This year’s Super Saturday was a joy to watch – but it was too quiet

The final day of the Six Nations couldn’t quite match up to the thrills and spills of Ireland’s triumph five years ago, writes Jack de Menezes

England have helped to put smiles on faces with their Six Nations triumph (AFP/Getty)

Super Saturday was never going to live up to its lofty billing. The frantic final day of the 2015 Six Nations was always going to be hard to beat, given how the fixture schedule and different permutations simply fell into place with perfection, and though last weekend’s delayed round five was a joy to watch, it couldn’t quite match up to the thrills and spills of Ireland’s triumph five years ago.

At least it didn’t disappoint. Scotland did a number over Wales to record their first away win over their Celtic rivals since 2002, with their breakdown superiority rising to the fore to condemn Wayne Pivac’s side to an alarming fifth consecutive defeat. That said, the game was far from a classic, and not even Alun Wyn Jones’s record-breaking 149th international appearance could save a game that was dictated by the poor weather conditions.

England’s outing in Italy wasn’t much better. The eventual champions did what they needed to in order to secure the title, but they barely made it out of second gear as a gritty Italian display made it difficult for the pre-weekend championship favourites to deliver the performance expected of them.

At least France and Italy delivered a game that was worthy of the Super Saturday tag as momentum shifted against two sides giving it their all. The disappointment among the Irish squad at full time was in complete contrast to the joy of the French, who despite missing out on the Six Nations title were more than satisfied with what was an impressive fourth victory in five matches.

But something was missing – the key ingredient to why 2015’s Super Saturday was so special. When every try was scored, or crunching tackle delivered, it was met with silence.

Billy Vunipola, the England forward, said it best on Friday when he recalled his memories of that points-laden spring day five years ago: “I remember it vividly because of how loud it was.” Twickenham was rocking that evening, as was Edinburgh and Rome before it, and seeing England lift the Six Nations championship on Sunday locked away at their team hotel instead of soaking up the adulation of the Twickenham fans only served to remind us that it will be a long, long time before we can enjoy sport as we know and love it.  

Yours,

Jack de Menezes

Sports news correspondent