By James Corrigan
France clinched a last-minute victory in Paris against England, claiming their eighth Six Nations title following a thrilling final day of action on Saturday.
Wales have showcased their vast improvement throughout this year’s tournament, and sealed a well-earned win over one of the best Italian sides rugby fans have seen.
A dominant Ireland performance resulted in a statement win over Scotland. Despite this victory completing the Triple Crown, it was not enough to finish ahead of France in the table.
Ireland vs Scotland
Winners – Ireland
The final day of this year’s Six Nations kicked off with a classic, Ireland vs. Scotland in Dublin.
Both teams had it all to play for in the match. A victory for either team secured the Triple Crown, and depending on the result of France vs. England, could have resulted in a Six Nations title win.
Ireland began the game with everything to play for. The fans in attendance hoped for a fast start, and that is exactly what they got.
A kick to the corner following a penalty showed the urgency and intention from the men in green early in the match.
A successful lineout resulted in Jack Crowley pulling a pass out the back, sending Jamie Osborne under the posts for the first try of the match, only two minutes after kick-off.
Ireland fell victim to some excellent attacking play from the Scots, but they managed to control the majority of the first half, scoring two more tries.
Another try from a lineout saw Dan Sheehan power over the line.
A sublime passing move following an attacking scrum allowed Robert Baloucoune to touch it down in the corner for Ireland’s third, only eighteen minutes into the game.
A more contested match ensued in the second half. An early try from Scotland made it seem like the game could go in any direction.
However, Ireland managed to match Scotland’s intensity, responding every time the away side developed any hope of a comeback.
Tries from Darragh Murray and Tommy O’Brien secured Ireland’s Triple Crown victory, as well as an unusual night for Irish rugby fans, who would cheer on England later that night with hopes of them beating France.
Losers – Scotland
Scotland came into the game sitting at the top of the table alongside France on 16 points, with the opportunity of winning both the Triple Crown and the Six Nations.
They have never won a Triple Crown in the Six Nations and have never won the tournament while six teams have competed in it. Their last tournament victory came in the last Five Nations tournament in 1999.
An early try from Ireland started the game off in the worst possible way for Scotland, but after a quick response through Darcy Graham, the experienced winger scored Scotland’s first try, levelling the score.
Scotland’s talisman Finn Russell developed some attractive attacking rugby in the first half, but the team was unable to reply to the opposition’s tries until after the break.
Six minutes into the second half, Scotland had worked their way into a good position.
Some fast play from Ben White at the breakdown gave the ball in hand for Finn Russell, who dummied his way through an unprepared Irish defence, getting over the line for Scotland’s second.
It was clear that both teams were desperate to get the win, with both sides playing quality rugby and getting the better of both sets of defences multiple times.
Another try from Ireland made it seem they might put the game to bed only minutes after Russell’s moment of brilliance.
However, Scotland did not give up. A long passage of play in Ireland’s 22 was eventually executed after an overlap opened up on the wing, sending Rory Darge over for another Scotland try, making it a five-point game.
Unfortunately for the away side, the Irish pressure didn’t stop two clinical tries from Tommy O’Brien, the second following an uncharacteristic handling error from Scotland’s captain Sione Tuipulotu.
Scotland were unable to respond, and Ireland claimed victory, winning the Triple Crown 43-21.
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Wales vs Italy
Winners – Wales
Welsh fans came into the tournament with hopes of winning at least one game due to their extremely disappointing standards of rugby over the past few years.
However, their incredible development and improvement throughout this tournament had changed those views.
The Welsh fans and players were no longer hoping for a win – they were expecting a win – over what has been one of the most impressive Italian teams we have seen.
Fast attacking rugby resulted in a Welsh lineout 10 metres from the opposition’s try line; a well-executed move allowed Aaron Wainwright, the Welsh number eight, to power through the tackles and go under the posts for the first try of the game.
Wales dominated the remainder of the first half, playing the best rugby we have seen from them since they last won the championship in 2021.
Not only was there powerful carrying and slick hands developing their attacking play, but their lineout was unstoppable.
Two driving maul tries were scored before the break through Aaron Wainwright and hooker Dewi Lake. Wales led 21-0 at half-time.
Italy needed a fast response in the second half to get themselves back in the game. The Welsh, however, had other plans.
More fluid attacking rugby saw Dan Edwards, the Welsh fly-half, score another try three minutes into the second half.
