Six Nations rugby returns to Dublin for the first time since social media abuse marred Ireland\u2019s win over Italy, with Simon Zebo anxious there should be no repeat.<\/p>\n
Andy Farrell\u2019s team take on Wales three weeks after the Irish boss felt it necessary to speak out against the trolls who targeted debutant Edwin Edogbo with racist insults and fly-halves Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley with general abuse.<\/p>\n
Zebo<\/a> was dismayed by what he saw and the following day posted a supportive photo of Edogbo on X with the words \u201cMy man\u201d and an Ireland flag emoji.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPeople were upset,\u201d he told Planet Rugby. \u201cIt was mentioned a few times to me in the days after by passers-by and people doing the daily shop.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a blight on the day and it really annoyed me. It highlights, I suppose, where we\u2019re at. Social media is a weird old place, funny enough at the best of times, best off staying away from.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure all the players do nowadays. Fingers crossed it doesn\u2019t happen again because it is never nice to see. Hopefully it was a one-off, and we\u2019re talking about the rugby going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Farrell rings changes for Wales clash<\/p>\n Farrell has made five changes from the side which ran up a record score against England at Allianz Stadium, demolishing the home side\u2019s title chances and catapulting Ireland back into the mix.<\/p>\n Zebo has no doubt France are red-hot title favourites and expects them to beat Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday by 15 to 20 points.<\/p>\n His verdict on England<\/a> is damning. So poor were they, in his eyes, that he is tipping Italy to beat the Red Rose for the first time and heap further pressure on head coach Steve Borthwick.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cI look at the manner of England\u2019s performance against Ireland: they could have been way better \u2013 shown way more effort, which you wouldn\u2019t usually say about an English side, particularly at home.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere were occasions they were just caught walking around the field. I counted multiple times they were just showing zero energy. It didn\u2019t seem to me they were at Test match level.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhether they weren\u2019t prepared that way or Ireland just had more of an impact on their performance than I thought, I don\u2019t know, they just looked miles off.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI actually think Italy will beat them on Saturday. It\u2019s in Rome, there\u2019s going to be massive energy and atmosphere in the crowd.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Italians know this is one of their best chances to do it and especially at home with the talent they have and the form some of their players are in.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have beaten Scotland<\/a> and were very unlucky not to beat Ireland in Dublin. I fancy them to get the job done this time and, if they do, Steve Borthwick will come under pressure, definitely from the media.\u201d<\/p>\n Scotland team: Duhan van der Merwe axed and Zander Fagerson benched as rising star slots into Scottish \u2018Bomb Squad\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s my favourite player to watch\u201d<\/p>\n Zebo is on punditry duty for Premier Sports in Edinburgh, excited by the prospect of watching Louis Bielle-Biarrey continue his record-breaking form.<\/p>\n The France wing was the player of the championship last year after scoring a record eight tries in a single campaign. He has since gone on to become the first player to score a try in eight consecutive Six Nations<\/a> games.<\/p>\n \u201cOh my, he\u2019s my favourite player to watch at the moment, and there\u2019s some talent around, what with the Duponts of the world, the Ardie Savea\u2019s and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu\u2019s,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m in awe of this guy\u2019s all-round game. He is such a point of difference for that French team. He will go down as one of the all-time greats, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Zebo continued: \u201cConsider that Bielle-Biarrey<\/a> is in a French team stacked with amazing talent. Yet he is almost their go-to as a 21, 22-year old. It\u2019s frightening.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHis try scoring ratio against the world\u2019s best is incredible; the timing of his passes, his short kicking game, his long kicking game, his reading of the game when he\u2019s calling marks and covering the backfield..<\/p>\n \u201cDefensively as well, he\u2019s a brave boy. He comes out of the line and makes big reads at the right times. He has it all. The sky really is the limit for him.\u201d<\/p>\n Simon Zebo is part of the Premier Sports team bringing live UK coverage of Scotland v France from Scottish Gas Murrayfield this Saturday in the Guinness Men\u2019s Six Nations (Premier Sports 1 from 1.30pm). Join in at www.premiersports.com<\/a>\u00a0@premSportsTV for more than 400 elite rugby fixtures every season including EPCR, URC and Top 14.\u00a0<\/p>\n