France were crowned Guinness Six Nations champions following their victory over Scotland in Paris on 'Super Saturday', with England and Ireland finishing closely behind in the title race.
In this instance, the PA news service has highlighted five insights gained from the 2025 Championship.
Take a bow France
The concluding rankings indicate an extremely close contest for the championship, yet France deserves the title. With just one loss at the Allianz Stadium—attributable more to their overconfidence than solely England’s tenacity—they’ve dominated the Six Nations tournament using a blend of strength and flair. A standout performance came when they trounced Ireland 42-27 in Dublin, which stands out as one of the best showings during this year’s competition. Even without the injured star Antoine Dupont, they currently appear unbeatable.
Power wins
"Power prevails" was an insight offered by a previous individual. Wales Captain Sam Warburton following England’s 68-14 victory in Cardiff, which perfectly underscores his argument. This Six Nations championship has only reinforced his perspective. The match felt like seasoned players versus younger ones during that game in Cardiff. Principality Stadium and Wales were crushed as a result, while France’s physical domination of Ireland sent shockwaves through the game. Nowhere is the power differential clearer than on the bench, which England and France loaded with forwards. The seven-strong ‘Le Bomb’ squad were especially effective.
England find their mojo
Whisper it quietly but England may have turned a corner in this Six Nations. A 10-try rout at the Principality Stadium was the spectacular culmination to the progress made throughout the tournament, spanning the narrow, nervy wins against France and Scotland and the destruction of Italy in a game that saw their attack take an important step forward. Led with calm authority by Maro Itoje, a young side has shaped up nicely and deserve their runners-up spot.
Irish reputations take a tumble
While France and England will reflect with satisfaction on their Championships, Ireland must confront some hard truths. Chasing an unprecedented third consecutive title, they fell well short in the final two rounds after being outmuscled by France and only creeping home in Rome. Outside a glorious second half against England and comprehensive win over Scotland, they appear to have gone stale and there is evidence that they lack the power to mix it with bigger rivals.
Groundhog Day
Is there a more exasperating squad to observe than Scotland? During matches against England and France, they sometimes appeared brilliant as their offense illuminated the Six Nations; however, these periods of dominance aren’t usually prolonged, whether within individual games or across championships. By maintaining possession and maneuvering larger players into disadvantageous positions, they leverage their own advantages. Yet, this championship concluded much like many before, revealing the constraints faced by what was once hailed as Scotland’s 'golden generation'.
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