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Six Nations 2020: Josh Adams hat-trick helps Wales thrash Italy
By Gareth Griffiths
BBC Sport Wales at Principality Stadium
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Nick Tompkins came through the Saracens academy
Wales tight-head prop Dillon Lewis, starting because Tomas Francis was sidelined through injury, was struggling in the scrum as the Cardiff Blues front-rower conceded a couple of set-piece penalties in a scrappy aimless third quarter.
Tompkins rose above the mediocrity for a superb debut Test try after he was the beneficiary of build-up work from replacements Rob Evans and Cory Hill and Biggar.
There was a significant moment when replacement scrum-half Rhys Webb replaced Williams for his first Test since December 2017 following his international exile caused by his move to Toulon.
Webb almost had an immediate impact by linking with Tompkins for a try for North but a bonus-point score was ruled out following a knock-on.
North finally grabbed his 40th try of his Test career to equal Gareth Thomas as the second leading try scorer in Welsh history behind Shane Williams. Also it was North's 20th tournament try - more importantly it gave Wales maximum match points.
Adams provided a fitting finale with his hat-trick following a storming break from North.
Josh Adams was the top try scorer at the World Cup
Wales coach Wayne Pivac said:
"It was a pretty good performance. We got the five points we were after but it wasn't easy, we had to work hard for it.
"We were pleased to have held them scoreless. That doesn't happen often at this level of the game and I'm pretty pleased for Byron Hayward (defence coach) coming in.
"The boys want to play a bit more and at times we achieved that but at times we might have overplayed. There is still plenty to work on."
Italy interim head coach Franco Smith:
"Wales are a top side. It's a pity that we had to have our first start in this way against them.
"But then again, I'd rather lose against the best the way we did then maybe just lose against another team that is not in the same form that this team is. I think Wales rugby can be proud of this group of men they've got here.
"The result is not a reflection of the quality of the side.
"If you look at the game again, you will see it was errors on our side, it wasn't a lack of commitment and ability."
Line-ups
Wales: Halfpenny; McNicholl, North, Parkes, Adams; Biggar, Williams; Wyn Jones, Owens, Lewis, Ball, Alun Wyn Jones (capt), Wainwright, Tipuric, Faletau.
Replacements: Elias, Evans, Brown, Hill, Moriarty, Webb, Evans, Tompkins.
Italy: Minozzi; Sarto, Morisi, Canna, Bellini; Allan, Braley; Lovotti, Bigi (capt), Zilocchi, Zanni, Cannone, Polledri, Negri, Steyn.
Replacements: Zani, Fischetti, Riccioni, Budd, Lazzaroni, Licata, Palazzani, Hayward.
Match officials
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Touch judges: Matthew Carley (England) & Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
TMO: James Leckie (Australia)
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By Gareth Griffiths
BBC Sport Wales at Principality Stadium
- 2 hours ago
- From the section Welsh Rugby
- 255
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Six Nations guide: All you need to know
Nick Tompkins came through the Saracens academy
Wales tight-head prop Dillon Lewis, starting because Tomas Francis was sidelined through injury, was struggling in the scrum as the Cardiff Blues front-rower conceded a couple of set-piece penalties in a scrappy aimless third quarter.
Tompkins rose above the mediocrity for a superb debut Test try after he was the beneficiary of build-up work from replacements Rob Evans and Cory Hill and Biggar.
There was a significant moment when replacement scrum-half Rhys Webb replaced Williams for his first Test since December 2017 following his international exile caused by his move to Toulon.
Webb almost had an immediate impact by linking with Tompkins for a try for North but a bonus-point score was ruled out following a knock-on.
North finally grabbed his 40th try of his Test career to equal Gareth Thomas as the second leading try scorer in Welsh history behind Shane Williams. Also it was North's 20th tournament try - more importantly it gave Wales maximum match points.
Adams provided a fitting finale with his hat-trick following a storming break from North.
Josh Adams was the top try scorer at the World Cup
Wales coach Wayne Pivac said:
"It was a pretty good performance. We got the five points we were after but it wasn't easy, we had to work hard for it.
"We were pleased to have held them scoreless. That doesn't happen often at this level of the game and I'm pretty pleased for Byron Hayward (defence coach) coming in.
"The boys want to play a bit more and at times we achieved that but at times we might have overplayed. There is still plenty to work on."
Italy interim head coach Franco Smith:
"Wales are a top side. It's a pity that we had to have our first start in this way against them.
"But then again, I'd rather lose against the best the way we did then maybe just lose against another team that is not in the same form that this team is. I think Wales rugby can be proud of this group of men they've got here.
"The result is not a reflection of the quality of the side.
"If you look at the game again, you will see it was errors on our side, it wasn't a lack of commitment and ability."
Line-ups
Wales: Halfpenny; McNicholl, North, Parkes, Adams; Biggar, Williams; Wyn Jones, Owens, Lewis, Ball, Alun Wyn Jones (capt), Wainwright, Tipuric, Faletau.
Replacements: Elias, Evans, Brown, Hill, Moriarty, Webb, Evans, Tompkins.
Italy: Minozzi; Sarto, Morisi, Canna, Bellini; Allan, Braley; Lovotti, Bigi (capt), Zilocchi, Zanni, Cannone, Polledri, Negri, Steyn.
Replacements: Zani, Fischetti, Riccioni, Budd, Lazzaroni, Licata, Palazzani, Hayward.
Match officials
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Touch judges: Matthew Carley (England) & Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
TMO: James Leckie (Australia)
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Six Nations 2020: Ireland earn lucky 19-12 win over wasteful Scotland
Stuart Hogg knocking the ball on when he seemed to score a try summed up Scotland's evening
2020 Six Nations
Ireland (10) 19
Tries: Sexton Con: Sexton Pens: Sexton 4
Scotland (6) 12
Pens: Hastings 4
Andy Farrell's reign as Ireland coach got off to a winning but unimpressive start as his side earned a fortunate 19-12 Six Nations win over Scotland.
Johnny Sexton scored all 19 Irish points, including a first-half try, as the hosts profited from Scotland's inability to take numerous chances.
Stuart Hogg's knock-on over the whitewash in the second half summed up Scotland's try-less day.
Man-of-the-match CJ Stander's late turnover secured Ireland's win.
It was game that leaves both camps much to ponder.
Ireland at least got the win but will know a similar performance against Wales next week will almost certainly result in defeat.
Ireland were looking to rediscover their identify following a troubled World Cup, but this was not so much a new dawn as an indication their most glaring issues were not left in Japan.
Scotland will take little solace from the fact they dominated large parts of the game, because once again their lack of cutting edge saw a positive result slip away.
Johnny Sexton's try helped Ireland lead at half-time despite Scotland's bossing possession in the first half
Scots come out firing but Irish back row holds firm
Scotland's pre-tournament build-up was thrown dramatically off-course last Monday when news emerged that star fly-half Finn Russell had left the camp following a breach of team protocol.
The visitors began in Dublin as firm underdogs but clearly relished the opportunity to send a clear message to those who wrote them off.
Up front, where Ireland would have expected to dominate, Scotland stood toe-to-toe with their opponents at every physical encounter.
Their endeavours should have yielded more points than the six they took into half-time.
Head coach Farrell will have been thankful for Ireland's outstanding work at the breakdown, where they won five penalties inside their own 22 in the opening half to keep the Scots at bay.
The first turnover came after just 90 seconds as Irish debutant Caelan Doris announced himself on the international stage, before having his day cruelly cut short following an accidental clash of heads with Adam Hastings.
The 21-year-old's day was cut cruelly short following a clash of heads with Adam Hastings three minutes later, with Doris forced off and replaced by Peter O'Mahony.
Munster's O'Mahony played like a man with a chip on his shoulder following his omission from the starting side, and produced one of his most influential displays in green for years, winning another crucial turnover with Josh van der Flier on 24 minutes.
Ireland's four-point lead at the break owed largely to a few huge defensive moments and one wonderfully executed move involving Cian Healy and Conor Murray which saw Sexton charge through a gaping hole inside 10 minutes.
In a day where Ireland's attacking play failed to spark into life, the try was a rare and ultimately decisive departure from the general pattern of play, which saw both sides fail to produce the necessary accuracy to take the game away from their opponents.
More to follow.
Line-ups
Ireland: Larmour; Conway, Ringrose, Aki, Stockdale; Sexton (capt), Murray; Healy, Herring, Furlong, Henderson, Ryan, Stander, Van der Flier, Doris
Replacements: Kelleher, Kilcoyne, Porter, Toner, O'Mahony, Cooney, Byrne, Henshaw
Scotland: Hogg (capt); Maitland, Jones, Johnson, Kinghorn; Hastings, Price; Sutherland, Brown, Fagerson, Cummings, Gray, Ritchie, Watson, Haining
Replacements: McInally, Dell, Berghan, Toolis, Du Preez, Horne, Hutchinson, Harris
Match officials
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Touch judges: Pascal Gauzere (France) & Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
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Stuart Hogg knocking the ball on when he seemed to score a try summed up Scotland's evening
2020 Six Nations
Ireland (10) 19
Tries: Sexton Con: Sexton Pens: Sexton 4
Scotland (6) 12
Pens: Hastings 4
Andy Farrell's reign as Ireland coach got off to a winning but unimpressive start as his side earned a fortunate 19-12 Six Nations win over Scotland.
Johnny Sexton scored all 19 Irish points, including a first-half try, as the hosts profited from Scotland's inability to take numerous chances.
Stuart Hogg's knock-on over the whitewash in the second half summed up Scotland's try-less day.
Man-of-the-match CJ Stander's late turnover secured Ireland's win.
It was game that leaves both camps much to ponder.
Ireland at least got the win but will know a similar performance against Wales next week will almost certainly result in defeat.
Ireland were looking to rediscover their identify following a troubled World Cup, but this was not so much a new dawn as an indication their most glaring issues were not left in Japan.
Scotland will take little solace from the fact they dominated large parts of the game, because once again their lack of cutting edge saw a positive result slip away.
Johnny Sexton's try helped Ireland lead at half-time despite Scotland's bossing possession in the first half
Scots come out firing but Irish back row holds firm
Scotland's pre-tournament build-up was thrown dramatically off-course last Monday when news emerged that star fly-half Finn Russell had left the camp following a breach of team protocol.
The visitors began in Dublin as firm underdogs but clearly relished the opportunity to send a clear message to those who wrote them off.
Up front, where Ireland would have expected to dominate, Scotland stood toe-to-toe with their opponents at every physical encounter.
Their endeavours should have yielded more points than the six they took into half-time.
Head coach Farrell will have been thankful for Ireland's outstanding work at the breakdown, where they won five penalties inside their own 22 in the opening half to keep the Scots at bay.
The first turnover came after just 90 seconds as Irish debutant Caelan Doris announced himself on the international stage, before having his day cruelly cut short following an accidental clash of heads with Adam Hastings.
The 21-year-old's day was cut cruelly short following a clash of heads with Adam Hastings three minutes later, with Doris forced off and replaced by Peter O'Mahony.
Munster's O'Mahony played like a man with a chip on his shoulder following his omission from the starting side, and produced one of his most influential displays in green for years, winning another crucial turnover with Josh van der Flier on 24 minutes.
Ireland's four-point lead at the break owed largely to a few huge defensive moments and one wonderfully executed move involving Cian Healy and Conor Murray which saw Sexton charge through a gaping hole inside 10 minutes.
In a day where Ireland's attacking play failed to spark into life, the try was a rare and ultimately decisive departure from the general pattern of play, which saw both sides fail to produce the necessary accuracy to take the game away from their opponents.
More to follow.
Line-ups
Ireland: Larmour; Conway, Ringrose, Aki, Stockdale; Sexton (capt), Murray; Healy, Herring, Furlong, Henderson, Ryan, Stander, Van der Flier, Doris
Replacements: Kelleher, Kilcoyne, Porter, Toner, O'Mahony, Cooney, Byrne, Henshaw
Scotland: Hogg (capt); Maitland, Jones, Johnson, Kinghorn; Hastings, Price; Sutherland, Brown, Fagerson, Cummings, Gray, Ritchie, Watson, Haining
Replacements: McInally, Dell, Berghan, Toolis, Du Preez, Horne, Hutchinson, Harris
Match officials
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Touch judges: Pascal Gauzere (France) & Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
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France 24-17 England: England lose Six Nations opener in France
By Tom Fordyce
Chief sports writer at the Stade de France
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Wing Vincent Rattez scored France's first try
2020 Six Nations: France v England
France (17) 24
Tries: Rattez, Ollivon 2 Con: Ntamack3 Pens: Ntamack
England (0) 17
Tries: May2 Cons: Farrell 2 Pen: Farrell
World Cup finalists England fell to a chastening defeat to a resurgent France as their Six Nations hopes wilted in the Parisian rain.
Coach Eddie Jones had talked of unleashing a brutal physicality upon a callow France side with an average of just 10 caps apiece.
But it was France who tenderised England in a one-sided first half, converted tries from Vincent Rattez and captain Charles Ollivon plus a Romain Ntamack penalty opening up a deserved 17-point lead.
Ollivon dived over for his second try to stretch that advantage to 24, before two brilliant solo scores from Jonny May suddenly brought hope in the final quarter.
