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Having won their opening game in the Six Nations for five seasons in a row, Scotland’s forlorn grind for relevance has started early this time.

After death in the Eternal City comes the resurrection mission in Auld Reekie.

It’s a dismal reflection on the state of things that Scotland are now looking for yet another “reaction” after yet another defeat.

But that is where they are under an increasingly beleaguered Gregor Townsend and a coaching regime that has been there too long and needs breaking up with new voices being heard.

The players, too, must be boring themselves at this point.

Their coach is under the cosh, but they continue to fail on multiple fronts – attitude, accuracy, mental strength, ruthlessness. They are bobbing along and going nowhere.

As an international rugby nation, the Scots are now deep into their third decade of existential crisis, so you’d think the awfulness of Saturday’s defeat by Italy in Rome would be easier to take.

The ‘proud of the effort’ mantra from Townsend is the biggest red rag to the biggest Scottish bull.

The scale of the failure was epic, not so much because they lost – because this was always going to be a tight game against a fine Italy team – but in the way they lost.

Their lack of aggression and intent from the start, their defensive disorganisation for Italy’s tries, the terrible weaknesses in their lineout (while Italy were nailing most of theirs), the self-harming bouts of indiscipline at critical times, their inability to problem-solve on the move.

Italy were missing some key players. Scotland were missing no-one.

When it came to coaching nous and player execution, Italy had a little too much of both.

They inflicted a soul-destroying defeat on Scotland, but, in many senses, Scotland did it to themselves. A recurring theme, that.

The feeling of fury in the aftermath is unprecedented since Andy Robinson’s team lost to Tonga in 2013 and Matt Williams’ team lost to, well, pretty much everybody in his slapstick years in charge.

A campaign over after just one game? Maybe premature, but you can’t fault anybody for thinking it.

England will expect an angry Scottish reaction on Saturday. Some of the visitors, hard-bitten by recent experience, will know that there’s fire and brimstone coming their way.

The home fans in vast numbers are now dead against Townsend remaining as coach, but come kick-off time in Edinburgh, you won’t know it. The place will be electrified.

Could you discount a Scotland upset? No. Would you bet on it? No, again.

At Murrayfield, the decision-makers are sitting in silence, apparently still confident that improvement will come if they just hold their nerve.

As a reminder, Townsend took over in 2017. He’s nearly 100 games in. This is his ninth Six Nations. Scotland have never contended.

His future is being talked about, but not by the people who might determine it. Not yet.

Townsend picked on form in Rome, but it was a brutal experience for all involved, particularly Jamie Dobie, one of the best Glasgow Warriors players in a stellar season for his club side.

The weather made it a dogfight in the air. Scotland won some battles, but Italy won the war.

Scotland’s victories in the contestable kicking duels led to field position, which they subsequently butchered.

Some of Italy’s wins led to points, particularly when Louis Lynagh out-did Dobie just before the Tommaso Menoncello try and the Italy forwards were way more alert in mopping up in the aftermath.

Would it have been any different had Townsend gone with his established three of Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe? Unlikely.

It wasn’t a day for Kinghorn’s game – and he hasn’t been playing great in France in any event. Van der Merwe – still fighting to regain form – is vulnerable in the air at the best of times.

These are huge calls for Townsend. Rip it up or keep faith? Van der Merwe has been a wrecking ball to the English, a bogey man they have largely failed to contain.

He has scored seven tries in five games in the Calcutta Cup. The fixture stirs something inside him.

Will Townsend pick on vibes? Will he put the band back together? What, then, about the notion of picking on form? The form guys out wide all season have been Kyle Steyn and Dobie.

Twice in the opening 11 minutes in Rome, Scotland had an attacking lineout in the Italy 22.

On any day, these were glorious chances to build pressure and add points. On a day like Saturday, they were golden opportunities. They lost both lineouts.

Their drill both times was hardly complex. The throw went to the front – the safest option – and Italy were up quicker to steal it. It was the kind of sluggishness that proved so costly.

The rain pelted down, but Italy found a way to deliver a functioning lineout. Scotland toiled miserably.

They were beaten at the front, in the middle and then, in a monsoon, they launched some over the back. No lifter, no jumper, no communication. It was a mess.

