Six Nations 2017: Dates, Times, TV and Live-Stream Info for Round 5 Fixtures
England will have the chance to make history during Round 5 of the 2017 Six Nations tournament, as a win over Ireland would give the Red Rose a second consecutive Grand Slam and a record winning streak of 19 matches.
The team share the honours with New Zealand at 18 and are the favourites to win Saturday's match, having already locked up this year's Six Nations title.
Italy will try to win their first points of the tournament at Scotland, while France and Wales do battle in Paris.
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Here's a look at the schedule for Round 5, complete with TV info and live-stream options:
| Saturday, March 18 | 12:30 p.m. | Scotland v Italy | BBC, ITV | BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub |
| Saturday, March 18 | 2:45 p.m. | France v Wales | BBC, ITV | BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub |
| Saturday, March 18 | 5 p.m. | England v Ireland | BBC, ITV | BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub |
Preview
Ireland will have history on their side when they try to play spoilers at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
As reported by ESPN Rugby's John Griffiths, England have failed to win their final match during a Grand Slam bid on four occasions since the start of the Six Nations tournament in 2000. Twice, the defeat came in Dublin against the Irish.
Coach Eddie Jones knows his team will be in for a challenge, as he told BBC Radio 5 live:
Ireland came out flat against Wales in Round 4, losing 22-9 in Cardiff, and on paper, England couldn't be happier with the timing of this match. Once regarded as the Red Rose's top rivals for this year's title, Ireland appear to be trending downwards and don't carry any momentum into Saturday's match.
The hosts did receive an injury boost in midweek, as shared by RTE Rugby:
Johnny Sexton remains a key player for Ireland, and it wasn't a coincidence Wales took control of their Round 4 matchup when the fly-half was sin-binned. He also spent time on the sidelines with a head injury but appears to be on track to face England.
Winning the battle with the boot will be key for Ireland, who tend to hold their own in the set pieces but lack the raw athleticism to keep up with England's pace out wide. In the open field, the visitors are close to unbeatable, and slowing down the play may be a smart tactic.
Scotland's Six Nations campaign started promisingly but quickly fell apart with a defeat in Paris, and the hosts will hope to say goodbye to coach Vern Cotter with a win over lowly Italy in his final Six Nations match.
As shared by RTE Rugby, Cotter has already found his next project before he takes charge of Montpellier:
"Scotland coach Vern Cotter will coach the Barbarians for the upcoming tour that will see them take on Ulster and England pic.twitter.com/kVudqfa0en
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) March 15, 2017"
The Azzurri once again enter Round 5 in last place and are in real danger of repeating last year's winless tournament. Italy have shown life at times this campaign but have yet to put together 80 uninterrupted minutes of solid rugby, and that isn't likely to change against Scotland.
Wales and France will battle it out in Paris, where Les Bleus tend to be capable of so much more than on the road. A win would give either side second place if England complete their Grand Slam over Ireland.
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