20.03.2015 – England go into the final match of the Six Nations Championships with France in first position on points difference (+37) level with Ireland (+33) and Wales (+12) on 6 points. Although France (+22) still have an outside chance of winning the title on 4 points, they will have to beat England by a large margin and rely on Ireland and Wales both losing.
England vs France on Saturday, March 21 at 5:00pm
England boss Stuart Lancaster brings Geoff Parling in to the starting lineup replacing Dave Attwood, the only change to the side that beat Scotland 25-13 in their last outing. Ireland, with a points difference of just 4 less than England, will fancy their chances against Scotland whilst Wales, with a points difference of just 12, 25 behind leaders England, could pull themselves back into contentions with a big win against Italy. Should both Ireland and Wales lose however, the game between England and France becomes almost a title decider. With England vs France kicking off at 17:00, after the other two matches, both teams will know what they have to achieve.
Italy vs Wales on Saturday, March 21st at 12:30pm
Wales will be hoping that their match against Italy will be a formality and they are expected to take maximum points in Rome however, they must be careful not to be complacent and watch out for Italy’s main man Sergio Parisse who still carries a threat at the age of 31. Wales will need a comprehensive victory in Rome to overturn a large points difference to England. Just like in 2013, Wales have recovered from a poor start in the tournament to haul themselves back into title contention with impressive wins over Scotland, France and Ireland having lost to England on the opening weekend in Cardiff.