But England could add only a late Owen Farrell penalty, their hopes of only a second Grand Slam in 17 years disintegrating in the face of a France defence superbly drilled by Shaun Edwards.
Jones said his team wanted to become the greatest team in history, but they were second-best to Fabien Galthie's new wave of Gallic talents.
New-look France tear into England
In a febrile atmosphere England made early inroads when Sam Underhill capitalised on an overthrown line-out to thunder deep into the French 22 before his back-row partner Tom Curry spilt the ball in the tackle.
But it was France who struck first to light up the stadium, Teddy Thomas with a quicksilver break down the right before left wing Rattez - only in as a late replacement for Damian Penaud - cut a cute line on Ntamack's inside shoulder to crash through Ben Youngs' tackle and over.
Six Nations 2020: France dominate early on against England
Ntamack popped over the conversion, and when England's forwards were penalised at a ruck a few metres from their own line, the young fly-half landed his second kick to extend the lead to 10 points.
Worse was to come for the men in white. Talismanic centre Manu Tuilagi limped off, to be replaced by Jonathan Joseph, then France struck a second hammer blow.
As Ollivon challenged for a kick ahead, England stopped, expecting referee Nigel Owens to blow for a knock-on. But the whistle never came, and Ollivon galloped 30 metres to dive into the left-hand corner.
Ntamack's nerveless conversion made it 17-0, tricolors being waved frantically all round celebrating stands as the brass band behind the England posts blasted out the Can-Can.
Under that intense aural and physical assault England's errors began to mount, debutant George Furbank dropping one pass, captain Owen Farrell knocking on another.
Not since 1988 had England been kept scoreless at half-time in a Five or Six Nations match, but the scoreline reflected a fractured and ugly display.
More to follow.
LINE-UPS
France: Bouthier; Thomas, Vakatawa, Fickou, Rattez; Ntamack, Dupont; Baille, Marchand, Haouas, Le Roux, Willemse, Cros, Ollivon (c), Alldritt.
Replacements: Poirot for Baille (49), Bamba for Haouas (49), Palu for Willemse (57), Woki for Cros (57), Mauvaka for Marchand (67), Jalibert for Ntamack (77) Vincent for Vakatawa (80).
Replacements not used: Serin.
England: Furbank; May, Tuilagi, Farrell (c), Daly; Ford, Youngs; Marler, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Ewels, Lawes, Underhill, Curry.
Replacements: Joseph for Tuilagi (16), Cowan-Dickie for George (49), Genge for Marler (52), Ludlam for Lawes (54), Kruis for Ewels (57), Heinz for Young (62), Stuart for Sinckler (73), Devoto for Ford (76).
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
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By Tom Fordyce
Chief sports writer at the Stade de France
- 5 minutes ago
- From the section Rugby Union
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Wing Vincent Rattez scored France's first try
2020 Six Nations: France v England
France (17) 24
Tries: Rattez, Ollivon 2 Con: Ntamack3 Pens: Ntamack
England (0) 17
Tries: May2 Cons: Farrell 2 Pen: Farrell
World Cup finalists England fell to a chastening defeat to a resurgent France as their Six Nations hopes wilted in the Parisian rain.
Coach Eddie Jones had talked of unleashing a brutal physicality upon a callow France side with an average of just 10 caps apiece.
But it was France who tenderised England in a one-sided first half, converted tries from Vincent Rattez and captain Charles Ollivon plus a Romain Ntamack penalty opening up a deserved 17-point lead.
Ollivon dived over for his second try to stretch that advantage to 24, before two brilliant solo scores from Jonny May suddenly brought hope in the final quarter.
But England could add only a late Owen Farrell penalty, their hopes of only a second Grand Slam in 17 years disintegrating in the face of a France defence superbly drilled by Shaun Edwards.
Jones said his team wanted to become the greatest team in history, but they were second-best to Fabien Galthie's new wave of Gallic talents.
New-look France tear into England
In a febrile atmosphere England made early inroads when Sam Underhill capitalised on an overthrown line-out to thunder deep into the French 22 before his back-row partner Tom Curry spilt the ball in the tackle.
But it was France who struck first to light up the stadium, Teddy Thomas with a quicksilver break down the right before left wing Rattez - only in as a late replacement for Damian Penaud - cut a cute line on Ntamack's inside shoulder to crash through Ben Youngs' tackle and over.
Six Nations 2020: France dominate early on against England
Ntamack popped over the conversion, and when England's forwards were penalised at a ruck a few metres from their own line, the young fly-half landed his second kick to extend the lead to 10 points.
Worse was to come for the men in white. Talismanic centre Manu Tuilagi limped off, to be replaced by Jonathan Joseph, then France struck a second hammer blow.
As Ollivon challenged for a kick ahead, England stopped, expecting referee Nigel Owens to blow for a knock-on. But the whistle never came, and Ollivon galloped 30 metres to dive into the left-hand corner.
Ntamack's nerveless conversion made it 17-0, tricolors being waved frantically all round celebrating stands as the brass band behind the England posts blasted out the Can-Can.
Under that intense aural and physical assault England's errors began to mount, debutant George Furbank dropping one pass, captain Owen Farrell knocking on another.
Not since 1988 had England been kept scoreless at half-time in a Five or Six Nations match, but the scoreline reflected a fractured and ugly display.
More to follow.
LINE-UPS
France: Bouthier; Thomas, Vakatawa, Fickou, Rattez; Ntamack, Dupont; Baille, Marchand, Haouas, Le Roux, Willemse, Cros, Ollivon (c), Alldritt.
Replacements: Poirot for Baille (49), Bamba for Haouas (49), Palu for Willemse (57), Woki for Cros (57), Mauvaka for Marchand (67), Jalibert for Ntamack (77) Vincent for Vakatawa (80).
Replacements not used: Serin.
England: Furbank; May, Tuilagi, Farrell (c), Daly; Ford, Youngs; Marler, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Ewels, Lawes, Underhill, Curry.
Replacements: Joseph for Tuilagi (16), Cowan-Dickie for George (49), Genge for Marler (52), Ludlam for Lawes (54), Kruis for Ewels (57), Heinz for Young (62), Stuart for Sinckler (73), Devoto for Ford (76).
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
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Ireland 24-14 Wales: Hosts hand holders first defeat in nine Six Nations games
By Michael Morrow
BBC Sport NI at the Aviva Stadium
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Murray answered critics - Sexton
The reigning Six Nations champions had chances to fight back before Conway's late finish in the corner and missed a glorious chance as, just as Stuart Hogg did last week, when Hadleigh Parkes lost control of the ball as he stretched to ground it over the try-line.
It is Wales' first Six Nations defeat since they last visited Dublin two years ago as their eight-match winning run in the competition came to an end.
Ireland produced a hugely committed display after struggling against Scotland last weekend
Ireland much-improved from Scotland win
A week on from a blunt attacking performance against Scotland, Ireland appeared a far more threatening force as they enjoyed 66% of the first-half territory in a varied and accurate display.
Aided by a narrow Wales defence, the Irish back three of Larmour, Conway and Jacob Stockdale were afforded far more opportunities to run with ball in hand as the hosts constantly sought to send the ball wide.
Conway in particular put in several well-judged territorial plays as the Irish attack found a much better balance.
In midfield Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki provided destructive ball-carrying options as Nick Tompkins, on his first international start, found himself targeted in defence on numerous occasions.
While too easily allowing Ireland into their 22, Wales flexed their defensive muscles in the opening exchanges, forcing three turnovers inside the opening nine minutes.
However Ireland broke the visitors' resistance after 19 minutes, with the pack working through the phases before Larmour stepped inside Tompkins' poor tackle before holding off three defenders to ground.
Tomos Williams breached the Ireland defence to score Wales' first-half try
Williams goes from hero to villain
While on the back foot in terms of possession, Wales' passing was that of a side full of confidence and eight minutes after falling behind a wonderful offload from Alun Wyn Jones to Dan Biggar allowed Williams to run a simple support line and level beneath the posts.
The danger for Ireland was that they would fall victim to the same issue that blighted Scotland last weekend, failing to make hay from their territorial advantage as solid defending kept them at bay.
However three minutes after his try, Williams gifted Ireland with a perfect opportunity as he dropped a regulation catch on his own five-metre line.
From the set-piece Ireland's forwards piled round the corner as Furlong drove over to restore the lead.
Ireland hold out at key stage
Jacob Stockdale says head coach Andy Farrell has given Ireland greater attacking 'licence'
After Van der Flier finished a rolling maul seven minutes after the restart to push Ireland into a two-score lead, Wales set up camp in the Irish half for the first time in the game.
The visitors, who lost talismanic winger Josh Adams to a first-half injury, thought they had wrestled back the momentum when Parkes picked an excellent line to crash over only for replays to show he lost the ball before touching down.
Still Wales remained in Irish territory and, having enjoyed the better of the first-half scrum battle, kept faith in the set-piece as they stayed in position to strike back.
After over 10 minutes in the 22, Wales were penalised for collapsing a five-metre scrum right between the posts allowing Ireland to clear their lines. The roar from the Dublin crowd pointed to the significance of Ireland weathering the storm with 20 minutes remaining.
Just like it was a week ago, much of Ireland's win was owed to a solid defensive structure which held firm when their backs were pinned to the wall.
From that moment the momentum was clearly with the hosts, whose replacements added impetus to their ball carrying.
Another scrum, this time in the Welsh 22, set the platform for Ireland to move the ball right allowing Conway to dive over in the corner and claim the bonus point.
With nothing more than pride left to fight for, Wales rallied one last time and Tipuric stretched to touch down with the last act of the match after CJ Stander's sin-binning had reduced the hosts to 14 men.
Line-ups
Ireland: Larmour; Conway, Henshaw, Aki, Stockdale; Sexton (capt), Murray; Healy, Herring, Furlong, Henderson, Ryan, O'Mahony, Van der Flier, Stander.
Replacements: Kelleher, Kilcoyne, Porter, Toner, Deegan, Cooney, Byrne, Earls.
Wales: Halfpenny; North, Tompkins, Parkes, Adams; Biggar, Williams; Jones, Owens, Lewis; Ball, Wyn Jones (capt), Wainwright, Tipuric, Faletau.
Replacements: Elias, Carre, Brown, Beard, Moriarty, Davies, Evans, McNicholl.
Match officials
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Touch judges: Luke Pearce (England) & Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
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By Michael Morrow
BBC Sport NI at the Aviva Stadium
- 4 hours ago
- From the section Rugby Union
- 387
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Murray answered critics - Sexton
The reigning Six Nations champions had chances to fight back before Conway's late finish in the corner and missed a glorious chance as, just as Stuart Hogg did last week, when Hadleigh Parkes lost control of the ball as he stretched to ground it over the try-line.
It is Wales' first Six Nations defeat since they last visited Dublin two years ago as their eight-match winning run in the competition came to an end.
Ireland produced a hugely committed display after struggling against Scotland last weekend
Ireland much-improved from Scotland win
A week on from a blunt attacking performance against Scotland, Ireland appeared a far more threatening force as they enjoyed 66% of the first-half territory in a varied and accurate display.
Aided by a narrow Wales defence, the Irish back three of Larmour, Conway and Jacob Stockdale were afforded far more opportunities to run with ball in hand as the hosts constantly sought to send the ball wide.
Conway in particular put in several well-judged territorial plays as the Irish attack found a much better balance.
In midfield Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki provided destructive ball-carrying options as Nick Tompkins, on his first international start, found himself targeted in defence on numerous occasions.
While too easily allowing Ireland into their 22, Wales flexed their defensive muscles in the opening exchanges, forcing three turnovers inside the opening nine minutes.
However Ireland broke the visitors' resistance after 19 minutes, with the pack working through the phases before Larmour stepped inside Tompkins' poor tackle before holding off three defenders to ground.
Tomos Williams breached the Ireland defence to score Wales' first-half try
Williams goes from hero to villain
While on the back foot in terms of possession, Wales' passing was that of a side full of confidence and eight minutes after falling behind a wonderful offload from Alun Wyn Jones to Dan Biggar allowed Williams to run a simple support line and level beneath the posts.
The danger for Ireland was that they would fall victim to the same issue that blighted Scotland last weekend, failing to make hay from their territorial advantage as solid defending kept them at bay.
However three minutes after his try, Williams gifted Ireland with a perfect opportunity as he dropped a regulation catch on his own five-metre line.
From the set-piece Ireland's forwards piled round the corner as Furlong drove over to restore the lead.
Ireland hold out at key stage
Jacob Stockdale says head coach Andy Farrell has given Ireland greater attacking 'licence'
After Van der Flier finished a rolling maul seven minutes after the restart to push Ireland into a two-score lead, Wales set up camp in the Irish half for the first time in the game.
The visitors, who lost talismanic winger Josh Adams to a first-half injury, thought they had wrestled back the momentum when Parkes picked an excellent line to crash over only for replays to show he lost the ball before touching down.
Still Wales remained in Irish territory and, having enjoyed the better of the first-half scrum battle, kept faith in the set-piece as they stayed in position to strike back.
After over 10 minutes in the 22, Wales were penalised for collapsing a five-metre scrum right between the posts allowing Ireland to clear their lines. The roar from the Dublin crowd pointed to the significance of Ireland weathering the storm with 20 minutes remaining.
