:01:12. > :01:22.Every February, it is here, and every February, they have been here.
:01:22. > :01:56.
:01:56. > :02:06.The bricks-and-mortar of the Six dramatic game in any Six Nations!
:02:06. > :02:10.
:02:10. > :02:17.Larger-than-life. No longer players on the stage, just watching in the
:02:17. > :02:27.wings, like you and I. Out with the old, in with the new. Some things
:02:27. > :03:05.
:03:05. > :03:09.Once more, the Six Nations is upon us, and several new prunes have
:03:09. > :03:15.swept clean since the World Cup, new players, a new coaches, for
:03:15. > :03:19.Italy, a new home. We had matches in Paris and Edinburgh, but we
:03:19. > :03:29.start here in Dublin, the game between Ireland and Wales, the
:03:29. > :03:38.
:03:38. > :03:44.appetising of the three opening games. It is a very familiar-
:03:44. > :03:53.looking Irish pack, Paul O'Connell takes over the captaincy. He is the
:03:53. > :03:57.reigning British Lions coach, cannot be bad. Fergus McFadden
:03:58. > :04:03.concern for Keith Earls. Andrew Trimble is restored on the wink.
:04:03. > :04:08.Otherwise, it is Ireland as they normally are. Jonathan Sexton
:04:08. > :04:13.replaces Ronan O'Gara. Wales are five light of their World Cup pack,
:04:13. > :04:18.but there is experience, Bradley Davies and Ian Evans, and the
:04:18. > :04:26.comforting presence of Adam Jones. Behind the scrum, Rhys Priestland
:04:26. > :04:30.is fit, Jamie Roberts is fit. They had been injury scares in the
:04:30. > :04:40.build-up, but two of the midfield accommodation for Wales are
:04:40. > :05:06.
:05:06. > :05:16.great start for Conor Murray. So often, we see those kicks going too
:05:16. > :05:49.
:05:50. > :05:59.out. An Irish penalty. Ireland setting their stall out, they want
:06:00. > :06:24.
:06:24. > :06:31.was involved. He is over the line. Has he got it down? The arm of the
:06:31. > :06:36.captain goes up, we will be going upstairs. You cannot see the ball
:06:36. > :06:45.being grounded. Ireland did well to pack the frame with bodies, to
:06:45. > :06:55.obscure things. I cannot see how that will be given. Inconclusive.
:06:55. > :07:25.
:07:25. > :07:35.Sublime by the outside-half. They are going upstairs again. I have
:07:35. > :07:36.
:07:36. > :07:46.got them 5 -2. That is a try. No doubt about that. The try is
:07:46. > :07:48.
:07:48. > :07:58.awarded. The try maker is the place kicker. Will it go in? It hits the
:07:58. > :07:58.
:07:58. > :10:02.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 124 seconds
:10:02. > :10:12.untidy finish to Ireland's best Ireland will be hoping for
:10:12. > :10:29.
:10:29. > :10:36.than the penalty. Rory Best with the try. Tommy Bowe make up one. --
:10:36. > :10:46.made that one. It was like Rhys Priestland, a lovely draw, in
:10:46. > :11:03.
:11:03. > :11:13.behind. Ireland took the weight of Irish midfield. It will not matter.
:11:13. > :11:48.
:11:48. > :11:58.needs to get out of the way. Leigh Halfpenny has stepped up to take
:11:58. > :12:18.
:12:18. > :12:25.over from Rhys Priestland. One out North, Jonathan Davies. It is
:12:25. > :12:29.happening for Wales or the sudden. -- all of a sudden. It was a bad
:12:29. > :12:34.missed tackle in the middle of the park. It was poor from Ireland.
:12:34. > :12:39.That has been the danger all the time. Wales looking more dangerous.
:12:39. > :12:43.They get the ball with space, Ireland have been comfortable when
:12:43. > :12:47.Wales have been going through the phases, but when Wales have got man
:12:47. > :12:54.on man, they have been very dangerous. That is what they have
:12:54. > :13:04.been looking to do. Leigh Halfpenny adds the two points. Wales are in
:13:04. > :13:22.
