6N18: Week 2

And lo we see the age old truth - you never do actually beat Wales, merely score more points than them. Gatland and Jones both managed to show a singular lack of grace in their post-match comments which was a pity because TMO foul-up or not, this was a good old-fashioned arm-wrestle. The press is full of platitudinous Englishmen trying their hardest to be generous in victory and thereby missing the point - the better side (albeit not by a large margin) won the game. Don't take my word for it, try Sir Ian McGeechan in a considered piece in the Sunday Telegraph:

It was all too much for a Wales side which was ruthlessly squeezed from the get-go. They came back into the match at the end, but it was all too little too late.

Much for England to work on and they have to go to both Edinburgh and Paris, both of which will be tricky. As for the OG well he is happy and so should all of you be too - I assume you took the 10/11 from Paddy Power on Wales with an eleven point start. Twice a winner!

As for the other matches, Ireland were slick and ruthless in dismantling Italy. The Irish remain the best coached team in the championship and OG is still backing them to win out overall. Scotland and France produced a frenetic game which the Scots won, in no small part thanks to the grace under pressure of Greig Laidlaw. The French are a team who can afford to regard Louis Picamoles as their third best number eight yet still contrive to lose on a regular basis. Sooner or later they are going to dismantle an opponent.

I enjoyed these instalments of the championship in the company of a lusty Argentine malbec. Nice.