Rugby Union
England to wilt under pressure? Italy to spring another shock? Here’s how round three of the Six Nations could play out
So much unfolded in the second round of the 2026 Six Nations Championship, setting us up for a blockbuster third weekend.
The main talking point of the weekend was Scotland’s shock victory over England, just a week after they had fallen short in Rome. Elsewhere, France did the business against Wales and Ireland just got over the line against Italy.
Heading into the third round of fixtures, Scotland find themselves in second, while England sit third, joint on five points with Italy. Ireland are lagging behind in fifth of four points, while Wales, rather unsurprisingly, are propping up the table with zero points.
It’s all to play for this week as Scotland, England, Italy and Ireland hope to keep tabs of leaders France, while Wales look for any slither of positivity they can find.
England v Ireland – Saturday 21st February, Allianz Stadium
The first game of round three is arguably the one with the most at stake, as England welcome Ireland to the Allianz Stadium (Twickenham). Steve Borthwick’s side will have been licking their wounds this week after their unexpected loss to Scotland, and they’ll be eager to bounce back against another of their fiercest rivals.
Borthwick has rung the changes, with fan favourite Henry Pollock set to make his first Six Nations start, while centre Ollie Lawrence returns to the side after missing out altogether at Murrayfield. The red card didn’t help, but away from that their performance still wasn’t good enough and they’ll have to raise their game to justify 2/9 favouritism.
Ireland have suffered a similarly stuttered start. They were comprehensively thrashed by the French on the opening night, compounding doubts about the squad’s quality by only scraping past Italy.
They haven’t been afraid to switch things up as well, with fly-half Sam Prendergast, often the subject of debate among Ireland fans, dropped for this one. They’re 7/2 underdogs here and a loss would end their hopes of clinching back the Six Nations crown.
Wales v Scotland – Saturday 21st February, Principality Stadium
There is an immense amount of pride on the line in Saturday’s later game, which sees Wales welcome Scotland to Cardiff to contest the Doddie Weir Cup. As is the case with almost every match at the moment, the result looks a foregone conclusion and the focus from Wales’ point of view will be on the performance.
They haven’t shown any really signs of life in this year’s Championship and that’s why they head into this game as 15/2 underdogs. It’s hard to see them getting anything out of this one, but Louis Rees-Zammit could add a spark to their attacking moves and it may be worth taking a chance on him to score anytime, even if it is just a consolation, at 12/5.
The outlook for Scotland has altered drastically since their opening weekend loss to Italy, with victory over England in the last round providing a real sense of hope for the rest of the campaign. They’ll be looking to carry that momentum through and get through this game in a comfortable manner as the 1/14 favourites.
France v Italy – Sunday 22nd February, Stade de France
The final clash of round three pits the runaway leaders France against the Championship’s surprise package, Italy. The last time France played at home they made light work of Ireland, and they’re fancied to inflict the same fate on Italy as the 1/66 favourites.
Their price isn’t exactly attractive as a betting proposition, but it’s no surprise to see them as short as they are. Matthieu Jalibert starred against Wales with a try and four assists and will likely have his say again, while Louis Bielle-Biarrey will be keen to extend his scoring streak. Antoine Dupont is yet to get on the scoresheet, but that isn’t likely to last long.
Italy have been impressive so far, considering their extensive injury list, with victory over Scotland in the opening round backed up by a very strong performance in round two which saw them narrowly beaten by Ireland. Tommaso Menoncello is one of the rising stars in world rugby and if Italy are to get anything out of this game, he’ll likely be at the heart of it.
