As expected, the Six Nations did not disappoint in its opening round of matches. Excitement reigned supreme and as the dust settled, France reaffirmed themselves as the big favorite to take home the title. That being said, there were other teams that made their intentions well known and they didn't want to allow the French think that this was going to be a walk in the park.
France 30-12 Italy
Although they were given lots of trouble in the first half by the Italians in Philippe Saint-André's debut on the bench, they were able to score on two brilliant tries in the first half by Vincent Clerc and Aurelien Rougerie saw the World Cup runners-up obtain a 15-6 lead going into the break.
The Azzurri held on tough and showed that the work prior to the tournament with new coach Jacques Brunel. The former Perpignan coach preached possession and patience with that ball. That was seen most in the amount of time they spent on the opponent's side of the pitch as they spent and that proved vital for the Italians as they looked to stay in the match against the explosive French.
The second half saw the homeside dominating the proceedings as they spent over 30 of the 40 minutes on the Italian side of the pitch. That onslaught led to two more tries by Julien Malzieu and Wesley Fofana iced the match for the French.
Ireland 21-23 Wales
Wales showed tremendous heart being able to squeak out a big win at Landsdowne Road against an Ireland side that handed them the victory. The Welsh without a doubt are on a collision course with Les Bleus in what would be a rematch of last year's World Cup semifinal.
Scotland 6-13 England
Meanwhile the new generation of English players under Stuart Lancaster was given a tough test when they had to head to Murrayfield and get a result. They were able to do so as they came out with a 13-6 win against Scotland.
Next Round
Italy-England
France- Ireland
Wales- Scotland
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