The Six Nations kicked off this weekend and, as expected, it was very close affair. Scotland, England and Wales each emerged victorious from matches which were still undecided in the last ten minutes.

Scotland beating Ireland was undoubtedly the result of the weekend, and it was also undoubtedly the best match, with six tries scored in all, though neither side managed the bonus point. As a curtain-raiser, it was about as good as it gets: Scotland, the underdogs, scoring three tries in the first 40 minutes to take an emphatic 21–8 lead. Ireland fought back impressively and led 22–21, but two late Laidlaw penalties grabbed the win for Scotland.

This was Scotland’s best win in years. Their tries were well-crafted, and they showed a winning nous which they have lacked for so long. Their decision in the final minute to turn down the opportunity to go for the bonus-point try and take the three points showed real professionalism and clarity of thought, removing even the slightest chance that Ireland could run up the other end and score. The sense of optimism within Scottish rugby continues to grow. Their clash with France next weekend will be one to watch.

Stuart Hogg in particular was outstanding. A pirouette for his second try was the stand-out moment, while his all-round ability continues to make him favourite for the Lions’ No.15 shirt. For Ireland, there will be a sense of disappointment that they couldn’t continue their form from the autumn, when they had been so together and aggressive. At Murrayfield they were disjointed and struggled to get into their flow, though a spirited second-half fight back suggests that they are not too far away.

A few hundred miles further south, England struggled their way to a barely-deserved win over France. This was surely their worst performance under Eddie Jones, as they struggled to put together any sort of fluent rugby without dropping the ball or, even, just kicking it away. Paul Gustard will not be happy with their lack of speed and aggression in defence either, as they were carved open several times by the running of the French back three, spearheaded by the hugely impressive Scott Spedding. At the breakdown they also struggled at times, particularly given the referee’s stringent interpretation of the rules in that area.

In truth, there were not many areas of the game where England didn’t struggle. Despite a general improvement in the second half, there were times when their scrum came under severe pressure, whilst early on the line-out when terribly awry (the ball once striking the head of Dan Cole rather than reaching the clutches of the leaping Maro Itoje). Credit must go to France, though, for putting the favourites under pressure and for bullying them into playing off the back foot for most of the game.

It certainly looks as if the French will be more competitive this season, with their brutish pack combining nicely with their ever-dangerous backs. They will truly wonder how they did not win. A lack of ruthless finishing can probably be put down as the reason. There were several times when they had England back-pedalling but they couldn’t eek out the points to take any reward, although some heroic last-ditch defence by the men in white had a lot to do with that.

In truth, England’s bench won them the game. Having struggled to make any real headway for much of the match, the introduction of James Haskell, Ben Te’o, Danny Care, Jack Nowell and Jamie George injected the power and speed that England needed. Farrell switched to 10, and Daly to 13, and England looked like a different side. Indeed, it was Te’o’s try on 71 minutes that gave England the win.

Eddie Jones has plenty of decisions to make before Saturday’s game against Wales, but several of those replacements have stated a strong case for being included from the outset. I would be surprised if he doesn’t start Nowell and Haskell in Cardiff, and I would like to see him pick Care over Youngs, who didn’t look quite as sharp as his understudy. If he doesn’t want to drop Joseph, how about Daly to full-back?

France’s Louis Picamoles won a hugely deserved Man of the Match award after a barnstorming 80 minutes. He is France’s best player for sure and if they are to build upon a strong showing at Twickenham, you can be sure that he will be at the heart of it.

England have made a habit of winning – a habit that France have never really had – and, despite an ugly performance, that can only be a good thing.

The final match of the weekend saw Wales take on Italy in Rome. For the first 40 minutes it looked as if Italy had picked up from where they left off in the autumn, leading 7–3 at the interval. They looked a good team for much of that half, going through the phases well and putting together some really good rugby. They also defended resolutely, keeping a strong Welsh backline at bay. For once, they look like a proper team.

But if the first half was all about Italy, the second half was all about Wales. The introduction of the young Ospreys fly-half Sam Davies as an injury replacement for Dan Biggar seemed to be the turning point, and it will be fascinating to see if Rob Howley picks him to start against England. He brought Wales’ danger-men into the game much more and this was reflected by the changes to the scoreboard. That said, he was also operating behind a pack that was moving forward much more easily, with Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric to the fore.

A stunning solo try from 50 metres by wing George North after 78 minutes was perhaps the highlight of the game, particularly given that he seemed to be playing with a dead leg. Whilst it wasn’t an epic test match, it was certainly a game which showed signs of promise for Italy, though poor discipline and unforced errors let them down. They’ll have another tough test against Ireland next weekend, but will be buoyed by having a second game at home, and will look to replicate their first 40 minutes from this game.

For Wales, there will be much to work on ahead of their meeting with England, especially one day less to prepare. Wales v England in Cardiff is certainly the headline game of Round 2, and it’s a tough one to call. England have in the past struggled when playing in front of a Welsh crowd, but I’d back Eddie Jones’ men to bounce back from a disappointing outing against France and lay down a marker for the rest of the Championship. Game on.