The Scarlets secured a European Champions Cup quarter-final place as Pool Five winners after toppling Toulon.

Anthony Watson scored two sparkling tries in front of England boss Eddie Jones as Bath produced some champagne rugby to down French heavyweights Toulon.

Munster’s courageous recapture of Glasgow en route towards reinstating Limerick as Europe’s rugby capital raises a strange question this morning: What ever happened to the drop goal?

Wales 19 France 10: Wales moved to the top of the RBS 6 Nations by beating France 19-10 at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

France resume their Pool D campaign at the Olympic Stadium against Romania tonight with Johnny Sexton declaring Philippe Saint-Andre’s side “the best they’ve looked in years”.

Three weeks ago, the chief question being asked of Joe Schmidt’s Ireland ahead of the World Cup was whether they could inject some zing into what has been a solid rather than spectacular attacking game this last two seasons.

France coach Philippe Saint-Andre has left out fly-half Francois Trinh-Ducfrom his 31-man World Cup squad, in favour of Frederic Michalak.

As a learning exercise, Saturday’s fraught encounter against Scotland was far more beneficial for Ireland than the rather benign Welsh clash the previous week. Put it this way: Joe Schmidt will have gleaned much and identified far more ‘work-ons’ to keep him busy over the next fortnight.

Leinster will be burdened by massive regrets this week as they somehow attempt to patch themselves up for an unforgiving five-day turnaround with the season-defining outing against Ulster in Belfast on Friday night.

Six things to keep an eye on in this year’s Six Nations

Jonathan Sexton said winning away to fellow Top 14 semi-finalists Montpellier has kick-started his second season in France in the best fashion possible.

Ireland lock Donncha O’Callaghan is one of four players added to the Barbarians’ 24-man squad to face England on June 1.

France jumped ahead of Ireland in the IRB’s World Rankings following Saturday’s narrow victory over Scotland.

Now that Scotland have been taken care of, the stage is set for the serious business of The Grudge Match and Warren Gatland’s return to Ireland.

If the French president Francois Hollande has been sweating under the pressure of public scrutiny over the last couple of weeks, it is nothing to that felt by Phillipe Saint-Andre.

Montpellier 8 Ulster 25

For a team that has lost all three matches in this year’s Six Nations, the French have been remarkably positive as they prepare for what is undoubtedly going to be another bruising encounter against Ireland in Dublin this afternoon.

The mood in France has been very optimistic this week. It’s almost a polar opposite of the build up to the England game when all the talk was doom and gloom.

France head coach Philippe Saint-Andre will abandon tradition and gladly settle for the most tedious of victories against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

France head coach Philippe Saint-André has dropped Francois Trinh-Duc for Saturday’s meeting with Ireland at the Aviva Stadium with the unpredictable Freddie Michalak returning to the number 10 jersey.

The absence of Johnny Sexton from the Irish ranks on Saturday may not be mourned by a France side looking for their first win of this Six Nations but his arrival at Racing Metro next season has been warmly welcomed by one of his new team-mates, Maxime Machenaud.

England 23 France 23

England 23 France 13

France 6 Wales 16

France 6 Wales 16

Will cautious Philippe Saint-Andre let multi-talented backline express themselves?

Declan Kidney made a ‘scapegoat’ of Tomás O’Leary by dropping him for the World Cup, according to London Irish boss Brian Smith.

Saturday’s game against England at Twickenham will be Ireland’s 14th test game in eight months and will have a defining influence on how that period is judged.

England captain Chris Robshaw and full-back Ben Foden last night endorsed Stuart Lancaster’s bid to become the team’s full-time coach after a remarkable RBS 6 Nations triumph over France.

France 22 England 24

Captain Ross Ford believes a Scotland win in Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Ireland in Dublin is necessary for the squad to retain belief that they are moving in the right direction.

France half-backs Francois Trinh-Duc and Morgan Parra have been dropped for the RBS 6 Nations clash against England in Paris on Sunday.

Circumstances have changed but Ireland can find success in Paris this weekend.

This is the part in the movies where one actor surveys the scene and remarks that things are quiet, too quiet. So be it. Right now, quiet is good.

No fuss, no bother and no excuses. Sean O’Brien’s approach to playing France tomorrow is as straightforward and robust as the way he throws himself into contact.

Jonathan Sexton received support from an unusual quarter yesterday, as France out-half Francois Trinh-Duc admitted he can empathise with the Leinster man’s struggles to make the Ireland number 10 jersey his own.

Scotland 17 France 23

France coach Philippe Saint-Andre has not made any changes to his matchday squad for the RBS 6 Nations clash with Scotland at Murrayfield on February 26.

Time is a healer, they say, but have Ireland had enough hours, minutes and seconds to put right the wrongs of last Sunday’s effort and produce a performance against France tonight in Paris?

1 The mental challenge

SCRUM

France scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili has been ruled out of the Six Nations tie with Ireland because of a back problem.

France 30 Italy 12

There is a strange sense of Groundhog Day about Ireland’s opening two fixtures in this season’s RBS Six Nations Championship.