Italy (5th) v Wales (6th) – Saturday, 8 February

Kick-off time: 2.15pm

Venue: Stadio Olimpico 

TV Details: Virgin Media 1, coverage starts at 1pm; ITV, coverage starts at 1.30pm

The bottom two sides face off  after opening round defeats last weekend.

Wales fell under the might of a dominant French outfit as they failed to register a single score for the first time in a Test game since 2007, suffering a 43-0 trouncing in the process. The result also marked a record-extending 13th straight Test loss for Wales which puts increasing pressure on head coach Warren Gatland. 

Italy will be hoping that they can  capitalise on wounded Welsh outfit to get their campaign off the ground. A spirited comeback against Scotland in Murrayfield last weekend saw Italy draw level heading into the final quarter before a final push from the Scots condemned them to defeat. 

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England (4th) v France (1st) – Saturday, 8 February

Kick-off time: 4.45pm

Venue: Twickenham

TV Details: Virgin Media 1, coverage starts at 4.30pm; ITV, coverage starts at 4.15pm

France have certainly benefitted from the return of scrum-half Antoine Dupont as he played an inspiring role in their win over Wales following his absence from last year’s tournament. Out-half Romain Ntamack also impressed upon his return from injury but will miss Saturday’s trip to Twickenham following his red card last weekend.

England will be eager to exploit that loss in France’s personnel after losing out to Ireland last weekend. Steve Borthwick’s side made life difficult for Ireland in the first half in Dublin but faded as the hosts Ireland upped their performance in the final quarter. Even without Ntamack, France will bring a strong challenge to Twickenham.

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Scotland (2nd) v Ireland (3rd) – Sunday, 9 February 

Kick-off time: 3pm

Venue: Murrayfield

TV Details: RTÉ 2, coverage starts at 2pm; BBC One, coverage starts at 2pm

After a shaky start, Simon Easterby’s Ireland launched their Six Nations defence with a win against England. Their bench were particularly instrumental in the win as hooker Dan Sheehan scored a try shortly after his introduction while Jack Conan and Jack Crowley also impressed. Murrayfield could be a tricky journey however, with Tadhg Furlong and Joe McCarthy still unavailable through injury.

Scotland overcame an injury crisis to open their tournament with a bonus-point win against Italy. Gregor Townsend’s outfit held off a late comeback to claim victory thanks to two Huw Jones tries in the final 20 minutes, a result which puts them in a strong position to welcome the Six Nations three-in-a-row chasers this Sunday.