PROPER PERFORMANCE

We asked for a result and we got a performance.

On Friday night, Ulster went about their task with sheer dominance and efficiency, and tactically Neil Doak got it spot on – the result? A third consecutive play-off appearance and the condemnation of Leinster to their first season without knockout rugby in May. For Ulster to defeat their “bogey” team with such ease and with such a professional performance marks what a change has occurred this season and how the tables have turned.

Barring the first eight minutes, which are astounding given how the remaining 72 panned out, Ulster did exactly what they had to do to a tired team who only had five days to prepare for this game – keep the ball and make them run. Iain Henderson, who was monumental in his better position of blindside flanker, battered their forwards black and blue with some brutal charges into the defensive line before the backs took to work at carving through the inevitable holes that appeared.

Indeed, I could make a separate blog on praising each individual player because everyone stood up and played their part in one of Ulster’s most complete performances of the season so far. Even tired, Leinster were always going to pose a considerable threat, so to shut them down and beat them by 16 points is no mean feat, none at all. It is a credit for all those in a white shirt that they made a tricky task look surprisingly comfortable.

Still, the best moment of the match had to be that last stand at the end.

The game was won. Leinster, had they scored, weren’t even getting a losing bonus point out of the affair. There was a case for just stepping aside and allowing our visitors a final score to at least preserve some of their dignity before bowing out of domestic affairs and to save our own bodies before we take on Munster in two weeks’ time.

Ulster says no.

In a very similar scenario to that of the infamous win at the RDS in March 2013, fourteen-man Ulster somehow managed to repel wave after wave after wave of blue shirts metres from the line, and as time went on not only was the home defence stopping the drives, it was knocking them backwards too. On the face of it, that defence meant nothing. Mentally, it is an immense boost for Ulster – it was astounding.

In a way, that defence summed up the two sides’ seasons. Ulster were strong enough to keep out their opponents even with their backs against the wall. Leinster had no answer and in the end, when you watch it back, they were never even that close to scoring.

Ulster can now go ahead with confidence. They are in the play-offs, that much is guaranteed, but now the aim will most assuredly be to bring that semi-final back to the Kingspan Stadium to give them the best chance of reaching the league showpiece at the same venue on Saturday 30^th May. And based on current form, you’d be a brave man to bet against the Ulstermen having to travel for their semi – seven wins from their last eight games is a remarkable run, and one that no side in the league can match or better.

Friday’s performance will simply have furthered this team’s belief that nothing can stand in between them and their first Pro12 title since the play-off system was introduced. A home win over Munster would ensure a 100% record at the Kingspan (an achievement in itself) before a likely winner-takes-all clash against Glasgow at Scotstoun on the final day of the regular season. What a game that will be as the two form sides in the league lock horns.

With a squad filled to the brim with both talent and confidence, Ulster have the mettle to go all the way. We now have a top quality squad that is nearly at full strength, is on song, and ready to finally finish off this season with four straight wins that would take us to the title. Munster will not be looking forward to their visit north, and Glasgow will be looking nervously over their shoulder too.

As for Leinster, they go back to the drawing board ahead of next season with issues to sort out that leaves them with no part to play in the Pro12 play-offs. They will come back fighting, what with Jonathan Sexton and Isa Nacewa returning to the fold, and next season they will be a force to be reckoned with once more. But on Friday night they were thoroughly bested by a side with more hunger, more potency and a desire for honours they’re long overdue.

Ulster are on the charge.

FINISHING THE JOB

It was an incredible effort by Leinster, and to take Toulon to extra time is no mean feat, but ultimately it wasn’t enough.

It may have taken them 100 minutes to dispose of Matt O’Connor’s side, but eventually Toulon’s global superstars shone through, with Bryan Habana’s superb spot and turn of speed allowing the Springbok winger to ghost in between Ian Madigan and Ben Te’o to secure the victory just before half-time in extra time. It was a moment that money bought and a moment that sent the Marseilles crowd into raptures and the Leinster fans into disarray.

