6 Nations: Round 1 Summary and Where to Watch in Bristol
Posted on: 06 Feb 2017It was a weekend of upsets and near-misses in the first round of the Six Nations, which saw European rugby’s status quo take a bit of a rattle as Scotland beat Ireland and a spirited Italy led against Wales for much of their 80 minutes.
***FOR 2018 6 NATIONS VENUES IN BRISTOL CLICK HERE***
Saturday saw the start of this year’s Six Nations championship and the outset of seven weeks of the northern hemisphere’s finest rugby - and it didn’t go entirely to script. Ireland have been tipped by many to take the tournament two years after they last did so, with victory against Scotland in its opening game expected to be a necessary but straightforward first step in the right direction.
It was their highland hosts who impressed in the early exchanges though, with a pair of excellently-taken tries from the insatiable Stuart Hogg putting one hand on the Lions 15 jersey and his side 14-0 up after 20 minutes. The men in green eventually responded when Keith Earles went over in the corner, but it was Scotland who extended their lead once more with a converted score from Alex Dunbar. A Paddy Jackson-kicked penalty ensured the Irish went into half time within two scores: 21-8 at the break.
And those two scores came; first Ian Henderson was bundled over the line early in the second period after a sustained stint of Irish pressure, before Paddy Jackson just about scrambled home on 60 minutes. Jackson converted both to give his team the slenderest of margins - 21-22 with 20 minutes to go. This wasn’t to last, with two Greg Laidlaw penalties putting an end to the feisty Irish comeback and ensuring a famous win for the Scots.
Over at Rugby HQ later that afternoon, England and France fought out a fractious affair that was blighted by error and illuminated by precious few moments of good play. A dangerous tackle by Jonny May earned the winger 10 minutes in the bin and gifted the visitors three points courtesy of Camille Lopez’s boot. The French 10 and Owen Farrell traded penalties before Elliot Daly stepped up to convert a monster kick from halfway on the stroke of half time to tie the scores at 9-9 at the end of the first half, of which France had had the better.
The attrition had to give at some point and a fine move by the French forwards, offloading like their back row of old, sent substitute Rabah Slimani in under the posts, trumping the three-point lead which Farrell had opened up five minutes before. Eddie Jones responded by ringing the changes, a choice to which England largely owed their strong finish. On came James Haskell, Danny Care, Jack Nowell and Ben Te’o, who all played a part in the try converted by the latter as the big man came crashing through on the angle. The ugly encounter ended 19-16 - England will be happy with the points though France, led fabulously by Louis Picamoles, can draw solace from a much-improved showing.
Sunday’s action saw Rob Howley’s Wales pay a visit to the Stadio Olympico in Rome, where a spirited Italian first half rendered the hosts 7-3 to the good at its close as a result of a rumbling Edoardo Gori try.
Their lead was not to last however, with nine points coming from the cultured right boot of Leigh Halfpenny, who had reduced the deficit late in the first period. The full-back converted all three of the tries run in by his back line in the second half, with Jonathan Davies, Liam Williams and George North all crossing the whitewash to ensure a comfortable 7-33 victory for the visitors.
The first set of matches has sufficiently whetted the appetite for the next four rounds of the championship, with plenty to talk about ahead of the three games next week which are as follows:
Italy - Ireland; Saturday 2.25pm
Wales - England; Saturday 4.50pm
France - Scotland; Sunday 3pm
Here is where you can catch the action in Bristol:
City Centre
Seamus O'Donnells, 13 St Nicholas Street, Bristol, BS1 1UE.
Tel: 0117 925 1283. Proper Guinness at Bristol's Irish Pub!
Golden Guinea, 19 Guinea St, Bristol, BS1 6SX.
Tel. 0117 987 2034. Awarded the title Bristol's Best Back Street Boozer!
The Ship Inn, 8 Lower Park Row, Bristol BS1 5BJ.
Tel. 0117 925 9459. Brilliant pub food and huge selection of drinks.
The Crown, 10 All Saints Lane, Bristol BS1 1JH.
Tel. 0117 934 9996. A royally good spot at which to watch the rugby.
The Lanes, 22 Nelson St, Bristol BS1 2LE.
Tel. 0117 325 1979. If the rugby is not going your way take it out on the ten pin bowling alley.
Walkabout, 40 Corn St, Avon, Bristol BS1 1HQ.
Tel. 0117 930 0181. Aussies are crazy about rugby even when they aren't playing. Joing them for a jar at Walkabout.
Pranj's Bar, 41 Corn Street, Bristol, BS1 1HT.
Tel. 07532 488458 If you want to reserve the VIP area. It's gonna be busy!
Clifton
Clifton Wine Bar, 3-5 Richmond Terrace, Queens Road, Bristol, BS8 1AB.
Tel. 0117 973 2069. Table bookings available.
Alma Tavern, 18-20 Alma Vale Rd, Bristol BS8 2HY.
Tel. 0117 973 5171.
The Lansdown, 8 Clifton Rd, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1AF
Tel. 0117 973 4949. Multi-screen enjoyment of all of the matches at this Clifton staple.
Cotham
Cotham Porter Stores, 15 Cotham Road South, Cotham, Bristol, BS6 5TZ.
Tel. 01179 423546. The Rugby Pub in Bristol!
Gloucester Road
Prince of Wales, 5 Gloucester Road, Bristol BS7 8AA
Tel. 0117 924 5552. Not only open to Welsh fans, this is a great spot for a bit of sporting action.
The Anchor, 323 Gloucester Road, Bristol BS7 8PE
Tel. 0117 924 1769. Bed down at the top of Gloucester Road for the best of the oval ball.
Bubalu, 79 Gloucester Rd, Bristol BS7 8AS.
Tel. 0117 9245381. The healthiest place to watch the rugby in Bristol and child friendly too!
Henleaze and Horfield
The Gloucester Old Spot, 138-140 Kellaway Avenue, Horfield, Bristol, BS6 7YQ.
Tel. 0117 924 7693.
Hotwells
The Bear, 261 Hotwell Road, Hotwells, Bristol, BS8 4SF.
Tel. 0117 987 7796.
Merchants Arms, 5 Merchants Road, Hotwells, Bristol, BS8 4PZ.
Tel. 0117 904 0037.
Shirehampton
The Lamplighters, Station Road, Bristol, BS11 9XA.
Tel. 0117 279 3754. The pub with one of the best views of Bristol.
Regil/Winford
The Crown, Regil, Winford, Bristol, BS40 8AY.
Tel. 01275 472388. Join Frank the landlord who knows everything there is to know about rugby.
Pilning
The Plough Inn, Pilning Street, Nr Pilning, Bristol, BS35 4JJ.
Tel. 01454 632556. A great local serving terrific food.
East Harptree
The Waldegrave Arms, Church Lane, East Harptree, BS40 6BD.
Tel. 01761 221429. A village pub with great food, excellent wine and good beer.
Keynsham
The Crown Inn, 63 Bristol Road, Keynsham, BS31 2WA.
Tel. 01179 862150. The certified rugby pub in Keynsham.
Saltford
The Riverside Inn, Saltford Marina, The Shallows, Saltford, BS31 3EZ.
Tel. 01225 873862. Watch the rugby down by the river.
Article by:
An ardent Geordie minus the accent, Sam seemingly strove to get as far away from the Toon as possible, as soon as university beckoned. Three undergraduate years at UoB were more than ample time for Bristol (as it inevitably does) to get under his skin, and so here he remains: reporting, as Assistant Editor, on the cultural happenings which so infatuated him with the city. Catch him at sam@365bristol.com.
