This was supposed to be the match of the tournament before the tournament began.
Two unbeaten sides, Paris under lights in March, a Grand Slam decider carrying 120 years of rivalry in every collision. But Scotland had other ideas at Murrayfield and Italy had other ideas in Rome.
And, as a by-product, the Grand Slam decider became something rawer and, in its way, more compelling. French redemption against English desperation on Super Saturday, both camps arriving at the Stade de France carrying wounds that will not have fully closed.
France lost 50-40 at Murrayfield and watched their Grand Slam evaporate in a second half that exposed the particular fragility lurking beneath this team’s brilliance. England lost 23-18 in Rome…