With the second round of Guinness Six Nations fixtures now well and truly upon us, fans and players alike will be keeping their fingers crossed for playing conditions unsullied by adverse weather.
Last weekend’s offerings saw Scotland’s clash against Italy and England’s triumph in Dublin unaffected by precipitation, but those in the Stade de France were not so lucky.
The rain played its part as Wales came back to beat Jacques Brunel’s hosts in dramatic fashion, and – if the forecasts are to be believed – the French may well face greasy conditions once again at Twickenham on Sunday.
Those set to descend on the Stadio Olimpico or Murrayfield on Saturday will likely fare somewhat better, however, with sunshine well and truly on the cards.
Scotland v Ireland
Kick-off: 14:15, Saturday 9 February
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
After their perfect start against Italy last weekend, Gregor Townsend’s men will be desperate to maintain their position at the top of the pile with the visit of reigning Grand Slam championship Ireland their test on Saturday.
And it looks as though the Scottish skies will play ball, with early morning rain set to subside as the sun itself comes out to watch the early afternoon fixture at BT Murrayfield.
But it will by no means be warm in Edinburgh; fans with tickets would be wise to wrap up, with strong winds likely to play a part in both the spectacle and the temperature, making a balmy eight degrees celsius feel more like four.
Italy v Wales
Kick-off: 16:45, Saturday 9 February
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
It is no surprise that the away trip to Rome regularly proves one of the most popular for fans of Rugby’s Greatest Championship, with warm February weather and sunshine once again on the cards when Wales come to town.
A mid-afternoon kick-off yields almost no chance of rain as temperatures look set to reach a high of 14 degrees celsius.
With a distinct lack of wind also forecast for the Italian capital, players will be able to sit back and play their natural game without having to worry about the weather.
England v France
Kick-off: 15:00, Sunday 10 February
Twickenham Stadium, London
The one fixture of the weekend that could fall afoul of the rain is France’s trip to London on Sunday afternoon.
With a light shower forecast over the capital during the morning, the jury is out as to whether it will have passed by kick-off at 3pm.
A mild westerly breeze looks likely – nothing for full-backs under the high ball to fear, however – and the temperature on the ground could be as low as three degrees celsius in London as England look to carry across their impressive display in Dublin.
