As the tournament draws closer to an end, the stakes are as high as ever in round 4 of the tournament. Championship aside, there is a great deal more on the line for several nations heading into this weekend.

England perhaps has the most on the line this weekend when they face Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday for the Calcutta Cup. England has been taking a beating in the media lately, particularly Martin Johnson (big surprise) for their uninspired play. England dominated possession against Ireland two weeks ago in Twickenham and yet they were unable to do anything with it aside from run from side to side on the pitch. Some have even gone as far as suggesting that Martin Johnson could find his managing career cut short if England do not win. Scotland look to salvage what’s left of a disappointing 6 Nations that saw them throw matches away to their opponents.

Ireland play host to Wales in what has become one of the more thrilling match ups of the tournament in recent years. Ireland dispatched Wales last year in the championship finale in a close match that saw Stephen Jones’ last-gasp kick to tie the match fall short of the posts as full time expired. No team in this years tournament has been more disappointing than Wales. They face losing their third match of the tournament when they could easily be atop the 6 Nations table if not for their sloppy, disorganised play.

France aim to continue their undefeated streak in the tournament when they host a visiting Italian side. I had dismissed this match earlier, but given what I thought was a poor performance by France against Wales two weeks ago and gritty performance by Italy against Scotland, I’ve become more intrigued by this one. Italy have absolutely nothing to lose in this one and they’ve never been short on the physical side of the match, something that could prove difficult for the Gauls as they seem to wear out in the second half. Lets have a closer look at each match as we head into round 4.

England v. Scotland

Week in and week out we keep calling for England to open their game up, to show a bit of running rugby and maybe throw caution into the wind. Well we’re calling them out again this week for it, but I have zero expectations for that to happen. I would really like to be a fly on the wall in Martin Johnson’s office when he hashes over with his management team who his first XV are going to be. After his side wasted copious amounts of possession against Ireland two weeks ago, Johnson made one change to his squad for this weekend’s clash with Scotland. Johnson decided to call up Joe Worsley to replace Lewis Moody for this weekend. That’s it. I’m not counting the substitution of Lewis Deacon for Simon Shaw because it was forced by injury. I just don’t get it, Joe Worsley? Lewis Moody has been one of the better forwards in the tournament as he is easily the fastest forward out there and has shown a great deal of energy. What about Ben Foden who came in as a replacement against Ireland and looked as if he was going to dispatch the Irish all on his own? There is no way Delon Armitage is 100% in this match and even if he was, he’s been very disappointing this year. A win is important here for England, but some critics have suggested that England scoring some tries is more important than winning. Martin Johnson is starting to draw ire for his reluctance to make changes in his squad, that he has loyalties to players who do not belong out there. I can’t help but be reminded of a certain Irish manager who was continually accused of showing favouritism to certain players and we all know how that turned out.

Scotland on the other hand have shown some excellent running rugby with some thrilling back line play that has unfortunately not been enough to earn any W’s. Dan Parks has been magnificent in this tournament and is one of my early favourites for player of the tournament. Injuries have robbed Scotland of some of their better players, which no doubt played a huge role in their crushing defeat by Italy two weeks ago. Scotland need to go for broke in this one and they have a great opportunity to take it to England in this one. Despite not having a single win in the tournament, I love what Andy Robinson has done with the squad. His infusion of youth and inexperience with veteran players have been a productive formula.

England by virtue of their forwards have a considerable advantage over Scotland in this one as Scotland have been exposed in the scrum, lineout and ruck by the other nations they’ve faced. Their slick backline play has not been enough to finish matches off and they always seem to look tired in the last quarter of the match. This is a big match for Johnny Wilkinson who no doubt aims to make amends for his dreadful performance two years ago when Scotland defeated England 15-9 at Murrayfield. For only the second time in his marvelous test career, Wilko found himself on the bench the following week with the promising Danny Cipriani taking his place. I like Scotland’s chances in this match and feel an upset coming on. I think Scotland will make the most of their chances in this one and expect a man of the match performance from Dan Parks. Teams have been able to exploit Scotland in the second half of matches when they run out of gas, but England have not shown any signs of being able to do anything with their possession and I expect no different from one of the most boring rugby teams I’ve ever witnessed.

