OPINION: First round of Six Nations a World Cup warning for Boks

The opening round of the Six Nations threw up some surprise results and expected dominance over an action packed weekend.

It also gave us some insight into the early form of teams that are essentially in the final stretch of the preparations for the Rugby World Cup kicking off in France in September.

The Springboks should be slightly worried after top performances from two of their World Cup pool opponents Ireland and Scotland saw them get their Six Nations campaigns off to superb starts.

Ireland

Ireland showed why they are the current number one ranked team in the world, and favourites for the Webb Ellis Cup, as they produced a powerful first half performance to set them on their way to a thumping 34-10 win over Wales.

With the Boks having lost to Ireland on their end-of-year-tour last year, it was an ominous warning that they will continue their top form in the lead up to the World Cup, and a Six Nations triumph would be the best possible build-up.

Scotland

Scotland produced the first upset of the Six Nations as they clinched an impressive 29-23 win over England at Twickenham.

It was another warning to the Boks, that although Scotland have not been at their best in recent times, when they turn it on they can become world beaters.

For England’s new coach Steve Borthwick it showed that they still have a long way to go to become competitive enough to challenge for the World Cup and he has a massive job on his hands to get his charges ready in under a year.

Italy almost pulled off a massive upset against world number two ranked France before going down 29-24 in their Six Nations clash at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

The Azurri led 24-22 as the clock ran red, only for the visitors to sneak in with a converted try after the full time hooter, to snatch a bonus point win in the end.

Although it was almost a dreadful night for France, they instead extended their record winning run to 14 games, and they will be eager to continue on unbeaten for as long as they can ahead of hosting the World Cup.