Just like it was a week ago, much of Ireland's win was owed to a solid defensive structure which held firm when their backs were pinned to the wall.
From that moment the momentum was clearly with the hosts, whose replacements added impetus to their ball carrying.
Another scrum, this time in the Welsh 22, set the platform for Ireland to move the ball right allowing Conway to dive over in the corner and claim the bonus point.
With nothing more than pride left to fight for, Wales rallied one last time and Tipuric stretched to touch down with the last act of the match after CJ Stander's sin-binning had reduced the hosts to 14 men.
Line-ups
Ireland: Larmour; Conway, Henshaw, Aki, Stockdale; Sexton (capt), Murray; Healy, Herring, Furlong, Henderson, Ryan, O'Mahony, Van der Flier, Stander.
Replacements: Kelleher, Kilcoyne, Porter, Toner, Deegan, Cooney, Byrne, Earls.
Wales: Halfpenny; North, Tompkins, Parkes, Adams; Biggar, Williams; Jones, Owens, Lewis; Ball, Wyn Jones (capt), Wainwright, Tipuric, Faletau.
Replacements: Elias, Carre, Brown, Beard, Moriarty, Davies, Evans, McNicholl.
Match officials
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Touch judges: Luke Pearce (England) & Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
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Scotland 6-13 England: Visitors reclaim Calcutta Cup and keep Six Nations title hopes alive
By Tom English
BBC Scotland at Murrayfield
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Genge calls England critics 'sausages'
'Rugby from another dimension'
This was a much-needed victory for England after a bruising loss in Paris. Eddie Jones' men just about deserved it, but the contest was wretched, a million miles from the epic 38-38 draw of last season.
A losing bonus point will come as small comfort to Townsend. The Scots found it ferociously difficult to live with Sam Underhill and Tom Curry at the breakdown and impossible to catch their own ball in the line-out. The key moment was a dreadful mistake by Stuart Hogg, for the second week running.
Storm Ciara was due to blow into town in time for the kick-off and, sure enough, an hour or so before it all began, she fetched up with her rain and her gales bringing any notion of an attacking spectacle to its knees.
It was brutal out there. Scotland lost five line-outs, and precious momentum, in the opening 40 minutes - some down to crass errors, most of them due to the foul conditions. England, who couldn't have been playing more conservatively had they all taken the field with Tory party rosettes on their jerseys, lost two.
Playing against the wind, they kicked ball after ball, forcing errors from Scotland and taking the lead when the home side were done on the floor. Farrell missed his first penalty earlier, banged over his second and missed his third.
This was rugby from another dimension. Had a woolly mammoth, extinct for an age, wandered across the pitch you wouldn't have missed a beat. Had a try been scored it would have been a moment of genuine shock and awe.
Scotland wasted great field position last week in Dublin and they let a few opportunities slip here as well. England were dominant at the breakdown, but error-strewn in so many departments. Everything was understandably, but maddeningly, stop-start.
Hogg's 'howitzer mess-up'
The hosts had a bit more about them in the second half, beginning with a thunder that was sparked by big Rory Sutherland, the renaissance prop who came steaming back into Test rugby in Dublin. Sutherland's big bust of the English defence was the catalyst for Scotland drawing level.
England survived a battering, their defence holding out against Scotland surges. That home pressure didn't bring them a try - on a day when a try was always going to be good enough to get the win - but they left with three points from Hastings after Underhill was penalised for not releasing.
They came again when George Ford and Jonny May fluffed their lines in defence and more heat was piled on through hard carries from Sutherland and Zander Fagerson and their hard-running chums. England held out, perhaps a little luckily. Kyle Sinckler lifted the siege with a rip from Jonny Gray but did it while he was on the floor.
The blunder count rose high, towering over the top of the stadium. Scotland lost a seventh, and later an eighth line-out, and Farrell missed a third shot at goal. Onwards we went, ever deeper into mistake-land.
The absolute howitzer mess-up came from Hogg, a week after his spectacular spill over the Irish tryline. This was the game. The Scotland captain retreated to deal with a ball under his posts, but made a desperate hash of it. Initially, it looked like he'd spilled it to Farrell, who immediately touched down.
The TMO advised that Hogg had carried it over his line but had, indeed, grounded the ball. So, scrum England. And try England. They went through a couple of phases, got it to Genge and then launched Maro Itoje, Curry and Ben Earl in behind him to power over. Farrell converted for a 10-3 lead. Scotland were distraught.
Farrell then put over another penalty to stretch the gap to 10, Hastings rescuing a losing bonus soon after. Seventy-eight minutes had been played at that stage. Frankly, it felt like 78 hours.
Stuart Hogg just managed to ground a bobbling England kick but the visitors soon scored a try
Line-ups
Scotland: Hogg (capt); Maitland, Jones, Johnson, Kinghorn; Hastings, Price; Sutherland, Brown, Fagerson, Cummings, Gray, Ritchie, Watson, Bradbury.
Replacements: McInally, Dell, Berghan, Toolis, Haining, Horne, Hutchinson, Harris.
England: Furbank; May, Joseph, Farrell (capt), Daly; Ford, Heinz; Vunipola, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Kruis, Ludlam, Underhill, Curry.
Replacements: Dunn, Genge, Stuart, Launchbury, Lawes, Earl, Youngs, Devoto.
Referee: Pascal Gauzere (France)
Touch judges: Mathieu Raynal (France) & Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO: James Leckie (Australia)
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By Tom English
BBC Scotland at Murrayfield
- 1 hour ago
- From the section Rugby Union
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Genge calls England critics 'sausages'
'Rugby from another dimension'
This was a much-needed victory for England after a bruising loss in Paris. Eddie Jones' men just about deserved it, but the contest was wretched, a million miles from the epic 38-38 draw of last season.
A losing bonus point will come as small comfort to Townsend. The Scots found it ferociously difficult to live with Sam Underhill and Tom Curry at the breakdown and impossible to catch their own ball in the line-out. The key moment was a dreadful mistake by Stuart Hogg, for the second week running.
Storm Ciara was due to blow into town in time for the kick-off and, sure enough, an hour or so before it all began, she fetched up with her rain and her gales bringing any notion of an attacking spectacle to its knees.
It was brutal out there. Scotland lost five line-outs, and precious momentum, in the opening 40 minutes - some down to crass errors, most of them due to the foul conditions. England, who couldn't have been playing more conservatively had they all taken the field with Tory party rosettes on their jerseys, lost two.
Playing against the wind, they kicked ball after ball, forcing errors from Scotland and taking the lead when the home side were done on the floor. Farrell missed his first penalty earlier, banged over his second and missed his third.
This was rugby from another dimension. Had a woolly mammoth, extinct for an age, wandered across the pitch you wouldn't have missed a beat. Had a try been scored it would have been a moment of genuine shock and awe.
Scotland wasted great field position last week in Dublin and they let a few opportunities slip here as well. England were dominant at the breakdown, but error-strewn in so many departments. Everything was understandably, but maddeningly, stop-start.
Hogg's 'howitzer mess-up'
The hosts had a bit more about them in the second half, beginning with a thunder that was sparked by big Rory Sutherland, the renaissance prop who came steaming back into Test rugby in Dublin. Sutherland's big bust of the English defence was the catalyst for Scotland drawing level.
England survived a battering, their defence holding out against Scotland surges. That home pressure didn't bring them a try - on a day when a try was always going to be good enough to get the win - but they left with three points from Hastings after Underhill was penalised for not releasing.
They came again when George Ford and Jonny May fluffed their lines in defence and more heat was piled on through hard carries from Sutherland and Zander Fagerson and their hard-running chums. England held out, perhaps a little luckily. Kyle Sinckler lifted the siege with a rip from Jonny Gray but did it while he was on the floor.
The blunder count rose high, towering over the top of the stadium. Scotland lost a seventh, and later an eighth line-out, and Farrell missed a third shot at goal. Onwards we went, ever deeper into mistake-land.
The absolute howitzer mess-up came from Hogg, a week after his spectacular spill over the Irish tryline. This was the game. The Scotland captain retreated to deal with a ball under his posts, but made a desperate hash of it. Initially, it looked like he'd spilled it to Farrell, who immediately touched down.
The TMO advised that Hogg had carried it over his line but had, indeed, grounded the ball. So, scrum England. And try England. They went through a couple of phases, got it to Genge and then launched Maro Itoje, Curry and Ben Earl in behind him to power over. Farrell converted for a 10-3 lead. Scotland were distraught.
Farrell then put over another penalty to stretch the gap to 10, Hastings rescuing a losing bonus soon after. Seventy-eight minutes had been played at that stage. Frankly, it felt like 78 hours.
Stuart Hogg just managed to ground a bobbling England kick but the visitors soon scored a try
Line-ups
Scotland: Hogg (capt); Maitland, Jones, Johnson, Kinghorn; Hastings, Price; Sutherland, Brown, Fagerson, Cummings, Gray, Ritchie, Watson, Bradbury.
Replacements: McInally, Dell, Berghan, Toolis, Haining, Horne, Hutchinson, Harris.
England: Furbank; May, Joseph, Farrell (capt), Daly; Ford, Heinz; Vunipola, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Kruis, Ludlam, Underhill, Curry.
Replacements: Dunn, Genge, Stuart, Launchbury, Lawes, Earl, Youngs, Devoto.
Referee: Pascal Gauzere (France)
Touch judges: Mathieu Raynal (France) & Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO: James Leckie (Australia)
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France 35-22 Italy: Les Bleus remain unbeaten after bonus-point win against Italy
Wing Teddy Thomas (centre) scored France's first try
2020 Six Nations: France v Italy
France: (23) 35
Tries: Thomas, Ollivon, Alldritt, Ntamack, Serin Cons: Ntamack, Jalibert Pens: Ntamack 2
Italy: (10) 22
Tries: Minozzi, Zani, Bellini Cons: Allan 2 Pens: Allan
France remain unbeaten in the Six Nations after a bonus-point win despite a lacklustre second half against Italy.
The hosts started strongly with tries from Teddy Thomas and Charles Ollivon before Italy's Matteo Minozzi scored.
A Tommaso Allan penalty cut France's lead to three, but Gregory Alldritt went over just before the break.
Romain Ntamack's try sealed the bonus point, before Italy's Federico Zani scored and France's Baptiste Serin finished off an individual effort.
Mattia Bellini added a consolation score for Italy, but France held on for a victory which sees them move to the top of the table.
More to follow.
LINE-UPS
France: Bouthier; Thomas, Vincent, Fickou, Rattez; Ntamack, Dupont; Baille, Marchand, Haouas, Le Roux, Willemse, Cros, Ollivon (c), Alldritt.
Replacements: Mauvaka, Poirot, Bamba, Taofifenua, Palu, Woki, Serin, Jalibert.
Italy: Hayward; Bellini, Morisi, Canna, Minozzi; Allan, Braley; Lovotti, Bigi (c), Zilocchi, Zanni, Cannone, Polledri, Negri, Steyn.
Replacements: Zani, Fischetti, Riccioni, Budd, Ruzza, Licata, Palazzani, Bisegni.
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Wing Teddy Thomas (centre) scored France's first try
2020 Six Nations: France v Italy
France: (23) 35
Tries: Thomas, Ollivon, Alldritt, Ntamack, Serin Cons: Ntamack, Jalibert Pens: Ntamack 2
Italy: (10) 22
Tries: Minozzi, Zani, Bellini Cons: Allan 2 Pens: Allan
France remain unbeaten in the Six Nations after a bonus-point win despite a lacklustre second half against Italy.
The hosts started strongly with tries from Teddy Thomas and Charles Ollivon before Italy's Matteo Minozzi scored.
A Tommaso Allan penalty cut France's lead to three, but Gregory Alldritt went over just before the break.
Romain Ntamack's try sealed the bonus point, before Italy's Federico Zani scored and France's Baptiste Serin finished off an individual effort.
Mattia Bellini added a consolation score for Italy, but France held on for a victory which sees them move to the top of the table.
More to follow.
LINE-UPS
France: Bouthier; Thomas, Vincent, Fickou, Rattez; Ntamack, Dupont; Baille, Marchand, Haouas, Le Roux, Willemse, Cros, Ollivon (c), Alldritt.
Replacements: Mauvaka, Poirot, Bamba, Taofifenua, Palu, Woki, Serin, Jalibert.
Italy: Hayward; Bellini, Morisi, Canna, Minozzi; Allan, Braley; Lovotti, Bigi (c), Zilocchi, Zanni, Cannone, Polledri, Negri, Steyn.
Replacements: Zani, Fischetti, Riccioni, Budd, Ruzza, Licata, Palazzani, Bisegni.
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Six Nations 2020: Italy 0-17 Scotland - Hogg, Harris & Hastings with tries
By Tom English
Six Nations 2020: Scotland ease past Italy in Rome
Six Nations
Italy (0) 0
Scotland (5) 17
Tries: Hogg, Harris, Hastings Cons: Hastings
Scotland ran in three tries against Italy to earn their first win in six games in the Six Nations and ease the pressure on head coach Gregor Townsend.
Captain Stuart Hogg's stunning solo effort in Rome was the Scots' first of the campaign and was added to after the break by centre Chris Harris and late on by fly-half Adam Hastings.