To their credit, Leinster gave a fantastic account of themselves throughout the game and, even though Toulon were well below par on the day, Leinster can return to Dublin with their heads held high and with renewed optimism that they are still a force to be reckoned with despite their patchy domestic form – their knack of knowing how to compete in those big games regardless of how they’ve been doing is astounding.

But Sunday’s result will do one of two things to Leinster ahead of Friday night’s game against us: it’ll either give them that extra bit of resolve to really push for a play-off spot or they’ll be physically drained from such an intense match at the Stade Velodrome that the side we face will be a shadow of the team that travelled to France – although I suspect it’s likely to be the former given the situation Leinster face in the Pro12.

Put it this way: it would be unacceptable for Ulster to lose this Friday.

It will be as strong a side as Ulster can put out that will feature at the Kingspan, and with a week’s rest the question of tiredness will not come into the equation. Flip it around and you have Leinster arriving north only five days after going 100 minutes against one of Europe’s top two teams (possibly the best) – either they will send that team again who will be tired or they will send an understrength side that should be dispatched like they were at Rodney Parade two weeks ago.

This is a glorious chance for Ulster to end the race for the play-offs and reduce the five team challenge to the final four. It isn’t very often that Ulster will take on a weakened Leinster side at this stage in the season, and with home advantage on top of all the other advantages they already have it would be disastrous for the hosts to come away with nothing from Friday’s game.

Now you may be thinking – this is still Leinster we’re talking about here, and that is correct. But with all things considered there is absolutely no excuse why Ulster shouldn’t emerge victorious from Friday’s interpro. Leinster are tired, they face an uphill battle to make the top four even if they do win this game and will have to overcome a raucous Kingspan crowd as well as the fifteen men facing them on the field – it just looks like too much for the Dubliners to overcome.

Still, as was said in the build up to the game against Toulon, if any side can do it then it’s Leinster.

They just know how to scrape those backs-to-the-wall wins when it seems like for all the world there isn’t a chance of them coming back. They did it last season against us in the Pro12 semi-final in Dublin, they’ve done it countless times in the Heineken Cup and it makes them extremely dangerous opponents at any stage of the season. Never write off Leinster.

There is also a lot of pressure on Ulster to perform given that they have one of the best records in the Pro12 since the turn of the year and there is also that little worry in the back of the mind that, if we lose this, then we will need a win either at home to Munster or away to Glasgow to guarantee our place in the final four of the Pro12 – neither of those being easy tasks either. Indeed, in terms of our run in, strictly speaking this Friday should be the easiest game of the three.

All in all, everything is pointing toward an intriguing match-up on Friday night and until we know what kind of side Leinster will be sending up north it’s very hard to predict how exactly this game will pan out. However, I still stick by what I said earlier: if Ulster do not finish the job this week and ensure that they will be playing knock-out rugby in May then a few alarm bells will be ringing. If we cannot see off a tired or understrength Leinster team at home then how do we expect to win on the road in the play-offs if that’s what it comes to?

We’ll certainly find it pretty hard.

THE MAKING OF MATT

Stuart Barnes said in his Sky Sports column this week that Leinster desperately need a result this weekend against Toulon.

He’s not far wrong.

Having made the trek home from Galway on Saturday night in high spirits, the weekend only got better the next day when, despite being 22-8 down at one point, the Newport-Gwent Dragons managed to complete an unlikely double over the defending Pro12 champions and give us, Glasgow, Munster and the Ospreys the biggest lift imaginable by effectively reducing the Pro12 play-off race to the final four teams.

Officially Leinster aren’t out of it as they can still catch the four sides above them – although in order to do that they probably require three bonus point wins, and based on how they’ve played so far this season and, also coming off the back of their hugely physical Champions’ Cup semi-final this Sunday, can you really see them coming away from the Kingspan next Friday with a win, let alone with four tries? You’d be a brave man to back them.

