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As Scotland’s players stood with hands on heads after what appeared to be a ruinous opening Six Nations defeat by Italy in Rome, a Wooden Spoon appeared a distinct possibility. A title challenge? No chance.

Just as the Biblical rain battered down on them in the monsoon at the Stadio Olimpico, so the criticism rained down on Gregor Townsend and his players as another campaign appeared to be doomed before it really got going.

What a remarkable turnaround it has been in the month since then.

A clinical dismantling of England was thrilling, though not unexpected given the Scottish dominance of the Calcutta Cup meetings in recent years.

The gritty victory over Wales, rallying from 20-5 to win late on, showed a different side to the team.

The scintillating nature of the victory over France on Saturday left the impression this is a side finally ready to fulfil the potential that has been spoken of for the longest time.

Racking up seven tries and 50 points against one of the top two sides in the world, playing a glorious style that showcased innovation, physicality and ambition, was compelling evidence Scotland have truly arrived as contenders.

Scotland’s margin for error in the Six Nations disappeared with that defeat in Rome.

How they have navigated a path to a final-day shootout for the title, the ability and character they have shown to get there, has been seriously impressive.

“We’ve just been trying to build the snowball, build that momentum,” said utility back Tom Jordan. “After the Wales game, we knew we would have an opportunity to go further and have a chance to win the tournament.

Only once before in the Six Nations have Scotland put together three consecutive wins. That was in 2020, when they recovered from losing their opening two games.

Jack Dempsey, a towering performer against France, said the players had fulfilled a promise they made to each other to prove the victory over England was not the one-off it has been in previous seasons.

They vowed to “come out hot” against France and were true to their word.

The old vulnerabilities, of switching off or falling out of matches, have been absent in this three-match sequence against England, Wales and France.

The scars of previous failures seem to have created a resilience and belief within the squad that has lifted them to new heights.

“The character of the team has been put to the test,” said back-row Matt Fagerson.

“I’ve been on the end of three-point, two-point games where we’ve not come out on the right side of the result. It really affects confidence.

“In the past, we’ve been a team that’s almost been there. When these results start going your way and you start getting a bit more confidence, it’s huge for the group. We’ve got a lot of belief in the squad and I think that came out today.

“Focusing on one game at a time has been a big mantra for this side. There’s only one more game to focus on and there’s so much on it now.”

A trip to Dublin to face Ireland, a side they have not beaten in nine years and 11 attempts, will be a big test of Scotland’s new-found resilience.

“We can’t wait,” Fagerson added. “Ireland, a lot of people have been talking about them having maybe lost it.

“But you saw what they did to England at Twickenham [a 42-21 win]. They’re still top-three in the world. They’re an incredible team.

As Scotland’s players stood with hands on heads after what appeared to be a ruinous opening Six Nations defeat by Italy in Rome, a Wooden Spoon appeared a distinct possibility. A title challenge? No chance.

Just as the Biblical rain battered down on them in the monsoon at the Stadio Olimpico, so the criticism rained down on Gregor Townsend and his players as another campaign appeared to be doomed before it really got going.

What a remarkable turnaround it has been in the month since then.

A clinical dismantling of England was thrilling, though not unexpected given the Scottish dominance of the Calcutta Cup meetings in recent years.

The gritty victory over Wales, rallying from 20-5 to win late on, showed a different side to the team.

The scintillating nature of the victory over France on Saturday left the impression this is a side finally ready to fulfil the potential that has been spoken of for the longest time.

Racking up seven tries and 50 points against one of the top two sides in the world, playing a glorious style that showcased innovation, physicality and ambition, was compelling evidence Scotland have truly arrived as contenders.

Scotland’s margin for error in the Six Nations disappeared with that defeat in Rome.

How they have navigated a path to a final-day shootout for the title, the ability and character they have shown to get there, has been seriously impressive.

“We’ve just been trying to build the snowball, build that momentum,” said utility back Tom Jordan. “After the Wales game, we knew we would have an opportunity to go further and have a chance to win the tournament.

Only once before in the Six Nations have Scotland put together three consecutive wins. That was in 2020, when they recovered from losing their opening two games.

Jack Dempsey, a towering performer against France, said the players had fulfilled a promise they made to each other to prove the victory over England was not the one-off it has been in previous seasons.

They vowed to “come out hot” against France and were true to their word.

The old vulnerabilities, of switching off or falling out of matches, have been absent in this three-match sequence against England, Wales and France.

The scars of previous failures seem to have created a resilience and belief within the squad that has lifted them to new heights.

“The character of the team has been put to the test,” said back-row Matt Fagerson.

“I’ve been on the end of three-point, two-point games where we’ve not come out on the right side of the result. It really affects confidence.

“In the past, we’ve been a team that’s almost been there. When these results start going your way and you start getting a bit more confidence, it’s huge for the group. We’ve got a lot of belief in the squad and I think that came out today.

