Wales wins 2021 Six Nations
Written by Megan Armitage
Wales have won the 2021 Guinness Six Nations Championship after Scotland beat France in the final game of the tournament.
Winning four out of five games, Wales takes the crown with a total of 20 points.
Their Championship win comes after an intense last game against France on the 20th March. France denying Wales a Grand Slam with a last-minute try by Dublin to win 32-30.
‘In the dying moments of last play, France had an overlap on the left-wing and used that advantage and clinched the win with a slide over from Dulin to set up a final game decider vs Scotland’, University of Leicester’s Alvin Wong states, remembering his favourite moment of the championship.
With a postponed match against Scotland, due to COVID-19, France still had a chance (albeit a very small chance) to claim the title on Friday. However, their hopes were ultimately stunted in a 23-27 loss in Paris.
After an anxious wait, the win for Wales can be credited to their impressive 40-24 win over England and bonus-try against Scotland.
A painful tournament for England, the team placed 5th overall, a big change from the first place win they secured in October for the 2020 Six Nations.
Amongst the disappointment of Eddie Jones’ team failing to prove themselves on the field, the tournament was still full of memorable moments.
When asked about their favourite moments from the Championship, the University of Leicester Women’s Rugby Union Society noted Stuart Hogg passing the ball between his legs during Scotland vs. Italy. The impressive playoff to van der Merwe was nearly a sure cut for a try butwas ultimately stopped short by Italy’s Marco Zanon.
France’s Damian Penaud also received a mention for his try against England. A French line-out within England’s 22’ saw the team working together to disable England’s defence for an easy try on the right-wing.
England Winger, Jonny May’s try against Italy seemed to be a popular moment amongst both the University’s Men’s and Women’s Rugby Union Societies.
‘Despite the controversy afterwards, it was an incredible try that showed the creativity of England’s backs and pushed May to the forefront of the Lions selection’, stated James Brown.
Outside of play, other notable moments included thecomments on referee Luke Pearce’s management of the Ireland vs France game, speaking in both English and French out of respect for those playing.
Respect was a clear theme throughout the tournament, with each team partaking in a Rugby Against Racism moment of silence before each match. Uniting each player and team against racial discrimination.
Overall, 2021 Six Nations was one of ups and downs. But after an unconventional year, the international rugby tournament is more than welcome.
Megan Armitage is a final year English student and the Swim Captain at the University of Leicester. She is currently interested in pursuing a career in Sports Journalism.
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