six Nations matches.

> If Wales win this match, they will control their own fate (to win the 2013 Six Nations) against England in Week 5, but Wales ideally want to close the points gap a bit further. England’s points differential is currently 17 better than Wales’.

> Five of the last six tries scored against Wales in the Six Nations have been recorded by Ireland players. The sixth was by Scotland’s Greig Laidlaw.

 

Ireland – France (Saturday 9 March 2013, 18:00 CET)

> Ireland have lost two in a row. They had not strung together back-to-back matches with the same outcome since winning two in a row in their 2010 campaign.

> Their current is Ireland’s first Six Nations losing streak since dropping successive matches in 2008.

> Ireland have never lost three in a row in the Six Nations era. Their last three match losing streak in the Five/Six Nations dates back to 1999-2000, losing their last two in 1999 and losing their first ever 6N match in 2000.

> Ireland have scored less than 10 points in three of their last four 6N matches, the exception being their 30-22 win over Wales to start their 2013 campaign.

> Ireland’s track record against France in the Six Nations is four wins, eight defeats and one draw. That draw took place last season (17-17).

> Ireland’s worst track record against all five 6N opponents is the one against France.

> Three of Ireland’s four 6N victories against France have come in Dublin.

> Ireland have claimed only one victory in their last nine 6N encounters with France – their 30-21 victory at Croke Park on 7 February 2009, their Grand Slam winning year.

> Ronan O’Gara has 1,083 career Test points for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions and needs seven more to equal Neil Jenkins (Wales and Lions) in third place all-time. The only players with more than Jenkins’s 1,090 are New Zealand’s Dan Carter (1,385) and Jonny Wilkinson (1,246 for England and the Lions).

> O’Gara’s omission from the squad has sparked rumours whether his international career (130 Test matches) has come to an end.

> France have extended their longest winless streak in Six Nations history to six, drawing with Ireland and losing to England and Wales in 2012, before losing to Italy, Wales and England in 2013.

> When also taking the Five Nations into account, this is France’s longest winless streak in the Five/Six Nations since 1957-1958, when they lost six in a row. Since then, they never lost more than three in a row in the competition, before registering their current four match losing streak.

> If France fail to win here, their winless streak will be seven, their longest in the Five/Six Nations since 1924-1927, when they lost 14 in a row.

> France have never been condemned to the Wooden Spoon in the Six Nations era, but they could pick it up this weekend if they lose against Ireland and Italy avoid defeat against England.

> France’s worst finish in a 6N season is fifth place in 2001. That is the only other season other than this one in which they suffered more than two defeats.

> France have scored at least 100 points in each of their previous 13 Six Nations campaign. They need 63 points from their last two matches to keep that streak going.

> France had collected 19 wins and two defeats from Frédéric Michalak’s first 21 Six Nations appearances and have now lost their last three in which he has appeared.

 

England – Italy (Sunday 10 March 2013, 16:00 CET)

> England have won their last five Six Nations matches since losing 19-12 to Wales at Twickenham last season.

> This is England’s second longest winning streak in the Six Nations. They won nine on the trot from 2002 to 2004.

> England are the only team remaining in contention for the Grand Slam this season. In the Six Nations era, they have won the Grand Slam once (2003).

> In theory, England can wrap up the Six Nations this weekend if they beat Italy and the Saturday fixture between Scotland and Wales is drawn.

> England’s track record of 46 wins, 21 defeats and one draw has equalled that of France as the best in the Six Nations era.

> England have won all 13 previous 6N encounters with Italy, outscoring the opposition 518-158 in those matches. However, three of the previous five have been decided by less than six points.

> England have never lost a Test match against Italy.

> After three matchrounds of action, Owen Farrell is the competition’s leading points scorer on 42. Two England players have finished a season as top scorers – Jonny Wilkinson (2000, 2001, 2003 and 2008) and Toby Flood (2011). Farrell will be sidelined by a thigh injury and will miss the match against Italy.

