by Steve Borthwick and Warren Gatland had a rude awakening in their new roles as England and Wales were beaten on a thrilling opening day of this year’s Six Nations.
England were beaten by a scintillating performance by Scotland at Twickenham – Scotland’s first win at a sold-out England venue since 1983 (the win two years ago was played in front of empty stands due to lockdown) and their first consecutive wins in South West London never. Duhan van der Merwe’s brilliance with two tries, his first for an all-time great score, helped Gregor Townsend’s men to a well-deserved victory.
Scotland were bold and brave and held on in the match when it threatened to slip away from them after half time, withstanding the pressure of everything England threw at them.
In a game with thin margins, the hosts, far from falling out of favor, found themselves derailed by the struggle and brilliance of the visitors.
At Cardiff Gatland, Wales’ return to the dock was a rout as Ireland walked away with an early 27-3 lead they never seemed to lose.
Gatland defended his team, saying he saw many positives after the break as Wales attacked but failed to make his time in the Irish 22 worthwhile.
When does the 2023 Six Nations start?
The 2023 Six Nations kicked off on Saturday, when Wales were handily beaten by Ireland in Cardiff. That was followed by Scotland’s brilliant victory over England at Twickenham. The first weekend is completed by France, great favorite for the title, who visits Rome to face Italy. The tournament concludes on ‘Super Saturday’, March 18, when all three matches begin on the same day, one after the other.
TV schedule and matches of the Six Nations 2023
round one
Saturday, February 4
Wales 10 Ireland 34
England 23 Scotland 29
Sunday, February 5
Italy vs France LIVE, 3:00 p.m., Stadio Olimpico (Rome), itv
second round
Saturday, February 11
Ireland vs France, 2:15 p.m., at the Aviva Stadium (Dublin), itv
Scotland vs Wales, 4:45 p.m., at BT Murrayfield (Edinburgh), BBC
Sunday, February 12
England vs Italy, 3:00 p.m., in Twickenham (London), itv
round three
Saturday, February 25
Italy vs Ireland, 2:15 p.m., at the Stadio Olimpico (Rome), itv
Wales-England, 4:45 p.m., at the Principality Stadium (Cardiff), BBC
Sunday, February 26
France vs Scotland, 3:00 p.m., at the Stade de France (Paris), itv
fourth round
Saturday, March 11
Italy vs Wales, 2:15 p.m., at the Stadio Olimpico (Rome), itv
England vs France, 4:45 p.m., in Twickenham (London), ITV and BBC
Sunday, March 12
Scotland vs Ireland, 3:00 p.m., at BT Murrayfield (Edinburgh), BBC
round five
Saturday, March 18
Scotland vs Italy, 12.30pm, at BT Murrayfield (Edinburgh), BBC
France vs Wales, 2:45 p.m., at the Stade de France (Paris), itv
Ireland vs England, 5:00 p.m., at Aviva Stadium (Dublin), itv
What are the latest rankings?
How to watch the Six Nations live
All Championship games will be broadcast live on BBC or ITV.
The BBC lost the rights to broadcast France’s home games in the men’s Six Nations in 2022, meaning all matches in Paris will be broadcast on ITV. England matches are shared between the broadcasters, who began sharing rights to the entire competition in 2016.
S4C will broadcast all the Wales games live, and RTE will have live coverage of seven of the 15 games, including all the Ireland games.
Latest Winning Odds
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Ireland 8/13
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France 9/4
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Scotland 2/15
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England 1/14
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Welsh 50/1
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Italy 250/1
Odds correct as of February 4