Italy, searching for a first Six Nations win in 25 matches since beating Scotland in 2015, failed to breach a resolute defence and are rooted at the bottom of the table after three games.
Scotland, though, can look forward to the visit of France on 8 March with renewed confidence, before ending their campaign against Wales in Cardiff six days later.
Ugly, but a win is a win
Having won just one of their previous seven in the championship, this was a game Scotland had to win, not just for their morale but for Townsend, who would have come under ferocious pressure had this one gone south. They won, but nobody was doing cartwheels on the full-time whistle.
Harris, Hogg and Hastings, the try-scorers, all spoke afterwards in the low-key style of men who knew that Scotland have masses of work to do. And they do. This was ugly, but it was a 17-point win. Scotland are not in the business of turning their noses up at 17-point wins no matter how they are achieved.
It was nervous out there. Scotland's recent problems in finishing the chances they created came back to bite them again early on when they worked it to Italy's line only for Magnus Bradbury to knock it on when a little more patience would surely have brought a score.
Bradbury, it has to be said, went on to have a big game along with outstanding back-row colleagues Hamish Watson and Jamie Ritchie.
Mistakes ruled. Scotland kicked out on the full, Italy got turned over on the floor. Hastings had a gimme three points, but missed the penalty from close range, then put in a poor kick that was seized on by the Azzurri, who attacked through Mattia Bellini and Jayden Hayward. Hastings had a rough time of it, missing three kicks at goal on a fractious day.
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Scotland's captain Stuart Hogg gives Scotland their first try of this year's Six Nations
An Italian chance went when Scotland's scramble defence snuffed it out and back we went to the anxiety of two teams who have almost forgotten how to win game of this import. The match was finally lit up by Hogg's moment of world class, a counter-attack that saw him getting the ball in his own half and running at pace at the retreating Italians.
He accelerated between Luca Morisi and Sebastian Negri and then stepped outside Hayward, all of it done at break-neck speed. It was his 20th Test try and he has scarcely scored a better one. No way was he dropping it this time. In a repeat of his touchdown for Exeter last weekend, Hogg hugged the ball to his chest and grounded it safely.
Scotland thought they had scored again soon after but Watson's pass to Sam Johnson was forward and Ali Price's finish was ruled out. Italy, playing a frenetic new style, carried a threat and bust Scotland open on a couple of occasions but could not find the accuracy when they needed it most.
They had a chance to get on the board but Tommaso Allan's penalty came slapping back off an upright.
Balm of victory soothes Scots
Another Scottish chance went begging before the break when they lost control short of the line and, just after the interval, they coughed up another opportunity. That one was painfully close, Watson taking it up, Bradbury piling though in support and then popping it to Ritchie, who was in the act of scoring when Jake Polledri hit him hard and dislodged the ball from his grip.
Italy's respite was relatively brief, though. Their exit was poor and once again they got done at the breakdown. Fifteen phases of grunt later, Harris battered his way through Matteo Minozzi to make it 10-0. It was not pretty - in fact it was gruesome - but it was effective.
Chris Harris barged over to double Scotland's lead
Hastings' challenging afternoon continued with a missed conversion and then a loose pass that handed Italy momentum. They came roaring downfield and once more the Scots were scrambling in their own 22 - and scrambling excellently. Just when it looked like the home team might get their breakthrough, Bradbury turned over ball and the danger passed.
Just before the hour, Scotland should have put it to bed but Hogg went himself when he should have found Sean Maitland, who would have a fairly straightforward route to the line had the ball been put in his mitts.
As a Test, it was massively flawed. So many unforced mistakes, so little quality. It was bottom-of-the-table stuff in every sense. Scotland will breathe a mighty sigh of relief having won it, but they had better set aside a full day this week to pore over the errors they made, the chances they blew, the passes they forced, the kicks that went astray.
Italy's woe carried on when Federico Zani, the substitute hooker, was binned for a dangerous tackle on Grant Gilchrist. Things went from bad to worse while Zani was away.
With two minutes left on the clock, Italy launched a promising attack in pursuit of a losing bonus-point score. They got into Scotland's 22 but their horrors on the floor did for them again when Gilchrist turned them over. The Scots countered and Hastings was put away to score with ease. He converted, with a drop goal, and the gap stretched out to 17.
A Scotland win on the road, then. That's something they have always found difficult no matter where they happen to be playing. It provided some desperately needed cheer amid difficult times, but this was a tough watch.
Italy were poor and have fallen now to a 25th defeat in a row in the Six Nations. At least Scotland have the balm of a victory as they ready themselves for the arrival of France in a fortnight.
Line-ups
Italy: Hayward; Bellini, Morisi, Canna, Minozzi; Allan, Braley; Lovotti, Bigi (captain), Zilocchi, Zanni, Cannone, Polledri, Negri, Steyn.
Replacements: Zani, Fischetti, Riccioni, Lazzaroni, Budd, Licata, Palazzani, Bisegni.
Scotland: Hogg (captain); Maitland, Harris, Johnson, Kinghorn; Hastings, Price; Sutherland, McInally, Z Fagerson, Toolis, Cummings, Ritchie, Watson, Bradbury.
Replacements: Brown, Dell, Nel, Gilchrist, M Fagerson, Horne, Hutchinson, McGuigan.
Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Mathieu Raynal (France) & Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)
Swami
By Tom English
Six Nations 2020: Scotland ease past Italy in Rome
Six Nations
Italy (0) 0
Scotland (5) 17
Tries: Hogg, Harris, Hastings Cons: Hastings
Scotland ran in three tries against Italy to earn their first win in six games in the Six Nations and ease the pressure on head coach Gregor Townsend.
Captain Stuart Hogg's stunning solo effort in Rome was the Scots' first of the campaign and was added to after the break by centre Chris Harris and late on by fly-half Adam Hastings.
Italy, searching for a first Six Nations win in 25 matches since beating Scotland in 2015, failed to breach a resolute defence and are rooted at the bottom of the table after three games.
Scotland, though, can look forward to the visit of France on 8 March with renewed confidence, before ending their campaign against Wales in Cardiff six days later.
Ugly, but a win is a win
Having won just one of their previous seven in the championship, this was a game Scotland had to win, not just for their morale but for Townsend, who would have come under ferocious pressure had this one gone south. They won, but nobody was doing cartwheels on the full-time whistle.
Harris, Hogg and Hastings, the try-scorers, all spoke afterwards in the low-key style of men who knew that Scotland have masses of work to do. And they do. This was ugly, but it was a 17-point win. Scotland are not in the business of turning their noses up at 17-point wins no matter how they are achieved.
It was nervous out there. Scotland's recent problems in finishing the chances they created came back to bite them again early on when they worked it to Italy's line only for Magnus Bradbury to knock it on when a little more patience would surely have brought a score.
Bradbury, it has to be said, went on to have a big game along with outstanding back-row colleagues Hamish Watson and Jamie Ritchie.
Mistakes ruled. Scotland kicked out on the full, Italy got turned over on the floor. Hastings had a gimme three points, but missed the penalty from close range, then put in a poor kick that was seized on by the Azzurri, who attacked through Mattia Bellini and Jayden Hayward. Hastings had a rough time of it, missing three kicks at goal on a fractious day.
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Scotland's captain Stuart Hogg gives Scotland their first try of this year's Six Nations
An Italian chance went when Scotland's scramble defence snuffed it out and back we went to the anxiety of two teams who have almost forgotten how to win game of this import. The match was finally lit up by Hogg's moment of world class, a counter-attack that saw him getting the ball in his own half and running at pace at the retreating Italians.
He accelerated between Luca Morisi and Sebastian Negri and then stepped outside Hayward, all of it done at break-neck speed. It was his 20th Test try and he has scarcely scored a better one. No way was he dropping it this time. In a repeat of his touchdown for Exeter last weekend, Hogg hugged the ball to his chest and grounded it safely.
Scotland thought they had scored again soon after but Watson's pass to Sam Johnson was forward and Ali Price's finish was ruled out. Italy, playing a frenetic new style, carried a threat and bust Scotland open on a couple of occasions but could not find the accuracy when they needed it most.
They had a chance to get on the board but Tommaso Allan's penalty came slapping back off an upright.
Balm of victory soothes Scots
Another Scottish chance went begging before the break when they lost control short of the line and, just after the interval, they coughed up another opportunity. That one was painfully close, Watson taking it up, Bradbury piling though in support and then popping it to Ritchie, who was in the act of scoring when Jake Polledri hit him hard and dislodged the ball from his grip.
Italy's respite was relatively brief, though. Their exit was poor and once again they got done at the breakdown. Fifteen phases of grunt later, Harris battered his way through Matteo Minozzi to make it 10-0. It was not pretty - in fact it was gruesome - but it was effective.
Chris Harris barged over to double Scotland's lead
Hastings' challenging afternoon continued with a missed conversion and then a loose pass that handed Italy momentum. They came roaring downfield and once more the Scots were scrambling in their own 22 - and scrambling excellently. Just when it looked like the home team might get their breakthrough, Bradbury turned over ball and the danger passed.
Just before the hour, Scotland should have put it to bed but Hogg went himself when he should have found Sean Maitland, who would have a fairly straightforward route to the line had the ball been put in his mitts.
As a Test, it was massively flawed. So many unforced mistakes, so little quality. It was bottom-of-the-table stuff in every sense. Scotland will breathe a mighty sigh of relief having won it, but they had better set aside a full day this week to pore over the errors they made, the chances they blew, the passes they forced, the kicks that went astray.
Italy's woe carried on when Federico Zani, the substitute hooker, was binned for a dangerous tackle on Grant Gilchrist. Things went from bad to worse while Zani was away.
With two minutes left on the clock, Italy launched a promising attack in pursuit of a losing bonus-point score. They got into Scotland's 22 but their horrors on the floor did for them again when Gilchrist turned them over. The Scots countered and Hastings was put away to score with ease. He converted, with a drop goal, and the gap stretched out to 17.
A Scotland win on the road, then. That's something they have always found difficult no matter where they happen to be playing. It provided some desperately needed cheer amid difficult times, but this was a tough watch.
Italy were poor and have fallen now to a 25th defeat in a row in the Six Nations. At least Scotland have the balm of a victory as they ready themselves for the arrival of France in a fortnight.
Line-ups
Italy: Hayward; Bellini, Morisi, Canna, Minozzi; Allan, Braley; Lovotti, Bigi (captain), Zilocchi, Zanni, Cannone, Polledri, Negri, Steyn.
Replacements: Zani, Fischetti, Riccioni, Lazzaroni, Budd, Licata, Palazzani, Bisegni.
Scotland: Hogg (captain); Maitland, Harris, Johnson, Kinghorn; Hastings, Price; Sutherland, McInally, Z Fagerson, Toolis, Cummings, Ritchie, Watson, Bradbury.
Replacements: Brown, Dell, Nel, Gilchrist, M Fagerson, Horne, Hutchinson, McGuigan.
Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Mathieu Raynal (France) & Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)
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Six Nations 2020: Wales 23-27 France - Ntamack shines as French Grand Slam hopes survive
By Gareth Griffiths
2020 Guinness Six Nations: Wales v France
Wales (9) 23
Tries: Lewis, Biggar Cons: Biggar 2 Pens: Biggar 3
France(17) 27
Tries: Bouthier, Willemse, Ntamack Cons: Ntamack 3 Pens: Ntamack 2
France remain on course for a first Grand Slam for 10 years as they celebrated a first victory in Cardiff since 2010 with a 27-23 win.
Fly-half Romain Ntamack's 17-point haul included a try with full-back Anthony Bouthier and second-row Paul Willemse also crossing.
Defending champions Wales responded with 18 points from Dan Biggar including a late try.
Prop Dillon Lewis also crossed for his first international try.
France overcame yellow cards for Gregory Alldritt and Mohamed Haouas and Wales will wonder about a second-half decision which could have yielded a penalty try but was not given.
It was Wales' second defeat in three matches under Wayne Pivac and hopes of defending their title appear to have disappeared.
It was a captivating contest but the loss also represented Wales' first home Six Nations defeat for three years as France beat their opponents for only the second time in 10 games.
It proved a winning return to the Principality Stadium for Shaun Edwards who spent 12 years as Wales defence coach under Warren Gatland before linking up with France.
There was plenty of pre-match controversy with Wales prop Wyn Jones accusing France of illegal tactics at the scrum. France coach Fabien Galthie countered by describing that as a lack of respect for the nation.
Team manager Raphael Ibanez described the Welsh comments as puerile and questioned whether Wales fly-half Dan Biggar should have been playing after he failed a head injury assessment in the 24-14 defeat against Ireland.
Biggar completed all the concussion protocols with Wales saying they sought the advice of a globally renowned concussion expert to review the fly-half's return.
Wales made two changes to their starting side with scrum-half Gareth Davies and flanker Ross Moriarty replacing Tomos Williams and Aaron Wainwright.
It enabled the home side to boast the most experienced starting side in Six Nations history with 859 caps to 234 caps for France.
Centre Virimi Vakatawa was the only fresh face in the France line-up with Gael Fickou switching to the wing.
The first scrum was always going to provoke interest because of the pre-match posturing but the second minute set-piece went off without incident although it laid the platform for France to concede a ruck offence and Biggar slotted over the penalty.