> Andrea Lo Cicero will set an Italian national team record by playing in his 102nd career Test match. He will thereby overtake former record holder Alessandro Troncon on 101.

> Lo Cicero started his international career with a Test match against England in 2000. Troncon represented the Azzurri from 1994 to 2007, picking up his 101st and final cap against Scotland on 29 September 2007.

> Italy have collected the Wooden Spoon in nine of their previous 13 Six Nations campaigns.

> Sergio Parisse’s 40-day ban has been cut in half, clearing him to play on Sunday. Parisse has captained Italy in 22 of their last 28 Six Nations matches.

> Only one of Italy’s 10 victories in the Six Nations has come away from home – their 37-17 triumph at Scotland on 24 February 2007.

PREVIEW: Six Nations Championship (Week 3)

imageRUGBY UNION – The 2013 Six Nations Championship returns this weekend as Italy host Wales in Rome. Later on Saturday, France travel to England. On Sunday, Scotland host Ireland. We have assembled some key facts and figures on these three matches.

Italy – Wales (Saturday 23 February 2013, 15:30 CET)

 

> Italy’s Six Nations track record against Wales is two wins, one draw and 10 defeats in 13 encounters. Their two wins against them have both come at home (at the Stadio Flaminio) and the one draw against them came at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

> The last five meetings between these two teams in the Six Nations have all resulted in victories for Wales.

> Andrea Lo Cicero can win his 101st cap for Italy and thereby equal the record of appearances for the Azzurri, the 101 by Alessandro Troncon.

> Lo Cicero started his international career with a Test match against England in 2000. Troncon represented the Azzurri from 1994 to 2007, picking up his 101st and final cap against Scotland on 29 September 2007.

> In 2007, Troncon was the seventh player in history to accumulate a century of Test caps. A fortnight ago, Lo Cicero became the 24th at that, with 23 of the 24 (Wales’ Gethin Jenkins being the exception) having represented their own country on at least 100 occasions.

> The 23 players that have represented their country on at least 100 occasions break down as follows in terms of nationality: Australia (5), Ireland (3), New Zealand (3), South Africa (3), Wales (3), France (2), Italy (2), England (1) and Scotland (1).

> Lo Cicero is one of only three Props to represent his country on 100+ occasions, behind England’s Jason Leonard (114) and Ireland’s John Hayes (105). Both of them took additional Test caps for the British and Irish Lions.

> Italy need seven more points to become the last of the Six Nations to amass 1,000 points in the competition.

> Due to a 40-day suspension for misconduct in the French league, Sergio Parisse will miss the remainder of the Six Nations. Martín Castrogiovanni will captain his side for the third time (both of his previous captaincies coming in June 2012) and the first time in a Six Nations match.

> Wales defeated France in Week 2 to halt a run of losing eight successive. This started with three on the trot in a tour of Australia in June of 2012, followed by four straight at home against southern hemisphere. The rut reached eight when Wales lost to Ireland on the opening matchday of the 2013 Six Nations.

> Wales have won five of their last six away matches in the Six Nations, including each of their last three. They have never won four successive away matches in the Six Nations. Their last longer away winning streak in the Five/Six Nations dates back to 1977-1979, when they triumphed in four consecutive on the road.

 

England – France (Saturday 23 February 2013, 18:00 CET)

 

> After two matchdays, England are the only side that has collected two victories and as such the only team remaining in contention for the Grand Slam.

> England have won the Grand Slam only once in the Six Nations era (2003). England also collected another 11 Slams in the Five Nations era. In the Six Nations era, France (2002, 2004, 2010), Wales (2005, 2008, 2012) and Ireland (2009) also won the Grand Slam.

> England have won their last four matches in this competition and have only once registered a longer winning streak in the Six Nations – when they won nine consecutive 6N contests between March 2002 and February 2004.

