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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Robert Kitson

Six Nations judgment day has enough riding on it to be an all-time classic

Left to right: Duhan van der Merwe of Scotland, Ireland's Jack Crowley, Louis Bielle-Biarrey of France and England's Maro Itoje
Left to right: Duhan van der Merwe of Scotland, Ireland's Jack Crowley, Louis Bielle-Biarrey of France and England's Maro Itoje. Illustration: Joe Plimmer/Guardian pictures/Getty Images

The best Six Nations campaigns tick two crucial boxes. The first is a consistent sense of jeopardy from start to finish and the second is a level of entertainment that elevates the tournament into the mainstream consciousness. When both occur simultaneously, as they have done this year, the championship’s final round ranks among the most gripping days in modern team sport.

This particular “Super Saturday” certainly has all the necessary spicy ingredients, starting with the prospect of France’s second title since 2010 if they can beat Scotland in Paris. A bonus-point win for England over Wales in Cardiff, though, could yet be enough to sneak the trophy in the event of a breathless Scotland win. Which, from a Scottish perspective, looms as the ultimate catch-22 scenario.

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