Teddy Thomas (left) scored in France's win over Italy
France responded within seven minutes when a normally reliable Leigh Halfpenny dropped a high Ntamack kick with Bouthier sprinting away to score. Ntamack converted.
Wales lost George North to a head injury assessment after 11 minutes following a heavy challenge by Fickou with Johnny McNicholl permanently replacing him.
Ntamack continued to drive France forward and slotted over a penalty after Lewis was guilty of a ruck transgression.
Under Edwards' influence, France ferociously counter-rucked to put Wales under constant pressure in possession but they also pushed the offside line with one infringement resulting in a Biggar penalty.
France appeared to have responded with a brilliant second try for Fickou following a clever Ntamack chip kick but the Bouthier pass to Vakatawa was deemed forward following television replays.
That decision only delayed matters as Willemse powered over from a driving lineout as he bumped off an attempted McNicholl tackle. Ntamack converted.
Wales responded with a third Biggar penalty and the visitors' constant offending resulted in a warning from English referee Matt Carley. Number eight Alldritt paid the price with a yellow card just before half-time.
Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones opted for a try attempt rather than kick a fourth penalty and launch a fresh attack at the start of the second-half with the extra man.
The gamble backfired as France held out to lead 17-9 at the interval as the home side botched their attacking opportunities and Wales wasted almost five minutes.
France ran down the clock after half-time and Wales managed no points with the numerical advantage before Alldritt returned.
Wales scored almost immediately when equal numbers were restored as prop Lewis dived over for his first international try. Biggar converted to reduce the deficit to one point.
Romain Ntamack scored 17 of France's 27 points against Wales
All the momentum appeared to be with Wales until the classy Romain Ntamack intercepted a Tompkins pass to sprint away to score a converted try that mirrored his father Emile's score against Wales 20 years ago.
An Ntamack penalty extended the deficit to 11 points before Willemse escaped giving away a penalty try after he knocked the ball forward. After watching television replays, Carley stuck with assistant referee Karl Dickson's decision it was just a knock-on.
Wing Josh Adams was forced off the field with an ankle problem which forced a major backline reshuffle as fly-half Jarrod Evans came on in the centre and Tompkins switched to wing.
Prop Mohamed Haouas was yellow-carded for persistent scrummaging offences before France cleared the danger.
Biggar dived over for a converted try following clever work from new cap Will Rowlands and Aaron Wainwright to reduce the deficit to four points with five minutes remaining to set up an enthralling finale.
A tremendous Tompkins break was snuffed out by a brilliant turnover by France replacement hooker Camille Chat to break Wales hearts.
Line-ups
Wales: 15-Leigh Halfpenny, 14-George North, 13-Nick Tompkins, 12-Hadleigh Parkes, 11-Josh Adams, 10-Dan Biggar, 9-Gareth Davies; 1-Wyn Jones. 2-Ken Owens, 3-Dillon Lewis, 4-Jake Ball, 5-Alun Wyn Jones (captain), 6-Ross Moriarty, 7-Justin Tipuric, 8-Taulupe Faletau
Replacements: 16-Ryan Elias, 17-Rob Evans, 18-Leon Brown, 19-Will Rowlands, 20-Aaron Wainwright, 21-Tomos Williams, 22-Jarrod Evans, 23-Johnny McNicholl
France: 15-Anthony Bouthier, 14-Teddy Thomas, 13-Virimi Vakatawa, 12-Arthur Vincent, 11-Gael Fickou, 10-Romain Ntamack, 9-Antoine Dupont; 1-Cyril Baille, 2-Julien Marchand, 3-Mohamed Haouas, 4-Bernard Le Roux, 5-Paul Willemse, 6-Francois Cros, 7-Charles Ollivon (captain), 8-Gregory Alldritt
Replacements: 16-Camille Chat, 17-Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18-Demba Bamba, 19-Romain Taofifenua, 20-Dylan Cretin, 21-Baptiste Serin, 22-Mathieu Jalibert, 23-Thomas Ramos
Match officials
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England) & Karl Dickson (England)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
Swami
By Gareth Griffiths
2020 Guinness Six Nations: Wales v France
Wales (9) 23
Tries: Lewis, Biggar Cons: Biggar 2 Pens: Biggar 3
France(17) 27
Tries: Bouthier, Willemse, Ntamack Cons: Ntamack 3 Pens: Ntamack 2
France remain on course for a first Grand Slam for 10 years as they celebrated a first victory in Cardiff since 2010 with a 27-23 win.
Fly-half Romain Ntamack's 17-point haul included a try with full-back Anthony Bouthier and second-row Paul Willemse also crossing.
Defending champions Wales responded with 18 points from Dan Biggar including a late try.
Prop Dillon Lewis also crossed for his first international try.
France overcame yellow cards for Gregory Alldritt and Mohamed Haouas and Wales will wonder about a second-half decision which could have yielded a penalty try but was not given.
It was Wales' second defeat in three matches under Wayne Pivac and hopes of defending their title appear to have disappeared.
It was a captivating contest but the loss also represented Wales' first home Six Nations defeat for three years as France beat their opponents for only the second time in 10 games.
It proved a winning return to the Principality Stadium for Shaun Edwards who spent 12 years as Wales defence coach under Warren Gatland before linking up with France.
There was plenty of pre-match controversy with Wales prop Wyn Jones accusing France of illegal tactics at the scrum. France coach Fabien Galthie countered by describing that as a lack of respect for the nation.
Team manager Raphael Ibanez described the Welsh comments as puerile and questioned whether Wales fly-half Dan Biggar should have been playing after he failed a head injury assessment in the 24-14 defeat against Ireland.
Biggar completed all the concussion protocols with Wales saying they sought the advice of a globally renowned concussion expert to review the fly-half's return.
Wales made two changes to their starting side with scrum-half Gareth Davies and flanker Ross Moriarty replacing Tomos Williams and Aaron Wainwright.
It enabled the home side to boast the most experienced starting side in Six Nations history with 859 caps to 234 caps for France.
Centre Virimi Vakatawa was the only fresh face in the France line-up with Gael Fickou switching to the wing.
The first scrum was always going to provoke interest because of the pre-match posturing but the second minute set-piece went off without incident although it laid the platform for France to concede a ruck offence and Biggar slotted over the penalty.
Teddy Thomas (left) scored in France's win over Italy
France responded within seven minutes when a normally reliable Leigh Halfpenny dropped a high Ntamack kick with Bouthier sprinting away to score. Ntamack converted.
Wales lost George North to a head injury assessment after 11 minutes following a heavy challenge by Fickou with Johnny McNicholl permanently replacing him.
Ntamack continued to drive France forward and slotted over a penalty after Lewis was guilty of a ruck transgression.
Under Edwards' influence, France ferociously counter-rucked to put Wales under constant pressure in possession but they also pushed the offside line with one infringement resulting in a Biggar penalty.
France appeared to have responded with a brilliant second try for Fickou following a clever Ntamack chip kick but the Bouthier pass to Vakatawa was deemed forward following television replays.
That decision only delayed matters as Willemse powered over from a driving lineout as he bumped off an attempted McNicholl tackle. Ntamack converted.
Wales responded with a third Biggar penalty and the visitors' constant offending resulted in a warning from English referee Matt Carley. Number eight Alldritt paid the price with a yellow card just before half-time.
Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones opted for a try attempt rather than kick a fourth penalty and launch a fresh attack at the start of the second-half with the extra man.
The gamble backfired as France held out to lead 17-9 at the interval as the home side botched their attacking opportunities and Wales wasted almost five minutes.
France ran down the clock after half-time and Wales managed no points with the numerical advantage before Alldritt returned.
Wales scored almost immediately when equal numbers were restored as prop Lewis dived over for his first international try. Biggar converted to reduce the deficit to one point.
Romain Ntamack scored 17 of France's 27 points against Wales
All the momentum appeared to be with Wales until the classy Romain Ntamack intercepted a Tompkins pass to sprint away to score a converted try that mirrored his father Emile's score against Wales 20 years ago.
An Ntamack penalty extended the deficit to 11 points before Willemse escaped giving away a penalty try after he knocked the ball forward. After watching television replays, Carley stuck with assistant referee Karl Dickson's decision it was just a knock-on.
Wing Josh Adams was forced off the field with an ankle problem which forced a major backline reshuffle as fly-half Jarrod Evans came on in the centre and Tompkins switched to wing.
Prop Mohamed Haouas was yellow-carded for persistent scrummaging offences before France cleared the danger.
Biggar dived over for a converted try following clever work from new cap Will Rowlands and Aaron Wainwright to reduce the deficit to four points with five minutes remaining to set up an enthralling finale.
A tremendous Tompkins break was snuffed out by a brilliant turnover by France replacement hooker Camille Chat to break Wales hearts.
Line-ups
Wales: 15-Leigh Halfpenny, 14-George North, 13-Nick Tompkins, 12-Hadleigh Parkes, 11-Josh Adams, 10-Dan Biggar, 9-Gareth Davies; 1-Wyn Jones. 2-Ken Owens, 3-Dillon Lewis, 4-Jake Ball, 5-Alun Wyn Jones (captain), 6-Ross Moriarty, 7-Justin Tipuric, 8-Taulupe Faletau
Replacements: 16-Ryan Elias, 17-Rob Evans, 18-Leon Brown, 19-Will Rowlands, 20-Aaron Wainwright, 21-Tomos Williams, 22-Jarrod Evans, 23-Johnny McNicholl
France: 15-Anthony Bouthier, 14-Teddy Thomas, 13-Virimi Vakatawa, 12-Arthur Vincent, 11-Gael Fickou, 10-Romain Ntamack, 9-Antoine Dupont; 1-Cyril Baille, 2-Julien Marchand, 3-Mohamed Haouas, 4-Bernard Le Roux, 5-Paul Willemse, 6-Francois Cros, 7-Charles Ollivon (captain), 8-Gregory Alldritt
Replacements: 16-Camille Chat, 17-Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18-Demba Bamba, 19-Romain Taofifenua, 20-Dylan Cretin, 21-Baptiste Serin, 22-Mathieu Jalibert, 23-Thomas Ramos
Match officials
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England) & Karl Dickson (England)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Nations 2020: England beat Ireland to keep title hopes alive
Luke Cowan-Dickie's try midway through the second half ensured England's victory
Six Nations: England v Ireland
England: (17) 24
Tries: Ford, Daly, Cowan-Dickie Pens: Farrell Cons: Farrell 3
Ireland: (0) 12
Tries: Henshaw, Porter Cons: Cooney
England ended Ireland's Grand Slam hopes in brutal fashion as they rediscovered some of their World Cup form to reignite their own title hopes.
First-half tries from George Ford and Elliot Daly after Irish defensive errors plus two conversions and a penalty from Owen Farrell gave England a commanding 17-0 lead.
Ireland struck back with a try from Robbie Henshaw but with Johnny Sexton uncharacteristically wayward off the tee, they never seriously threatened a comeback.
Luke Cowan-Dickie drove over for England's third midway through the second half, with replacement Andrew Porter's late try no sort of consolation for Ireland.
With Wales at home in a fortnight before a trip to Italy, Eddie Jones' men will believe they can finish the championship in style, although they may need Ireland to do them a favour and beat France in Dublin next month.
For the men in green and their head coach Andy Farrell it was a chastening afternoon, all the optimism created by the wins over Scotland and Wales leaching away in a display that was ponderous until the game was gone.
England capitalise on Irish errors
CJ Stander lost his shirt in a first-half tussle with Maro Itoje
England began at a real lick, Manu Tuilagi punching holes through the middle and going close down the left before Andrew Conway hauled him down.
And the reward came when Ben Youngs stuck a grubber kick through, Sexton dithered and juggled in his own in-goal area and Ford seized on the loose ball to touch down.
Sexton then mis-kicked horribly with a straightforward penalty from 30 metres out and England set up camp again in the Ireland half.
Jonathan Joseph danced through in midfield after a mis-hit clearing kick from Conor Murray as Maro Itoje and CJ Stander scrapped in the 22, and England's forwards hammered away at the Ireland line.
With a penalty coming, the men in white shaped to go wide, only for Ford to pop through another kick - and this time it was Jacob Stockdale who dallied, Daly diving onto the ball as Irish hands went to heads.
The scoreboard reflected the gulf between the two sides, England dynamic with ball in hand and ferocious in defence, Ireland laboured and error-ridden.
And Sexton's miserable half was compounded when he was penalised for slowing the ball up, Farrell stroking over his kick to give England their biggest half-time lead over Ireland in 18 years.
England's jabs hold Ireland at arm's length
Ireland simply had to improve - and belatedly they did. An England knock-on from the restart gave away possession and the visitors finally chiselled out some territory too.
England managed to stop an Ireland driving maul from a line-out close in but the pressure kept coming.
Ireland won a penalty in front of the posts, opted for the scrum and eventually found space in the right-hand corner for Henshaw to burrow through two defenders and over the line.
But Sexton shanked the conversion just as he had the first-half penalty and the pressure ebbed away as Eddie Jones threw on Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge and Charlie Ewels.
England's scrum, strong throughout, began to dominate and the penalties started to mount.
Farrell kicked to the corner, the forwards set up the maul from the line-out and Cowan-Dickie peeled off with Sam Underhill and Jonny May driving him on to roll over for England's third try.