And so, Matt O’Connor’s men depart for Marseilles with an embarrassing defeat in Newport on their backs and with a mountain to overcome in the shape of Bernard Laporte’s superstar side, needing to win effectively to save their season altogether. Unless the miraculous happens and they do sneak into the Pro12 play-offs at the death, the only thing that will salvage Leinster’s 2014/15 campaign would be winning the inaugural Champions’ Cup – even just a final appearance probably wouldn’t be enough.

Is that a little harsh? Not really when you look at the disappointment coming from down south at Matt O’Connor. A Pro12 title last season and a Champions’ Cup semi-final appearance this season, on the face of it, is not a bad record, especially whenever you consider he’s followed possibly the best coach in the world in Joe Schmidt. However, with results faltering and performances not up to the standard the Dubliners expect year on year there is a desire for O’Connor to be given the heave-ho a year before his contract at the RDS expires.

However, the league is a club’s bread and butter, and this season Leinster have been way wide of the mark, epitomised by their disappointing double defeat to the fourth Welsh region. With a win at the Kingspan now a necessity to reach the play-offs rather than just a desire it looks very unlikely Leinster will reach the semi-finals – the first time that would occur since the play-offs were introduced. For Leinster fans, this is unacceptable.

So the pressure is on for this weekend. A win in Marseilles is now essential for MOC to win back the fans because as well as they might play, a Pro12 play-off berth looks out of their reach. Only having the Champions’ Cup trophy back in the cabinet at the RDS will end the calls for the Australian to depart his adopted province, with the heads at Leinster deciding whether or not they will ultimately listen to them.

And with Toulon to overcome, you just never know.

Meanwhile, what a riveting game we had in Galway on Saturday! I said at half-time that a 17-0 lead wasn’t enough considering the wind advantage that Connacht would have in the second half (and it was a very substantial wind at their backs) and it nearly proved to be correct. Ruan Pienaar’s 1 from 7 kicking stats didn’t help (although, again, due to the wind I don’t blame him for that) and in the end we nearly found ourselves heading back to Belfast with a draw – indeed, had Danie Poolman held that late offload from Robbie Henshaw then we probably would have.

Nevertheless, it was one of Ulster’s better performances this season and whenever you consider that we are only the second team this season to leave the West with the win, and the first team this season to leave with all five points secured, it reads as an extremely handy win and a very important one in the context of our play-off push. While Glasgow, Munster and the Ospreys all picked up bonus point wins, it looked like we would do well just to get the win – four tries were a very welcome bonus.

Ulster are hitting form at the right time and it is exciting to watch. The bonus point against Cardiff was a formality, but our ruthless efficiency in the opposition 22 against Connacht on Saturday was fantastic, and in the end was what it won us the game. If we can be that clinical against Leinster, Munster and Glasgow then we will be a handful for all three – and with the home advantage against our provincial rivals too, there’s a growing belief that there will be not just a final in Belfast this season, but a semi-final too.

Although I’m sure a few other teams will have something to say about that first…

PIU-WOW

Now that is a statement of intent.

The fact that we don’t get Charles Piutau until June 2016 doesn’t matter – that is a massive statement of intent. For Ulster to manage to lure away a player who is more than likely going to head to the Rugby World Cup in September with the All Blacks is astonishing – don’t forget that by coming to the northern hemisphere, Piutau forfeits his ability to play for the All Blacks until 2018 (which includes missing the 2017 visit of the British & Irish Lions), and this is a guy who was widely being tipped as a fixture in the All Blacks starting line-up for the next decade.

Yes, maybe our back row needs a big name signing to bolster its ranks, and maybe there are some who believe that this needs addressed more than our back line does, however you do forget that when Louis Ludik goes at the end of next season we will be without a specialist full-back and Piutau fills that void – and then some. So not only is it a big name signing, arguably it is a very smart one too.

