Rugby wins.

With the world ticking into the month of March and Spring quickly being on our doorstep, there’s only one thing that actually matters right now for Rugby fans…fixture round four in the 2022 Six Nations Championship.

The opening three rounds have seen tasty affairs with both high scoring matches and some narrow victories for others, and although Italy are pointless and a potential Wooden Spoon contender in sixth place, last year’s winners (and 2019 Grand Slam successors) Wales are in a similar position to Scotland – they are left with basically nothing left to play for but pride with each having lost two of their three encounters thus far.

It is, however, a completely different story for the other three contenders in the competition who find themselves in the top half of this year’s table, as it’s all still to play for in the final two rounds of fixtures.

2020 winners England are sat in third place with 10 points as I type, and 2018 Grand Slam and Triple Crown successors Ireland are in the runners-up spot on 11. Both, however, find themselves well behind resurgent France who seem odds on favourites to back up their successive runners-up spots in the last two years with a win at this time of asking.

Fabien Galthie’s side are sitting pretty at the top of the table with 14 points, but most importantly at this stage with two fixture rounds remaining, they can boast a 100% record with three victories from three given their wins over Italy, Ireland and Scotland. Only Wales and England stand in the way of them now completing a clean sweep, which felt like an unlikely double going into the competition given the last time they triumphed was back in 2010.

Anyone who backed France for such a success ahead of the tournament will be keeping their fingers crossed during the coming round of fixtures, but for those who like a flutter the breadth of available options for betting is enough to keep anyone occupied and entertained.

With Round Four fixtures seeing Wales face favourites France, Italy versus Scotland and England versus Ireland, it will be interesting to see which way the results pivot here given the make up of the top of the table. Ultimately, only one team out of the chasers can keep their hopes alive of taking the Championship into Round Five in the hope France do slip up, which makes the England and Ireland clash particularly enthralling at this stage of the competition.

England need to absolutely win that if they hope to take the Championship to France and force a switch of positions in the final stage, but Ireland will still fancy their chances despite the confirmed injury to Andrew Porter with a presumed easier final tie against Scotland.

Whatever twists and turns lie ahead, it’s set to be a fantastic final weekend of action whatever happens.