France, Scotland or Ireland will clinch the most fun Six Nations in years on Saturday.
Predictions have been torn up and one last twist in the final round of a gripping championship would not surprise.
France is in pole position to win successive titles for the first time since 2006-07. France leads Scotland in the table only on points difference. Its massive though. Ireland is two points behind.
The French have the advantage of closing the championship at a packed Stade de France against an underwhelming England, knowing what they will need to do four hours after Ireland hosts Scotland in Dublin.
Scotland blew open the title race after destroying France’s Grand Slam hopes 50-40 in Edinburgh last Saturday.
Scotland’s most basic route to a first title since the 1999 Five Nations is beating Ireland and France losing to England. But Scotland hasn’t beaten Ireland since 2017 and not in Dublin since 2010. Ireland has been the graveyard of Scotland dreams in their last 11 contests.
Ireland’s simplest path to a third title in four years is beating Scotland and also hoping England beats France.
A draw and/or bonus points spin out the scenarios.
Ireland and Scotland are also in the first showdown since 2009 for the Triple Crown, awarded to the home nation which beats the other three home nations. Ireland won it in 2022, 2023 and 2025. Scotland last won it in 1990.
The championship goes into the last round with a first three-way title shootout since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced an October finish. England won on points difference after Ireland and France couldn’t meet scoring requirements.
The other Six Nations match on Saturday is also tasty: Wales hosts Italy in Cardiff. Wales is trying to end a 15-match losing streak in the tournament; Italy is trying for three wins in a single championship for the first time.
What do the coaches say?
Fabien Galthié, France: “We don’t dwell on what just happened (against Scotland), we focus on what’s coming next. What matters to us is that we’ve earned the right to play for the win on Saturday. We’ll assess the tournament with its highs and lows later. In this Six Nations championship everything can change from one day to the next. All six teams have experienced positive periods and more challenging times. But the most important thing is that we have the opportunity to play for the win on Saturday night. And that’s what motivates us.”
Gregor Townsend, Scotland: “No (I haven’t thought of winning the title). It’s out of our hands, really. We can only do a certain amount. It’s a game against an opponent that’s had the upper hand on us for years. It’s a challenge but a real opportunity for us to go and deliver an even better performance than we did last week. If we win the game we know there’s something at stake. That performance (against France) was close to the best that we’ve seen from this group and from probably any Scotland team. I think the belief is there that when we get our game right it can put pressure on any defense, and when we get our defense in place we can frustrate opposition. But this is a different challenge. Ireland seem to play very well against us so that’s what we’re expecting.”
Andy Farrell, Ireland: “Of course you would like to dream (of the title) but the rest is out of our hands. But something is in our hands and we will focus on our performance, first and foremost. It would be nice to win something that is pretty special for us and that’s the Triple Crown. It’s been hard to come by over the years when playing for Ireland so we’re desperate to get across that. (Scotland) were outstanding against France and we have been preparing for another Scottish performance like that. We’ll have to be at our best to beat them as they are a side we have always respected.”
Schedule
Super Saturday
Ireland vs. Scotland, Dublin, 1410 GMT
Wales vs. Italy, Cardiff, 1640 GMT
France vs. England, Paris, 2010 GMT
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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
