WILL KELLEHER AT THE PRINCIPALITY STADIUM: PC Pivac's first job on the Welsh beat went without a hitch as the former copper's new side thrashed Italy easily in Cardiff.

WILL KELLEHER AT AVIVA STADIUM: The storm stayed away but Ireland built a big green wall to barricade themselves against Welsh tides in Dublin, beating the Grand Slam champions.

Wayne Pivac believes his wise Wales will overcome French flair on Saturday in the Six Nations having picked the most experienced line-up to grace the championship.

Wales have brought in Ross Moriarty and Gareth Davies for their next Six Nations match against France as Wayne Pivac made two changes for the Cardiff Test.

WILL KELLEHER AT THE PRINCIPALITY STADIUM: Wayne Pivac was left livid with two decisions costing Wales a win over France as they lost at home in the Six Nations for the first time in three years.

Wales' oracle has spoken and delivered doses of reality to his nation. Alun Wyn Jones does not talk much, but when he does it is worth listening to the totemic and decorated captain.

Sam Warburton may have seen the Wales-England rivalry become friendlier in recent years but he called on his players to make themselves heroes at Twickenham on Saturday.

Anthony Watson and Mark Wilson will make their first England appearances since the World Cup final in Saturday's Guinness Six Nations match against Wales at Twickenham, the RFU has announced.

Liam Williams will play his first Test for four months in the Six Nations against England, coming straight into the starting team as Wayne Pivac rings the changes for Wales.

DYLAN HARTLEY: You might remember Alun Wyn Jones getting under Kyle Sinckler's skin last year after Warren Gatland accused the England man of being a timebomb.

CHRIS FOY: Twickenham will be a sanitised zone but the health and safety initiatives will not extend to the field of play, as England seek to end Six Nations campaign with a vengeance.

Watkins, who won 18 caps for Wales between 2003 and 2006, retired in 2011 and was diagnosed with a rare form of pelvic cancer in 2013. He leaves his wife Stacey and sons Siôr and Tal.

England could find themselves in treble trouble after Eddie Jones slammed the 'rubbish' refereeing at Twickenham and Joe Marler grabbed Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones by his genitals.

Joe Marler demonstrated some impressive handling skills for a front-row forward in England's Six Nations victory over Wales at Twickenham.

Sportsmail's Chris Foy gives his thoughts on the Six Nations with England now sitting top of the table following their win over Wales and France's defeat to Scotland on Sunday.

France's Six Nations clash against Ireland joins England v Italy in being pushed back, although RFU chief Bill Sweeney says he sees no reason why Wales v Scotland can't go ahead.

The former Wales international Jamie Roberts had been playing for Super Rugby side Stormers in South Africa but flew home to the UK to help after the rugby season was put on hold.

With sport a long way from being permitted, rugby is bracing itself for catastrophic losses and Six Nations countries are desperate for the November Test matches to go ahead.

COMMENT: It is a sad fact that the main barrier to rugby's progress lies here; in the home nations and those other centres of the sport's narrow European landscape - France and Italy.

In just the past ten days I've battled with my home insurer after the price of my policy was hiked by 30 per cent for no reason, chased my old energy supplier for a £174 refund.

From the bank that sent flowers to a recently bereaved widower to the ferry company that waived its strict no-refund policy on pre-paid tickets after a customer went into hospital.

Time and again we have exposed how copycat scammers use the search engine to trick users into paying more for holiday visas, passports - you name it. Our City Editor was even caught out.

My partner Chris and I live in a first-floor flat, so when our neighbour sent us a message out of the blue insisting we use her front garden to enjoy the sunshine on Sunday, I could have kissed her.

Hallelujah! After temporarily shutting, our favourite Italian restaurant in South London, Lo Paste Tradizionali, has reopened for collections and deliveries on Friday to Sunday.

NASSER HUSSAIN: How good is Steve Smith? You'd have to say he's up there with the all-time greats. The point of sending someone out of the door is to get runs, not to look pretty.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER AT OLD TRAFFORD: The only surprise was the declaration. For some time, as the shadows lengthened, it seemed as if Tim Paine was waiting.