:13:22. > :13:26.it will be a penalty to Ireland. It has opened up. Exactly the same
:13:27. > :13:36.flight as the last kick, exactly the same result. Ireland regained
:13:37. > :13:44.
:13:44. > :13:54.off-the-ball incident. Bradley Davies is being called over, it
:13:54. > :14:02.
:14:02. > :14:12.will be a card. The colour is cannot see how that is a yellow
:14:12. > :14:22.
:14:22. > :14:28.variety back Ireland. They hammered away close to the line and they
:14:28. > :14:38.gave it with and over went Tommy Bowe. Eight gorgeous pass. It was
:14:38. > :14:46.
:14:46. > :14:53.the pace and the accuracy of that through and a weak Irish tackling.
:14:53. > :15:03.George North. The power of George North. Nobody is claiming the try.
:15:03. > :15:04.
:15:04. > :15:14.George North likes it. Again look at the physicality of George North.
:15:14. > :15:30.
:15:31. > :15:36.lead still. -- Ireland have the lead still. Ireland are careless
:15:37. > :15:42.with the tackle. It is the old tip tackle. Ireland giving away the
:15:42. > :15:52.penalty. Stephen Ferris is going to the sin-bin and Wales will have the
:15:52. > :15:54.
:15:54. > :16:04.cake for the match. Leigh Halfpenny kicks and penalties and the clock
:16:04. > :16:11.
:16:11. > :16:16.is still running. Adam Jones on his and the referee's was sold goes and
:16:16. > :16:21.Wales have won in Ireland in a match that has been dramatic from
:16:21. > :16:27.start to finish. Dramatic, controversial, exciting, it has
:16:27. > :16:34.been a belter. What were the emotions when you had
:16:34. > :16:38.to stand up and take that penalty at the end? You know, it was, it
:16:38. > :16:43.was the hardest kick I have had to take in all my life. As soon as I
:16:44. > :16:50.ran over I know the emotion came and having to deal with the mess
:16:50. > :16:58.against France in the World Cup, it makes it all worthwhile. I am
:16:58. > :17:01.really pleased with the win for Wales. I know it is one of your own
:17:01. > :17:05.players in Bradley Davies, but there is not a man in our studio
:17:05. > :17:09.this afternoon who does not think it should have been a red card.
:17:09. > :17:15.have had a good look at it and I think there is intent. There is
:17:15. > :17:20.definitely intent in there. I would not argue with the decision of a
:17:20. > :17:25.red card. I thought the one in the World Cup there was not intent and
:17:25. > :17:31.that is the difference in terms of the interpretation. We are asked to
:17:31. > :17:38.work with the referee's manager. Should it have been a red card? It
:17:38. > :17:42.was exactly what Sam Warburton did in the World Cup. There are lots of
:17:42. > :17:49.things that happen in rugby matches and we have to hope that at some
:17:49. > :17:54.stage its wings our way. Let's see what happens. What a fantastic
:17:54. > :17:59.match, a wonderful advert for the game and the competition as a whole
:17:59. > :18:03.and we will get some thoughts from Andy Nicol, Jarlath and Davies and
:18:03. > :18:09.Keith Wood before the end of the programme. Before that, let's head
:18:09. > :18:14.to the Calcutta Cup, Scotland against England, always a nervy,
:18:14. > :18:17.very tetchy and sometimes tight game and so it proved.
:18:17. > :18:21.You can hear the noise at Murrayfield and you can feel the
:18:21. > :18:27.excitement crackling in the air, the anticipation heightened by a
:18:27. > :18:32.sense of beginnings. So many less well-known faces. Let's remind
:18:32. > :18:42.ourselves of the teams. Scotland have changed things around a bit,
:18:42. > :18:48.not so much in the front five. Ross Ford carries the captaincy. David
:18:48. > :18:57.Denton gets his first start at No. 8. Dan Parks always generates
:18:57. > :19:06.debate. To modestly sized quick winners, Max Evans and Lee Jones
:19:06. > :19:10.who wins his first cap. Phil Dowson has been on the fringes for many
:19:10. > :19:20.years and gets his chance is making only his second appearance in the
:19:20. > :19:21.
