1) Are England too reliant on Billy Vunipola?
It was the best game of the championship by a mile, full of variety – of pace and points of attack. Attention was diverted from the targeting of Jonathan Sexton because England found other positions to test. The one problem may be Billy Vunipola’s workload. The No8 was the start and the heart of just about every attack and if he can be nullified – and Taulupe Faletau may be just the person to relish a family feud – then will England be able to find somebody else to put them on the front foot quite so dynamically? Only a question. Far more important is that England are delivering answers. Eddie Butler
• Match report: England 21-10 Ireland
• Dean Ryan: England’s intensity means mistakes are forgivable
• Michael Aylwin: Billy Vunipola and Itoje make themselves felt
2) Plenty of positives for Ireland in defeat
Amid the disappointment of defeat at Twickenham there were some glimmers of Irish consolation. How good it was to see Jonathan Sexton looking what he still is: a classy all-round fly-half who continues to be the equal of anyone else in Europe. Josh van der Flier made a good impression on his debut, while Ultan Dillane also caught the eye off the bench and Jack McGrath is evidently a prop of considerable promise. The fact remains, though, that Ireland have won none of their three Six Nations games to date and none of their provinces have reached the last eight of the European Champions Cup. They will come again but the shimmering era of O’Driscoll and O’Connell is now history and injuries are not entirely to blame for their international dip this season. They – and the Lions in 2017 – will be desperately hoping a fully-fit Sean O’Brien, Peter O’Mahony and Iain Henderson come roaring back later this year. Robert Kitson
• Five talking points from England’s Six Nations win over Ireland
3) Was Denton’s injury a blessing in disguise?
David Denton’s withdrawal on matchday morning, courtesy of a mildly troublesome groin, looked something of a curveball for the Scots. The Bath No8 is a marauding, highly visible presence, who tackles until he drops, but can be prone to clumsiness in attack, where his potential is yet to be fulfilled. Up stepped Ryan Wilson, who has created more headlines for his discipline – on and off the field – than his rugby. Until now, that is. Wilson seemed to be everywhere, slickly sending John Hardie in for his try and putting in a bone-shuddering hit on Kelly Haimona. “Ryan was outstanding today,” said Vern Cotter. “He came in and showed real character, real ticker.”
Hardie and John Barclay also enjoyed outstanding games, running fabulous support lines and making a nuisance of themselves in the tackle and at the breakdown. Josh Strauss – who played 75 minutes for Glasgow on Thursday evening before flying to Rome (whether he should have been allowed to play is a question for another day) – came off the bench and made a fine, bruising contribution that led his coach to say he “needs to play every two days”. The performance of all four players, in the absence of impressive operators such as Denton, Blair Cowan – Scotland’s third outstanding openside – and Rob Harley was a reminder of Scotland’s enviable depth in the department, which is handy, given that the back row is at the heart of Cotter’s lung-busting, gallivanting game plan. Will Macpherson
4) Why is Brunel still in charge of Italy?
Sergio Parisse and Jacques Brunel’s post-match press conference was a rather laboured, torturous affair. For starters, the pair didn’t seem to look each other in the eye once, and Parisse had some rather pointed words about the performance of the referee Jaco Peyper, whom the Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw – who had at times seemed to referee the match himself – was complimentary about shortly after. Brunel’s answers – to inevitably searching questions – tended to be short and not-at-all sweet at the end of his final match in Rome. With only trips to Cardiff and Dublin to come, the second whitewash of Brunel’s five-season reign now seems inevitable, and the really key question is exactly why he has been in charge this season. Surely the aftermath of a failed World Cup campaign was the time to go? If the look on his face was anything to go by, Parisse rather thought so too. Who – after another mighty personal performance – could blame the marvellous captain for feeling a little disenchanted? Will Macpherson
5) Wales must work on their speed of thought
The third round highlighted a difference between Wales and England before the meeting between the sides at Twickenham on 12 March. While Wales are evolving their game by keeping the ball in hand more and trying to work space out wide, their passing is letting them down, both in its timing and execution. In contrast, England’s two tries against Ireland came after they had sucked in defenders to create space out wide and had the long passing ability to exploit it. The scrum-half Gareth Davies embodies what is good and lacking about Wales. He has the eye for a gap around the fringes of a scrum and ruck and the pace to get through it, but once his run to the line is checked and he has to think, time catches up with him. He blew a prime opportunity in the first half against France when having made a break into their 22, he ignored a line of players outside him and instead of trusting his passing chipped to the line and the chance was lost. Rhys Webb is available again for the first time since he suffered a leg injury before the World Cup and will be an option for Twickenham, but Davies, like the team’s attack, needs cultivating. What was most disappointing about Friday night was that the match turned into a slog not through a lack of will to go for it but poor decision-making and unforced errors. Change takes time. Paul Rees
• Edwards ready for tactical game against England
• Match report: Wales 19-10 France
• Wales 19-10 France: five talking points from the Six Nations clash
6) France needs consistency if they are to bond
Their winning run may have come to a halt on the ground where the old regime breathed its last, but it was not a return to bad old ways for Les Bleus. They defended with organisation and purpose, restricting Wales to a fortunate try, and finished the match strongly even though a number of players had been involved in club action the previous weekend. They were again armed with an intent to play, but while their offload count was once more high, too many passes were made under pressure, such as in the buildup to North’s try which involved a turnover and then a kick chase. Guy Novès’s influence is clear and France were quick to exploit turnovers, but they missed the ball-carrying impact of Louis Picamoles and too often tried to play behind the gainline on a night when the outside-half debate reopened. Jules Plisson struggled from the start, throwing out a forward pass in the opening minute in the first of a series of mistakes, but Novès does not look as if he will be as erratic in his selection as his predecessor. He changed winning teams having decided in advance to look at players, but now is the point when he needs to be consistent. François Trinh-Duc ran the line effectively when he came off the bench to play at outside-half, but Novès, who is looking to bond his squad solidly, needs to trust players after a shaky display if the inconsistency of the past is to be buried and there was a lot for him to take from defeat. Paul Rees
• Eddie Butler: Wales and France show it’s not only the roof that has broken down
• Wales and France show willing but Six Nations spark is already fading out
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