Six Nations 2016: Scores, Updated Table After Saturday Round 2 Results
Defending champions Ireland failed to win for a second game in a row at the 2016 Six Nations after a 10-9 defeat in France on Saturday. The Irish suffered some costly injuries and left it too late to mount a credible comeback.
An impressive Wales team gradually overcame visitors Scotland in the day's late game, winning a tough thriller at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
Here are the full results from Saturday's Round 2 games:
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
| Team | Score | Team |
| France | 10-9 | Ireland |
| Wales | 27-23 | Scotland |
Here's the updated table:
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Points |
| 1 | France | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 30 | 4 |
| 2 | Wales | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 39 | 3 |
| 3 | England | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 9 | 2 |
| 4 | Ireland | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 26 | 1 |
| 5 | Italy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 23 | 0 |
| 6 | Scotland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 42 | 0 |
Recap
The Irish lost Mike McCarthy and Johnny Sexton to injury, as the French seized control early in Paris. Ireland also lost Sean O'Brien and Dave Kearney.
The French pack were a little loose during the first half but gradually tightened up after the break to match Ireland. That would have been a welcome sight for coach Guy Noves, who saw the pack mauled too often by Italy last week.
He also saw Maxime Medard go over late on after the Irish had been reduced to kicking for points rather than converting tries.
Sexton's hat-trick of penalties had given Ireland a 9-3 halftime lead, but Medard cancelled that out, before the French stood firm against sustained late pressure.
Despite the surprise result, analyst Keith Wood was unimpressed by what he saw, per BBC Rugby Union:
On the same note, Irish skipper Paul O'Connell appeared to hint at spoiling tactics during the game, per BBC Sport's Bryn Palmer:
The reigning champions will now find their upcoming games tough, with their mounting injury list obviously a major concern.
There was a lightning-fast start in Wales' game against Scotland with a pair of tries scored within the first quarter of an hour. Gareth Davies went over for the hosts, before Tommy Seymour raced across the line for the Scots.
The visitors controlled the loose maul early on, forcing Wales into some difficult kicking from deep. Greig Laidlaw also did his bit to pin Wales deep with some smart play from his boot.
A pair of Laidlaw penalties gave the Scots a three-point lead at the half, with Dan Biggar also putting one through the posts for Wales.
They swapped penalties after the half, before Wales went back in front thanks to a Jamie Roberts try. The 29-year-old bulldozed through two fierce hits at the line.
Roberts has made a habit of punishing this opposition, according to OptaJonny:
George North sped his way to another try to seal a hard-fought win for the Welsh, before Duncan Taylor broke his international duck to provide scant consolation for Scotland.
France have notched up two wins despite still trying to find themselves stylistically. They are the surprise team so far, with Ireland a disappointment. But many will keep an eye on the Welsh after some dogged displays early on.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