:19:21. > :19:28.white jersey. The Captain is Chris Robshaw. That might not be the
:19:28. > :19:32.quickest unit, but pays comes from the back three. On the bench the
:19:32. > :19:35.difference inexperience shows itself, Scotland with three ex-
:19:35. > :19:45.captain has an England with five uncapped men are waiting in the
:19:45. > :20:03.
:20:03. > :20:13.loose. He would have been a wave. That is not good enough. -- away.
:20:13. > :20:23.Another penalty. Scotland coming in at the side. And rock shock and
:20:23. > :20:46.
:20:46. > :20:56.cuts Atir are locking horns. And Parks comes through, but it is a
:20:56. > :21:09.
:21:09. > :21:19.The uncharitable noise will begin again, but Owen Farrell from not
:21:19. > :21:22.
:21:22. > :21:32.too great a distance. It goes through. Andy Farrell watches on.
:21:32. > :21:40.
:21:40. > :21:48.His son gives England the first advantage and a chance to level the
:21:48. > :21:58.scores. That was not the most difficult cake for a man of Dan
:21:58. > :22:25.
:22:25. > :22:35.for Ben Foden. It is spilled. All sorts of pressure on Hodgson.
:22:35. > :22:36.
:22:36. > :22:46.did well to rescue that. This is lovely work. David Strettle did
:22:46. > :23:05.
:23:05. > :23:14.well. There was a temptation to a penalty. He cannot get up, he has
:23:14. > :23:19.to play the ball. It was a penalty before. Dan Parks again does his
:23:19. > :23:29.job. The touch judges have a look at each other and three more points
:23:29. > :23:32.for Scotland and they lead. It is under way once again at Murrayfield.
:23:32. > :23:42.David Denton was perhaps one ray of light in this match in the first
:23:42. > :23:52.
:23:52. > :23:59.Charlie Hodgson gets it down. The referee will ask a question, but it
:23:59. > :24:07.was a try for Hodgson and for England. Disaster for Scotland.
:24:07. > :24:16.Totally unforced error. He had enough time. It is a trier and what
:24:16. > :24:26.a start to the second Cup. 29 seconds on the clock. -- second
:24:26. > :24:26.
:24:26. > :24:36.half. Owen Farrell adds the extra two points. England have a gift at
:24:36. > :24:36.
:24:36. > :25:34.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 124 seconds
:25:34. > :25:38.goes into touch, just. He has been deep into Scottish territory it.
:25:38. > :25:48.Max Evans did a tremendous job of anticipation to grab hold of the
:25:48. > :25:58.
:25:58. > :26:08.England player and delayed the fluency now. Suddenly it is England
:26:08. > :26:11.
:26:11. > :26:21.who are menacing. David Dent and had to be quick. -- David Benton.
:26:21. > :26:38.
:26:38. > :26:41.It is a penalty for Scotland. He penalty is coming if they want it.
:26:41. > :26:47.Greig Laidlaw tried to get there, but I think there might have been a
:26:47. > :26:57.couple of hands on that ball. Ben Youngs was back. The referee is
:26:57. > :27:04.
:27:04. > :27:14.going to have a look. Greig Laidlaw almost got a little pot on that.
:27:14. > :27:18.
:27:18. > :27:28.try, Sackur. -- thank you. Greig Laidlaw is frustrated. He could not
:27:28. > :27:29.
:27:29. > :27:32.quite get the pass away. But the knock-on came from England. There
:27:32. > :27:37.is frustration on the Scottish faces. But that is not good enough.
:27:37. > :27:47.That is the equivalent to an open goal. It is a simple pass. Here he
:27:47. > :27:48.
:27:49. > :27:55.is. Mike Blair was there. You have got to make that pass. The clock is
:27:55. > :28:05.now against Scotland and England have a penalty, which is very
:28:05. > :28:22.
