Six Nations a real spectacle, but ...

Undeniably, there is something for the eye and ear in the Six Nations.

If you're into pyrotechnics and booming public address systems your pulse will likely race even before kickoff, but lamentably once that happens there is little to feed the soul.

The Six Nations, we are often reminded, is rugby's greatest championship and it certainly tickles the fancy as it ticks the boxes of its top executives. Those in the stands and watching on different platforms tend to lap it up.

For bells, whistles and sheer noise factor the southern hemisphere's Rugby Championship comes a distant second.

It is easy to fall under the Six Nations' spell. It is tribal at its core and the matches, in the main, are close and competitive. Lopsided results are rare, though France ran circles around that theory last weekend.

Results, generally speaking, are long in the balance after kickoff and it often makes for tense and absorbing clashes.

However, the stakes are forever high and that is reflected beyond the wrapper the Six Nations puts around its 15 matches. Read fine print, rip the wrapper and take a bite. The content you'll find is far less compelling than many make it out to be.

If it is to be rugby's greatest championship then the rugby being served up needs to be less processed. Success in the Six Nations is often defined by those averse to risk, teams who stick to the basics and who play the percentages.

In the last six instalments on only two occasions did the most prolific try-scoring team also get to lift the Six Nations trophy.

The highest plains, and this is also true of the Rugby World Cup, are reserved for the pragmatists.

Results can be achieved without the ball, given the high frequency with which winning teams hoof the ball.

The latest round of matches, or at least two of the three, provided another clear illustration of how if you run the numbers tactically, you may not need to run the ball. Defenders were ultimately beaten, not by sidestep, deft passing or blinding speed but by adept tactical kicking.

Wales scored as many tries as Ireland in their clash in Cardiff last weekend. Though the hosts breathed fire in attack, Ireland sent enough brimstone laden balls the other way to get the job done.

Wales, who seemed unshackled now that Warren Gatland has departed the scene, played with renewed energy and purpose. They only had four training sessions under caretaker coach Matt Sherratt, suggesting it wasn't so much their playbook routines that explain their rapid transformation, but a marked shift in attitude. The Dragon was off the leash and played with pluck, if not devil-may-care dare.

Scotland outscored England by three tries to one but still came up short. Failing to land a single kick at goal cost them dearly. Wing Duhan van der Merwe could perhaps have helped Finn Russell and Scotland's cause by showing more awareness and not just dot down at his earliest convenience.

France's performance against Italy, however, stands in contrast. They were stung in their previous clash when they lost to England and they needed to make a statement.

When they got going they did so with élan and ran the Azzurri off their feet in front of a stunned Roman crowd. They amassed 73 points which is the second-highest tally in the history of the competition.

The results mean though Ireland are still firm favourites to become the first team to win three successive Six Nations championships, they still need to overcome France in Dublin to lay one hand on the trophy. They are however, and telling for some, unlikely to end the tournament as its most potent attacking force.