Episode 5 Women's Six Nations Rugby

Welcome to a wet and windy Dublin for the exciting climax to this

year's Six Nations. England and Ireland are both on the verge of a

Grand Slam and a St Patrick's Day to remember.

MUSIC: Shipping Up to Boston by Dropkick Murphys

Cast your mind back to weak one. Ireland needed a last-ditch try to

get past Scotland while England had to turn around 830- 0/2-time deficit

against France. Both teams locked the top with a winner takes all

match tonight at Donnybrook. Coming up, Scotland won their first game in

seven years last time they stepped out at Broadwood Stadium. Did they

do the business against Italy? Wheels looking to end their

inconsistent campaign in style as they travel to France. But we start

with a Saint Patrick spatial down. A partisan crowd and a wall of green

stand in the way of Simon Middleton's professionals. Both

Ireland and England expect. A terrific occasion for one in's rugby

and Ireland will defend. So much at stake for both the sides.

Here is the Irish team and a awful lot resting on the half-backs. Good

to see Muldoon restored to something like her best. Here is the English

side, and look no further than Emily Scarratt through which all good

things work. The slate of hand is really good.

Speaking at a handgun does just enough to bring the English when a

bone but Ireland Beaven said the 22 again. Once again the battering ram

and it is quick Ireland find themselves scrambling wide to try to

try to deal with Emily Scarratt. Trying to go on the outside and

somehow Ireland just hold on to the jersey but that woman clerk again is

asked to carry and does so effectively. England really

increasing the intensity and accuracy and Ireland are fighting

for every yard. Out wide and England will get in! It is Wilson - Hardy

and England strike first. The execution as well as intend going

forward. It looked easy for Emily Scarratt, picking the pass off over

the last Irish defender and a nice finish by Amy Wilson-Hardy. A lack

of communication with Jenny Murphy. Clark will play scrum-half. England

launch the big runners but a huge tackle. That has lifted the crowd.

Brilliant fit by Miller. Still it is the line and Murphy does

the clear at work. Muldoon holds on. England make the tackles and Ireland

inch forward. Jenny Murphy, burst of power and pace. England do enough.

Painfully bit of control. Terrific tackle from Amy Wilson-Hardy.

Ireland made a seven metres away. Really impressive from this Irish

side. Muldoon again. Looking to straight in the line.

Emily Scarratt makes the tackle once again. Ireland knocking on the door

and England so far have kept them out.

Protected by Fitzpatrick. Two metres short, even less! England hold her

up. Wonderful play. Brilliant English defence. Really clever again

by Ireland, switchback inside. Desperate last attempt at defence by

England but they are holding out. Ireland will need to be patient and

execute well and then go and get the former toppled. And the captain is

all that! Can she groaned and the ball? Identification at, was at

Millar-Mills or Hunter that got underneath? Another great attacking

positions. Huge moment in the context of this game. Ireland with

another scrum. England are going to shove all in and they have somehow

stolen it. They have done absolutely nothing in the scrum in the first 40

but when it was required England found a way. They will take a deep

breath and a sigh of relief. Great line for Hunter. Five metre

line and England back on the five metre line. Almost there this time.

This time they will get their! It is the substitute, Laura Keates, and

England have found a way of unlocking the defence. Starting off

with Sarah Hunter and Laura Keates doing what she does well, getting

over the line, and much better from England.

Taken all in and England have found a gap and Emily Scarratt, in trouble

here. She could be in a lot of trouble with the referee decides

it's a deliberate knock-on, that would be a yellow card and Ireland

would play with 14. Yellow card and the steep climb just got a lot

steeper and on that evidence hard to argue. Ten minutes in the den and

the chance to tag on three. Which she does with the first successful

kick of the evening as we approach the hour mark. On the sudden Ireland

just don't have the same belief that they had in the opening 40. They

need a spark from somewhere, England beginning to turn the screw.

Stapleton kicks at high but doesn't go anywhere particularly. A lovely

off-loads from Emily Scarratt. She is going to score and that might be

that! Really good pass for Emily Scarratt. Sends them on their way.

England playing with so much confidence to get her on her way and

great pace by the forwards, to run that as a hooker is incredible. The

off-loads to Emily Scarratt and then to Amy Cokayne who is dynamic and to

finish from that distance out. They simply must score at your if they

are to have any designs of getting back into this game and Fitzpatrick

knows it. Goes to ground. Ireland is just a little bit slow but needs

another injection of pace and strength. Three metres short,

England defend strongly. Almost their! England just holding on. They

try, this, we will confirm it on the deeply. Ireland have their first

points of the evening. They deserve the points and worked through the

phases and stuck to their strengthss. She has been a real find

since the November internationals. Where is this one off to? England

looking to come away. Good work and now the substitute. On two Amy

Wilson-Hardy. No one will catch Emily Scarratt and that there was a

doubt about the destination of the 2017 Six Nations, that is surely

that. The key thing is the off-loading. Absolute classic

footwork. Head down and looking for the past before the contact. No one

is going to stop Emily Scarratt, not even Murphy, who has had an

outstanding game. Probably the try of the night. Really good hands from

a few of the England players. Star of the show, Emily Scarratt. And

England and away goes Thompson. And England are in and under the post.

