England head coach Eddie Jones has accused Wales of scrummaging “terribly illegally” as the build-up to tomorrow’s RBS 6 Nations title showdown between the arch-rivals finally ignited.

Wales recorded their ninth successive victory over Scotland in the RBS 6 Nations Championship to stay firmly among this season's title contenders.

Simon Lewis takes a look at how the two sides match up.

Ireland will heap the pressure on Wales’ rookie loosehead Rob Evans, to see if his scrummaging discipline “turns the other way” on Sunday, according to Greg Feek.

Sam Warburton aims to “burst Ireland’s balloon” on Sunday. The Wales captain knows their opening game of the Six Nations could prove the acid test for hopes of claiming a peculiar hat-trick.

Tom James says he needed to become “the forgotten man of Welsh rugby” during a rebuilding spell in his rugby career.

Paul O’Connell will go down in history as a “world icon”, according to Lions assistant coach Rob Howley as tributes poured in from around the globe for the Ireland captain.

Cork woman Gemma Crowley is the Team Services Manager at the Rugby World Cup for Ireland’s Pool D. She offers an insight into some of the logistics that have gone into planning England 2015...

Ireland’s defeat to Wales may have thrown up more questions than answers but Joe Schmidt nevertheless had no choice but to make some decisions as he pushed the final pieces into position for his World Cup squad yesterday.

George North returns to rugby’s international stage tomorrow afternoon with Wales coach Warren Gatland underlining that player welfare will always be paramount.

World Rugby boss Brett Gosper has claimed his tweet was "over-interpreted" into partisanship when posting that hosts England failing to reach the World Cup quarter-finals would be "not the words we want to hear".

Wales will not receive the RBS 6 Nations trophy in Rome next Saturday if they win this season’s title.

In sport it’s always about the next game. 

Of all the lessons Warren Gatland purports to have learned since Wales last lifted the Six Nations title, the biggest and most painful was that served up in Dublin 13 months ago.

Wales 16 - England 21: Despite injuries England came from 10 points down to record a famous victory in Cardiff. The Millennium Stadium was enthralled as the 2015 RBS 6 Nations began with a blood and thunder collision.

Cardiff Blues may be lying ninth in the Pro12 table, but with a pack boasting three British and Irish Lions, as well as a recalled Alex Cuthbert on the wing, Leinster know it won’t be easy at the Arms Park.

Wales finally cracked the code of success against major southern hemisphere opposition as full-back Leigh Halfpenny’s relentless goalkicking saw off Millennium Stadium visitors South Africa.

George North will start in the centre when Wales open their autumn Test campaign against Australia at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

Coach Pat Lam has made eight changes to his side ahead of their match against Cardiff Blues in Galway on Friday.

Gordon D'Arcy returns to Leinster’s starting 15 as they welcome Cardiff to the RDS on Friday night.

Manu Tuilagi has been warned to expect an aerial bombardment as New Zealand seek to expose the England wing’s inexperience in his new position.

Cardiff won in Ireland for the first time in 16 months as they came from behind to beat Connacht 22-15 at the Sportsground.

Wales forwards coach Robin McBryde fears that prop Gethin Jenkins might have become “a marked man” in Test match rugby.

Reigning champions Wales put their RBS 6 Nations title bid back on track with a Millennium Stadium mauling of France that ended Les Bleus’ Grand Slam hopes.

Reigning champions Wales put their RBS 6 Nations title bid back on track with a Millennium Stadium mauling of France that ended Les Bleus’ Grand Slam hopes.

Senior statesman Gethin Jenkins has backed reigning RBS 6 Nations champions Wales to recover from their Dublin debacle and retrieve a campaign that is hovering on the brink.

Ireland 26 Wales 3

Three battles Ireland must shade to beat Wales

How the two teams square off

Warren Gatland wants his Welsh team to take a leaf out of the Northampton Saints play-book when they arrive at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Captain Sam Warburton will return to the Wales starting line-up for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations clash against Ireland in Dublin.

Wales 23, Italy 15

Welsh rugby has had more peaks and troughs than a roller-coaster ride in recent years. The only saving grace being that the peaks have been pretty constant and extremely rewarding.

Sam Warburton could start Wales’ RBS 6 Nations opener against Italy on Saturday as he prepares to make his comeback from injury.

England head coach Stuart Lancaster insists Chris Ashton remains a wing option against France as he puts the finishing touches to selection for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations opener.

Ryan Jones will miss the chance to win a fifth RBS 6 Nations title after a hamstring injury saw him withdraw from Wales’ squad for the 2014 campaign.

Three reasons to relish the return

Leinster's bid to become the first team to successfully defend the RaboDirect PRO12 title will begin away against the Scarlets.

It was difficult not to have a degree of sympathy for the Australians on Saturday night.

British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland revealed that Alex Corbisiero’s superior scrummaging resulted in his selection ahead of Mako Vunipola for Saturday’s opening Test against Australia.