And everybody was to blame, not just Ewan Ashman and George Turner.

A change at hooker? If Dave Cherry was to be parachuted in from the second tier of French rugby then it wouldn’t be a huge surprise.

Cherry can throw, but if the whole operation is as hapless again then everybody may as well stay at home. You don’t win Tests with a third-rate lineout.

More changes at lock? Given how passive Scotland were in the beginning, they’d better get more energy in from the start on Saturday.

Gregor Brown to start ahead of Grant Gilchrist and alongside Scott Cummings.

Jamie Ritchie’s brutality at seven instead of Rory Darge. Get some attrition in there. Some belligerence. Some leaders.

Maybe there’s an almighty eruption on the cards on Saturday. An ambush. A smash-and-grab. Maybe a formidable-looking England are about to get run over by wrathful Scots.

There are countless problems facing Welsh rugby right now.

So to pick out five areas for the men’s national team to improve before they face Six Nations champions France next weekend is like trying to choose which root vegetable you would use in a sword fight with a samurai.

It is coming up to three years since Wales won a Six Nations match, with Saturday’s 48-7 drubbing by England the latest in a long, ever-increasing line of humiliations.

There are facets of Wales’ game that urgently need addressing before freewheeling France bring their Grand Slam-chasing bandwagon to Cardiff.

The most obvious place to start is defence.

Wales have conceded 248 points – including 34 tries – in Tandy’s first five games in charge.

Those are grim statistics in any context but they will be particularly concerning for Tandy, who was previously defence coach for Scotland and the British and Irish Lions.

“There’s so much to try and fix in a week, and you can’t fix everything,” former Scotland captain John Barclay said on Rugby Special.

“You fix the things that are easiest to fix. First up: tackling. Defence is much easier to do than attack – it’s more of a mindset.

“If you’re Wales defence coach, you’re looking at the lack of intent in the tackle. That’s not a skill decision, that’s a mindset decision.

“How do we get in front of people? How do we slow them down? Let’s fix our defence, let’s be a hard team to play against, let’s not give away easy wins.

Wales were expected to lose against England – and heavily.

Winning at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham is never easy for a visiting team, never mind one in a state of crisis.

However, Wales’ lack of discipline on Saturday made their task infinitely more difficult.

Wales conceded 16 penalties – their highest total in a Test since 2009 – and had four yellow cards, the joint most any team has been shown in a Six Nations match.

Two of those sin bins, for prop Nicky Smith and captain Dewi Lake, came in the opening 18 minutes.

“It’s not possible to play international rugby and concede 11 penalties within the first 20-25 minutes and two yellow cards,” former Wales scrum-half Richie Rees said on the Scrum V podcast.

“We saw the impact that it had towards the tail end of the game, the fatigue of the players, their body language. They were absolutely out on their feet.

“I don’t blame them. Tomos Williams, Louis Rees-Zammit and Aaron Wainwright – they were completely out on their feet. It comes down to the indiscipline, that is something they can control.

“There were complete variants in the type of penalties that they gave away, but it’s something that they simply have to improve, and at least it is something that is in their domain.

Given Wales’ sorry recent form, only a handful of players can be sure of their places in the team to face France on Sunday.

“We have to change some players because some of those players have had plenty of chances, and they’re simply not good enough on the international level,” ex-Wales back-rower Emyr Lewis told BBC Radio Cymru’s Dros Frecwast.

“I don’t like to name individuals but, without a doubt, the balance in midfield isn’t right, so I would definitely bring bigger players in like Owen Watkin. We know how good he is defensively and we have to have a strong defence against France.

“The back row, again no balance there, we have to bring in bigger players especially against such a huge French pack. I’d definitely bring in Ollie Cracknell.

“We have to look at bringing in big, strong, rough players who will give the French pack a challenge.”

Former Wales centre Scott Williams is another who would like to see changes in his old position.

“As a former centre, Ben Thomas didn’t have the best of games if I’m honest,” Williams said on Scrum V.

“Eddie James can be a real weapon for us, he’s a massive guy, but I looked at the stats and he had three carries.