Trevor Bayliss will stand down from the role with England following the end of the Ashes, with the search for a successor among the ECB's high priorities.

MARTIN SAMUEL AT OLD TRAFFORD: Late in the day, England digging in, Australia bowling well but increasingly frustrated, Nathan Lyon decided he might mess with a few minds.

Steve Smith said retaining the Ashes in England was one to tick off his bucket list after Australia beat their traditional rivals by 185 runs to win the fourth test at Old Trafford on Sunday.

SPORTS AGENDA BY MIKE KEEGAN: England's footballers may well have been delighted last week when the FA announced a multi-year sponsorship deal with food delivery app Deliveroo.

Brian Mullins' mother and daughter wanted to honor his free-spirited nature after he died of a heart attack in March. So they cremated him and put his ashes in a bottle to send him on one last adventure.

A spectator reportedly left the ground on the second day on Thursday after hearing a section of supporters sing a racist song about England's Barbados-born bowler Jofra Archer.

EXCLUSIVE BY MIKE KEEGAN: Sportsmail understands that hours of revealing footage has been collected from the last year, which includes Australia's trip to England for World Cup and Ashes.

Former captain Steve Smith who won the Ashes for Australia has opened up about the sandpaper scandal saying there was a time when he thought he wouldn't play again for the country.

DAVID LLOYD AT THE OVAL: England's batting line-up is flimsy. At 130 for two, you would have thought it would be plain sailing for them, with most of the top order getting starts

MIKE DICKSON: The Oval is no stranger to farewells, and this final Test will be the valedictory appearance of both David Gower (left) and Sir Ian Botham (right) on the Sky commentary team.

BUMBLE AT THE TEST: England produced a fine bowling display to draw the Ashes series with a 135-run fifth Test victory at The Oval. Consecutive Joe Root catches signalled the end of an era.

LAWRENCE BOOTH AT THE OVAL: Joe Root hailed a 'phenomenal' summer of cricket after England squared the Ashes at 2-2 almost exactly two months after England's World Cup win.

Australia may have retained the urn but couldn't do enough to win the 2019 Ashes series as England clinched a 135-run fifth Test victory to level the scores.

Channel Nine is reportedly 'unsatisfied' with Sunrise host Edwina Bartholomew's apology after she 'defamed' journalist Seb Costello in a since-deleted Twitter post.

Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew resumed her broadcasting duties on Monday, after her 'errant tweet' about Seb Costello earlier this month caused a legal headache for Channel Seven executives

A man's body has been found in the ashes of a suburban Melbourne home which had been subject to a council clean-up order to clear towering piles of junk.

Stokes struck an unbeaten 84 in the final against New Zealand on the way to England's maiden World Cup title and then crashed a barely-believable 135 not out to keep the Ashes alive at Headingley.

England's top cricketer was seen with his hand on Clare Stokes's face at the Professional Cricketers' Association party in London last Wednesday.

Karen Twilley, from Hertfordshire, wishes to be buried alongside her son Ted, when she dies. His ashes were buried in consecrated ground by mistake at Cheshunt Cemetery in 2004.

The all-rounder, who took 5-46 in the first innings of the fifth Test against England, was dismissed in a Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania on Sunday and took his frustration out immediately.

EXCLUSIVE BY LAURA LAMBERT: Sky is being investigated by Ofcom for three separate incidents of the word 'f***' being audible during its cricket coverage this summer. Sky declined to comment.

Stokes has enjoyed an unforgettable year, playing a starring role in the historic World Cup victory at Lord's then producing one of Test cricket's greatest ever innings in the Third Ashes Test.

The 1000-year-old Allerton Oak in Calderstones Park, Liverpool, will represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year contest which begins in February.

After playing an angel and God himself, where else can you go? To the Dark Ages - that's where Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi are headed next in season two of TBS's Miracle Workers.