Brian O'Driscoll
Former Ireland captain on ITV1

I do think that [Jack] Crowley absolutely deserves his opportunity, he's been very good when he's come on with little cameos here and there and now he gets his opportunity to show what he can do.

By all accounts, he's a really good squad guy and he's pushed well behind the scenes.

It's a huge opportunity for him to make a statement.

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Ringrose was able to train to help his Ireland team-mates prepare for their penultimate match with France, participating in video analysis sessions and working with the matchday squad, before going through tackle school after sessions.

He said it was "an interesting process to go through" and he worked closely with assistant coach Andrew Goodman, himself a former centre, as they broke down the incident into segments.

"I was breaking it down in different elements, what I perceived what I could do better and what Goody [Goodman] thinks I could have done better," he said.

"You are going back over the incident and they designed little drills to break down the incident a bit into segments.

"That evolved into re-enacting, effectively, what happened and being acutely aware of what I can do differently in that situation," he added.

"I was on the pitch doing it, to try and anticipate what I didn't anticipate on the day in Cardiff to make sure something like that doesn't happen again."

The whole process was videos and sent off for review by World Rugby, who gave the centre the green light to return against Italy.

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Following Garry Ringrose's red card against Wales, the Irish centre was called to a disciplinary hearing about the tackle.

His tackle on Ben Thomas was deemed a mid-range incident, with an entry point of a six-match ban, but it was halved because his previous good disciplinary record, guilty plea, good conduct in the hearing and remorse at the incident.

The fact the Leinster game was included in the ban, therefore allowing him to play for Ireland against Italy if he completed tackle school, was criticised by some but Ringrose said he "wasn't paying any attention to any outside noise".

"At the time, I thought it was going to be a yellow card, but reviewing it and going back through the disciplinary process I was pretty keen to admit that it was an act of foul play and it was something that happened that you don't want to happen," Ringrose admitted.

"I kind of made my points and explained exactly what was going though my head in the two or three seconds to the panel, with some of the mitigating factors.

"It was probably an intimating thing, but when it came to the conversation they were quite open in hearing my perspective as a player.

"I was just open and honest as to exactly I thought happened. They took that on board but they ultimately decided it should have been the red card.

"I said it was completely fair enough. There was no bad blood from my perspective. They only want what's best for the game and I'll be on board from that."

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Oh, no. France weren't done with Ireland there, either.

Fly-half Romain Ntamack says it is "totally incomprehensible" the terms of his suspension following a red card differed to the sanction for Ireland centre Garry Ringrose.

Ntamack returned to action in Les Bleus' 42-27 victory in Dublin last weekend after missing two Six Nations matches following his dismissal in the opening-round win against Wales.

Ringrose is available to feature in Ireland's championship finale in Italy on Saturday having sat out only one Test - the defeat against France - as punishment for his dismissal against Wales.

Ringrose was permitted to count a Leinster fixture - a game which he was unlikely to have featured in - as part of his ban but Ntamack was unable to include a match for his club Toulouse in his punishment.

"There is an injustice here, because I believe our case was also based around how one of the matches in my suspension I would play for Toulouse," the 25-year-old said before Saturday's game against Scotland.

"And when 10 days later the complete opposite [for Ringrose] is decided in contrast to what the commission told me, that is in every shape and form totally incomprehensible.

"I think we must start pounding our fist on the table because it is time these decisions going against us and costing us dearly stop."

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Andrew Porter also responded to Galthie's comments with some spicy words of his own.

Porter insisted that he hadn't committed any foul play, adding that he had sent a well-wishing message on Instagram to the France captain.

"He [Galthie] can say what he wants, see how far it gets him," said the prop.

"I knew what I did. I didn't go out to try to injure anyone. That's not the type of player I am."

Porter added that the France head coach "calling for your head......it's a bit much".

"He's such a pivotal player for them that they nearly don't want him to be touched at all.

"He [Galthie] is entitled to his opinion but I know I haven't done anything wrong there. I sleep well at night."

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You never want to see a player go off with an injury, nevermind one of the best players in the world.

The knee injury sustained by Antoine Dupont has sparked a war of words between Ireland and France.

Dupont was attempting to steal the ball in the 28th minute and was challenged by Tadhg Beirne, who then fell on to the scrum-half's right leg as Ireland prop Andrew Porter joined the ruck.

