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Women’s Six Nations: 4 things we learned in round three
With three rounds in the books, the 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations table is starting to take shape.
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On current form, all roads lead to a Grand Slam decider in Twickenham on April 26.
England remain top of the standings, with a perfect 15 points from 15 following a bonus-point victory in Ireland that was harder – for 30 minutes at least – than the 49-5 scoreline suggests.
That result came after France laboured to a 42-12 win against winless Wales in Brive, which keeps Les Bleues in touching distance, one point adrift of the Red Roses.
Ireland remain in third while Italy jumped up to fourth following their impressive 25-17 victory against Scotland in Edinburgh.
As we head into the penultimate week of the championship, here are four things we learned from round three.
England’s opponents must be perfect
For 33 minutes or so in the Cork sunshine there was a hint that something special might be about to happen.
Amee-Leigh Costigan’s 24th-minute try was deserved reward for a first-half performance in which Ireland suffocated the life out of the world’s No.1 side.
England looked unusually ragged, harried into mistakes and forced onto the back foot by a combination of ferocious tackling and Dannah O’Brien’s booming left boot.
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If Erin King, who wore the expression of a woman more than happy to take on the Red Roses on her own, didn’t get you then Brittany Hogan, Neve Jones or Dorothy Wall probably would.
That England were close to full strength only made the Irish performance in that opening half an hour more impressive. Yet the seeds for the Red Roses revival were sewn long before Morwenna Talling powered over for the first of seven English tries.
To beat this England team, you have to be perfect and Ireland, for all their endeavour were not – especially at the set piece.
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Ireland’s struggles at scrum time – where they conceded four penalties in the first half alone – gave their visitors a foothold and denied themselves a chance to breath and reset in the midst of their oxygen-sapping defensive work.
It was a similar story at the lineout, which meant England had a surefire way to exert pressure on their hosts. It was little surprise when the Red Roses opted to take a scrum instead of a shot at goal shortly after Niamh O’Dowd was sent to the sin bin.
Slightly more shocking was the Irish decision to confront that scrum with only seven players. Within a minute Zoe Harrison stretched the Red Roses’ lead to nine points and they were soon out of sight.
Top two have a lot in reserve
Another reason for England’s dominant second-half performance at Virgin Media Park was of course their ability to send on world-class reinforcements to change the momentum and direction of the match.
Natasha Hunt not having her usual influence? Send on Lucy Packer. Could the pack do with some energy? No danger here come Rosie Galligan and Maddie Feaunati.
Need a spark in attack? Tell Holly Aitchison and Helena Rowland to get warm.
But the real kick in the teeth for Ireland’s front row would have come in the 52nd minute, as they looked up and saw Amy Cokayne, Kelsey Clifford and Sarah Bern preparing to come on.
You’ve just spent the best part of an hour getting driven in all directions and can then only watch on as that trio come on, fresh. By contrast both starting Irish props, O’Dowd and Linda Djougang, were required to play 70 minutes in Cork and it has an impact.
Unsurprisingly, Bern excelled in her Cork cameo, scoring two tries while Clifford also got on the scoresheet – for the first time in a Test – and Aitchison notched a late conversion.
It is the kind of depth that only France can get close to mirroring in the championship, and it was a similar story in Brive, where Les Bleues had to dig deep before enjoying a relatively comfortable victory against Wales.
France were able to bring on the brilliant tighthead Assia Khalfaoui at half-time, had an all-new front row by the hour mark and had emptied their bench with 10 minutes to go.
Lea Champon and Lina Queyroi were among the replacements who helped steady the ship and steer the hosts towards a win that keeps them on course for a Grand Slam decider at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham in a fortnight.
The reasons why John Mitchell, Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz have such deeper squads than their Six Nations rivals are manifold and ingrained but what cannot be ignored is how much of an advantage it gives the top two.
Italy provide timely reminder
Fortunately for the championship, beneath the top two things appear to be quite competitive.
Ireland will rightly feel their eight-try demolition of Italy in Parma in round two and their performance against France keep them at the head of the chasing pack, regardless of what happened in the second half against England.
Certainly, the age profile of the starting line-up against the Red Roses, which consisted of only one player (Fiona Tuite) who is over 30 and had an average age of 25, would suggest they are on an upward trajectory.
One team that was said to be heading in the opposite direction, before round three, was Italy but the Azzurre provided a timely reminder in Edinburgh on Sunday that they remain a dangerous outfit.
It is six years since Italy recorded their highest championship finish, claiming second place as England won the Grand Slam in 2019.
There have been encouraging moments since, especially at Rugby World Cup 2021 and in both editions of WXV 2, but their results in the Six Nations had contributed to a feeling the Azzurre were a team on the decline.
Italy do still rely on a number of talents from that 2019 team – Beatrice Rigoni, Michele Sillari, Aura Muzzo and Elisa Giordano chief among them – but they possess enough quality to be a threat when it all clicks. Throw in the finishing instincts of Alyssa D’Inca and as they showcased at Hive Stadium, they are more than a match for Scotland and Wales in particular.
The Azzurre end the championship with back-to-back home games against France and Wales, after which we should have a greater understanding of exactly where Fabio Roselli’s team stands in World Cup year.
Discipline is crucial
As Roselli prepares his side to face France in Parma on Saturday he is sure to spend a large portion of his time on discipline.
It was a yellow card to Scotland centre Lisa Thomson that helped shift the momentum in the Azzurre’s favour in Edinburgh as tries from Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi and D’Inca helped turn a 12-10 deficit into a 20-12 lead.
In doing so, Italy became the third team of the weekend – after France and England on Saturday – to exploit an opposition player’s 10 minutes in the sin bin to the fullest.
France also struck twice, if you include the penalty try awarded alongside Maisie Davies’ yellow card, to take the match away from Wales once and for all in Brive.
While there was an inevitability about both O’Dowd’s yellow card early in the second half in Cork and the two England tries that followed when she was sat on the sideline.
It’s hard enough playing the Red Roses with 15 players but the stress they put you under on and off the ball coaxes mistakes. Bryan Easson will be preaching a similar message to Roselli as Scotland head to Leicester this weekend.
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