:28:22. > :28:27.crucial. He is sending England belong to England and Stuart
:28:27. > :28:31.Lancaster begins his regime at with a victory. It was eight-game it
:28:31. > :28:37.where England were up against it a lot, but it is a good start to the
:28:37. > :28:41.brave, new world for England. A happy man. Very happy, to come up
:28:41. > :28:47.here and get a win like that was never going to be easier. We
:28:47. > :28:53.defended a lot in that game, but the crowd were fantastic. They got
:28:53. > :28:59.behind us and they gave us that inspiration. To get you first went
:28:59. > :29:03.away on the road is great for all the new caps and they were
:29:03. > :29:08.outstanding. You must be tearing your hair out that the errors that
:29:08. > :29:14.happened in the last phase in the 22, what do you do about that?
:29:14. > :29:19.keep practising. We have created some great opportunities and it is
:29:19. > :29:24.that last pass. The game is about inches and very small margins. You
:29:24. > :29:29.have got to be able to execute under pressure. We lost our heads a
:29:29. > :29:39.little bit. I do not know what all this fuss is about, this
:29:39. > :29:40.
:29:40. > :29:44.international coaching lark, it is It was a fantastic effort, I am
:29:44. > :29:52.chuffed for the boys. They put the effort in, they had to make the
:29:52. > :29:56.tackles. It is what teams are built on, spirit. We talked about it for
:29:56. > :30:01.the last 10 days. I thought we showed tremendous spirit, courage,
:30:01. > :30:09.to play for each other, to play for Bishop, to play for England.
:30:09. > :30:19.A winning start for the new England. Next, the final match of the
:30:19. > :30:31.
:30:31. > :30:39.opening weekend, although it was close at the World Cup. Louis
:30:39. > :30:45.Picamoles plays. Wesley Fofana at number 12, alongside Aurelien
:30:45. > :30:52.Rougerie. Experience and a threat. Francois Trinh-Duc comes back at
:30:52. > :31:02.Number Ten. Nobody is more experienced than Andrea Lo Cicero
:31:02. > :31:02.
:31:02. > :31:07.for Italy. Behind the scrum, the first cap for Giovanbattista
:31:07. > :31:11.Venditti. How much of the ball he sees, it will depend on the
:31:11. > :31:19.approach that Jacques Brunel has been able to instil in the Italian
:31:19. > :31:29.side. Marco Bortolami is still around, on the Italian bench.
:31:29. > :31:54.
:31:54. > :32:00.Imanol Harinordoquy is stuck on the Tommaso Benvenuti. Her penalty
:32:00. > :32:10.advantage to France. A penalty given. Francois Trinh-Duc in
:32:10. > :32:23.
:32:23. > :32:31.They are not afraid to go through the phases, Italy, they are trying
:32:31. > :32:36.to build an attack and find a mistake from France. It is over. We
:32:36. > :32:46.are all square. The patient build- up by Italy worked. Kristopher
:32:46. > :33:10.
:33:10. > :33:15.France. It was a slow build up. It was a poor defence by Italy.
:33:15. > :33:19.Aurelien Rougerie scores the first try of the game. France have gone
:33:19. > :33:29.to Wesley Fofana so far, but this time, they chose the more
:33:29. > :33:43.
:33:43. > :33:53.experienced player. There was a slow moving away. The referee
:33:53. > :34:20.
:34:20. > :34:28.penalises Pascal Pape for not against the head. Finished by the
:34:28. > :34:38.window. France at their best. fantastic try, Julien Malzieu are
:34:38. > :34:46.
:34:46. > :34:56.fending off the oncoming defenders, away the penalty, playing along the
:34:56. > :35:28.
:35:28. > :35:36.Italy with the first points of the not been. It is Andrea Lo Cicero
:35:36. > :35:46.again. Dimitri Yachvili does not take the advantage. You have got to
:35:46. > :35:46.
:35:46. > :36:36.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 124 seconds
:36:36. > :36:41.in the air is no good to him. The fantastic try for Vincent Clerc.
:36:41. > :36:51.He joins his coach, Philippe Saint- Andre, as the second all-time try
:36:51. > :36:52.
:36:52. > :36:56.scorer for France, up to 32. Francois Trinh-Duc, a delicate chip.