> England’s next try will be their 200th in the Six Nations era. Coming into this matchday, no other team had managed more than 171. England’s 6N try leaders: Ben Cohen (16), Jason Robinson (14), Will Greenwood (14).

> England have won five of their last six 6N matches at Twickenham, the exception being a 19-12 defeat at the hands of Wales last February.

> If England win, their Six Nations track record will improve to 46 wins, 1 draw and 21 defeats and will match France’s for the best in the competition. On Sunday, Ireland can also match those figures with a victory.

> Owen Farrell needs seven points to become the third England player to accumulate 100 points in the Six Nations era. Jonny Wilkinson (486) and Toby Flood (114) have already reached that level.

> France have started a Six Nations campaign with two defeats for the first time in the 14 seasons of 6N existence.

> When looking at the Five/Six Nations this is France’s first campaign since 1982 that is started with two defeats. In that year, they also lost their third match.

> France have extended their longest winless streak in Six Nations history to five, drawing with Ireland and losing to England and Wales in 2012, before losing to Italy and Wales in 2013.

> When also taking the Five Nations into account, this is France’s longest winless streak in the Five/Six Nations since 1957-1958, when they lost six in a row. Since then, they never lost more than three in a row in the competition, before registering their current four match losing streak.

> France have suffered three defeats only once in a Six Nations season (2001).

> France’s six points against Wales in Week 2 was their lowest scoring output in the Six Nations Era.

> France have won only one of their six visits to Twickenham in the Six Nations era – losing the other five. Les Bleus’ lone London triumph dates back to 2005 (18-17).

> In terms of personnel, France have replaced seven players in their starting XV, compared to the match against Wales. This equals a team record in the Six Nations. In 2000, coach Bernard Laporte replaced seven players who helped beat Scotland on 4 March 2000 only to lose to Ireland on 19 March 2000.

> Yannick Nyanga will play in his first Six Nations match since 18 March 2006.

> France have restored the halfback partnership of Morgan Parra-François Trinh-Duc. Their track record when they start alongside is 10 wins, one draw and three defeats. This includes all matches in their 2010 Grand Slam winning campaign.

 

Scotland – Ireland (Sunday 24 February 2013, 15:00 CET)

 

> Scotland have two wins and 11 defeats from 13 Six Nations encounters with Ireland. The only of the other five nations they have an inferior track record against is France, a team they have defeated only once.

> Scotland have lost the last two 6N meetings with Ireland, following a 23-20 victory at Dublin’s Croke Park on 20 March 2010.

> Scotland have lost 10 of their last 11 Six Nations matches against Ireland. Their last and only home triumph against them in the 6N era was a 32-10 victory at Murrayfield on 22 September 2001.

> In their last five meetings with Ireland in the Six Nations, Scotland have registered 83 points – 15 from tries and 68 from the kicking game. Ireland have scored 129 points in those matches – 75 from tries and 54 from the kicking game.

> Scotland’s Stuart Hogg leads the 2013 Six Nations with two tries. No other player in the tournament has crossed over more than once.

> No Scotland player has scored a try in each of their first three matches of a Six Nations campaign.

> The record for most tries by a Scotland player in a single 6N season is three – by Tom Smith in 2001.

> After two matchdays, Scotland have produced more points (52) and tries (six) than any of the other five teams in the competition.

> Scotland have lost their last eight Six Nations matches on a Sunday.

> Scotland have not won back-to-back Six Nations matches since 2001, when they defeated Italy and Ireland in succession at Murrayfield.

> Ireland lost their previous 6N match, a 12-6 defeat against England. Ireland have not lost consecutive Six Nations matches since losing to Wales and England in the final two matches of their 2008 campaign.

> The six points by Ireland was their second smallest scoring output in their 67 matches in the Six Nations. They managed only five against France in 2002 (44-5).

> Ronan O’Gara came on against England in Week 2, meaning that he is the only player to have appeared in all 14 Six Nations seasons.