And it's a wrap-up in the pool stage of the Men’s Rugby Europe Championship 2025, with Georgia and Portugal confirming a home championship semifinal
Outwith the Six Nations spotlight, emerging nations jostle for position in another thrilling REC - with the added carrot of Rugby World Cup qualification.
It was the French who caught the eye in round one with six of their eight teams winning, including Stade Rochelais and Toulon away from home.
Stade Francais player ratings: Stade Français were outplayed and outclassed at Thomond Park, unable to match Munster’s intensity and cohesion.
Portugal player ratings: Portugal’s second visit to Murrayfield ended in a 59-21 loss, with the Lobos conceding more than a wave of tries in the second half.
Simon Mannix’s Portugal will head to the Autumn Nations Series with a couple of new additions, as CA Brive’s and Pro D2’s top try scorer, Lucas da Silva is expected to make his debut for the Lobos.
The schedule kicks off on Saturday in London with Steve Borthwick’s England hosting the All Blacks just 16 weeks after the New Zealanders closed out a 2-0 series victory with a 24-17 win in Auckland.
An ex-All Black, former Springbok and ex-F1 team boss are poised to take over the storied French club.
It was last March when the class of 2023/24 clinched the championship with a win away in France and they followed up that success by securing World Cup glory in July in South Africa.
In just a few days another season of the Top 14 kicks off with the likes of Owen Farrell, Siya Kolisi, Josua Tuisova, and Davit Niniashvili making the numbers of the overseas players ready to make the headlines and wrestle for the title.