It also signals that Ulster are not messing around.

They’ve gotten in early, got a name on the books for 2016 and have guaranteed they will have a world class full back in their ranks for the 2016-17 season. Bryn Cunningham could have very easily looked at our NIQ situation and decided to sit still for a year before getting into negotiations with players over potential moves, but instead he has moved immediately and has reaped the rewards of doing so – take a bow Bryn, take a bow.

Not only that, but he's also managed to convince a current All Black to join the set up too, and as I have already mentioned that is no mean feat. Piutau has given up playing international rugby to join us for two years. He’s given up what is more than likely his only chance at taking on the British & Irish Lions to join us for two years. He might even have given up his place in the All Blacks’ World Cup squad to join us for two years.

The large wage he’s getting may have played a part, but to give all that up suggests he’s been impressed by something else. There is plenty of time for guys like Piutau to travel abroad when they’re older and earn a large wage then when their career is showing a few signs of slowing down – to give all that up now gives the idea that there’s more at play. True, he can go back to New Zealand in time for the 2019 World Cup and still win his place back, but by leaving now he’s put that in doubt too with only a year back in the Super Rugby competition to impress with.

However the deal went down, the outcome is that New Zealand are losing a fantastic full-back and Ulster are gaining one. Not only will we have him for the big games, but we will also have him available for those crucial games during the Autumn Internationals and Six Nations too – having a player like Piutau at our disposal during those times is vital. A massive well done to Bryn for getting him here, and hopefully he will be joined by a few other world class signings...

And welcome to Ulster, Mr. Charles Piutau!

NO CHANGE

The controversial change from the Heineken Cup to the Rugby Champions’ Cup promised great changes to the status quo.

The outcome of the quarter-finals proved there has been none.

True there was a dramatic shift in where those quarter-finalists came from, both in terms of countries and standings in pools, but as far as the results went there wasn’t much difference from the Heineken Cups of old, and the semi-finalists show no signs of differing from previous seasons either, proving that the best four sides in Europe are probably those that we expected.

The yearly away victory went to Saracens, who ground out a victory in Paris against the inconsistent Racing Metro, and indeed the French side only have themselves to blame. They played the clock far too long at the end and you could see that Nigel Owens was itching to find something to penalise them for during those final few seconds. I have no issues with the penalty that the Parisians conceded at the end of the game – it was a clear cut penalty – but Racing should have had that game signed and sealed a long time before then. Saracens were poor and will not fancy an away trip to Clermont.

Speaking of which, how good were the side from the Auvergne. Northampton weren’t great, no, but on Saturday no side in the world could have lived with Clermont the way they played in the first half – their ferocity at the breakdown, their flowing rugby and the potent threats of Nakaitaci and Nalaga on the wings meant the hapless Saints didn’t stand a chance. I still back Northampton to win the Premiership again, but on Saturday they were bettered by a side who were at their blistering best and deserve to win the tournament outright on that performance alone.

Leinster and Toulon were thoroughly unconvincing. Leinster have Ian Madigan to thank for being perfect off the kicking tee otherwise they would have been in severe difficulties against Bath, who will be disappointed at how their European campaign ground to a halt, while Toulon made heavy going of it against Wasps, even with the also perfect off the tee Frederic Michalak on form. Wasps, to their credit, put up a good fight, but it will be interesting to see how Toulon approach the semi-final in two weeks’ time given how they appeared to ease off with a 22-6 lead at half-time.

So it leaves us with semi-finals of Clermont v Saracens (a repeat of last season) and Toulon v Leinster. It’s very hard to see past a Clermont-Toulon final, especially given the form the four sides are in, but in knockout rugby anything can happen and you can never ever rule out Leinster, who just seem to know how to win when they need to. On paper, it’s an easy call. In the heart, it’s anything but.

Put it this way: whatever you think is going to happen, probably won’t.

GETTING THE BLUES

Better from Ulster, however it was bettered by the rest of the title challengers.