“Focusing on one game at a time has been a big mantra for this side. There’s only one more game to focus on and there’s so much on it now.”

A trip to Dublin to face Ireland, a side they have not beaten in nine years and 11 attempts, will be a big test of Scotland’s new-found resilience.

“We can’t wait,” Fagerson added. “Ireland, a lot of people have been talking about them having maybe lost it.

“But you saw what they did to England at Twickenham [a 42-21 win]. They’re still top-three in the world. They’re an incredible team.

Scotland have a chance of winning their first Six Nations title after a sensational win over France, Ireland are still in the mix after edging out stubborn Wales, and Italy broke their duck against England at the 33rd attempt.

Scotland’s outstanding performance in their 50-40 win over France has given them a fighting chance of a first Six Nations title.

Seven Scottish tries on a glorious sunlit afternoon at Murrayfield helped to blow the 2026 championship wide open with one round of fixtures remaining.

Winners of the last Five Nations championship in 1999, Scotland are in uncharted waters in the Six Nations but they know that a bonus-point win over Ireland gives them the best chance of the title.

“What a day for Scottish rugby,” former Scotland international Johnnie Beattie told the Rugby Union Weekly podcast. “The performance was everything that everyone has been asking for and it takes us to Super Saturday, where we have never been before in the Six Nations.

“They were comprehensive and dominant in pretty much every area of the game. Fifty points against France is unheard of – they were brutal.”

Any blips on the horizon? Well, yes, in the shape of Scotland’s poor recent record against Ireland.

It is worth remembering that with one game to go, France are still top of the Six Nations table thanks to points difference, and the incredible end to the match at Murrayfield may prove crucial in deciding the championship.

Trailing 47-14 after an hour, France’s four late tries were not enough to contain the rampant Scots but they did secure a potentially vital bonus point.

France were 14-7 ahead at one stage, but then the floodgates opened and Les Bleus had to aim for a form of damage limitation.

So rattled were the French that Antoine Dupont threw a horrible forward pass from behind his own tryline, and his intercepted pass led to Kyle Steyn’s second try.

A third successive defeat, this time by opponents who had never previously beaten them in 32 attempts, has plunged England into crisis.

Head coach Steve Borthwick’s side had a new look after multiple changes to the starting 15, with another forced upon them when flanker Tom Curry dropped out with an injury picked up in the pre-match warm-up.

But it was a familiar story to follow the defeats by Scotland and Ireland as indiscipline from Sam Underhill and Maro Itoje in the final quarter handed a fired-up Italy a chance they grasped with relish.

“They had 10 minutes of madness,” former Scotland flanker John Barclay told BBC Rugby Special. “They went from being 18-10 up, with Giacomo Nicotera in the sin-bin, to being 23-18 behind in the space of 10 minutes when they completely lost control of the game.

“If England end up with one win in the Six Nations, looking at their resources and the players they have, it is almost impossible to perceive how you don’t look at a change [of coach], because something is broken if that happens.

Former Wales and Lions captain Sam Warburton, also speaking on Rugby Special, feels that England’s poor performances hint at issues in the camp.

“Something is going on, I think, behind closed doors. We can only guess what’s going on, but that is not a camp which is all on the same page who know what they are doing. It is very disjointed.”

England were the only Six Nations side that Italy had failed to beat prior to Saturday’s game in Rome, but the Azzurri ended that 32-match losing run in a gripping encounter.

Italy’s win over Scotland and spirited performances in defeats by Ireland and France, meant that expectations were very different this year.

However, with England 18-10 ahead with 20 minutes to go, defeat number 33 for Italy was a distinct possibility until a stirring final quarter.

They took full advantage of England being reduced to 13 men, with Leonardo Marin’s converted try eight minutes from time putting the hosts ahead.

What was noticeable after the final whistle was the marked contrast between the ecstatic scenes in the stands and the calm response of the Italian players.

“I don’t think we should be that surprised, and we possibly saw that in the reaction after the game,” John Barclay said on Rugby Special. “They have taken some big scalps, teams do not take them lightly and it was a brilliant performance.”

Ireland are, just about, in with a chance of the title after overcoming a gutsy Wales with a 27-17 victory in Dublin.

But their title hopes hinge on them beating Scotland and relying on out-of-form England beating France in Paris.

Ireland did not hit the heights they had reached in dismantling England two weeks earlier, digging deep for the bonus-point win they needed to keep them in the title conversation.

Wales gave a good account of themselves, and Rhys Carre can look back with pride after a spectacular solo try that saw the prop rumble over the line after a run that started outside the Ireland 22.

“Defensively, Wales were so much better and so much more physical compared to round one,” Sam Warburton told Rugby Special. “They were blown away against England but now they are competitive. They have not won in Dublin since 2012, it was always a tall order but they did well.

“They have found their centre combination, and the front five provided so much of a platform with their ball carrying and hits in defence.

“I was worried they were going to become the 30-point whipping boys but they have turned it around after round one, and I am very pleased.”