As sporting weekends go, this was a good one, with the FA Cup quarter finals spread out over the whole weekend, the cricket world cup and the Six Nations continuing, it was a sports couch potatoes dream weekend. Every so often, you get weekends where live sport comes from all angles. High quality action, with thrilling games that make your weekend fly by. This weekend was one of those. Two of the best performances, however came in the rugby, with Italy and the English women's team deserving special mention. The Italian rugby team, have improved no end, since joining the Six Nations rugby tournament, previously known as the five nations tournament. They are consistently beaten year after year but, since joining the Six Nations in 2000, they have managed to beat Scotland 5 times and Wales twice. They have also drawn one game away to Wales. Their most notable performance, prior to this weekend, was their 37 - 17 victory over Scotland in 2007 at Murrayfield. The stunning win, last Saturday, over the current champions was totally unexpected. Italian captain, Sergio Parisse, described the win as a 'Historic day for Italian Rugby', after Mirco Bergamasco kicked a late penalty to give Italy their first ever victory over France, 22 - 21. The increase in interest and awareness with the Italian public, should ensure extra revenue is generated. This extra revenue will then be wisely spent on improving the coaching and resources at local and national club levels. It is vital for Italy to move on from this victory and invest wisely, ensuring more competitive teams are the norm. The other incredible performance this weekend, came from England's womens rugby team after a comprehensive 89 - 0 demolition of Scotland, at Twickenham Stadium on Sunday. They will now be favourites to secure their 6th consecutive, Six Nations title, on Friday in Dublin. England ran in a massive 15 tries, 4 in the first 15 minutes, on route to their victory. The Rugby World Cup finalists, remain unbeaten at the home of English rugby. It would be good if the BBC could show Englands women live on tv, even if only via the red button.