A bonus point win signed and sealed against one of the Pro12’s lesser sides is all we could have asked for really – it was dogged and at times a little ugly but all five points was exactly what the doctor ordered, and going into four incredibly tough games against Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Glasgow it has put us back on the right track to reach the play-offs again for the third consecutive season following the defeat in Newport.

And yet somehow I come out of this weekend’s Pro12 action slightly frustrated. Not at Ulster, might I add, but at the rest of the Pro12.

On the same night that Ulster were disposing of Cardiff, there was a glorious opportunity for Glasgow to put Leinster to the sword and more than likely drop them out of the top four hunt altogether, however the Scots were wasteful and complacent and gave the Dubliners three points, while salvaging three themselves, in a 34-34 draw at the RDS Arena. An exhilarating game, yes, but possibly the worst result Ulster could have hoped for – we ideally wanted a win from either side, and three points for each feels like both sides won. Glasgow still lead the way while Leinster are still clinging on by their fingertips to heels of the top four.

Even more disappointing was the capitulation of Connacht at Thomond Park. With the form that Pat Lam’s men were in I thought they could maybe even scrape the victory down in Limerick, and for a while it seemed like they stood a good chance. But then the class of the Munstermen shone through as they ran away with it in the end – 45-20 maybe wasn’t an accurate reflection on how the game went, but Munster deserved the bonus point that keeps them level with us in second.

Over in Swansea it was just as we all expected – the Ospreys turning over Zebre with ease. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment when the home side ran in their fourth try, even though I knew it was a matter of when rather than if. It rounded off a weekend that started well and ended just alright, with no team making any significant moves up or down the table.

It leaves us reaching for calculators, pulling out fixture lists and jotting down predictions in desperation as we try and determine who will seize those play-off places. 

TEAM	Round 19	Round 20	Round 21	Round 22
Glasgow (60)	Cardiff (H)	Connacht (A)	Ospreys (A)	Ulster (H)
Ulster (58)	Connacht (A)	Leinster (H)	Munster (H)	Glasgow (A)
Munster (58)	Edinburgh (A)	Treviso (H)	Ulster (A)	Dragons (H)
Ospreys (56)	Treviso (A)	Cardiff (A)	Glasgow (H)	Connacht (A)
Leinster (52)	Dragons (A)	Ulster (A)	Treviso (H)	Edinburgh (A)

Munster and the Ospreys look to be in pole position to take two of those spots, although I cannot say which yet. You would expect both to pick up at least three wins from their last four games, and in the Ospreys’ case possibly all four, with Munster’s only slip-up at home to us in the penultimate round at the Kingspan.

Leinster you would also expect to pick up three wins, again with their only slip-up coming in Belfast, but given the fact they already languish four points behind the Ospreys in fourth you would have to say that they probably need all four victories to stand a chance of reaching the final four – and maybe even then that wouldn’t be enough.

Glasgow probably hold enough of a lead to be going into the final weekend with a shot at top spot against us, however with two tricky away trips to Galway and Swansea, they could come unstuck against both Connacht and the Ospreys. That said, you’d expect them to triumph in at least one of those games and therefore set up a final day top spot decider against…

…our beloved Ulster! Home advantage should prove crucial in our games against Leinster and Munster, which on top of a victory away in Connacht next Saturday should be enough to guarantee our safe passage into the final four. Certainly we do not want it coming down to the final day with us needing a result at Scotstoun to make it into the play-offs, because that is not an appealing prospect at all.

Certainly Connacht are going to play a big role in the final standing of the Pro12. With us, the Ospreys and Glasgow all still to travel West in need of a result, one team slipping up in Galway could shake the whole thing up – remember that Connacht are still very much in the fight for that vital sixth place to guarantee Champions’ Cup qualification and therefore have a lot to play for too.

