If last week was hellish, Northampton were far more saintly in Lyon on Saturday - winning with a bonus-point to do all they could to make the Champions Cup quarter-finals.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: The 2020 Six Nations campaign will begin on Saturday, February 1 with a number of teams eyeing glory in this year's competition.

SPECIAL REPORT: On the Welsh beat Wayne Pivac, the ex-Auckland copper on the streets in the 1980s, is unlikely to feel the pressure his old day-job brought against Italy.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RIATH AL-SAMARRAI: George North has started to notice something on those occasions when he cannot hide from the inevitable.

George North looks likely to line up at outside centre in Wayne Pivac's new-look Wales team to face Italy as Rhys Webb is set for a recall.

George North's move to centre for Wales was confirmed on Thursday afternoon as Wayne Pivac revealed his first Test side for the Italy Six Nations game.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: The 2020 Six Nations campaign, which gets underway this weekend, promises to be a closely-fought affair with several teams eyeing the title.

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.

ROUND-UP: The Six Nations kicked-off this weekend with a thrilling round of fixtures, as Ireland, France and Wales got off to the perfect start, as our team of the filled up with French players.

With England firing bombs at their Championship rivals each week, and Scotland responding with talk of 'hate', Wales coach Wayne Pivac is finding the pre-match mudslinging all a bit unnecessary.

WILL KELLEHER AT AVIVA STADIUM: Wayne Pivac rued 'unacceptable' errors made by Wales in their first Six Nations defeat since 2018 as they lost 24-17 in Dublin to Ireland.

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.

Leigh Halfpenny reckons Wales can roll back the clock and repeat their feats of 2013 this year by winning the Six Nations title, despite losing to Ireland in their last encounter.

Les Bleus are unbeaten in the tournament so far after wins against England and Italy at home but Wales lock Jake Ball has warned they are ready to make the most of a 'hostile' atmosphere in Cardiff.

WILL KELLEHER AT PRINCIPALITY STADIUM: And so the fortress has fallen. After 10 years of being out-gunned in Cardiff, the French revolution is well and truly alive.

Sky are in line to secure a £300million agreement to screen the competition from 2021, leaving terrestrial channels BBC and ITV on the margins with potentially huge implications for the sport.

Wales will give Dan Biggar every chance to make the England Six Nations match this Saturday, with Sam Warburton saying they are 'confident' the fly-half will be fit.

SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: Mark Wilson and Anthony Watson will make their first England appearances since the World Cup final against Wales on Saturday.

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.

WILL KELLEHER AT TWICKENHAM: Are Wales now dashing instead of dogged? Under Warren Gatland they were rarely, if ever, easily beaten in a game that mattered. Not in the Six Nations anyway.

CHRIS FOY AT TWICKENHAM: Wales didn't even bother to try to antagonise Kyle Sinckler again this time. He has matured a lot in the space of a year, as he proved on Saturday

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.

Joe Marler has given his response to the storm over his manhandling of Alun Wyn Jones's genitals with Piers Morgan among those weighing into the debate on Twitter.

Joe Marler's England future has been left in doubt as he awaits confirmation of a citing for manhandling Alun Wyn Jones's genitals, amid fresh Test retirement speculation.

England are facing a triple ban after Joe Marler, Manu Tuilagi and Courtney Lawes were all cited following Saturday's ill-tempered victory over Wales.

NIK SIMON FOR THE DAILY MAIL: Danny Care issued a staunch defence of Harlequins team-mate Joe Marler ahead of today's disciplinary hearing in Dublin.

Wales are still livid at Joe Marler for his grabbing of Alun Wyn Jones' genitals with Wayne Pivac saying there is 'no place in the game' for the England prop's act.

Joe Marler's 10-week ban for his fondling of Alun Wyn Jones' genitals has left Harlequins fuming. The England prop's club are angry at what they feel is an overly-severe punishment.

MIKE BROWN: It is that time of year where we all get asked to give our Six Nations awards so here goes. Rising star: Antoine Dupont. Best try: Justin Tipuric (v England).

Eddie Jones has urged Joe Marler not to quit rugby and has scheduled a meeting with the prop once the lockdown is over. Marler was handed a 10-week ban for grabbing Alun Wyn Jones' genitals.

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has revealed that 'two or three' of his squad have tested positive for coronavirus. The pandemic saw the Six Nations brought to a halt before it could finish.

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.

Many investors will be cheered no end by last week's overwhelming Conservative victory. The 'Boris bounce' has already boosted a £100,000 nest-egg invested in the FTSE 100 by some £5,400.

What is the point of saving? That's the question we posed after it emerged that National Savings and Investments is to slash interest rates for millions of savers from May.

The bad news began yesterday morning when the Bank of England revealed it was cutting the base rate by two-thirds to just 0.25 per cent, writes VICTORIA BISCHOFF.

In 2008 the world economy appeared on the brink of meltdown. Banks' pursuit of profits fired by a culture of greed and management hubris led to the failure of some and the defenestration of many.

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

There is no doubt that the most hygienic way to pay for something is with a tap of a contactless card. But if you're spending more than £45 you either have to use a card machine, or hand over cash.

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.

BUMBLE AT THE TEST: Josh Hazlewood has put Australia in complete control of the fourth Ashes Test after grabbing three quick wickets late on during the third day at Old Trafford.

PAUL NEWMAN AT OLD TRAFFORD: Joe Root was battered and bruised as he tried desperately to keep England afloat at Old Trafford but he just could not steer his ship to Ashes safety.

CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: Steve Smith was still there. Turning our summer to autumn in the September chill. Taking away the Ashes. Infecting the glorious memories of the World Cup final.

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.

The 27-year-old has been in the UK supporting her boyfriend Nathan Lyon, 31, throughout the series. She shed tears of joy when Josh Hazlewood took the final wicket on Sunday

Sportsmail's Lawrence Booth assesses the performances of both sets of players after Australia got the better of England in the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford.

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.

MARTIN SAMUEL - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER: Some time around 2012, an internet movie geek unearthed what was quickly tagged the worst death scene in cinema history.

Steve Smith was already the pantomime villain for England fans but he has riled them even more following Australia's celebrations after they retained the Ashes on Sunday.