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Wouldn't you like to see teams play the way they did today all the time? James Crombie/INPHO

Today was the best slate of Six Nations games ever - Here's how it could be like that every week

We need to reward tries rather than tight defences.

WITH GEORGE HOOK’S last breath as an RTE pundit, he actually made a decent point. He said the lawmakers need to change the rules to encourage attacking play. Conor O’Shea said no, that teams just need to go out with the intent to play rugby.

That was a nice sentiment but rugby – and in particular the Six Nations – DO need to make some tweaks to reward attacking play. Today, Wales, England and Ireland threw the ball around because they had to, not because they suddenly thought that was the most efficient way to play rugby.

They were chasing points totals.

The issue of bonus points in the Six Nations is usually rubbished because in the current format, it would mean that a team could win the Grand Slam but lose the championship (it is two points for a win at the moment).

If the format was changed to give five points for a win, and only try-scoring bonus points were brought in, then that problem would be solved.

Sure, a Grand Slam team could finished tied on 25 points with a team who lost once but picked up five bonus points, but why not make the first tie-break the Slam? There would be no losing bonus points in this scenario so a one-loss team could only match a Grand Slam winner.

That would encourage teams to attack more regularly and while the tournament wouldn’t turn into the riveting spectacle we had today overnight, there would definitely be more tries scored.

It is just one idea that could potentially harness some of today’s entertainment and make it more prevalent.

Either way, might have George Hook finally stumbled onto something right before he left the building.

Yoann Huget goes full French, almost shrugs the Six Nations right out of Ireland’s hands

Heaslip’s try-saving smash on Hogg is the sort of thing you’ll remember in 50 years time

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    Mute Flaming Mo
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    Apr 12th 2019, 10:15 PM

    Newcastle look safe now. Hopefully they will already be on holidays when Liverpool go there on May 5th. Either way I’d say Rafa won’t be trying his hardest to stop Liverpool if they are still in with a shout of the title then.

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    Mute Caoimhin O'Murchadha
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    Apr 12th 2019, 10:39 PM

    @Flaming Mo: I hope you’re right but Rafa’s as straight as an arrow and I can’t picture him telling a player to go easy can you?….it would be a bit like the time Kenny brought Blackburn Rovers to Anfield looking for a win to secure the premiership, no quarter given that day and none expected by Kenny, you play to win, that day Utd blew it themselves fortunately :)

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    Mute Ings on Fire
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    Apr 12th 2019, 11:07 PM

    @Caoimhin O’Murchadha: Matt ritchies left foot is like something sent from heaven his some man to whip a ball across the box

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    Mute John
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    Apr 12th 2019, 11:20 PM

    @Ings on Fire: is he not right footed?

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    Mute Ings on Fire
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    Apr 12th 2019, 11:28 PM

    @John: no his clearly left footed but ur glasses on

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    Mute David O'Brien
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    Apr 13th 2019, 6:26 AM

    @John: he’s left footed, but he ain’t too bad with his right either

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    Mute GARFARKLE
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    Apr 12th 2019, 11:46 PM

    Where is C Clark?

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    Mute Aj Leahy
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    Apr 12th 2019, 11:48 PM

    @GARFARKLE: find out yourself

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    Mute Ings on Fire
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    Apr 12th 2019, 11:53 PM

    @Aj Leahy: shut up he just asked a question like to get aj /John which is the same account banned

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    Mute GARFARKLE
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    Apr 12th 2019, 11:58 PM

    @Ings on Fire: Thank you.

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    Mute Ings on Fire
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    Apr 13th 2019, 12:08 AM

    @GARFARKLE: no bother man

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    Mute Aj Leahy
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    Apr 13th 2019, 12:27 AM

    @Ings on Fire: funny that ings on fire is also my account

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    Mute Ings on Fire
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    Apr 13th 2019, 12:38 AM

    @Aj Leahy: shut up aj everyone knows about u and johns account is a joint account u salmon

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    Mute David O'Brien
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    Apr 13th 2019, 6:28 AM

    @GARFARKLE: he got injured a few months back. Still not fit

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    Mute GARFARKLE
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    Apr 13th 2019, 11:09 AM

    @David O’Brien: Thank you.

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