May was nearly clear on his own after seizing a loose ball from a messy Ireland ruck and appeared to be taken out by Henshaw after kicking the ball ahead, only for referee Jaco Peyper to wave play on.
And as the game stumbled towards the line, Porter rumbled over from a metre out for a try that made little difference to Ireland's afternoon.
Man of the match: Courtney Lawes
A bravura performance in the back row from a man more normally seen in the second row. He made 14 tackles and eight carries in the hour he was on the pitch, setting the tone for a dominant England performance. And all on his 31st birthday and while sporting a spectacular shiner of a black eye.
Line-ups
England: Daly; May, Tuilagi, Farrell (capt), Joseph; Ford, Youngs; Marler, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Kruis, Lawes, Underhill, Curry.
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Genge, Stuart, Launchbury, Ewels, Earl, Heinz, Slade.
Ireland: Larmour; Conway, Henshaw, Aki, Stockdale; Sexton, Murray; Healy, Herring, Furlong, Toner, Ryan, O'Mahony, van der Flier, Stander.
Replacements: Kelleher, Kilcoyne, Porter, Dillane, Doris, Cooney, Byrne, Earls.
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Touch judges: Romain Poite & Alexandre Ruiz
TMO: Marius Jonker
Swami
Luke Cowan-Dickie's try midway through the second half ensured England's victory
Six Nations: England v Ireland
England: (17) 24
Tries: Ford, Daly, Cowan-Dickie Pens: Farrell Cons: Farrell 3
Ireland: (0) 12
Tries: Henshaw, Porter Cons: Cooney
England ended Ireland's Grand Slam hopes in brutal fashion as they rediscovered some of their World Cup form to reignite their own title hopes.
First-half tries from George Ford and Elliot Daly after Irish defensive errors plus two conversions and a penalty from Owen Farrell gave England a commanding 17-0 lead.
Ireland struck back with a try from Robbie Henshaw but with Johnny Sexton uncharacteristically wayward off the tee, they never seriously threatened a comeback.
Luke Cowan-Dickie drove over for England's third midway through the second half, with replacement Andrew Porter's late try no sort of consolation for Ireland.
With Wales at home in a fortnight before a trip to Italy, Eddie Jones' men will believe they can finish the championship in style, although they may need Ireland to do them a favour and beat France in Dublin next month.
For the men in green and their head coach Andy Farrell it was a chastening afternoon, all the optimism created by the wins over Scotland and Wales leaching away in a display that was ponderous until the game was gone.
England capitalise on Irish errors
CJ Stander lost his shirt in a first-half tussle with Maro Itoje
England began at a real lick, Manu Tuilagi punching holes through the middle and going close down the left before Andrew Conway hauled him down.
And the reward came when Ben Youngs stuck a grubber kick through, Sexton dithered and juggled in his own in-goal area and Ford seized on the loose ball to touch down.
Sexton then mis-kicked horribly with a straightforward penalty from 30 metres out and England set up camp again in the Ireland half.
Jonathan Joseph danced through in midfield after a mis-hit clearing kick from Conor Murray as Maro Itoje and CJ Stander scrapped in the 22, and England's forwards hammered away at the Ireland line.
With a penalty coming, the men in white shaped to go wide, only for Ford to pop through another kick - and this time it was Jacob Stockdale who dallied, Daly diving onto the ball as Irish hands went to heads.
The scoreboard reflected the gulf between the two sides, England dynamic with ball in hand and ferocious in defence, Ireland laboured and error-ridden.
And Sexton's miserable half was compounded when he was penalised for slowing the ball up, Farrell stroking over his kick to give England their biggest half-time lead over Ireland in 18 years.
England's jabs hold Ireland at arm's length
Ireland simply had to improve - and belatedly they did. An England knock-on from the restart gave away possession and the visitors finally chiselled out some territory too.
England managed to stop an Ireland driving maul from a line-out close in but the pressure kept coming.
Ireland won a penalty in front of the posts, opted for the scrum and eventually found space in the right-hand corner for Henshaw to burrow through two defenders and over the line.
But Sexton shanked the conversion just as he had the first-half penalty and the pressure ebbed away as Eddie Jones threw on Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge and Charlie Ewels.
England's scrum, strong throughout, began to dominate and the penalties started to mount.
Farrell kicked to the corner, the forwards set up the maul from the line-out and Cowan-Dickie peeled off with Sam Underhill and Jonny May driving him on to roll over for England's third try.
May was nearly clear on his own after seizing a loose ball from a messy Ireland ruck and appeared to be taken out by Henshaw after kicking the ball ahead, only for referee Jaco Peyper to wave play on.
And as the game stumbled towards the line, Porter rumbled over from a metre out for a try that made little difference to Ireland's afternoon.
Man of the match: Courtney Lawes
A bravura performance in the back row from a man more normally seen in the second row. He made 14 tackles and eight carries in the hour he was on the pitch, setting the tone for a dominant England performance. And all on his 31st birthday and while sporting a spectacular shiner of a black eye.
Line-ups
England: Daly; May, Tuilagi, Farrell (capt), Joseph; Ford, Youngs; Marler, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Kruis, Lawes, Underhill, Curry.
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Genge, Stuart, Launchbury, Ewels, Earl, Heinz, Slade.
Ireland: Larmour; Conway, Henshaw, Aki, Stockdale; Sexton, Murray; Healy, Herring, Furlong, Toner, Ryan, O'Mahony, van der Flier, Stander.
Replacements: Kelleher, Kilcoyne, Porter, Dillane, Doris, Cooney, Byrne, Earls.
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Touch judges: Romain Poite & Alexandre Ruiz
TMO: Marius Jonker
Swami
Sarah
Moderator Emerita
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/51641149
Ireland's men's and women's Six Nations games against Italy in Dublin on 7 and 8 March have been postponed because of coronavirus.
Irish Health Minister Simon Harris said on Tuesday the men's game should be postponed and met with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) on Wednesday.
Eleven towns in northern Italy are in lockdown after an outbreak.
An IRFU statement said it hoped to give an update on the rescheduling of matches "in the coming days".
Ireland's men's and women's Six Nations games against Italy in Dublin on 7 and 8 March have been postponed because of coronavirus.
Irish Health Minister Simon Harris said on Tuesday the men's game should be postponed and met with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) on Wednesday.
Eleven towns in northern Italy are in lockdown after an outbreak.
An IRFU statement said it hoped to give an update on the rescheduling of matches "in the coming days".
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Coronavirus: England's Six Nations games against Italy postponed
England's matches are set to be put back after Italy's away trip to Ireland was also postponed
England's Six Nations games against Italy on 14 and 15 March have been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The men's, women's and under-20s contests will be played at "a later date" say organisers.
"Six Nations fully intends to complete all 15 games in all three championships when time allows," they added.
Ireland's Six Nations games at home to Italy on 7 and 8 March were postponed last week.
Italy is the worst-hit European country with more than 3,000 cases.
Six Nations officials made the decision to reschedule the fixture on Thursday after the Italian government ordered all sporting fixtures in the country to be held behind closed doors until 3 April as part of measures to contain the outbreak.
The decree, announced by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, affects all areas of the country, including those places were the virus has not been found.
"We will refrain from making any rescheduling announcements while we keep assessing the situation," added organisers.
"Based on the information that is currently available, all other Six Nations matches are set to go ahead as scheduled."
Remaining Six Nations fixtures
7-8 March England v Wales
Scotland v France
Ireland v Italy Postponed
14 -15 March Wales v Scotland
Italy v England Postponed
France v Ireland
With their away match against Ireland this weekend already postponed, Italy's Six Nations campaign is now effectively over until their final two fixtures can be rearranged.
If France, who have three victories from three games so far in the championship, beat Scotland and Ireland in their final two games, they will clinch the men's title before Italy play their postponed games.
However any slip-up from the French could open the door for England and Ireland and mean the champions cannot be determined until Italy's rescheduled matches have been played.
Sergio Parisse, Italy's talismanic captain and winner of 142 caps, had planned to mark his international retirement with a farewell appearance against England.
The 36-year-old's previous plans to bow out of Test rugby in his country's final Rugby World Cup match against the All Blacks in October were wrecked by Typhoon Hagibis, which caused that pool game to be cancelled.
When could the match be replayed?
England lifted the title in 2001 but were denied a Grand Slam as Ireland won their rescheduled match 20-14 in Dublin
Space is scarce in the rugby calendar.
The first Saturday free of domestic and European action is 27 June, but playing Tests then would affect planned departures for summer tours with England heading to Japan and Italy due to play in the United States, Canada and Argentina.
When an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease caused three of Ireland's games to be postponed during the 2001 Championship, the remaining fixtures were played in September and October, almost six months after the rest of the matches were completed.
Spectators who had been planning to head to Italy for this month's fixtures have three options if they booked through England's official travel company.
Fans are being offered the choice of rescheduling their booking for the revised date, an alternative fixture in the autumn or next year's Six Nations or a full refund.
Swami
England's matches are set to be put back after Italy's away trip to Ireland was also postponed
England's Six Nations games against Italy on 14 and 15 March have been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The men's, women's and under-20s contests will be played at "a later date" say organisers.
"Six Nations fully intends to complete all 15 games in all three championships when time allows," they added.
Ireland's Six Nations games at home to Italy on 7 and 8 March were postponed last week.
Italy is the worst-hit European country with more than 3,000 cases.
Six Nations officials made the decision to reschedule the fixture on Thursday after the Italian government ordered all sporting fixtures in the country to be held behind closed doors until 3 April as part of measures to contain the outbreak.
The decree, announced by Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, affects all areas of the country, including those places were the virus has not been found.
- Watson and Wilson return for England against Wales
- Coronavirus - timeline so far
- All Italian sport to be be played behind closed doors
"We will refrain from making any rescheduling announcements while we keep assessing the situation," added organisers.
"Based on the information that is currently available, all other Six Nations matches are set to go ahead as scheduled."
Remaining Six Nations fixtures
7-8 March England v Wales
Scotland v France
Ireland v Italy Postponed
14 -15 March Wales v Scotland
Italy v England Postponed
France v Ireland
With their away match against Ireland this weekend already postponed, Italy's Six Nations campaign is now effectively over until their final two fixtures can be rearranged.
If France, who have three victories from three games so far in the championship, beat Scotland and Ireland in their final two games, they will clinch the men's title before Italy play their postponed games.
However any slip-up from the French could open the door for England and Ireland and mean the champions cannot be determined until Italy's rescheduled matches have been played.
Sergio Parisse, Italy's talismanic captain and winner of 142 caps, had planned to mark his international retirement with a farewell appearance against England.
The 36-year-old's previous plans to bow out of Test rugby in his country's final Rugby World Cup match against the All Blacks in October were wrecked by Typhoon Hagibis, which caused that pool game to be cancelled.
When could the match be replayed?
England lifted the title in 2001 but were denied a Grand Slam as Ireland won their rescheduled match 20-14 in Dublin
Space is scarce in the rugby calendar.
The first Saturday free of domestic and European action is 27 June, but playing Tests then would affect planned departures for summer tours with England heading to Japan and Italy due to play in the United States, Canada and Argentina.
When an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease caused three of Ireland's games to be postponed during the 2001 Championship, the remaining fixtures were played in September and October, almost six months after the rest of the matches were completed.
Spectators who had been planning to head to Italy for this month's fixtures have three options if they booked through England's official travel company.
Fans are being offered the choice of rescheduling their booking for the revised date, an alternative fixture in the autumn or next year's Six Nations or a full refund.
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Six Nations: England beat Wales 33-30 despite Manu Tuilagi red card
Guinness Six Nations: England v Wales
England: (20) 33
Tries: Watson, Daly, Tuilagi Pens: Farrell 3 Ford Cons: Farrell 3
Red card: Tuilagi
Wales: (9) 30
Tries: Tipuric 2, Biggar Pens: Halfpenny 2, Biggar Cons: Biggar 2
England survived a late red card for Manu Tuilagi to secure a first Triple Crown in four years and inflict a third successive defeat on new Wales head coach Wayne Pivac.
Cleverly worked first-half tries from Anthony Watson and Elliot Daly and a brace of penalties and conversions from Owen Farrell opened up an 11-point half-time lead, Wales' only points coming from three penalties.
Wales went the length of the pitch to score a sublime try through Justin Tipuric before England re-established command through Farrell's boot and a try from Tuilagi.
The England centre was then controversially sent off for a no-arms tackle on George North, and with Ellis Genge in the sin-bin England were down to 13 men.
Dan Biggar and then Tipuric again capitalised with late tries but England's lead was just big enough and they held on amidst the chaos.
With England's final game against Italy postponed because of the coronavirus, France remain favourites to win the championship.
But after defeat in Paris in their opening game, Eddie Jones' men have recaptured some of the form and momentum that took them to a World Cup final four months ago.
Fiery Farrell sparks for England
England came charging out of the blocks, Tom Curry flattening Dan Biggar from an early up-and-under, and Maro Itoje cantering deep into the Welsh 22.
And off clean line-out ball Ben Youngs found Watson on his inside, the winger stepping past two Welsh defenders to fight his way over the line.
Farrell banged over the conversion to go past 900 points for England, but after North had knocked on close to the England try-line after good work from Nick Tompkins, the England skipper was penalised for shoving North in the ruck, and Halfpenny made it 7-3.