“I know that’s not all on him, that’s the way the game went. But he’s a 12 in my eyes. He needs to get on the ball, needs to get Wales over the gain line. He’s 108 kilos, or whatever he is, he’s hard to stop.

“I’d like to see Eddie James at 12. He needs to be at 12. Whether Ben Thomas goes 13 or whatever, I just think he’s a little bit lost there.”

Rees also wants to see bigger, more physically imposing players selected.

“For me you need [wing or centre] Mason Grady and [prop] Rhys Carre on the field,” he said on the same podcast.

Wales did not get much of a chance to show their attacking threat against England because they spent most of the match defending.

On the rare occasions they did have the ball, Wales’ lineout malfunctioned and the backs did not click into gear.

“I couldn’t see an identity with Wales and we didn’t do the simple things right,” former Wales and Lions wing Alex Cuthbert told the Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

“Lineouts were a problem all game. Their skills came under pressure and they made errors. That’s what happens when you can’t match up physically and, right now, we just don’t have those players.

“Even when we scored it was just one way. It was slow, lethargic and we looked like we were lacking ideas. That’s what happens when you lose power.

“[Wales attack coach] Matt Sherratt will be very detailed in attack about first plays off lineout and scrum but, when you don’t win the first couple of collisions and you don’t have parity [up front], then there’s nothing you can really do.

The technical side of the game is enough of a concern but, according to former England wing Chris Ashton, Wales’ mauling at Twickenham also exposed some mental flaws.

“It was the easy stuff that let them down,” he said on Rugby Special.

“It’s the easier part of the game to be mentally switched on, to not give penalties away, to not allow England into your 22 and give easy tries away.

“You’d think that’s a side of the game that you can take for granted, that the lads would be switched on, but they weren’t.

“It just goes to show he [Tandy] is trying to put fires out everywhere and sometimes you can lose concentration on what you’re trying to do.

Even if Wales significantly improve all these elements of their play, they still face a daunting task when France visit Principality Stadium.

Les Bleus tore Ireland to shreds in their opening 36-14 win on Thursday, scoring five tries in a devastating attacking display.

If France were able to dismantle Ireland so brutally, it is a frightening prospect to consider what they might do to Wales.

“I’m very worried about Sunday,” former Wales wing Philippa Tuttiett told BBC Sport Wales.

“I hate to say this being Welsh but, as a rugby fan, I’m actually excited to see this France team and the brand of rugby they are playing.

“That loss in the autumn to South Africa seems to have ignited them and, even though they won the Six Nations last year, they seem to have taken their game to another level.

There are countless problems facing Welsh rugby right now.

So to pick out five areas for the men’s national team to improve before they face Six Nations champions France next weekend is like trying to choose which root vegetable you would use in a sword fight with a samurai.

It is coming up to three years since Wales won a Six Nations match, with Saturday’s 48-7 drubbing by England the latest in a long, ever-increasing line of humiliations.

There are facets of Wales’ game that urgently need addressing before freewheeling France bring their Grand Slam-chasing bandwagon to Cardiff.

The most obvious place to start is defence.

Wales have conceded 248 points – including 34 tries – in Tandy’s first five games in charge.

Those are grim statistics in any context but they will be particularly concerning for Tandy, who was previously defence coach for Scotland and the British and Irish Lions.

“There’s so much to try and fix in a week, and you can’t fix everything,” former Scotland captain John Barclay said on Rugby Special.

“You fix the things that are easiest to fix. First up: tackling. Defence is much easier to do than attack – it’s more of a mindset.

“If you’re Wales defence coach, you’re looking at the lack of intent in the tackle. That’s not a skill decision, that’s a mindset decision.

“How do we get in front of people? How do we slow them down? Let’s fix our defence, let’s be a hard team to play against, let’s not give away easy wins.

Wales were expected to lose against England – and heavily.

Winning at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham is never easy for a visiting team, never mind one in a state of crisis.

However, Wales’ lack of discipline on Saturday made their task infinitely more difficult.

Wales conceded 16 penalties – their highest total in a Test since 2009 – and had four yellow cards, the joint most any team has been shown in a Six Nations match.

Two of those sin bins, for prop Nicky Smith and captain Dewi Lake, came in the opening 18 minutes.