It’ll all come down to fine margins…

The Hound’s current top four prediction

1.       Glasgow Warriors, 74
2.       Munster Rugby, 72
3.       Ospreys, 72
4.       Ulster Rugby, 71

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5.       Leinster Rugby, 66

SUPER SATURDAY

Super Saturday really did live up to its billing.

On a day where anything seemed possible, there was mayhem which began with Wales’ seven try second half blitz and ended with Yoann Huget’s mad decision to tap-and-go on his own line with the clock in the red at Twickenham. It was a fitting end to an exhilarating day of rugby that had us on the edge of our seats all day and reaching for the calculators with every try that crossed the whitewash. Just as the final round of the Six Nations should be.

For everybody campaigning for the final round of matches to all be played at the same time, this was the perfect way of the Six Nations biting back and saying no thanks. I don’t think it’s inaccurate to say that the exciting and points-filled play we saw from Wales, Ireland and England (and, I guess, France) wouldn’t have happened if each side were playing at the same time and knew exactly what they needed to do.

Ireland were the worthy winners, even if it looked like they mightn’t be. When the final whistle went at Murrayfield you thought that Ireland hadn’t done enough to put themselves far enough ahead of England to keep themselves atop the standings, and considering the inconsistency France had shown in the previous four rounds it looked very likely that 26 points wasn’t going to be nearly enough.

Jonathan Sexton and Ian Madigan are probably the most relieved Irishmen alive.

Their missed kicks nearly cost Ireland the trophy altogether – normally I would sympathise with them considering the pressure they were under, but whenever you look at how young George Ford ignored the eyes of the world on his back and slotted kick after kick at Twickenham, it begs the question of how possibly the greatest fly-half currently on the planet and then one of the most reliable kickers in the Pro12 managed to squander four kicks at goal that would have put daylight between Ireland and England.

In the end, ironically Ireland were saved by England. Well, rather England’s inability to defend. Maybe it was complacency, or maybe Stuart Lancaster sent out his side with the ethos simply to score more than they conceded. Whatever the reason, England managed to ship 35 points against a team that was mediocre at best and as such they positively gifted Ireland the title.

We could go into plenty of ifs and buts regarding Saturday. What if England had scored at the end? What if Stuart Hogg had managed to touch down for a Scottish try late on in Edinburgh? What if Wales had hit form in the first half as well as the second? Luckily for Ireland we aren’t dealing in ifs, but it does highlight what little had to change over the course of the three games for the title to slip from their grasp.

Nevertheless, the win sends out a real message to the southern hemisphere giants – Ireland are not to be messed with. The Six Nations is a revered tournament worldwide and successfully defending it is something that raise plenty of eyebrows in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, and ahead of the World Cup that puts a big target on Ireland’s head. With a relatively straightforward pool for Ireland to negotiate as well it means Joe Schmidt’s side will be one of the teams to beat come the knock-out stages.

England and Wales won’t be too far behind either, although there is the possibility that one of them will be knocked out at the pool stage – they will be fighting out with Australia in the “Pool of Death” for two quarter-final spots. And the fact that they both ran Ireland so closely over the course of the competition will also get the attention of the southern hemisphere teams, Australia especially.

Will Joe Schmidt mind that his team missed out on the Grand Slam? Probably a bit considering the position they were in going into the final two games, however the relief he will have felt after the final whistle at Twickenham on Saturday will have banished any sort of disappointment he felt from Cardiff a week before. The Grand Slam is a fantastic bonus if you can manage it, but what Schmidt will be happier with is the fact that Ireland are once again European champions and the team to beat from the north.

In a World Cup year, there’s not much more you can ask for.

And a massive congratulations to Ireland’s Women as well for making it a double and winning the Women’s Six Nations with a crushing defeat of Scotland Women sealing the deal!

SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN

And so it all boils down to one long afternoon.

