RBS 6 Nations 2016: 10 Storylines to Follow in Matchday 4

All signs point to Round 4 of the 2016 RBS Six Nations being the most crucial as far as the title's destination is concerned, with England set to defend their borders from a Welsh onslaught this Saturday.

The travelling team will look to replicate the performance that saw them come away from Twickenham with a 28-25 victory when last the two sides met at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, but the Red Rose has grown new thorns.

Elsewhere, defending champions Ireland will take on Italy in their attempt to finally get a win on the board before they relinquish their crown, while Scotland host France at Murrayfield on Sunday.

We run down the biggest storyline surrounding the Round 4 schedule ahead of this weekend's drama, with a titanic Twickenham clash, family feuds and emerging faces just some of the topics up for discussion.

For all intents and purposes, it all comes down to this.

Following on from the late drama that unfolded at Twickenham in September 2015, England are out to make amends for their early World Cup exit by securing a win that would surely also net them this year's Six Nations title.

As things stand, coach Eddie Jones' side are a point ahead of Wales, and depending on how the rest of the Round 4 schedule pans out, the crown could even be sewn up this Saturday. 

Should Warren Gatland's Welsh side emerge victorious, however, and the chance of an English Grand Slam would be reduced to rubble and the championship would be blown open once again.

Seldom has a meeting between Scotland and France had quite so much riding on the line, with both teams becoming accustomed to duelling for places in the bottom half of the table in recent years.

That's not the case this year, however, and fourth-placed Scotland have their chance to make a leap into the top three of the 2016 RBS Six Nations for the first time this year if they can beat Les Bleus.

Both teams can, in theory, hold out hope for even clinching second—or in France's case, a slim hope of first—but it seems only too likely Wales will spoil any such chances as long as they defeat Italy in Round 5.

The Edinburgh encounter between Scotland and France therefore looks likely to decide who will finish third and claim a valuable bronze-medal place.

"Better late than never" will be the motto any Irish fan should take into this Saturday's fixture at home to Italy—a game that always provides the Six Nations' other combatants with some hope of landing points.

So far, a 16-16 draw against Wales in Round 1 is all Ireland have to show for their troubles as far as points on the board go, but for a defending champion, there's no defending just how poor this year's championship has been.

Nevertheless, coach Joe Schmidt will be painfully aware of the fact there's no bad time to win; the only question remaining is whether the Irish have even enough resolve to outdo the evergreen Wooden Spoon favourites.

As aforementioned, much of the England squad needs no extra motivation for the collision to come, with a host of current players having suited up for the defeat that saw them lose out by just three points six months ago.

Those will know that game—and the World Cup—could have gone so much differently had the final 10 minutes of that match taken a different route. A Gareth Davies try here, a Dan Biggar penalty there, and voila, one of the most memorable wins in Welsh rugby history.

How will the effect of those wounds tell come Saturday? Will England's bastions be able to keep their aggression in check? Will Wales' defence be able to withstand an assault from the competition's in-form attack?

All these questions are lying in wait of answers as one of Europe's greatest rivalries takes on a very personal touch as far as England will be concerned.

Francois Trinh-Duc is in line to make a triumphant comeback this Sunday and reclaim his spot in France's XV after sitting out the majority of this year's tournament through injury.

The fly-half warmed up for this weekend by helping Montpellier beat Castres 22-19 in his 200th game for the club, and all paths are clear for coach Guy Noves to start the veteran No. 10 in place of Jules Plisson.

Sport Magazine's Charlie Morgan highlighted Trinh-Duc's transformational qualities after coming on as a substitute in the 19-10 defeat to Wales; the question now is whether he can do it from the first whistle at Murrayfield.

It's been a tough four-and-a-half years for Jacques Brunel in charge of Italy, and it's all ready to come to an end at the close of this year's Six Nations Championship.

