Sky Sports weighs the key issues ahead of the second round of the 2026 Six Nations…
Return of Itoje
Captain Maro Itoje will make an emotional return for the 15th match when England take on Scotland on Saturday.
Itoje missed part of England’s pre-tournament training camp to attend his mother Florence’s funeral in Nigeria. He was limited to a supporting role in last weekend’s win over Wales at the Allianz Stadium.
“It’s great to be back on the team,” Itoje said. “It’s great to be with my teammates, coaching and support staff in this environment that I love so much.
“Throwing yourself into tournaments like this is probably one of the best ways to take your mind off things.
“My mother has had a huge influence on my life. There is no part of my life that she has not been a part of. I will be so sad to see her go.”
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Manager George Ford says captain Maro Itoje’s return will be a big boost for England ahead of their Six Nations clash with Scotland
England are aiming for their 13th successive title and Itoje said: “I’m really excited. The Calcutta Cup is a historic match. It’s a match I love to play.”
“The games are always very competitive and it’s great to be able to attend this match in sunny Edinburgh.
“Scotland and England are close neighbors. We are fierce competitors. We know each other very well. That in itself brings a competitive spirit.”
“This is a match full of pride, full of passion, full of edge. It’s a match we really want to win to make sure we take home the Calcutta Cup.”
“As an England team, this is an opportunity for us to create a new story. As a team, this is an opportunity to write a new chapter in our book.
“I welcome the challenge, I welcome playing at Murrayfield, I welcome being part of this team and I welcome the opportunity that is in front of me.”
“We’ve continued to grow and continue to improve. The evidence of that will continue to emerge, but we feel like we’re in a good position to get the job done.”
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James Cole looks ahead to the Calcutta Cup Six Nations clash between England and Scotland
Townsend’s future
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend is fighting for his survival after defeat to Italy in Rome.
Townsend has ruled out the idea of resigning, but is keen to continue Scotland’s winning streak against England at Murrayfield. It’s been six years since England beat Scotland in Edinburgh.
Townsend has had a good record against England. They have won the Calcutta Cup in six of the last eight years.
“It’s the biggest game of the season,” he said. “That becomes even more important against the backdrop of the disappointing loss.
“But we’re really proud of our performances over the years. Even last year (16-15 loss to Twickenham) we thought our 2023 performance (29-23 win over Twickenham) was definitely on top of that.”
Wales in crisis
The Welsh rugby team’s constant crisis could continue when they take on France in Cardiff on Sunday.
Wales will be aiming for their first Six Nations win since 2023, but will struggle against France.
France are the reigning champions and looked dominant with a 36-14 win over Ireland in the opening game of this year’s tournament.
Wales, by contrast, looked extremely vulnerable when they were thrashed 48-7 by England in their first match of the Championship.
This will be their first home match in the 2026 Six Nations and they will hope to draw inspiration from the crowd at the Principality Stadium.
“We had four games (locally) in the fall and the attendance was unbelievable,” coach Steve Tandy said.
“I think we’ve talked a lot about the New Zealand game, the crowd, the energy it brought and the reaction from the players.
“Our supporters mean a lot to us and they provide inspiration to our players. Our goal this weekend is to inspire our fans as well.”
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Sky Sports News’ James Cole and Jack Wilkinson look back on England’s 48-7 victory over Wales in the Six Nations
hurt ireland
Ireland will look to bounce back with a win when they host Italy on Saturday.
The opening game loss to France was punishment for the team that won the tournament in 2023 and 2024.
“As you can imagine, we have good people in this environment, so there was a lot of honesty and a little bit of soul-searching as to why,” coach Andy Farrell said.
“We took care of everything, got back on the horse, put on the boots, had a few training sessions and arrived at this weekend’s business ready to put on a performance that we should be proud of.”
