47-8 That will do nicely.

Even more so because in some ways the Italians played better today than they have before. That lad Marcato has promise. I’m pretty sure that they will win one game this year.

Meanwhile, lots more TV to come. I’ll be back.

-Later-

OK, so I have had a chance to think about what worried me about the game, and it is this. Yes, we scored a lot of points, but we scored them mainly because of Italian mistakes. The Italians are just starting to play interesting rugby, but their execution is fallible, and Wales punished them ruthlessly. What we didn’t do was crack them open the way that Ireland did to Scotland. And we are going to need to be able to do that to teams if we are to win the championship.

In the next round we have to go to Croke Park, and Ireland are finally beginning to play the sort of rugby we know they are capable of. Only two things give me hope. The first is that Eddie O’Sullivan is likely to drop Geordan Murphy when Dempsey is back from injury; and the second is that Ireland’s commanding performance today was only achieved against the Scots, who are not exactly the brightest sparks in the tournament.

And now, of course, we have the damnable English to worry about again. They never know then they are dead and buried, do they? Today’s performance in Paris wasn’t at all exciting (unless you are English), but they did two important things very well. Firstly they defended well, and thereby prevented the French from playing the open, running rugby we know they are capable of. And secondly they destroyed the French scrum, thereby denying the French a decent platform for their attacks. All they needed then was to capitalize on the occasional French mistake, which they also did well.

So what happens now? Wales have a very difficult match in Dublin, and a revitalized England go to Edinburgh where they will probably win. France should be too strong for Italy. And that could mean that four teams go into the final weekend with three wins apiece. Clearly the two home teams will be at an advantage. England will be hosting Ireland, and Wales will host France. I rather suspect that the English fancy those odds.

What was it that Shaun Edwards was saying this week about bonus points? That would fix England, because then they’d have to win every game. Although actually the first tie-breaker is points difference, and both Wales and France look like being well ahead of England in that category.

Which reminds me, Austin Healey said something very interesting in the build-up to today’s games. In his opinion, the problem with the English team is that their players aren’t allowed enough freedom of expression in their club games. French coaches, he says, expect their players to use their heads, while English coaches expect theirs to follow a script. And that’s why, when they get to international level, the English have difficulty playing an open game. I think he could be right.