Try number five. She is so agile and so balanced, just showing how quick

she is. They will be happy to see it offered the park and it is out and

jumps of jolly for they were men in white. They are the Six Nations

Grand Slam champions for 2017. How are you feeling after that?

Pirate. It was an absolutely incredible game to play in. The

first half was intense but we came away with the win. Amazing

atmosphere and a great crowd, what was it like playing here tonight to?

Load! The crowd were incredible. So much atmosphere and everything, very

intense. Congratulations, I will present you know with the player of

the match award, well done! The champions of the six Nations the

2017 are England. Well, I'm joined now by Kat merchant and Danielle

Waterman, part of the Grand Slam winning team, and that must feel

pretty good to have that medal around your neck again. It is

unbelievable, a fantastic squad effort and the girls put in a huge

shift, to go in at half-time with that on the scoreboard was

important, and unbelievable to get the win, really pleased. And you

must be delighted to see the Grand Slam back again, even though you

weren't part of it this time. I was buzzing for the girls, you could see

how much it meant to them afterwards, and this squad has come

a long way, they are really building and what aid year to directing, the

World Cup year. It is a perfect build-up to the World Cup, but let's

look at the game, it was a tough first 40. We knew it was going to be

a tough match! My friend from the West Country with her nice big

trophy! Five years! Sorry, mate. I apologise for her! To be honest, we

knew it was going to be an 80 minute match against them, and we actually

found the wind a little bit of a challenge because we didn't win our

set pieces very well in the first half. The girls coming off the bench

made a massive impact, and it suited us, is shortened up the defence

which gave us a wide space and brought it through, so you can see

how much it means. There has been a real journey, coming in in January,

and how much closer do you feel together as a squad of players? The

opportunity of being professional means we get a lot of time on the

field, and the time off the field to build that unit, so in terms of

technically, tactically, physically, we'll get a little more rest because

we don't have to go off to jobs. So it has been really good, and we have

a fantastic squad back at home, and it has been a real squad effort. We

are a great pace, it was always about winning, and it is about going

on to win the World Cup in August. What have you been most impressed by

in the Six Nations tournament? The strength and depth, because no

matter who they are starting and rotating, you look at them and go,

that is an incredible team, and they have more to come on on the bench,

and that experience will be key. Well done, Danielle, I'm sure you

will enjoy your night celebrations, and we will have more reaction from

Donnybrook later, but now let's go to the match that kicked off the

weekend, Scotland at home to Italy, the Italians looking to avoid the

Wooden Spoon, and they would need a bonus point win to do it.

COMMENTATOR: Italy just inside the Scotland 22, and an goes A-list

trends and, and this is where Italy are dangerous. They are gaining

territory, picking up speed. Five metres short, and rolling over is

Ilaria Arrighetti. They are there in numbers, driving forward, almost to

the try line. This time perhaps, one more effort should do it, but has

the ball being grounded? That is the question. This might tell us a

little more, it is the lock forward. And the try is awarded by the TMO,

still there for Italy. They are still short of the Scottish try

line. Scotland making the tackles, but they have to be careful here.

Italy get the drive on once again, it is clear cut this time, Ian

tempest on the spot, and both tries have come from the drive from the

forwards, and the second score for the hooker, Melissa Bertoni. This is

better from Scotland. Good work, the kick downfield from Lisa Thompson.

It could be a score, yes it is! Scotland have struck back. Much to

the delight of the home supporters. And a good angle from the centre,

good handoff as well, and what about that for a neat chip ahead, and

giving chase, and the kick taken by Skeldon. That is a superb effort,

what a kick that was, and Scotland right back in it. This looks,

saying, and it is the try! She gets there for her second try, well

worked, but again, it was the intervention from Jade Konkel, and

the supporters are in raptures. Skeldon steps up, strikes it sweetly

once again, and over it goes to give Scotland the lead.