A head injury to Jonny May after the winger went up for a high ball meant an early entry for replacement Henry Slade and a test of Jones' decision to select a bench with only one outside back.
Farrell and Halfpenny exchanged further successful penalties as the game became cagier and scrappier, but then England struck again.
From another penalty kicked to the corner England set up a driving maul, and Youngs went sniping only to be lassoed by a high tackle from Rob Evans.
With the penalty coming England went wide, Farrell and George Ford combining beautifully as Slade's dummy run created the space down the left for Daly to dive over through North's despairing tackle.
Wales were creaking, the penalties piling up and Farrell kicking another with unerring accuracy from 35 metres to make it 20-6.
Itoje went high on Biggar to give the Welsh fly-half the chance to cut that lead by three at the interval, Wales grateful to be within 11 points.
Tuilagi sees red as Tipuric inspires
England's lead was reduced within seconds of the kick-off as Wales conjured up one of the great Six Nations tries.
With England's kick-chase dawdling Tompkins set off from his own five-metre line, found Josh Navidi outside him and took the return pass on halfway before slipping it on to the supporting Tomos Williams on his inside.
And the scrum-half drew the last man Daly before setting Tipuric away to canter in from 25 metres and light up a grey afternoon.
With Biggar popping over the conversion it was suddenly a four-point game, and Wales' supporters were dreaming of another famous Twickenham heist.
But Courtney Lawes went digging at a ruck to win a penalty that Farrell stroked over, and Ford made it 26-16 as England's powerful forwards won a scrum penalty.
Jones threw on Joe Launchbury and Luke Cowan-Dickie and the power and points kept coming.
Youngs made another break, Watson and then the forwards took it on and with Welsh defenders sucked in Ford flipped a little pass away under pressure to let Tuilagi walk in his side's third try.
With Farrell curling over the conversion from out wide it was 33-16 and the game seemed safe.
But then Tuilagi was dismissed after a long discussion between referee Ben O'Keeffe and TMO Marius Jonker, and Wales were able to strike back before finally running out of time.
Man of the match: Ben Youngs
The England scrum-half is closing in on his 100th England cap and recaptured his running threat of old to keep his side constantly on the front foot.
Line-ups
England: Daly; Watson, Tuilagi, Farrell (capt), May; Ford, Youngs; Marler, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Kruis, Lawes, Wilson, Curry.
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Genge, Stuart, Launchbury, Ewels, Earl, Heinz, Slade.
Wales: Halfpenny; North, Tompkins, Parkes, Williams; Biggar, 9-Tomos Williams; R Evans, Owens, Lewis, Ball, Jones (capt), Moriarty, Tipuric, Navidi.
Replacements: Elias, Carre, Brown, Shingler, Faletau, Webb, J Evans, McNicholl.
Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Romain Poite (France) & Alexandre Ruiz (France)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Swami
Guinness Six Nations: England v Wales
England: (20) 33
Tries: Watson, Daly, Tuilagi Pens: Farrell 3 Ford Cons: Farrell 3
Red card: Tuilagi
Wales: (9) 30
Tries: Tipuric 2, Biggar Pens: Halfpenny 2, Biggar Cons: Biggar 2
England survived a late red card for Manu Tuilagi to secure a first Triple Crown in four years and inflict a third successive defeat on new Wales head coach Wayne Pivac.
Cleverly worked first-half tries from Anthony Watson and Elliot Daly and a brace of penalties and conversions from Owen Farrell opened up an 11-point half-time lead, Wales' only points coming from three penalties.
Wales went the length of the pitch to score a sublime try through Justin Tipuric before England re-established command through Farrell's boot and a try from Tuilagi.
The England centre was then controversially sent off for a no-arms tackle on George North, and with Ellis Genge in the sin-bin England were down to 13 men.
Dan Biggar and then Tipuric again capitalised with late tries but England's lead was just big enough and they held on amidst the chaos.
With England's final game against Italy postponed because of the coronavirus, France remain favourites to win the championship.
But after defeat in Paris in their opening game, Eddie Jones' men have recaptured some of the form and momentum that took them to a World Cup final four months ago.
Fiery Farrell sparks for England
England came charging out of the blocks, Tom Curry flattening Dan Biggar from an early up-and-under, and Maro Itoje cantering deep into the Welsh 22.
And off clean line-out ball Ben Youngs found Watson on his inside, the winger stepping past two Welsh defenders to fight his way over the line.
Farrell banged over the conversion to go past 900 points for England, but after North had knocked on close to the England try-line after good work from Nick Tompkins, the England skipper was penalised for shoving North in the ruck, and Halfpenny made it 7-3.
A head injury to Jonny May after the winger went up for a high ball meant an early entry for replacement Henry Slade and a test of Jones' decision to select a bench with only one outside back.
Farrell and Halfpenny exchanged further successful penalties as the game became cagier and scrappier, but then England struck again.
From another penalty kicked to the corner England set up a driving maul, and Youngs went sniping only to be lassoed by a high tackle from Rob Evans.
With the penalty coming England went wide, Farrell and George Ford combining beautifully as Slade's dummy run created the space down the left for Daly to dive over through North's despairing tackle.
Wales were creaking, the penalties piling up and Farrell kicking another with unerring accuracy from 35 metres to make it 20-6.
Itoje went high on Biggar to give the Welsh fly-half the chance to cut that lead by three at the interval, Wales grateful to be within 11 points.
Tuilagi sees red as Tipuric inspires
England's lead was reduced within seconds of the kick-off as Wales conjured up one of the great Six Nations tries.
With England's kick-chase dawdling Tompkins set off from his own five-metre line, found Josh Navidi outside him and took the return pass on halfway before slipping it on to the supporting Tomos Williams on his inside.
And the scrum-half drew the last man Daly before setting Tipuric away to canter in from 25 metres and light up a grey afternoon.
With Biggar popping over the conversion it was suddenly a four-point game, and Wales' supporters were dreaming of another famous Twickenham heist.
But Courtney Lawes went digging at a ruck to win a penalty that Farrell stroked over, and Ford made it 26-16 as England's powerful forwards won a scrum penalty.
Jones threw on Joe Launchbury and Luke Cowan-Dickie and the power and points kept coming.
Youngs made another break, Watson and then the forwards took it on and with Welsh defenders sucked in Ford flipped a little pass away under pressure to let Tuilagi walk in his side's third try.
With Farrell curling over the conversion from out wide it was 33-16 and the game seemed safe.
But then Tuilagi was dismissed after a long discussion between referee Ben O'Keeffe and TMO Marius Jonker, and Wales were able to strike back before finally running out of time.
Man of the match: Ben Youngs
The England scrum-half is closing in on his 100th England cap and recaptured his running threat of old to keep his side constantly on the front foot.
Line-ups
England: Daly; Watson, Tuilagi, Farrell (capt), May; Ford, Youngs; Marler, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Kruis, Lawes, Wilson, Curry.
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Genge, Stuart, Launchbury, Ewels, Earl, Heinz, Slade.
Wales: Halfpenny; North, Tompkins, Parkes, Williams; Biggar, 9-Tomos Williams; R Evans, Owens, Lewis, Ball, Jones (capt), Moriarty, Tipuric, Navidi.
Replacements: Elias, Carre, Brown, Shingler, Faletau, Webb, J Evans, McNicholl.
Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Romain Poite (France) & Alexandre Ruiz (France)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Six Nations 2020: Scotland 28-17 France - French Grand Slam hopes over
By Tom English
BBC Scotland at Murrayfield
Mohamed Haouas sent off for throwing a punch
Guinness Six Nations: Scotland v France
Scotland: (14) 28
Tries: Maitland (2), McInally Pens: Hastings (3) Cons: Hastings (2)
France: (7) 17
Tries: Penaud, Ollivon Pens: Jalibert Cons: Jalibert (2)
France's hopes of a Six Nations Grand Slam are over after a revitalised Scotland inflicted their fourth consecutive Murrayfield defeat.
Fabien Galthie's side had won their first three games but a first-half red card for Mohamed Haouas allowed Scotland to seize control.
Sean Maitland crossed either side of the break after Damian Penaud's score, before Stuart McInally added a third. And Charles Ollivon's late consolation could not prevent Gregor Townsend's side earning consecutive wins.
Adam Hastings, who impressed in place of the exiled Finn Russell, added 13 points with the boot.
France remain top of the championship, but even a bonus-point win over Ireland in Paris next weekend might not seal the title with England still to face Italy.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Hastings break leads to Maitland to try
'Murrayfield revels at ferocious Scots'
Chasing the fourth leg of a Grand Slam, France were met with Scottish belligerence from the get-go, their day beginning badly and getting steadily worse as it went on.
Here they met a home team who had no truck with all the chat of the glorious revival of Les Bleus. They said privately they believed they would win and they set about their mission with zeal.
There were towering performances from the Scotland back-row, with Jamie Ritchie and Hamish Watson bringing their relentless personalities to bear. Lock Grant Gilchrist was outstanding. The front row to a man were ferocious with prop Zander Fagerson doing his bit in a winning scrum and putting in a monstrous shift around the park.
Hastings was terrific and this was a big day for Stuart Hogg, perhaps his biggest in a Scotland jersey. As captain, he would have felt the joy of this big time. There were big performers all over the field. Red card or no red card, this was richly deserved.
France had Francois Cros binned early for dumping Gilchrist on his head in the tackle, with Paul Willemse perhaps getting off lightly for he was on the scene as well. And while Cros was away for his 10 minutes - and there was a case for it being a red card - Scotland hit the front.
The visitors' scrum has been one of their few areas of weakness on their road to Murrayfield this season and now it hurt them again. The Scots have been reborn in that department. When France collapsed, Hastings banged over the first points.
Media playback is not supported on this device
When mum and dad embarrass you on your big day - Adam Hastings' parents share a kiss
Romain Ntamack had gone by then, the brilliant fly-half injured inside 10 minutes. Another blow following the withdrawal in the warm-up for their replacement hooker, Camille Chat. Things were not going their way.
Cros returned but Hastings made it 6-0 just after. A quarter played and France had produced nothing. When they threatened to get up a head of steam they were halted by the aggression coming at them, their threat snuffed out early through Scotland's intensity and their own handling errors under the pressure of the blitz.
Murrayfield revelled in it - and then Murrayfield winced. Having looked passive, France suddenly switched and regained their magic, if only for a little while.
A thrust up the left from Matthieu Jalibert and Gael Fickou had Scotland in trouble. When they moved it right. Anton Dupont, the wee wizard that he is, put in the most sumptuous cross-field kick for Penaud to score. Jalibert then rifled over the conversion to put France ahead.
'Big & bold Scotland rip Slam from French'
Mohamed Haouas was sent off after throwing a punch at Jamie Ritchie
The drama was only starting. Four minutes before the break, Haouas, a boy with the shortest fuse, lost the plot amid a melee on the French line. Practically every player was in there, pushing and shoving, but Haouas threw a punch at Ritchie and he got what he deserved - a red card.
Hastings added to the misery by putting over the reluctant penalty to inch Scotland back in front. Before the half was done, Scotland sickened France further, striking out through their forward muscle before Hastings entered proceedings with some brilliance that France couldn't cope with.
He dummied and slalomed his way into space and found Ali Price in support. France were spreadeagled. Pace and accuracy did for them. Sam Johnson kept his cool in the decisive moment and gave it on a plate to Maitland, who sprinted over in the corner. Within four minutes of Haouas walking Scotland had hit them with eight points. At last, they had found their ruthless streak.
The early minutes of the second half shone a light on how Scotland managed to put it all together on the day. Under ferocious pressure near their own line, they stood up. Big and bold, they would not let the French through, Watson coming up with a massive turnover.
Then, they attacked and France got well and truly Hogg-roasted. The captain took off from his own 10m line, arcing downfield before playing in Chris Harris, who galloped clear. The centre had Price on his shoulder and when Price was hauled down in the French 22, the recycle was quick and the execution precise. Ritchie and Johnson sent Maitland in for his second score.
Hastings conversion from the touchline was pin-sharp. The 15-men led the 14-men 21-7. The Slam had been slammed.
France rallied but the only joy they got from pressure was three points from Jalibert, a penalty that was put over after they seemed to realise that trying to bust the home defence for a try wasn't working out.
The third Scottish try came 15 minutes before the end. It was a fluke, but Murrayfield didn't care a whole lot about that. Scotland had a lineout in the French 22. McInally - on for the 50-cap man Fraser Brown - had his throw pinched, the ball being diverted back on the French side, where no visitor stood. McInally scooped up the gift and ran away to score. Hastings knocked over the conversion.
The Scots led by 28-10, a gap that narrowed to 11 when Ollivon battered his way four minutes from time. Jalibert added the conversion, but he couldn't save the Slam. A thunderous Scotland, with help from the madcap Haouas, ripped it from their grasp.