“It’s not possible to play international rugby and concede 11 penalties within the first 20-25 minutes and two yellow cards,” former Wales scrum-half Richie Rees said on the Scrum V podcast.

“We saw the impact that it had towards the tail end of the game, the fatigue of the players, their body language. They were absolutely out on their feet.

“I don’t blame them. Tomos Williams, Louis Rees-Zammit and Aaron Wainwright – they were completely out on their feet. It comes down to the indiscipline, that is something they can control.

“There were complete variants in the type of penalties that they gave away, but it’s something that they simply have to improve, and at least it is something that is in their domain.

Given Wales’ sorry recent form, only a handful of players can be sure of their places in the team to face France on Sunday.

“We have to change some players because some of those players have had plenty of chances, and they’re simply not good enough on the international level,” ex-Wales back-rower Emyr Lewis told BBC Radio Cymru’s Dros Frecwast.

“I don’t like to name individuals but, without a doubt, the balance in midfield isn’t right, so I would definitely bring bigger players in like Owen Watkin. We know how good he is defensively and we have to have a strong defence against France.

“The back row, again no balance there, we have to bring in bigger players especially against such a huge French pack. I’d definitely bring in Ollie Cracknell.

“We have to look at bringing in big, strong, rough players who will give the French pack a challenge.”

Former Wales centre Scott Williams is another who would like to see changes in his old position.

“As a former centre, Ben Thomas didn’t have the best of games if I’m honest,” Williams said on Scrum V.

“Eddie James can be a real weapon for us, he’s a massive guy, but I looked at the stats and he had three carries.

“I know that’s not all on him, that’s the way the game went. But he’s a 12 in my eyes. He needs to get on the ball, needs to get Wales over the gain line. He’s 108 kilos, or whatever he is, he’s hard to stop.

“I’d like to see Eddie James at 12. He needs to be at 12. Whether Ben Thomas goes 13 or whatever, I just think he’s a little bit lost there.”

Rees also wants to see bigger, more physically imposing players selected.

“For me you need [wing or centre] Mason Grady and [prop] Rhys Carre on the field,” he said on the same podcast.

Wales did not get much of a chance to show their attacking threat against England because they spent most of the match defending.

On the rare occasions they did have the ball, Wales’ lineout malfunctioned and the backs did not click into gear.

“I couldn’t see an identity with Wales and we didn’t do the simple things right,” former Wales and Lions wing Alex Cuthbert told the Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

“Lineouts were a problem all game. Their skills came under pressure and they made errors. That’s what happens when you can’t match up physically and, right now, we just don’t have those players.

“Even when we scored it was just one way. It was slow, lethargic and we looked like we were lacking ideas. That’s what happens when you lose power.

“[Wales attack coach] Matt Sherratt will be very detailed in attack about first plays off lineout and scrum but, when you don’t win the first couple of collisions and you don’t have parity [up front], then there’s nothing you can really do.

The technical side of the game is enough of a concern but, according to former England wing Chris Ashton, Wales’ mauling at Twickenham also exposed some mental flaws.

“It was the easy stuff that let them down,” he said on Rugby Special.

“It’s the easier part of the game to be mentally switched on, to not give penalties away, to not allow England into your 22 and give easy tries away.

“You’d think that’s a side of the game that you can take for granted, that the lads would be switched on, but they weren’t.

“It just goes to show he [Tandy] is trying to put fires out everywhere and sometimes you can lose concentration on what you’re trying to do.

Even if Wales significantly improve all these elements of their play, they still face a daunting task when France visit Principality Stadium.

Les Bleus tore Ireland to shreds in their opening 36-14 win on Thursday, scoring five tries in a devastating attacking display.

If France were able to dismantle Ireland so brutally, it is a frightening prospect to consider what they might do to Wales.

“I’m very worried about Sunday,” former Wales wing Philippa Tuttiett told BBC Sport Wales.

“I hate to say this being Welsh but, as a rugby fan, I’m actually excited to see this France team and the brand of rugby they are playing.

“That loss in the autumn to South Africa seems to have ignited them and, even though they won the Six Nations last year, they seem to have taken their game to another level.