Iain Morrison: Six Nations half-term report card

Iain Morrison casts his eye over the performances of each Six Nations team so far, highlights their strengths and weaknesses, with two matches still to play

Finn Russell put poor displays against Wales and France behind him to shine against England. Picture: Getty

ENGLAND

A somewhat underwhelming start to the tournament. They saw off Italy without too much trouble but struggled to translate heaps of possession and acres of territory into points against a combative and organised Welsh team. Found wanting against Scotland especially at the breakdown where, as Eddie Jones has noted on several occasions, Chris Robshaw is not a seven. Sam Underhill is and we expect him to start against France despite that yellow card at Murrayfield.

We like: Danny Care, George Ford and Owen Farrell combining to kick Wales to defeat at Twickenham. Care’s eye for a break and the pace to take it. Anthony Watson’s finishing against Italy.

And not so much: The complacency at Murrayfield. The lack of cutting edge against Wales. Opting for size over skill in the third row of the scrum. Mike Brown’s lack of grace and Owen Farrell’s perpetual teenage petulance.

Verdict: Must do better and probably will.

FRANCE

Brave against Ireland but they needed that win because it only gets tougher from here on in. France are the biggest under-performers on the rugby field and they made fools of themselves off it in Edinburgh too. Jacques Brunel is hampered by the type of player that the Top 14 produces and we all witnessed the limitations of a pack of behemoths when England came to Murrayfield. France have no particular style of play to call their own, they are tactically leaderless and they only ended Italy’s challenge in the final quarter. That match, please Lord, was the worse of this Six Nations by a margin...two bad teams having an off day. The rugby powerhouse that is France, boasting deep coffers and a huge playing population, is now ranked below Fiji many of whose best players turn out in other colours.

We like: Teddy Thomas took his tries well against Ireland and Scotland while Guilhem Guirado is one of those leaders you’d follow across the River Styx.

And not so much: The talent is not used to its best effect so the players lose faith in the system and fail to offer the best of themselves. France has been ordinary for so long that the public are now inured to the humiliations heaped upon their miserable team.

Verdict: Flawed, faulty and, err, French. Desperately in need of a visionary coach to harness all that talent.

ITALY

You have to feel for Conor O’Shea who took on the Italian job without perhaps realising the size of the task in hand. The Irishman has always been a DOR rather than a coach and he lost his hands-on man when Brendan Venter returned to South Africa. Italy have been brave and occasionally inspired but they can’t keep it up for 80 minutes and there is a certain inevitability about those second half collapses. They are desperately short of genuine class and their new style of running rugby is somewhat hampered by picking the kicking specialist Tommaso Allen, once of this parish, at flyhalf. Promising newbies come into the squad full of excitement and they quickly have expectations squashed. Italy sit two places below Georgia in the rankings and they are horribly aware of this uncomfortable fact.

We like: They have shown enterprise and skill in scoring more tries (7) after three matches than they did in the whole of the 2017 championship (6) including good scores from both wings against a tough England defence. Italy have been in every match at the break.

And not so much: Italy score tries but not nearly as many as they concede. The Italian defence has leaked 18 in three matches, ten more than the next worst team Wales. They need leadership from Sergio Parisse and instead their skipper rolls his eyes for the TV cameras when a colleague makes a mistake. Not helpful Sergio, really not helpful.

Verdict: The one team to date to have mat