Six Nations Grade: England gets an A. Ireland needs a transition

Just a few weeks ago, ESPN’s final view of Six Nations grading was completely different. Ahead of the fourth round, Ireland was undefeated, looking for a historic third consecutive title. France was still upset from the defeat scattered with errors to England. Wales was at the foot of the table.

However, in the end, it was France that crowned the champions in Paris, with Ireland finishing third for England.

Wales concluded the minutes with a catastrophic 68-14 defeat. Perhaps not everything has changed.

ESPN writers Tom Hamilton and James Regan will take a fresh look at the tournament and score each aspect.

Jump:

England|Ireland|Wales
Scotland | France | Italy

England

Grade: a-

The moment of England’s Round 1 defeat to Ireland had a familiar feeling in Dublin.

The UK played well in parts, but still came in second best. It was their autumn international story, becoming a repetitive reserve. However, in the next four rounds, Steve Boethwick chose an innovative team that was bold in choice and not afraid to push the team’s limits, making him a revolutionary team that did the job against France, Scotland, Italy and Wales.

Winnings in France and Scotland are a single point, and England got lucky at the time, but after falling on the wrong side many times in 2024, they deserve it.

The victory in Italy was a functional victory, but they blew through the doors off the Wales in Cardiff on the final day, winning a landslide 68-14. I watch the team’s new spine arrive. Finn Smith enjoys amazing tournaments, but he has also improved his flagship like Will Stuart.

Overall, this was a race that England advanced. – Tom Hamilton

Ireland

Grade: B+

The optimism around the Irish team after three rounds seems to be from a different competition.

Ireland was impressive against England, finishing his job against Scotland, then defeating Wales on the very odd side. Everything was going well. Later, the 4th round featured the Jasmine Intering Reality Check vs France, and they were sloppy against Rome Italy.

Four wins from five will not sniff, but I feel that I am beginning to see a period of Ireland’s transition.

They say goodbye to three generations of players, Peter O’Mahony, Sian Healy and Conor Murray, and it’s time for the next group to arrive. James Lowe and Jamison Gibson Park enjoyed a good tournament, but Sam Prendagast nailed his colour to the No. 10 must.

The last memories from this tournament were not opening three, but the last two rounds. It’s the latest bias, but the brutal nature of sports. – Hamilton

Scotland

Grade: C+

On the one hand, they feel it’s tough to judge Scotland too much after getting injured, but on the other hand, they still had a lot of star players available. However, they were unable to close the victory they had against England and failed to fire a shot against Ireland.

Although Sione Twiplotz was a huge loss before the ball was kicked, Gregor Townsend’s side still boasted many players on the radar of the Lions in England and Ireland. Should fans expect more from the so-called golden generation even if they get injured?

It’s hard to see where this side will go next year. Their contradictions are very limited, bringing them below France and Ireland levels, and England is moving forward this year.

How many more opportunities does this group have to request silverware?

France

Grade: a

It was the hiccups against the UK that hindered the Grand Slam, but it was a great tournament from France.

Although Antoine DuPont can be disappointed that he stands by at least until the end of the season with an ACL injury, his presence on the team has been transformed into fortune since last year. He is unmistakably and perhaps a considerable distance, the best player in the world.

However, it was promised to see them close out their match against Ireland and win Scotland without him. The Maxime Lucu is a capable alternative, with Romain Ntamack stepping up with Fly-Half. Louis Bielle-Biarrey has given us some of the tournament’s most memorable moments and has promised to offer more for the next few years.

This side is very exciting and deserves the title. – Regan

Wales

Grid: e

Wales urgently needs an emergency reset.

Over the next few weeks, Wales will need to appoint a new rugby director and head coach. The identity of both positions is fascinating.

There is a reason for optimism. Jac Morgan was an exception, but Dewi Lake is the test hooker for the next decade. Blair Murray was impressed with the fullback, but Ellis Lee easily took him to international rugby. They have other exceptional players like Tomos Williams, but their depth remains a big problem.

They simply have no competition for places and classes to back up things. As a result, Wales is in a difficult situation, leaving behind the ever-growing weight of this loss record.

They are 17 tests without winning. The run had quiet optimism snapped against the UK on Saturday. However, Borthwick’s men had other ideas and instead won a record-breaking victory. Wales is in a slump, leaving behind wooden spoons for the second year in a row.

That’s a tough situation.

Wales’ next chance will be to stop the lost run when they face Japan in July. They simply need to stop it and start the reset. – Hamilton

Italy

Grade: f

Italy has achieved an overwhelming victory over the worst Wales side in history, with little punches against anyone else.

On the 25th anniversary of participating in the competition, there were a lot of pre-tournament hype on this side, and they couldn’t stand it.

The players are very talented and offer a glimpse of the glow, but they were unable to put it together for 80 minutes. You hope it’s not their year or season of learning.

Their main players are asked some difficult questions, and obviously, we were expecting more from Italy this year.

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