Line-ups
Scotland: 15-Stuart Hogg (capt); 14-Sean Maitland, 13-Chris Harris, 12-Sam Johnson 11-Blair Kinghorn; 10-Adam Hastings 9-Ali Price; 1-Rory Sutherland, 2-Fraser Brown, 3-Zander Fagerson, 4-Scott Cummings, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 6-Jamie Ritchie 7-Hamish Watson, 8-Nick Haining
Replacement: 16-Stuart McInally, 17-Allan Dell, 18-Willem Nel, 19-Sam Skinner, 20-Magnus Bradbury, 21-George Horne, 22-Duncan Weir, 23-Kyle Steyn
France: 15-Anthony Bouthier; 14-Damian Penaud, 13-Virimi Vakatawa, 12-Arthur Vincent, 11-Gael Fickou; 10-Romain Ntamack, 9-Anthony Dupont; 1-Jefferson Poirot, 2-Julien Marchand, 3-Mohamed Haouas, 4-Bernard Le Roux, 5-Paul Willemse, 6-Francois Cros, 7-Charles Ollivon (capt), 8-Gregory Alldritt
Replacements: 16-Camille Chat, 17-Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18-Demba Bamba, 19-Romain Taofifenua, 20-Dylan Cretin, 21-Baptiste Serin, 22-Mathieu Jalibert, 23-Thomas Ramos
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England) & Frank Murphy (Ireland)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)
Swami
By Tom English
BBC Scotland at Murrayfield
Mohamed Haouas sent off for throwing a punch
Guinness Six Nations: Scotland v France
Scotland: (14) 28
Tries: Maitland (2), McInally Pens: Hastings (3) Cons: Hastings (2)
France: (7) 17
Tries: Penaud, Ollivon Pens: Jalibert Cons: Jalibert (2)
France's hopes of a Six Nations Grand Slam are over after a revitalised Scotland inflicted their fourth consecutive Murrayfield defeat.
Fabien Galthie's side had won their first three games but a first-half red card for Mohamed Haouas allowed Scotland to seize control.
Sean Maitland crossed either side of the break after Damian Penaud's score, before Stuart McInally added a third. And Charles Ollivon's late consolation could not prevent Gregor Townsend's side earning consecutive wins.
Adam Hastings, who impressed in place of the exiled Finn Russell, added 13 points with the boot.
France remain top of the championship, but even a bonus-point win over Ireland in Paris next weekend might not seal the title with England still to face Italy.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Hastings break leads to Maitland to try
'Murrayfield revels at ferocious Scots'
Chasing the fourth leg of a Grand Slam, France were met with Scottish belligerence from the get-go, their day beginning badly and getting steadily worse as it went on.
Here they met a home team who had no truck with all the chat of the glorious revival of Les Bleus. They said privately they believed they would win and they set about their mission with zeal.
There were towering performances from the Scotland back-row, with Jamie Ritchie and Hamish Watson bringing their relentless personalities to bear. Lock Grant Gilchrist was outstanding. The front row to a man were ferocious with prop Zander Fagerson doing his bit in a winning scrum and putting in a monstrous shift around the park.
Hastings was terrific and this was a big day for Stuart Hogg, perhaps his biggest in a Scotland jersey. As captain, he would have felt the joy of this big time. There were big performers all over the field. Red card or no red card, this was richly deserved.
France had Francois Cros binned early for dumping Gilchrist on his head in the tackle, with Paul Willemse perhaps getting off lightly for he was on the scene as well. And while Cros was away for his 10 minutes - and there was a case for it being a red card - Scotland hit the front.
The visitors' scrum has been one of their few areas of weakness on their road to Murrayfield this season and now it hurt them again. The Scots have been reborn in that department. When France collapsed, Hastings banged over the first points.
Media playback is not supported on this device
When mum and dad embarrass you on your big day - Adam Hastings' parents share a kiss
Romain Ntamack had gone by then, the brilliant fly-half injured inside 10 minutes. Another blow following the withdrawal in the warm-up for their replacement hooker, Camille Chat. Things were not going their way.
Cros returned but Hastings made it 6-0 just after. A quarter played and France had produced nothing. When they threatened to get up a head of steam they were halted by the aggression coming at them, their threat snuffed out early through Scotland's intensity and their own handling errors under the pressure of the blitz.
Murrayfield revelled in it - and then Murrayfield winced. Having looked passive, France suddenly switched and regained their magic, if only for a little while.
A thrust up the left from Matthieu Jalibert and Gael Fickou had Scotland in trouble. When they moved it right. Anton Dupont, the wee wizard that he is, put in the most sumptuous cross-field kick for Penaud to score. Jalibert then rifled over the conversion to put France ahead.
'Big & bold Scotland rip Slam from French'
Mohamed Haouas was sent off after throwing a punch at Jamie Ritchie
The drama was only starting. Four minutes before the break, Haouas, a boy with the shortest fuse, lost the plot amid a melee on the French line. Practically every player was in there, pushing and shoving, but Haouas threw a punch at Ritchie and he got what he deserved - a red card.
Hastings added to the misery by putting over the reluctant penalty to inch Scotland back in front. Before the half was done, Scotland sickened France further, striking out through their forward muscle before Hastings entered proceedings with some brilliance that France couldn't cope with.
He dummied and slalomed his way into space and found Ali Price in support. France were spreadeagled. Pace and accuracy did for them. Sam Johnson kept his cool in the decisive moment and gave it on a plate to Maitland, who sprinted over in the corner. Within four minutes of Haouas walking Scotland had hit them with eight points. At last, they had found their ruthless streak.
The early minutes of the second half shone a light on how Scotland managed to put it all together on the day. Under ferocious pressure near their own line, they stood up. Big and bold, they would not let the French through, Watson coming up with a massive turnover.
Then, they attacked and France got well and truly Hogg-roasted. The captain took off from his own 10m line, arcing downfield before playing in Chris Harris, who galloped clear. The centre had Price on his shoulder and when Price was hauled down in the French 22, the recycle was quick and the execution precise. Ritchie and Johnson sent Maitland in for his second score.
Hastings conversion from the touchline was pin-sharp. The 15-men led the 14-men 21-7. The Slam had been slammed.
France rallied but the only joy they got from pressure was three points from Jalibert, a penalty that was put over after they seemed to realise that trying to bust the home defence for a try wasn't working out.
The third Scottish try came 15 minutes before the end. It was a fluke, but Murrayfield didn't care a whole lot about that. Scotland had a lineout in the French 22. McInally - on for the 50-cap man Fraser Brown - had his throw pinched, the ball being diverted back on the French side, where no visitor stood. McInally scooped up the gift and ran away to score. Hastings knocked over the conversion.
The Scots led by 28-10, a gap that narrowed to 11 when Ollivon battered his way four minutes from time. Jalibert added the conversion, but he couldn't save the Slam. A thunderous Scotland, with help from the madcap Haouas, ripped it from their grasp.
Line-ups
Scotland: 15-Stuart Hogg (capt); 14-Sean Maitland, 13-Chris Harris, 12-Sam Johnson 11-Blair Kinghorn; 10-Adam Hastings 9-Ali Price; 1-Rory Sutherland, 2-Fraser Brown, 3-Zander Fagerson, 4-Scott Cummings, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 6-Jamie Ritchie 7-Hamish Watson, 8-Nick Haining
Replacement: 16-Stuart McInally, 17-Allan Dell, 18-Willem Nel, 19-Sam Skinner, 20-Magnus Bradbury, 21-George Horne, 22-Duncan Weir, 23-Kyle Steyn
France: 15-Anthony Bouthier; 14-Damian Penaud, 13-Virimi Vakatawa, 12-Arthur Vincent, 11-Gael Fickou; 10-Romain Ntamack, 9-Anthony Dupont; 1-Jefferson Poirot, 2-Julien Marchand, 3-Mohamed Haouas, 4-Bernard Le Roux, 5-Paul Willemse, 6-Francois Cros, 7-Charles Ollivon (capt), 8-Gregory Alldritt
Replacements: 16-Camille Chat, 17-Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18-Demba Bamba, 19-Romain Taofifenua, 20-Dylan Cretin, 21-Baptiste Serin, 22-Mathieu Jalibert, 23-Thomas Ramos
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England) & Frank Murphy (Ireland)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Six Nations: France v Ireland postponed because of coronavirus concerns
France, England and Ireland remain in contention for the Six Nations title
Saturday's match between France and Ireland is the latest Six Nations fixture to be postponed because of concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.
The decision follows earlier steps to postpone the Ireland v Italy and Italy v England fixtures.
England lead the table on points difference from France, who failed in their Grand Slam bid with defeat by Scotland on Sunday.
As it stands, Wales' match against Scotland will go ahead on 14 March.
The Women's Six Nations fixture between Wales and Scotland has however been postponed after a Scottish player tested positive for the virus. A further seven members of the Scotland camp - players and management - are self-isolating.
A statement on the tournament website read: "Six Nations and its constituent unions and federations will work closely to identify dates on which all postponed matches will take place.
"No immediate announcement will be made on rescheduling as we will need to discuss with all relevant stakeholders and assess the evolution of the situation."
The decision to postpone England's match in Italy was taken last week because of the worsening situation in the country, and on Sunday France announced a ban of gatherings of more than 1,000 people.
On Monday, the French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu announced the decision to postpone France's final fixture after an "agreement with the French Rugby Federation and tournament organisers".
England, France and Ireland remain in contention for the Six Nations title.
On Sunday, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said that sporting events in Britain are unlikely to be affected by coronavirus in the immediate future.
Swami
France, England and Ireland remain in contention for the Six Nations title
Saturday's match between France and Ireland is the latest Six Nations fixture to be postponed because of concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.
The decision follows earlier steps to postpone the Ireland v Italy and Italy v England fixtures.
England lead the table on points difference from France, who failed in their Grand Slam bid with defeat by Scotland on Sunday.
As it stands, Wales' match against Scotland will go ahead on 14 March.
The Women's Six Nations fixture between Wales and Scotland has however been postponed after a Scottish player tested positive for the virus. A further seven members of the Scotland camp - players and management - are self-isolating.
A statement on the tournament website read: "Six Nations and its constituent unions and federations will work closely to identify dates on which all postponed matches will take place.
"No immediate announcement will be made on rescheduling as we will need to discuss with all relevant stakeholders and assess the evolution of the situation."
The decision to postpone England's match in Italy was taken last week because of the worsening situation in the country, and on Sunday France announced a ban of gatherings of more than 1,000 people.
On Monday, the French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu announced the decision to postpone France's final fixture after an "agreement with the French Rugby Federation and tournament organisers".
England, France and Ireland remain in contention for the Six Nations title.
On Sunday, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said that sporting events in Britain are unlikely to be affected by coronavirus in the immediate future.
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Six Nations: Wales v Scotland off because of coronavirus
Wales won their most recent meeting with Scotland in Edinburgh last year
Wales' Six Nations match at home to Scotland on Saturday has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The two other scheduled games in round five had already been postponed and no dates have been confirmed for completing the 2020 Championship.
The Welsh Rugby Union, which had insisted earlier on Friday the game would go ahead, said it was "in the best interests of supporters, players and staff to fall in line with recent measures taken across the UK and global sports industries".
Several sports have been severely disrupted, with all Premier League and EFL football matches suspended until 3 April.
A WRU statement read: "The Welsh Rugby Union has maintained an open dialogue with, and continued to seek advice and direction from, the Welsh government and other stakeholders, including the Six Nations, on this fast-moving issue.
"Every effort has been made to stage this game and we appreciate that individuals will have been inconvenienced. Given the fluid and unprecedented nature of this issue a postponement became the only viable option."
It added that there would be an announcement on rescheduling the fixture "in the coming days".
Report
Friday's Under-20 Six Nations match between Wales and Scotland in Colwyn Bay will go ahead but will be played behind closed doors.
Meanwhile, Scottish Rugby has suspended all rugby in Scotland for the remainder of March.
A Scottish Rugby spokesperson said: "We have taken on board all expert medical advice before now and we are taking a precautionary approach to give time to assess what the impact of coronavirus will be on Scottish society in the coming weeks before deciding on next steps.
"This decision has been taken with the best interest of everyone involved in the game and in support of the country's work to address the impact of Coronavirus."
Swami
Wales won their most recent meeting with Scotland in Edinburgh last year
Wales' Six Nations match at home to Scotland on Saturday has been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The two other scheduled games in round five had already been postponed and no dates have been confirmed for completing the 2020 Championship.
The Welsh Rugby Union, which had insisted earlier on Friday the game would go ahead, said it was "in the best interests of supporters, players and staff to fall in line with recent measures taken across the UK and global sports industries".
Several sports have been severely disrupted, with all Premier League and EFL football matches suspended until 3 April.
A WRU statement read: "The Welsh Rugby Union has maintained an open dialogue with, and continued to seek advice and direction from, the Welsh government and other stakeholders, including the Six Nations, on this fast-moving issue.
"Every effort has been made to stage this game and we appreciate that individuals will have been inconvenienced. Given the fluid and unprecedented nature of this issue a postponement became the only viable option."
It added that there would be an announcement on rescheduling the fixture "in the coming days".
Report
Friday's Under-20 Six Nations match between Wales and Scotland in Colwyn Bay will go ahead but will be played behind closed doors.
Meanwhile, Scottish Rugby has suspended all rugby in Scotland for the remainder of March.
A Scottish Rugby spokesperson said: "We have taken on board all expert medical advice before now and we are taking a precautionary approach to give time to assess what the impact of coronavirus will be on Scottish society in the coming weeks before deciding on next steps.
"This decision has been taken with the best interest of everyone involved in the game and in support of the country's work to address the impact of Coronavirus."
Swami