In some ways it’s good that the Six Nations all hinges on each game of the final weekend – it means there is plenty of exciting rugby for fans to enjoy, permutations to work out as the games unfold and several hours of nail-biting excitement. It sums up exactly what the Six Nations is about really: six teams battling it out over five gruelling weeks to be named European champions and to have it all resting on the three Round Five games is incredibly exciting.

Flip that around, and it is far from ideal from Ireland. Not only did their Grand Slam ambitions evaporate at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, their chances of winning the Six Nations probably evaporated too. With Wales likely to put something closely resembling a cricket score on Italy first up and England strong favourites to dispose of the French to close out the 2015 contest, it puts a huge amount of pressure on Ireland to run in plenty of points at Murrayfield in between.

And let’s not forget that the French, amidst all of their selection and consistency issues, are still in with a chance of stealing the competition outright should results go their way, even as unlikely as that sounds (they require Italy and Scotland to both win before them). It leaves a thrilling conclusion to the 2015 RBS Six Nations lying tantalisingly in the balance.

You would have to say England hold the advantage. While Wales may face the weakest side, England have the most important thing in their favour: playing last. Even though Wales will probably put a big score on Italy, they simply have to keep scoring in the hope that the amount they win by will be enough to push their points difference high enough to see off their rivals. On the other hand, England will go into Le Crunch knowing exactly how much they need to win by to secure the trophy.

Unfair? You bet.

Spare a thought for poor Ireland sandwiched in the middle. Even if they do manage to surpass the total set by Wales, they still face an unknown in that they have no idea how much further they need to go to also hold England at bay. Indeed, Ireland’s game against Scotland isn’t even a given win – the Scottish have plenty of motivation to cause a massive shock and avoid picking up the Wooden Spoon.

It will be intriguing to see how all three coaches approach their various contests as well. Stuart Lancaster has the luxury of seeing how the other results pan out before ultimately deciding on how to deal with Philippe Saint-Andre’s side – a luxury that Warren Gatland and Joe Schmidt do not share. You’d be surprised if Gatland didn’t instruct his side to go all out for tries against a side that were nilled on their own turf a week ago, while Schmidt’s philosophy is anybody’s guess. One can’t help but feel the Kiwi coach will be slightly more pragmatic than his Welsh counterpart.

Does who deserves to win play any part at this point? I don’t really think so because there hasn’t been anybody who has set this tournament alight. Ireland, despite their Grand Slam aspirations, never really got out of second gear and needed to do the basics right to breeze past Italy, France and England. When finally faced with a stern test in Cardiff they buckled, with even the reliable Jonny Sexton being off his game. If they do lose this Championship, the Millennium Stadium is where it happened.

And how about Wales? Well they did show fantastic character to go to the Stade de France and come away with the two points, however their disappointing opening day show against the English is going to come back to haunt them, and that juvenile tunnel spat before that game marred what could have been a fascinating spectacle. Still, they got the business done against Ireland and that was no mean feat.

England have probably been the most consistent of the three main contenders, however that consistency deserted them when they visited the Aviva in Round Three. That game alone should be justification for them not winning the Championship, yet here they are in possibly the best position of them all. Their back line has been glorious to watch and has shown lethal precision, but like Ireland, in the big game they fell apart. Will they do so again on Saturday?

So my prediction? First up, Wales will coast to victory over Italy with ease, only to be surpassed by Ireland who will beat Scotland by just enough points to push themselves into top spot before the French put up a brave fight initially at Twickenham, only to concede a couple of tries (likely from either Anthony Watson or Jonathan Joseph) and fall apart as French teams to do. England get enough points to win the championship.

Whether that prediction comes true or not, what I do know is that from start to finish on Saturday we have a lot of running rugby to look forward to, coupled with a lot of nerves, sweating and typing on calculators! Can the Welsh banish their opening game woes to win? Will the English chariot be swinging low all the way to the trophy? Could France shock the rugby world and steal the most unlikely of victories? Or will Ireland defend their title despite their slip up in Cardiff?

Sit back and thoroughly enjoy, everyone!