Six Nations Results 2015: Round 2 Table, Scores and Updated Fixtures
England's 47-17 mauling of Italy on Saturday paved the path for Stuart Lancaster's side to take their place atop the Six Nations standings, with Ireland settling for second after...
A brace of scores from Jonathan Joseph spurred England on to a six-try victory that's likely to play a big hand in deciding which team is crowned 2015 Six Nations champions.
Wales travel to Murrayfield on Sunday as Warren Gatland's side hope to get their account up and running, while Scotland are also hoping to bounce back from defeat in Round 1.
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Read on for a recap of Round 2's results, along with a look at the updated standings and results.
| 1 | England | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 33 | +35 | 8 | 4 |
| 2 | Ireland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 14 | +30 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | France | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Wales | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 21 | −5 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | Scotland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | Italy | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 73 | −53 | 3 | 0 |
| Saturday, Feb. 14 | 2:30 p.m. GMT/9:30 a.m. ET | England | 47-17 | Italy |
| Saturday, Feb. 14 | 5 p.m. GMT/12 p.m. ET | Ireland | 18-11 | France |
| Sunday, Feb. 15 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Scotland | vs. | Wales |
Saturday Recap
England 47-17 Italy
Again, England needed time to reach their best against Italy, but a combination of first-team flair and substitutes' substance led them to a second victory at this year's Six Nations.
However, it was man-of-the-match Joseph who took home the biggest plaudits, praised by former England centre Will Carling and Rugby World's Paul Williams for his Round 2 performance:
His barnstorming runs off the shoulders of Luther Burrell and George Ford sent Twickenham into raptures, racking up 123 carrying metres and beating five defenders, according to ESPN Scrum.
However, it wasn't all good news for Lancaster. His side got off to a terrible start, conceding an early try to Sergio Parisse and seeing full-back Mike Brown stretchered off after being knocked unconscious, although England Rugby confirmed his return to the stands later on:
It was Billy Vunipola who responded to Parisse's initial setback with a try of his own before Ben Youngs showed superb initiative to hit the Azzurri with a quick-tap try from short range.
What stood out once again for the hosts, however, was their ability to maintain quality in the side even when bringing on substitutions, as replacements Nick Easter and Danny Cipriani each crossed over for tries of their own.
Italy were noticeably fatigued in the final 20 minutes of the fixture, but did manage to make use of some English complacency with a late try, albeit little more than consolation.
Following the slow burner in Cardiff last week, Saturday's showcase was a much more flattering display of what this team can produce at their best, but Lancaster will be seeking more improvement for the Ireland clash in Week 3.
Ireland 18-11 France
Ireland survived a dogged second-half assault from France on Saturday to emerge as 18-11 victors in Dublin and maintain their winning record at this year's competition.
Jonny Sexton kicked five penalties and was confirmed by Ultimate Rugby as Man of the Match for his performance, which included a battering from Mathieu Bastareaud due to a clash of heads:
The fly-half wasn't the only Irish player left bloodied from the Aviva Stadium fixture, though, and Joe Schmidt will have some concerns knowing that his team are still to reach top speed in this Six Nations.
Romain Taofifenua was responsible for the only try of the game, coming of Philippe Saint-Andre's bench to score 10 minutes from time.
Ireland did threaten themselves, but both outfits showed waste in attack and failed to make full use of the chances that provided themselves out wide, either through poor decision-making or even poorer handling.
One moment of controversy saw French veteran Pascal Pape sent to the sin bin for a malicious knee to the back of Irish No. 8 Jamie Heaslip. BBC ScrumV's Rick O'Shea argued the punishment should have been worse:
"Some outstanding Gallic shrugging from Pape...pretty cheap shot to be honest, should have been red sending your knee into a blokes kidney
— Rick O'Shea (@RickOSheaRugby) February 14, 2015"
France will be left somewhat disappointed with not managing to assert themselves earlier in the match, ending on top with wave after wave of pressure on their hosts.
Nevertheless, two more points is what Schmidt will care about first and foremost, and with his team slipping to second in the table, the Week 3 matchup against England merely becomes all the more important.
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