Six Nations 2024: Talking points after wins for England, France and Ireland

Scotland's effort that never worked was the big controversy in the second round of the Six Nations, but there were plenty of other talking points.

Could a boring exchange of kicks change the rules? Should Wales have been allowed to stop George Ford's conversion attempt? Will Ireland's depth of strength enable them to return to the Grand Slam? Which players stood out?

You may have read surah and verse about it and seen all the different angles.

Former England winger Chris Ashton had a slightly different view, saying that Scotland had several chances to win before those frantic final moments.

“Scotland will look back thinking we had five chances to score elsewhere,” Ashton said.

“There were enough chances for Scotland to win the game elsewhere.”

Before the frenetic finish, a loophole in the rules of rugby led to an exchange of sluggish kicks that frustrated spectators and television viewers.

Known as the Dupont Law, after the French halfback Antoine Dupont who first caught the foul, players can stand offside from a kick and will be played offside as soon as the opposition catcher has carried the ball five meters or used the ball. .

But Finn Russell knew this, and as he led his team, he was simply watching his steps before passing the ball back to France.

Former Scotland international Johnny Beattie said on BBC Sport's Daily Rugby Union programme: “There has to be a change in the rules. The fact that a team can kick from deep and dig up the ground is very boring for fans to watch.”

“Rugby is meant to be a hyperactive, physical, chess game that's great to watch. Instead, you have confrontation.”

Scotland controlled large parts of the match but Louis Bel-Billary's solo effort in the second half was the difference and saved Fabien Galthie's side from a second successive defeat.

“France were very bad and showed nothing at all until that attempt,” Petit added.

“I'd like to see them win in style. To win like that, yeah it's always better to win even if the rugby is terrible, but it was terrible rugby.”

They will look to bounce back with a big win over Italy on February 25 at Stade Pierre Maurois in Lille.

England fly-half George Ford made a routine conversion to equalize the game against Wales, but one small step to his left and he was denied the chance to convert after Ben Earle's first-half try.

This move caused the red shirts to rush and the ball was kicked from the tee.

“It doesn't make sense to me,” Ford said. “Some of us will have to stand like statues at the back of the period before us now.

“What it means for us players is that we have to be very diligent about our setup and our processes because if they were to go down that road and look for things like that, we wouldn't be able to afford it.”

However, with his side trailing 14-13, Ford made no mistake on his 72nd-minute penalty kick to seal the win.

England have two wins from two matches and will next travel to Murrayfield to face Scotland on February 24.

When Steve Borthwick left Leicester to take over as England coach, his son Hunter gave him some advice about selection: “You should go for Tommy Reiffel.”

Borthwick soon told Hunter that the Leicester winger was Welsh.

Revell, 24, produced impressive performances both in attack and defense at Twickenham to show he is developing an all-round game.

Known for his poaching ability, Revell showed his tirelessness at the breakdown, but also showed his mobility in attack when his stride and offload helped set up Alex Mann's effort.

“I played with him at Leicester and it wasn't his carrying that he was known for – it was his disruptive work,” Ashton said on the Six Nations Rugby Special.

“The things he can do in fractions of a second in training in such small spaces are exactly why he shines at international level. It's unbelievable how quickly he makes decisions – when to get the ball or how quickly he gets to it.”

An injury to World Cup captain Jack Morgan, who was one of Wales' standout players at last year's World Cup in France, has opened the door for Revell, who will look to continue his form in Dublin against the Irish back row.

Ireland made six changes from their impressive opening win over France as Andy Farrell rotated his side against Italy.

It is also impressive that the 36 points scored against the Azzurri in Dublin were none conceded – the first time Ireland have kept a team scoreless in the tournament since 1987.

Fly-half Jack Crawley, who scored his side's opening try, backed up his performance in Marseille with another excellent display similar to the way Johnny Sexton used to officiate matches.

“In this aspect and the way they are playing at the moment, Crawley can grow into a world-class player,” Davies said on the Six Nations Rugby Special.

“He has the confidence and awareness of an experienced player [so early in his career]”.

Farrell's side face Wales on February 24 in Dublin hoping to maintain their goal of becoming the first team to win back-to-back major Six Nations tournaments.

The 20-year-old produced a moment of magic with a slide and pulled himself together to seal victory at Murrayfield. The winger regained his starting place in the France national team and showed why with his electric speed in finishing the match.

“He's a weirdo,” Beatty said. “It would be great.”