A furious Fabien Galthie reported Porter and Beirne to the match's citing commissioner and called their actions in the incident "reprehensible", but no action has been taken against the Ireland pair.

"Without getting myself into trouble here, I just think it's the game unfortunately," responded Ireland head coach Simon Easterby.

Easterby said the French camp's post-match comments created a situation where "people are getting abuse".

"It's just unnecessary and not acceptable," he added.

Not only did France end Ireland's hopes of a Grand Slam, and realistically the Six Nations title, there's also been a war of words following their game in Dublin last Saturday.

There's more beef here than a Sunday roast. Here's what has happened.

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Ireland forward James Ryan says his side's defence will need to improve considerably if they are to overcome Italy in their final Six Nations match in Rome.

Ireland conceded five tries as they lost 42-27 to France at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to leave their hopes of a third consecutive success in the competition hanging by a thread.

It was the first time they have conceded five tries on home soil in 20 years and only the second time it's happened in the Six Nations.

"I think they [Italy] are a very good attacking side. Their attack has really evolved so our defence is going to have to hugely step up from where it was in the weekend," said Ryan.

"Counter-attack, kick chase, our connections, are huge. If you're not defending in twos or threes your defence can come under real pressure.

"There is obviously a lot going on regarding other permutations but it's about focusing on what we can control and getting our bits right, then let's see what happens."

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI at Stadio Olimpico

Image source, Getty Images

Two years ago, Jack Crowley made his Six Nations debut in Ireland's 34-20 win in this Stadium.

It's been an interesting 24 months for the out-half since. Having served his apprenticeship under Johnny Sexton, Crowley took the 10 shirt ahead of last year's Six Nations and shouldered the burden admirably, playing every minute of Ireland's title win.

Crowley made his Test debut against Fiji in November 2022 and it was against the Pacific Islanders that Sam Prendergast, his main rival for the shirt, emerged four months ago.

Prendergast ended up starting six games on the spin, including the first four rounds of this championship, with Crowley featuring off the bench - and largely at full-back.

But in Ireland's last game before the British and Irish Lions squad announcement in early May, even if the team's title aspirations are faint, this is a huge opportunity for Crowley to remind a few people of his Test-level capabilities.

Ireland Rugby

Jack Crowley, who played every minute of the title-winning campaign in 2024, replaces Sam Prendergast at fly-half. Prendergast had started the previous seven Tests.

There are returns for fit-again wingers James Lowe and Mack Hansen, while Garry Ringrose returns from suspension. James Ryan is recalled to the second row, replacing Joe McCarthy, and Jack Conan - who has scored tries in Ireland's past three games - starts at blind-side flanker.

Centurions Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray will win their final Ireland caps from the bench.

Ireland: 15-Keenan, 14- Hansen, 13-Ringrose, 12-Henshaw, 11-Lowe, 10-Crowley, J 9-Gibson-Park; 1-Porter, 2-Sheehan, 3-Bealham, 4-Ryan, 5-Beirne, 6-Conan, 7-Van der Flier, 8-Doris (capt).

Replacements: 16-G McCarthy, 17-Boyle, 18-Furlong, 19-J McCarthy, 20-O'Mahony, 21-Murray, 22-S Prendergast, 23-Aki

It is St Patrick's weekend after all...

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Italy captain Michele Lamaro ends the debate about whether it is acceptable to put ketchup on pizza and reveals which opposing Six Nations player he most admires.

Italy Rugby

Italy make seven changes following the round four defeat by England.

Captain Michele Lamaro drops to the bench for the first time in a Six Nations game - all his previous 24 caps in this tournament had been starts - and is replaced at flanker by Manuel Zuliani.

Tommaso Allan returns at full-back, with Ange Capuozzo switching to the right wing, Monty Ione to the left wing and Matt Gallagher missing out.

Martin Page-Relo replaces Stephen Varney at scrum-half, while there are a further four changes in the pack – Gianmarco Lucchesi, Simone Ferrari, Dino Lamb, and Lorenzo Cannone all come in.

