2009 Six Nations Review: Round Five

Posted on March 23, 2009 by Editor

The 2009 Six Nations championship ended in triumph for Ireland as they claimed their first Grand Slam title since 1948. England managed a creditable second place in the tournament despite an under-par performance, while defending Champions, Wales, had to settle for fourth place behind a French side that decided to end their campaign by annihilating Italy in Rome.

France 50-8 Italy
France responded to the iniquity of their heavy defeat to England at Twickenham by inflicting a heavy defeat on the Italians on their home turf. The French finally showed true class as they ran seven tries past the hapless Italian defence.

The win secured France a place in the top half of the Six Nations log, behind Ireland and England. While it remains to be seen whether the French performance saved Marc Lievremont’s neck, a pitiable Six Nations campaign for the Italian team is likely to see Nick Mallet issued with his marching orders.

England 26-12 Scotland
England emerged as the holders of the Calcutta Cup after downing a determined Scotland side at Twickenham on Saturday. Inability to finish cost the Scots dearly as they squandered two great line breaks by their much improved backline.

The victory secured England second place in the Six Nations – a satisfactory result given their poor start to the tournament. Scotland once again finished in the bottom two, and it’s unlikely Frank Hadden will be in charge of the team come the 2010 Six Nations championship.

Ireland 17-15 Wales
The match between Ireland and Wales lived up to expectations with the final result only settled in the final seconds of play. Ireland dominated the tense encounter between the two side, however some dubious refereeing by Wayne Barnes allowed Wales to stay in touch with their visitors.

The second half provided the bulk of the match action, with Ireland scoring two tries within minutes of kick-off. The final 10 minute period of the match was a heart-stopping affair, as Wales took the lead through a drop goal with only 4 minutes left on the clock, only for Ronan O’Gara to return the favour and grab back the 2 point lead with a minute and a half to play.

The match ended with a penalty given to Wales a couple of meters inside the halfway line. Inexplicably, Wales selected Steven Jones rather than long-distance specialist, Gavin Henson, to take the kick. The penalty dropped a meter short of the Irish posts, and was duly booted into touch as Ireland began celebrating their first Grand Slam win since 1948.

Summary
The 2009 Six Nations will forever be remembered for the courage and determination of the second-ever Irish side to win a Grand Slam. The likes of Wales, Scotland and France were left ruing missed opportunities, whilst Italy endured their most miserable campaign since joining the Six Nations in 2000.