Guardian writers assess the teams and their prospects as the Six Nations competition hots up
1 England's young guns are tough nuts
You had to be inside a seething Millennium Stadium to appreciate fully the sort of pressure which Tom Palmer, Tom Wood, Louis Deacon and Toby Flood were under. The way they handled it suggested England are hardening into a side which can consistently perform in any environment, a recurring problem in the early stages of Martin Johnson's tenure. Such mental hardness is not acquired easily but it is a rugby coach's dream: if his players can block out 70,000 Welshmen singing Land of My Fathers they can block anything. In World Cup years, with the sudden-death element adding to the intensity, it is not necessarily the most naturally gifted teams who prosper. England might not be the best squad of individuals in the championship ? France at their best can be irresistible ? but they are developing into the toughest side to beat. There is a crucial difference. Robert Kitson
2 France's coach Li�vremont loves to tinker
France are back in their fans' favour but the head coach, Marc Li�vremont, continues to tempt fate with his tinkering. Ten points in nine minutes had 78,000 on their feet in Paris singing along in unison with the bands on Saturday night, but roughly the same number began booing when the coach started emptying his bench of his forwards 12 minutes into the second half just when they had started to look particularly dynamic. "I knew we had a strong squad which is why I wanted to use them all," said Li�vremont, attempting to justify the logic which took his side out of their stride and allowed Scotland to keep a foothold in the game. Andy Robinson, the Scotland head coach, admitted he had delayed making changes of his own when Li�vremont's substitutions changed the balance of the forward battle a little in his favour. Mike Averis
3 Italy have passionate home support
There is a healthy appetite for rugby among the Italian public. Late on, when Italy started to shunt Ireland backwards and then dramatically took the lead, it was a pleasant surprise to realise what a stirring and intimidating venue the Stadio Flaminio can be. More than just a pretty park, then. The home supporters in the 32,000 crowd got so fired up that, for a time, one feared for the safety of those in the temporary seating high up in the stand. This was actually something of a revelation. All too often the experience of watching games in Rome has incorporated a rousing rendition of the national anthem, a bit of bluster for a few minutes after the whistle, before the inevitable tailing off as the heart was beaten out of the team and then, inevitably, the fans. Yesterday showed how it could be if Italy got their act together and started winning important games on a regular basis. The Stadio Flaminio would be some fortress. John O'Brien
4 Ireland's coach Kidney splits sides
Declan Kidney actually does possess a sense of humour. Ireland's grand slam winning coach is as shrewd as they come but, when it comes to his dealings with the press, his well-worn patter and liberal sprinkling of clich�s can make even the hardest of hard-nosed hacks tear hair out in frustration. On Saturday, however, Kidney gave us a glimpse of how sharp he can be when the mood grabs him. He was talking about Ireland's injury woes and remarked how Tommy Bowe was in Rome as a television analyst when he would have preferred to have him on the field. "Well," he checked himself. "Let's see what he said before I let him back on the team." OK, Jimmy Carr it was not but it succeeded in breaking the tension and drew the appreciative laugh it deserved. And given how his team is playing, Kidney might well need more where that came from. John O'Brien
5 For Scotland, size is not everything
Around the 24th minute of the game in Paris a stranger, if asked which of France and Scotland had the bigger pack, would undoubtedly have replied France. That is because the Scotland scrum were back-pedalling towards their line with sufficient pace to prompt the referee into awarding a penalty try against them. It was the score that broke the back of Scotland's resistance. Scotland picked a mighty pack for this one with the intention of taking France on up front. It was more than a stone a man heavier and a lot taller. In the end, though, their best hope lay in their ability to keep the French defence on the move, because that French pack was not for turning. In Andy Robinson's defence, the only adjustment he might want to make would be not to play Nathan Hines in the back row. Should Johnnie Beattie, so recently returned from serious injury, be thrown in this weekend against Italy? Michael Aylwin
6 Wales need more confidence
How green are the men from the valleys? Yet again Wales enjoyed more possession than their opponents but lacked vision, composure and control. The backline was cramped, Mike Phillips too often running sideways before passing, and Wales's alignment behind was flat, in contrast to England who often brought in runners from deep when moving quick ball to attack space and generate width. Wales looked more dangerous when Dwayne Peel and James Hook were belatedly at half-back. A lack of confidence has bred a fatal conservatism. Wales seem to be craving structure and cannot elevate their game when they need to: England scored their two tries when they had a man advantage, first when Morgan Stoddart was receiving treatment and then when Craig Mitchell was in the sin-bin, harshly considering Mike Tindall had just escaped personal punishment after committing a more cynical offence on his own 22. Wales are victims of their own vulnerability. Paul Rees
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/feb/07/six-nations-2011-what-we-learned
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