Here are the latest Six Nations headlines on Sunday, February 27.
Statement issued amid Wales controversy
World Rugby have issued a statement in the wake of the controversy involving Wales star Tomas Francis.
Six Nations chiefs are now due to review the circumstances surrounding how Francis was allowed to return to the field against England despite appearing unsteady on his feet following a serious head collision.
It comes after an open letter was published by lobby group Progressive Rugby demanding answers and describing what unfolded as "a clear and flagrant breach of HIA protocol". You can read the full details of that here.
The WRU have declined to comment at this stage, but World Rugby have said: "Player welfare is paramount for everyone involved in rugby and a collaborative approach is at the heart of ensuring all processes, such as the Head Injury Assessment (HIA) operational in elite competitions, are followed for the good of the game.
"As with other elite international competitions, World Rugby works alongside Six Nations Rugby, who conduct reviews following every Championship game, to identify and address any potential issues that arise from these matches.
"This approach is supported by a dedicated HIA review process, which is available to tournament organisers where required.
"Meanwhile, World Rugby can confirm that all match officials involved in the current Six Nations participated in an education workshop delivered by the Chief Medical Officer last week to reaffirm their critical role in supporting the HIA process."
Ireland demolish 12-man Italy
Michael Lowry shone on debut as Ireland returned to winning ways in the Guinness Six Nations by blitzing 13-man Italy with a 57-6 bonus-point success in Dublin.
Electric Ulster full-back Lowry and James Lowe claimed two tries apiece, with Joey Carbery, Jamison Gibson-Park, stand-in captain Peter O'Mahony, Ryan Baird and Kieran Treadwell also crossing.
A one-sided affair was ruined by the Azzurri being forced to play two men light for three quarters of the afternoon after Hame Faiva was sent off for a high tackle on Dan Sheehan, having replaced fellow hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi due to injury.
Those premature departures led to uncontested scrums and, under World Rugby rules, necessitated the removal of a second player, with number eight Toa Halafihi the man sacrificed. You can read the full details on the ruling and reaction here, with Italy actually finishing the game with just 12 players.
Penalties from Edoardo Padovani and Paolo Garbisi were scant consolation for the depleted Italians as they slipped to a 100th Six Nations defeat and 35th in succession.
Wales baffle McGeechan
Sir Ian McGeechan says he was baffled by Wales' tactics against England and believes their defence has lost "all of the dynamism" Shaun Edwards brought.
The Lions coaching legend was disappointed with the quality shown by both sides at Twickenham, claiming it was a level below what France and Scotland served up at Murrayfield.
And Wales' refusal to kick to touch to relieve pressure in defence left him confused.
Writing in his Telegraph column, he said: "The match at Twickenham wasn't on the same level as the fare served up at Murrayfield. It was stop-start, with less accuracy at the breakdown and more errors. England's execution was inconsistent, meaning that they gave away far too much ball.
"Psychologically, Wales made an early mistake by giving England the kick-off, which ceded territory and momentum from the word go. They also struggled to cope with high balls and were outplayed at the breakdown, which produced such slow ball that their players often received the ball standing still.
"Wales' defence was horribly stereotypical, and has lost all of the dynamism it had under Shaun Edwards.
"In both attack, where they were never on the front foot, and defence, where their unwillingness to kick the ball out invited England onto them, they were unable to put England under any sustained pressure, which is exactly what you need to do against a side that powerful."
"Wales came back into the game, outscored their hosts by three tries to one, and played with a level of patience and fluency that was light years ahead of what they achieved in the first half. I must admit, I'm still baffled at their unwillingness to kick the ball to touch in defence which kept them penned in their own half."
Shane identifies three problems
Shane Williams has identified three main areas of concern for Wales ahead of their match with Grand Slam-chasing France.
Williams was frustrated by the miserable Welsh first-half performance but impressed by what they produced late on to almost pull off the unlikeliest of comebacks.
He told the Rugby Paper: "Top of Pivac and his coaching team's to-do list must be sorting out the lineout. Three were lost and one was such a horrendous mix-up it missed everyone in a red shirt and gifted Alex Dombrandt England's only try of the game. There were post-match claims of some black arts being used to push Adam Beard off the ball, but surely someone should have been alert to the danger of an overthrow.
"The penalty count was also too high. There were 13 conceded by both teams but the early glut from Dan Biggar's side allowed Marcus Smith to lay the foundation for England's eventually winning margin.
"The breakdown continues to be an area of major concern. We're not winning many turnovers and yet we are conceding far too many - 10 in this match according to the stats. There were breaks being made but players were getting isolated and falling easy victim to the English jackalers."
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