Ireland began its Six Nations three-peat bid by blowing away England during 30-plus minutes of controlled aggression in the second half for a 27-22 comeback victory in Dublin.

AN EIGHT-DAY turnaround after a bonus-point win on the opening weekend of the Six Nations is just about the dream scenario. The extra day of recovery will help any Ireland player carrying the usual bumps and bruises that come with taking on a fired-up England team.

Moments of brilliance by a backline shorn of its best player have spared Scotland from a second straight humbling by Italy in Six Nations rugby.

Centre Huw Jones scored a hat trick to help Scotland get their Six Nations campaign off to a winning start with a 31-19 bonus-point victory over Italy.

Scotland will be out for revenge on Saturday as they take on Italy at Murrayfield in their opening fixture of the 2025 Six Nations. Last year's encounter between these two sides saw the Italians secure their first Six Nations home win in 11 years,