Wales v. Ireland

Ireland head into this match as the only side left in contention for a Triple Crown. Ireland had an enormous victory over England at Twickenham two weeks ago that raised their spirits and made them contenders once again. After looking like a sieve against France, Ireland put on a defensive master class, missing only a single tackle out 100 chances. They made the most of their small amount of possession that saw Tommy Bowe come alive with a brace of tries. Declan Kidney has decided to stick with the team that defeated England despite the in-form Rob Kearney passing fit for this test. For me though Ireland have still not been the cohesive unit that they had been up until this tournament. Their play has not been consistent enough and it’s hard to know which team is going to show up this weekend. I thought Johnny Sexton had an excellent game as he twice assisted on Irish tries. Sexton brings a dangerous attacking element to Ireland and perhaps there is more to come. The match has a little extra to it with Brian O’Driscoll winning his 100th cap. Even with all of the bowing down to the great centre, O’Driscoll has remained focused as their is still much on the line for Ireland.

Wales are a mere shadow of the team they once were but have still provided us with the most thrilling and memorable matches this year. I honestly believe that in every match they’ve played, they’ve been the better side despite walking away with only one victory. They did everything they could to ensure France would win the match two weeks ago, making costly mistakes and playing like a team who had never seen a rugby pitch before. It wasn’t until with 20 minutes remaining that they decided to play when they took France to the limit and nearly stole victory away from them. Wales have had the most exciting and creative back play out of any of the 6 Nations squads, scoring try after try. They also make the most mistakes though and as a team, they dig themselves into a hole that they all but once have not been able to get out of. Too little, too late seems to be their modus operandi. Despite Kidney’s caution to his side about the Welsh attack, I don’t think Wales will have been able to right the ship in two weeks time.

There’s an interesting dynamic to this match that I hadn’t thought of until I read this. With Ireland and Wales providing nearly the entire first XV of the 2009 Lions, their could be a bit familiarity between the sides. It’s a reach in my opinion to think that this could affect the match, but it’s nonetheless an interesting one. If Wales can play 80 minutes of rugby instead of 20, they have every chance of defeating Ireland. They have to cut down on the mistakes and need much better forward play to have a chance in this one. I think Ireland are a bit stronger in this one and their win against England was a huge confidence booster for them. If Ireland can keep up the defensive effort they had against England and Wales continue to make mistakes, I could see Ireland going up early and if that happens, it’s all over. I look for BOD to exploit an out of position James Hook in this one and run off on an intercept try of his own in what I think is going to be a lopsided victory for Ireland.

Italy v. France

Italy have a bit of a chip on their shoulder after physically dominating Scotland two weeks ago and look to play spoiler against their border rivals. Year in and year out, it’s the same story with Italy. Lack of experience, no flair, but intensely physical. I think Italy could cause problems for France in this one and something tells me France are entering this match a little lax. France do not respond well to physical teams and you can bet Italy are going to punish France in this one. France looked tired in the second half against Wales and fell apart in the end. If Italy are able to put pressure on France and be physical at the scrums and rucks, we could be in for one of the biggest upsets in 6 Nations history.

This is a very experienced French side though and I don’t think Italy will have the tools to stop the French attack. I still think it’ll be a close match and I’m predicting that Italy will hold the lead late into the match, only for France to snatch victory away with a last minute try.

[caption id="attachment_764" align="alignright" width="240" caption="O'Driscoll takes the field for his 100th cap this weekend. © Getty images."][/caption] As the tournament draws closer to an end, the stakes are as high as ever in round 4 of the tournament. Championship aside, there is a great deal more on the line for several nations heading into this weekend. England [...]