If the magnificent ball-in-hand rugby wasn’t enough for the home fans, the fly-half definitely gave them what they wanted after a sublime deep drop goal went through the posts, keeping the points ticking over for the Welsh.
Italy eventually arrived with some of their entertaining attacking rugby; however, it wasn’t enough, and to the delight of the home fans, Wales ended their losing streak and claimed victory in Cardiff.
Losers – Italy
The Italians have proved so far in this tournament that they are a force to be reckoned with and capable of defeating any team on their day.
Despite the Welsh improving massively throughout the tournament, Italy were still the unusual favourites – not something Italian fans are used to.
An unbelievable display from the home side didn’t really allow Italy to get into the game until the later stages.
A late comeback attempt was ignited through a driving maul try of their own, 51 minutes into the game. A yellow card to front-row replacement Archie Griffin following the try gave the away side hope that they could close the gap further.
A fierce Welsh defence managed to prevent any points being scored during the 10-minute sin-bin period, but relentless Italian attacks tired the home side’s defence.
Overlaps began to develop on the wings, allowing Tommaso Allan to score Italy’s second.
An incredible try-saving tackle from Ellis Mee prevented Monty Ioane from scoring in the 71st minute.
Even with victory out of sight for the Italians, they did not give up and played to the final whistle, managing to score the final points of the match through Paolo Garbisi.
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France vs England
Winners – France
France have yet again shown why they are one of the best teams in the world throughout this year’s tournament.
Their form, pace and attacking prowess made them the favourites for their home fixture against England. A draw in this match would have been enough to guarantee them their eighth Six Nations title since Scotland didn’t win earlier in the day.
It only took six minutes for the 2025 Six Nations Player of the Tournament, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, to score for France, following an excellent kick-through from Thomas Ramos.
After a quick England response, another sublime kick, this time from Matthieu Jalibert, sent the same man over for his second try.
Despite the French playing their usual deadly attacking rugby in the first half, it seemed that England had finally found their form and matched them, finishing the first half 27-24.
Even though they began the second half down on the scoreline, they also started it a man up due to Ellis Genge receiving a yellow card as a result of France’s penalty try before half-time.
It did not take long for the French to make the most of their numerical advantage, as Louis Bielle-Biarrey completed his hat-trick only 41 minutes into the game.
France managed to gather 14 vital points during this sin-bin period, scoring another converted try in the 48th minute.
With the home side seeming to finally get control of the game, two quick England tries changed the outlook on this match yet again.
France managed to score another through their prolific winger, seemingly out of nothing, despite some controversial claims of a short penalty advantage for the English in the build-up.
However, a yellow card to their front-row replacement Demba Bamba with 10 minutes to go resulted in England finding a try with three minutes left on the clock, taking the lead.
Some fans may say it’s luck, some may say it’s the fault of England loving to kick the ball away with only minutes on the clock, but the French managed to get a penalty.
A penalty within kicking distance was slotted home by Thomas Ramos, who had showcased his world-class kicking ability throughout the game, sealing victory and the Six Nations title for France.
Losers – England
England’s high expectations before the tournament began have been torn apart in their last three matches, as they suffered three devastating defeats, including their first-ever loss to Italy last week.
England started the game brightly, despite the early try from the French, managing to score their own try in the ninth minute through Tom Roebuck.
England responded to France’s second try after a smart grubber kick from Ben Spencer allowed Cadan Murley to touch it down in the 18th minute.
A further two tries were scored by England before the break, by the second-row partnership of Ollie Chessum and Alex Coles.
A challenging start to the second half ensued due to England being down to 14 men following a yellow card.
However, Ollie Chessum – who was England’s standout performer – changed the outlook of the game with a magnificent intercept try, which saw the 6ft 7ins lock pace away from the French backs and score a vital try to bring England back into the game.
All of a sudden, England had found their second wind, and only five minutes later, after some relentless attacking rugby, the elusive replacement Marcus Smith found a gap in the defence, scored and converted the try, putting England ahead once again.
Despite the French managing to score again, a yellow card in the 72nd minute brought hope back for the men in white.
Tommy Freeman was the man to find space in the defence and score the try, bringing England back into the lead yet again.
A controversial end to the game occurred as England just couldn’t seem to handle the pressure and see the game out, leaving their disappointing tournament on a low note.
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