Has to be straight, square, steady, stable. Sarah Law standing off,

lovely offload to Thompson, and to the 22, a little too strong,

perhaps, and there is another chance gone begging. The clock turns to

read. Sarah Law knows exactly what needs to be done. Back into the

hands of the captain, Lisa Martin, who hoists it high into the

grandstand as Ian Tempest blows the final whistle, it finishes Scotland

14-12 Italy. What a fantastic win for Scotland,

coming back from 12-0 down, a campaign for them considering they

hadn't won a game in the tournament for seven years. And now they have

won two in the same Six Nations. It is great for them and great for the

competition. And they are trying to grow the game in Scotland, they have

Shade Munro in charge and he has bags of experience, he is busy doing

the right thing because the side are growing, they were not the whipping

team that they have been for so long. And things take time, you

can't build a team overnight, so he is obviously putting the right

things in place, and the skill set is increasing every year and it is

starting to take shape. And always good to have a solid base at home,

back wins in their own stadium must give them confidence as they build

towards the next fixtures. And it will help world support to watch the

game, it is easier to watch a winning side and hopefully they will

build support in Scotland. The final match took place in Brive where

holders France were looking to end their inconsistent defence of their

title and welcome a Welsh team who will also looking to end a

disappointing campaign on a high. COMMENTATOR: The French get a decent

wheel, and it is going to be a try, Wales turning it around the

blindside, and Powell-Hughes gets the break. The score puts them into

the lead. They come wide, and Safi N'Diaye can see the try line, but

can they turn it into a 5-point? They are over the line, and the

referee says try. That kick over the top, and it is a

second try for France. They go to the back, and it comes straight down

the Powell-Hughes. Parted like the red Sea for the number eight, she

just couldn't quite get going. With Wales again, can they get a second

try? They can, it is Amy Evans. Brilliant from the Welsh. France

have narrowed, they have got room out here, and Safi N'Diaye will

fancy her chances, but she goes wide, and is it going to be the

score for Boujard? It is. Bevan flicks it a little more, and they

drive hard. Not quite sure Rachel Taylor got there that time.

And Evans has got one already, she might have got another. Can Wales

close the gap once more? France hold for as long as they can

at the top of the line-out, and now they break. The maul breaks down,

but they have still got it, they twist and turn, Audrey Forlani with

it, and now France go forward again. Is it Carragher Baru -- Carricaburu

in there? France finding some more, and is it going to be a try? It is.

France are victorious. I thought the way the players performed on the way

they responded was outstanding, and at times like this, that performance

was top drawer, and it is a glimpse of what this team could become in

the future. So, the final Six Nations table looks like this:

England are once again champions, for the first time since 2012, and

Ireland will take heart from their performances for the World Cup this

year. Scotland claim two wins for the first time in 11 years, giving

it the Wooden Spoon. Said England have the Grand Slam,

that must be very pleasing for you to see. Not only that the you were

unbeaten throughout the tournament. And the manner in which we did it,

we wanted to play tonight and show what we were about as a team, and we

had that opportunity over the last 20 minutes, and we had to work hard

to create the space to do it, absolutely thrilled with the

performance and the whole Six Nations. And you can see, England

looked as fresh at the end as they had at the start almost, so much

pace and energy in the squad. Yes, not a single one of them looked

tired, they all wanted the ball, they all wanted to make that tackle,

maybe at the end they could take a breath, but they looked relentless

for the whole 80, which was fantastic. And it is a World Cup

year. Perfect build-up for that. You must have great confidence among the

whole squad going on and trying to retain the trophy? Absolutely, we

talk about going and winning it rather than retaining it, because

that is what we are going to have to do, but to come here and to perform

as well as we have done in attack and defence is massive for us, and

it gives us a lot of confidence. We still have a lot of work to do, but

we have got some fantastic strength in depth, and you need that going

into a World Cup. What an atmosphere in the stadium, it was amazing, and

we certainly want to play in front of crowds like this. It will

certainly be noisy, August! What is the key, you have the players on

professional contract, so you do have time with them to build. Yes,

and fitter and stronger is our priority, and that is the beauty of

having a full-time programme, we can do that and it is then being able to

recover properly rather than doing a shift on the training field and then

going and doing shift at work, which is really tough. A bit of a break,

let them breathe and we will come back and start working on strength,

power, speed and everything that goes with it, and hopefully Balter

few skills onto it as well. I won't put you on the spot, but I will put

you on the spot, player of the tournament England? I think,

tonight, Milla Mills, she sticks out in my mind tonight, I will go with

her. But is it from the six next -- Six Nations, the Super League Show

is an on Tuesday, but from Donnybrook and the Six Nations, it

is England to have been crowned the Grand Slam champions of 2017 in a St

Patrick's Day showdown. Goodbye for now.

# We are strong # We fight on

Across the continent, there has been a surge of interest in the women's

game. # We are the brave

# Welcome to our new world # We won't be denied

# We strong # We fight on