The Six Nations organisers will come under pressure to reverse their stance on bonus points if they decide the title winners in the penultimate round of matches on Saturday.
If Ireland pick up a four-try bonus point in a victory at home to Scotland and England fail to do so in France, Joe Schmidt’s side would have an insurmountable lead in the table before next Saturday’s visit to Twickenham.
Ireland prepare for Scotland and chance to secure the Six Nations a week early
Ireland would stress they scored a bonus point at home to Wales whereas England did not, but they have enjoyed three consecutive home fixtures and the timing of their trip to Twickenham means that the two sides in the competition placed highest in the world rankings may meet for the second year in a row with the destination of the title already decided.
England would still have the motivation of denying Ireland the grand slam on the final day of the championship – particularly as they suffered the same fate in Dublin last year – but the tournament organisers will no doubt be hoping for a title decider on St Patrick’s Day. Indeed, if bonus points are decisive on Saturday it can be considered a worst-case scenario.
This is the second year bonus points have been employed in the Six Nations and while 11 were scored in 2017 (there have been seven so far this year) they did not have a direct impact on the final standings. On the eve of this year’s tournament, the Six Nations chief executive, John Feehan confirmed that bonus points would become a permanent fixture. “We believe overall, on balance, that it was a good decision and we’re going to keep it,” said Feehan in January.
Eddie Jones’s side will have the benefit of knowing whether they require a bonus-point victory with their match kicking off later. But Elliot Daly – recalled to the wing after an injury absence since December – insisted that an England win of any kind is the No 1 priority.
“If you have scored three tries then you’re going to go for the bonus point, if there’s no chance of losing the game,” he said. “If there’s a penalty in front of the posts and you’re leading by a couple of points and there are still a few minutes left, you’ll take the points.”