But before the Frenchman takes his leave of the Azzurri, he has two chances to do something that, by and large, has eluded his side for the vast majority of his reign: win against a top Tier One side.

With Ireland so painfully out of form and suffering with player absences, Italy will hardly get a better chance to seal a win at the Aviva Stadium and make a significant jump off the foot of the standings.

Considering the Italians face another away trip in Round 5, where they travel to the in-form powerhouse of Wales, Brunel's chance for a last hurrah is now or never.

It's lovely when family come together.

Except "lovely" may not be the first term that comes to mind when Taulupe Faletau comes up against cousins Billy and Mako Vunipola at Twickenham this Saturday in yet another reunion of elite rugby talent.

In particular, it's the duel between rival No. 8s Faletau and Billy, the younger of the Vunipola brothers, that's sure to entertain, and Wales hooker Ken Owens said the collision will be "ground-shaking," per BBC Sport: "A lot's been made of Billy's carrying, and Toby's been absolutely phenomenal in defence for us. So it'll be an interesting battle that'll get the ground shaking. They're both world-class No. 8s who are both at the top of their game at the moment."

Ground-shaking, boots quivering and tempers running high—we can expect all the above to come to fruition when two of the world's best ball-carriers and pack performers come together in London.

Scotland are hopeful of stripping a win from France this Saturday, but the team has held similar hope in the past only to suffer bitter disappointment—disappointment like 10 successive defeats to Les Bleus over the past 10 years.

And yet this occasion feels different. Scotland exorcised some demons last time out and defeated Italy 36-20 in Rome, while France's 19-10 defeat in Cardiff means their chances have been boosted.

Fly-half Finn Russell is feeling fortunate, too. He told the official Six Nations website he feels Vern Cotter's side is capable of getting one up on the French in Round 4:

We're confident, we had a good win at the weekend, but there is still a lot to improve and we need to focus on ourselves rather than getting caught up thinking we have won these games already. It's a Test match and it's not going to be easy no matter what, so I'd rather be focusing on ourselves.

I think looking at it we are sitting fourth just now, so we are in a good position with a couple of tough games [to come] but if we can build on the previous performance we have a good chance of winning the next two if we play at our best.

France will be incredibly physical, great forward pack. I watched them at the weekend and their forwards were really good.

In the early 1900s, Scotland became accustomed to periods of dominance over the French. Fast-forward a century or so and how times have changed.

Cotter's men are looking to end their worst-ever run of results by ending a decade-long streak of defeats to Les Bleus this weekend, and after beating Italy, the timing couldn't be much better.

Ireland's Six Nations crown is already lost, and while there's the small matter of pride on the line, Schmidt may see Saturday's meeting with Italy as good enough reason to shake matters up a bit.

With only two tries in three games—the fewest of any team—Ireland have looked stiff and particularly drained entering the latter stages of matches, but there's a promising batch who could offer a rejuvenating touch.

Ultan Dillane, Josh van der Flier and Stuart McCloskey all made their Test debuts in the 21-10 defeat to England last time out, and the Irish Independent's Cian Tracey was impressed by the former in particular.

Ulster centre McCloskey held up high hopes for his future after standing up to the English assault well, while Munster back-rower Jack O'Donoghue may be thrown in after he was called into Schmidt's squad this week, according to the Press Association (h/t Independent.ie).

With so little going to plan thus far, Ireland's hopes could hardly dip much further, but the promise of unearthing the next layer of international gems gives new meaning to Saturday's tie with Italy.

But a few months into his England tenure and Coach Jones has already caused quite a stir as England chief, having imposed a media blackout on himself following a clash with journalists in the wake of his Week 3 win over Ireland.

It was thought the Australian might renege on his claim, but the BBC's Sonja McLaughlin asserted we won't have word from the Red Rose chief until Friday, just a day before the bash at home to Wales.

Whether it's mind games or something as simple and honest as his desire not to ruffle any more feathers, Jones has only succeeded in drumming up more attention all the same.