Six Nations Table 2016: Updated Scores, Results After Saturday Round 5 Matches
England sealed a Grand Slam triumph in the 2016 RBS Six Nations on Saturday after defeating France, 31-21, in Paris, where Owen Farrell kicked 16 points to complement tries from Danny Care, Dan Cole and Anthony Watson.
Head coach Eddie Jones retained his undefeated record at the England helm and helped the Red Rose complete their first Grand Slam in 13 years just months after taking charge of last year's World Cup hosts.
Warren Gatland's Welsh side soared to a record 67-14 victory over their Italian guests to finish second, while Ireland recorded a strong finish to their tournament by beating the Scots, 35-25, in Dublin to take third.
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The Azzurri claimed the competition's wooden spoon for the second time in three years after failing to win even a point, while Scotland and France may regret not finishing higher than fourth and fifth, respectively.
Read on as we break down Saturday's results and provide a look at the final 2016 RBS Six Nations standings.
| Wales | 67-14 | Italy |
| Ireland | 35-25 | Scotland |
| France | 21-31 | England |
| 1 | England | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 132 | 70 | 10 |
| 2 | Wales | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 150 | 88 | 7 |
| 3 | Ireland | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 128 | 87 | 5 |
| 4 | Scotland | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 122 | 115 | 4 |
| 5 | France | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 82 | 109 | 4 |
| 6 | Italy | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 79 | 224 | 0 |
France 21-31 England
It was frantic and frightening at times, but England rode through the storm to emerge 31-21 victors in Paris on Saturday and seal an illustrious first Grand Slam since 2003.
France were first off the mark thanks to the penalty kicking of Maxime Machenaud, but it was on the 11-minute mark that a breakaway Danny Care try put England in the ascendancy:
Tighthead prop Dan Cole followed up that fast and flowing score with a far more brutish addition of his own, and the Red Rose went in at the interval with a 17-12 lead but were by no means out of the woods.
After one scrum-half played a key role in initiating England's early lead, Care's replacement, Ben Youngs, then helped seal the tie with a chip through for Anthony Watson to score in the 55th minute. KICCA's Ian Stafford was full of praise for the scrum-half replacement, showing England's strength at No. 9:
France continued to apply pressure deep into the late exchanges, but their attacking threat was never as great as that of their opponent's, and they finished the tournament as lowest try-scorers as a result (seven).
England, meanwhile, are left to bask in the glory of their first Grand Slam crown in more than a decade, officially establishing their presence as Europe's in-form powerhouse in Jones' first steps at their helm.
Ireland 35-25 Scotland
Ireland sealed a strong end to their Six Nations tournament on Saturday, where they defeated Scotland, 35-25, to end the campaign with back-to-back wins on their side.
Despite the fact that neither team could challenge for the title following England's Week 4 triumph, a surprisingly tense affair unfolded at the Aviva Stadium with no small amount of scraps between the two teams.
That frosty theme only added to the drama, however, and Ireland's four tries outweighed Scotland's three as Robert Bartlett of ESPN Scrum hailed the quality of a memorable showdown:
Yellow cards for John Barclay and Alex Dunbar ultimately proved to be Scotland's undoing, as three of Ireland's four tries were scored when those two players were in the sin bin.
Ireland coach Joe Schmidt will look back with some regret on an unsuccessful Six Nations title defence, but their encouraging finish means there may yet be bigger and better things to look forward to.
Wales 67-14 Italy
Second place was all but assured for Gatland's team heading into the final round of the Six Nations, but that didn't stop Wales from turning on the afterburners as they dispatched struggling Italy with a nine-try display on Saturday.
BBC Sport's Bryn Palmer confirmed the 67-14 victory as Wales' biggest-ever result in the tournament, eclipsing their previous best and throwing further shade on Italy's hopes to contend among Europe's best:
The back line in particular found its groove in Cardiff, as the likes of Rhys Webb, Jamie Roberts, George North, Liam Williams and Jonathan Davies all crossed the whitewash.
That being said, it was two-try substitute Ross Moriarty who appeared to catch the coach's eye most after he replaced injured flanker Justin Tipuric, speaking to the media after the match, per Wales Online:
"I thought Ross Moriarty was absolutely outstanding. He’s come on early and Tips has been taken away for observation in hospital. I thought Ross carried the ball well at seven. He’s got a bit about him and is very direct.
We’re lucky to have him in our squad and sometimes you have to be patient. He made a huge contribution to the game.
"
It speaks volumes of Wales' improvement in attack that Moriarty was the only forward to get on the scoresheet for the hosts, despite their struggles with expression at times in the past year or so.
Either that or one could consider this result another signal suggesting minnows Italy perhaps don't have the resources necessary to compete in Europe's elite international contest.
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