Italy: 15-Allan, 14-Capuozzo, 13-Brex (capt), 12-Menoncello, 11-Ioane, 10-P Garbisi, 9-Page-Relo; 1-Fischetti, 2-Lucchesi, 3-Ferrari, 4-Lamb, 5-Ruzza, 6-Negri, 7-Zuliani, 8-L Cannone

Replacements: 16-Nicotera, 17-Spagnolo, 18-Zilocchi, 19-N Cannone, 20-Lamaro, 21-Vintcent, 22-Varney, 23-Marin

Former internationals Sam Warburton, John Barclay and Ugo Monye tell stories of the brutal training camps they endured and discuss how the treatment of players has changed over the past decade.

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BBC Sport and ITV have agreed a new four-year deal for the live free-to-air rights for the Men's Six Nations to 2029.

The BBC will provide live TV coverage, TV highlights and digital clips of the championship, including five live matches involving Scotland and Wales each year.

ITV will broadcast 10 live games each season including every England fixture for the duration of the deal, which starts in 2026.

BBC Sport will also offer live coverage of the Women's Six Nations and Under-20 Six Nations across TV and iPlayer, and continue providing live audio commentary across multiple platforms including radio, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.

"This deal is fantastic news for rugby and the BBC, keeping the sport accessible for as many people as possible," director of BBC Sport Alex Kay-Jelski said.

"We are proud to bring the biggest sporting moments to our audiences and this new deal is the perfect news ahead of our exclusive broadcast coverage of the Women's Rugby World Cup this summer."

Matt Gault
BBC Sport NI at Stadio Olimpico

Image source, Getty Images

As expected, Ireland have brought huge numbers to Rome.

Many of them booked this trip hoping they would witness an Irish Grand Slam triumph in the Eternal City.

And while that dream died inside a shell-shocked Aviva Stadium last week, they have been in great form today.

On a pleasant, 25-minute walk along the River Tiber to the stadium this morning, the cafes and restaurants were awash with green, with many brunchtime pints being supped in the sun.

Perhaps Ireland's title hopes are so remote that the usual pre-match nerves have been replaced by a "ah sure, we may as well enjoy ourselves" attitude.

They're certainly in the right place to do just that.

Which BBC pundits have matching tattoos on their bottoms? Which pundit was called "the Diego Maradona of world rugby" and who once put a roast dinner in a blender and drank it?

The BBC's Six Nations team attempt our pundit quiz.

Jonathan Bradley
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Inpho

As the Six Nations concludes this weekend with three teams in three different games harbouring realistic trophy hopes, the finale in store evokes memories of 10 years ago and the original 'Super Saturday'.

Then, like now, the three frontrunners had all won three and lost one of their first four games.

Wales thrashed Italy, which meant Ireland had to respond with a big score of their own in Scotland - which they managed with a 40-10 win.

Ireland had to nervously wait for France to hold off England, and at the final whistle, Ian Madigan had "never felt relief like it" as Murrayfield was re-opened to the Irish fans who had stayed in the vicinity of the stadium following events at Twickenham on a big screen.

Still suited and booted, the players took to the pitch for a second time in Edinburgh and celebrated with a replica trophy, the genuine article having been in London in anticipation of an English victory.

Tommy Bowe remembers winning a Six Nations when "sitting down at the table with your food and a pint" as a surreal experience.

"Fair play to Scotland for keeping the stadium open," he added.

"Whenever we won we went out and there must have been over 10,000 still there. It was an amazing occasion.

"Lifting the Six Nations trophy in your suit, it was certainly an odd one."

You can read more here.

It wouldn't be the final day of the Six Nations without some permutations involved.

For Ireland to have any chance to winning a third Six Nations in a row, they have to win and hope that France and England slip up.

Despite losing to Ireland in their opener, England are still in the mix. A bonus-point win over Wales will keep them above Ireland, but they would need Scotland to defeat France if they are to win the title.

France have the easiest permutation of all - win and they will likely be Six Nations champions.

A bonus-point victory and it's heading back to Paris, and even a win without a bonus-point will likely do thanks to their significant points difference advantage.

Scotland still have a chance - but there's more chance of me making the British and Irish Lions squad in the summer. Sorry, Scotland fans!

They would need both Ireland and England to lose by a big margin, and then hammer France in their own back yard to overtake their points difference.

Who has a tattoo of Andy Farrell and who wrecked a team-mate's garden? Ireland captain Caelan Doris reveals all about his players.