England captain Maro Itoje could be banned for STAMP against Ireland

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Steve Borthwick’s side fell to their sixth defeat in seven matches as Ireland launched their bid for an unprecedented third successive Six Nations title with a dominant second-half display.

Cadan Murley’s early try gave England a deserved half-time lead, but the hosts hit back after the break with scores from Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne, and Dan Sheehan, sealing victory in Simon Easterby’s first game as Ireland interim head coach.

Itoje, leading England for the first time after replacing Jamie George as captain, now faces scrutiny after footage surfaced of an apparent stamp that went unpunished during the match.

The alleged incident has sparked debate among fans, with one writing: 

Another added: "Nasty that. Cheap shot. We won tho so all good in the end."

A third commented: "Shocking but what do you expect from a team who were warned early on about their foul play? Well done Ireland for not falling into their trap."

Itoje will now be waiting anxiously to see if he is cited in the aftermath of England’s latest setback.

Wales endured a nightmare start in Paris, suffering a humiliating seven-try defeat to France, as Antoine Dupont ran the show on his return to the championship. Over at Murrayfield, Huw Jones stole the spotlight with a stylish hat-trick, helping Scotland edge past a spirited Italy side. Meanwhile, Ireland’s title defence began with a comeback win over England, who at least salvaged a losing bonus point in Dublin.

With Round Two looming, we take a look at six players who flopped in the opening weekend.

Mail Online 5/10: "Dropped restart after England's early opener but one strong ruck clear-out showed his menace. Made way for Saracens team-mate Tom Willis."

Rugby Pass 5/10: "The third openside in the England back row, he was eclipsed by what the Curry twins achieved and gone by the 56th minute. While a show of wheels helped lead to the penalty that got England 10-5 up just before the break, some rearguard work wasn’t up to scratch. For instance, his soft knock-on at the 7-0 restart. There were also too many missed tackles."

RUCK 5/10: "Adams hit a milestone, running out for his 60th appearance for Wales. The 29-year-old is another player who has been a welcome return for Gatland’s squad for this Championship. The Cardiff Rugby player is a scoring machine, having crossed the whitewash 21 times for 105 points. But he couldn't make much of an impact as he never really got given the ball."

Rugby Pass 3/10: "Huge shot on Pierre-Louis Barassi showed he was up for the fight, but that attitude boiled over at one point as he screamed at the referee. Was caught out of position by Dupont, who chipped over his head to set up Attissogbe’s opening try. Found himself similarly exposed for Les Bleus’ second try, but that was just a result of wave after wave of French pressure. Will be sick of the sight of Attissogbe’s heels and backside."

Wales Online 5/10: "The Cardiff wing got exposed defensively on a few occasions and missed an early tackle on his opposite number Théo Attissogbé which put Wales under severe pressure"

Planet Rugby 5/10: "Was given a bit of a torrid time on his wing, although it wasn’t really his fault. Put in one big hit on defence but was then slightly embarrassed by Thomas Ramos for Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s first try."

Rugby Pass 4/10: Maintained composure [until the 70th minute at least] under pressure and released his runners with a nonchalance that belied the match’s stakes.

"Gets a 4/10 for a braindead shoulder check on Wales’ Ben Thomas with just ten minutes left to play, an indiscretion that was rightly upgraded to a red card and will likely cost him a chunk of his Six Nations.

RUCK 5/10: "Had a really good game but gave away a really silly red card which is a huge dampener, especially with a trip to the Allianz stadium next up in the Six Nations. The initial yellow was incredibly unnecessary considering the scoreline and plagues the future games."

Planet Rugby 5/10: "Has played well for Toulouse on the wing but his best position is certainly at full-back. Struggled to influence the game out wide and was shut down."

rown straight into the deep end at the Stade de France. In the Autumn Nations Series, Wales’ lineout success was at 85.4%, the second-best of all competing Six Nations sides. However, the hooker was shown the Championship’s first yellow card after making a high tackle, and that sin bin proved costly. Despite all this, he was decent at the lineout but let himself down with the yellow card."

Rugby Pass 4/10: "Yellow carded for a dangerous tackle- Wales with 15 players were struggling, 14 made it almost impossible for them. Did not seem to be in sync with his lineout jumpers at times, but took on a lot of the ball-carrying responsibilities."

Wales Online 5/10: "Started well with a couple of powerful carries while his darts were accurate. But was very lucky not to receive a red card after his shoulder made direct contact with the face of Louis Bielle-Biarrey."

Planet Rugby 5/10: "Lineout went smoothly but his yellow card for his high shot on Louis Bielle-Biarrey proved costly as France scored two tries while he was off the field."

Telegraph 5/10: "Done all ends up after showing Lowe the outside for Gibson-Park’s try. A few other uncharacteristic errors but then England’s attack stopped functioning when he went off."

The Sun 5/10: "Returning scrum half brought calmness but the missed tackle on Lowe, just as Smith was getting ready to return, was critical."

The Six Nations Championship, Europe’s premier rugby tournament, has delivered unforgettable moments and showcased some of the game’s greatest players.

From stunning tries to epic battles, the 2010s were packed with rugby brilliance.

Can you name the players who lit up the tournament during this golden decade? You’ll need to be on top form to get 15/15—are you up for the challenge? Let’s kick off!