The best Six Nations tweets of the week

It was another action-packed weekend of Six Nations rugby and as ever social media provided the sounding board for many to voice their opinion, so we’ve trawled through Twitter to bring you the best championship-related tweets of the week.

In the first game of the weekend, under the Friday night lights in Marseille, France defeated Italy to put an end to their eight-game run without a win in a particularly error-strewn, scrappy affair.

The high error count by both sides fuelled a subdued atmosphere and there were many who turned to Twitter to voice their frustration.

France created plenty of chances, but their finishing left a lot to be desired:

One highlight was the performance of Mathieu Bastareaud. Back after a three-week ban and perhaps with a point to prove, Italy found him impossible to handle in the midfield. He was described as a beast, a bulldozer and a “big Bastareaud”.

Bastareaud beat seven defenders against Italy, more than anyone else on either team:

In the second match of the weekend, Ireland kept their Six Nations Grand Slam dream alive with a hard-fought win over Wales.

The excitement in Dublin went all the way to the final whistle. In the last play of the match, with Wales still within one score, Stockdale plucked a superb interception and ran in for his second try to seal the win for Ireland.

Chris Farrell, on his Six Nations debut for Ireland, was named Man of the Match for his impressive display. Here’s what he had to say:

Injured Leinster and Ireland No 8 Jamie Heaslip, who has since announced his retirement, was excited by the prospect of a clean sweep with the victory over Wales, saying:

Winger Simon Zebo is also backing Ireland to win a Grand Slam:

The final match of the weekend saw Scotland win their first Calcutta Cup in a decade, inflicting the worst loss of Eddie Jones’s England career and shattering the team’s Grand Slam hopes in the process.

Finn Russell answered his critics with a fine performance and this pass to Huw Jones which set up Sean Maitland’s try was just sublime:

The recipient of that pass, Huw Jones, was another standout performer contributing two tries. His second effort earned him comparisons with Brian O’Driscoll:

A battering ram:

And Scottish hero William Wallace:

The man himself didn’t post anything on Twitter until the following day, no doubt enjoying the celebrations. This is what he said when he did reappear on social media:

Related: How Scotland celebrated their Calcutta Cup win

BBC rugby correspondent Ian Robertson was commentating on his last Calcutta Cup before retiring:

This is the day so many Scots have been waiting for: a first Calcutta Cup win for Scotland since 2008, and it was clear that not just the players but all the fans in Scotland enjoyed this particular Calcutta Cup victory.

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