Six Nations 2016: Schedule, Times, TV and Live Stream Info for Round 2
After a tightly contested opening weekend at the 2016 RBS Six Nations—which included a draw between Ireland and Wales for the first time since 1974—there's much to be gained as the teams head into Round 2.
Both those sides who held each other to a 16-16 stalemate at the Aviva Stadium will be hoping to record their first win in the competition when they take to the field again on Saturday.
Ireland will face France in Paris, while Wales host Scotland in Cardiff. England, who beat the Scots in Round 1, will travel to Rome to take on Italy on Sunday.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Here is the full schedule for the weekend's action, complete with viewing information:
| Saturday, Feb. 13 | 2:25 p.m. | France vs. Ireland | BBC One |
| Saturday, Feb. 13 | 4:50 p.m. | Wales vs. Scotland | BBC One |
| Sunday, Feb. 14 | 2 p.m. | Italy vs. England | ITV One |
Matches can be streamed live via BBC iPlayer and ITV.com.
Ireland Pushing for 3rd Successive Title
A dropped point in the opening game was hardly the ideal start for two-time defending champions Ireland, who must gear up to play in the Stade de France just six days after their gruelling match against a strong Wales side.
The Sunday Times' Stephen Jones praised their performance against the Welsh:
One player who stood out was CJ Stander, who was making his debut. OptaJonny revealed why he caught the eye:
The short turnaround could prove challenging, but assistant coach Richie Murphy hasn't written off any players. According to Sportsbeat (h/t the tournament's official website):
"We are squeezed for time but no player is going to be ruled out [yet]. We will be picking the best team to go to war with France at the weekend.
[...]
It is a little bit unique to push selection back a little, to see who is fit and healthy, and who is ready to go.
"
Meanwhile, head coach Joe Schmidt believes France will prove a tricky proposition. He gave his take on Les Bleus to Morning Ireland on RTE Radio One (h/t the Irish Independent): "Incredibly dangerous. It was probably what they set out to do but they'll reflect on that and maybe they tipped the scale too far towards play-at-all-costs and maybe we'll see a little bit more of a structure from them."
France will be without the injured Louis Picamoles after he was forced off in their opening clash with Italy.
Historically, they have a better record in this fixture, but the last time the pair met—at the World Cup last year—Ireland emerged as 24-9 victors. The French were fortunate to beat Italy in Round 1, and a similar performance again could easily see them beaten by Ireland on Saturday.
England, arguably the biggest beneficiary of Wales and Ireland's draw, will be looking to maintain the lead on their rivals against a spirited Italy side.
Indeed, they'll be hoping for a similar result to the last time they went to Rome, per England Rugby:
After Italy ran France so close in Paris, they're not likely to be on the end of a heavy defeat if they put in a similar performance at the Stadio Olimpico. Rugby World noted the way they defied expectations in Round 1:
As for England, they put in a strong, if hardly vintage showing against Scotland. Former England captain Will Carling is anticipating few, if any, changes to the XV from Eddie Jones:
Per Robert Kitson of the Guardian, Jones admitted there could be one or two changes. He said: "We were happy to have won on Saturday, but we certainly weren’t happy with our performance. We’ll pick a side specifically for Italy...it won’t be dissimilar to Scotland but the batting order might change."
England have never lost to Italy in 16 attempts in the Six Nations and should still have enough about them to claim the win here, but it could easily be another hard-fought and closely contested match.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