:36:56. > :37:06.It is Aurelien Rougerie that moves the ball forward, straight into the
:37:06. > :37:06.
:37:06. > :38:02.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 124 seconds
:38:02. > :38:12.hesitated a bit, but it had gone out. The referee has singled out
:38:12. > :38:22.number four. It is illegal to bring a maul down, but it is also pretty
:38:22. > :38:58.
:38:58. > :39:03.rugby, Wesley Fofana scores. What a second half he has had. Another
:39:03. > :39:07.vindication of the selection of those men. One of the work was set
:39:07. > :39:14.up by the forwards. You can sense it, when France get on a roll, they
:39:14. > :39:24.have such an appetite to put on a show. Wesley Fofana, it is a debut
:39:24. > :39:35.
:39:35. > :39:38.been, in patches, and standing. Italy were their normal selves,
:39:38. > :39:47.plus a little bit, a bit more adventure, but they have come to
:39:47. > :39:54.It is the perfect start for France, it always helps to get a win, but
:39:54. > :40:00.how much more is there to come? hope there is more. I am not very
:40:00. > :40:06.pleased with the performance. But it is better to win than to play
:40:06. > :40:12.not very well. But we will be to play much better to beat Ireland
:40:12. > :40:19.next week. We played well, we made too many mistakes. We try to play
:40:19. > :40:26.too much. We had a lot of possession today, which has not
:40:26. > :40:30.happened for a long time, because we are used to defending. We need
:40:30. > :40:34.to cut out some errors when we try to play. We lost to the best team,
:40:34. > :40:38.they deserved to win, we have a lot of things to work on. Jacques
:40:38. > :40:48.Brunel has been in charge for 15 days, it is a positive place to
:40:48. > :40:51.
:40:51. > :41:01.Friends were emphatic winners in the end. It breathtaking game in
:41:01. > :41:02.
:41:02. > :41:10.Ireland. Plenty to talk about. You are the obvious man to start with,
:41:10. > :41:15.Jonathan. In a Welsh perspective, playing with such style.
:41:15. > :41:21.fantastic game of rugby, both sides played with great wit. At the end
:41:21. > :41:29.of the day, it came down to the kick by Leigh Halfpenny. Two della
:41:30. > :41:36.cards for the tackles -- two yellow cards. The standard of the game for
:41:36. > :41:40.both sides was fantastic, great tries, a great defence. It put a
:41:40. > :41:45.smile back on everybody's face. What kind of body blow to Ireland
:41:45. > :41:51.was the defeat? It was caught. They got themselves into position to win
:41:51. > :41:55.it. A couple of missed tackles, a lapse in discipline, and suddenly
:41:55. > :42:02.it is gone. The championship has not gone, but it becomes incredibly
:42:02. > :42:08.appel. They have a harder run of games, they will be away against
:42:08. > :42:13.France and England. It was a belter of a cane, he could not help but
:42:13. > :42:19.get excited by every single minute of the game. Looking at the ebb and
:42:19. > :42:25.flow, the continuity, the picketing, the subtlety. In marked contrast to
:42:25. > :42:30.the match at Murrayfield. It took like a different sport. I loved the
:42:30. > :42:40.ambition, but the contrast, it was the physicality... Paul O'Connell
:42:40. > :42:41.
:42:41. > :42:45.putting a world of effort, and so did Sean O'Brien and Cian Healy.
:42:45. > :42:50.Thoughts on England and Scotland? It was a disappointing game for
:42:50. > :42:55.many reasons. Scotland lost it, rather than England winning it. You
:42:55. > :43:02.cannot quantify what that will do for confidence, but in contrast to
:43:02. > :43:06.today, not nearly as good. How good were friends? They went through
:43:06. > :43:16.their paces, they took their time, but when they got a chance, they
:43:16. > :43:19.
:43:19. > :43:28.were clinical. They took every opportunity for --. We'd go to the
:43:28. > :43:32.Olympic Stadium in Rome for the first time next week. We thought
:43:32. > :43:41.that Ireland versus France would decide the championship. It still
:43:41. > :43:45.might. If this game here in Dublin is not at the end of the