Time for my retrospective.
Wales
Defences win matches. Defences win tournaments. That's nowhere more apparent than in the final table for this six nations, where the only column that correlates (
almost exactly barring the one point gap between England and Ireland) with the eventual outcome is "points against". Wales conceded only 65 points in the tournament (England 101, Ireland 100, France 118, Scotland 125, Italy 167). And only 7 tries. Only France and Italy scored two tries against them. My enduring memory of this campaign is a shot from the overhead camera with heavy rain dripping down on the second-rows in in Welsh scrum below: once in the first half against France at 16-0 down, and again in the second half against Ireland at 25-0 up. Liam Williams and Anscombe were outstanding, and much as I'd love to see a Welsh attack spearheaded by Patchell I'm not Warren Gatland and he knows the right way to go.
England
As always England play like the perennial bully-boys that they are. This year they are unusually good at it too, with both muscle in the centre and delightful guile in the back three. But like all bully-boys they do not know how to respond when somebody bullies them back or pokes them with a sharp stick because there is no on-field plan B. Eddie Jones says he knows what is wrong, but he doesn't. Everybody else can see that if you surprise England at the start of the second half they have no idea what to do owing to he lack of any meaningful on-field decision-making. Ireland and France let themselves be bullied, Wales and, most marvellously, Scotland didn't. That, along with their belief that they are the best team in the world, their over-reliance on Farrell, and their lack of calmness under pressure, have to be big worries going forward.
Ireland
Before this tournament Ireland were looking to me like the best of the bunch. But their usual meticulously controlled game fell to bits against the aggressive attack of England and the aggressive defence of Wales. A bit like England they've got one preferred way of playing and feel a bit lost when they can't do it. A bit like England they're overdependent on their preferred 10, and when Sexton doesn't fire, neither does Ireland. Maybe time to give Carbery a start?
France
A side oozing with talent. Bastareaud proving to be a man or more talents than we suspected. Stellar three-quarters. Yet they keep losing, even when they shouldn't -
especially when they shouldn't. the lesson France should take from this tournament is that they should play more like Scotland at their best. Which brings us to ...
Scotland
... and the lesson that Scotland need to draw from this tournament is
to play more like Scotland! The way they steamrollered England for 50 minutes on Saturday wasn't an aberration. For anyone who has watched Scotland over the years it is what they do best, and is what they should do more of. That rampaging, high-risk, beautiful, perpetual attack may not be what modern rugby is most about but it is what Scottish rugby has been about for years. Long may it continue. And remember, they did this without Hogg, and without a whole raft of injured others. My mouth is already watering for their clash with Japan in the final pool game in the World Cup with, probably, a quarterfinal place at stake - the ball will be in play for maybe 55+ minutes and it will be marvelous. I get the impression there's a bit of tension between the players and the coaches about how to play, because otherwise, why don't they just do this from the off?
Italy
Wooden spoon again. But then again, Italy put two tries past Wales. And Ireland. And England. And they did this without Minozzi which is a bit like Scotland without Hogg only much much worse. They are improving a lot. Defense is much better. They are no longer a one-man team.
What a tournament!