Six Nations on road to perdition unless chastening Celtic wake-up call is heeded | Robert Kitson

"Few competitions in the world have the capacity to turn wine into water quicker than the Six Nations. Only a few days ago players, coaches and fans of Ireland, Scotland and Wales were poring over the championship fixture list with their customary annual relish. Now, after just one round, they are having to deal with the most sobering Celtic wakeup call for more than a quarter of a century. Take your pick from the following trio of chastening outcomes."

"On Thursday night in Paris, as France dazzled in defiance of the damp conditions, Ireland were outclassed in every respect. In Rome, where the second half might as well have been played in the Trevi fountain, a below-par Scotland were flushed away. As for the quality of Wales's first-half performance in south-west London the less said the better. Remarkably this was the first time since 2000 that all three Celtic nations have lost on the opening Six Nations weekend."

"We have been down this road to perdition before. In the early 2000s England or France topped the table for five consecutive years. These were still the early days of professionalism and, fitness-wise, some nations adjusted quicker than others. The first weekend of the 2000 tournament underlined that reality. Ireland were blown away 50-18 by England at Twickenham, Wales were thumped 36-3 by France in Cardiff and Italy, new to the competition, scored a famous 34-20 home win against the Scots."

Ireland were comprehensively outplayed by France in Paris, Scotland were overwhelmed in Rome and Wales delivered a poor first-half display in south-west London. All three Celtic nations lost on the opening Six Nations weekend for the first time since 2000. Fixture variations partly explain the results, but the scale of the defeats should prompt concern about competitive balance. The tournament previously tilted toward England and France in the early professional era when some nations adapted faster. Short-term rebounds are possible, but the longer-term risk is a return to a two-tier competition dominated by a few teams.

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