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The 6 nations: which car is a match for your country?

As the 6 nations scrums to an end, we have a look at the star performers and the shocking underdogs

The French team are stylish and play well, similar to the Mercedez-Benz E-Class which is famed for its smooth ride and efficient engine

The French team are stylish and play well, similar to the Mercedez-Benz E-Class which is famed for its smooth ride and efficient engine

This year’s 6 Nations tournament was full of surprises, from the offset there was controversy from the referees, frustration from some of the home sides and some exhilarating play from the nations involved.

We take a look through the good, the not so good, and the downright surprising (good and bad) performances put in over the series and performance of each nation and find you a car to suit these exact criteria.

Scotland - The work-horse

Scotland proved to be a true workhorse from the beginning of the tournament, for the majority of their games they were on the back-foot and had to utilise their defence to the best of their ability. They managed to avoid the wooden in their match against the Italians, where Stuart Hogg found a lease of life in his interception skills.

Like the Scottish, Arnold Clark recommends a Toyota Hilux if you find yourself working your car to the bone. With its ‘near unbreakable durability’ and large pick-up bed this car can come back from the brink just like the Scots team in their 6 nations surprise win against the Italians.

England - The one to rely on

The England team triumphed time after time in their bid for 6 nations grand slam glory, however at the last hurdle, the dream all came crashing down around them. With 5 comfortable wins under their belt the English team were being praised for their consistency throughout the competition.

The Honda Civic, like the English team, is famed for its reliability to perform. The Civic has an efficient diesel engine, extensive amounts of in-cabin and under the bonnet equipment to ensure complete driving resilience. The Honda Civic is also revolutionary in its design and constant reinvention whilst always harking back to the original factors that made it a success, not unlike the English.

Ireland - Lightening speed

Not quite the front runners of the winning sense, but in literal terms they showed they have the leg power to outrun even the best of their competitors. Unlucky for Ireland was their injury tally, with some of their best players out, or recovering from injury they failed to play to the best of their ability throughout the tournament.

Speed is of the essence on the Rugby pitch, and on the roads it proves to be just as much of a clincher for the driver. The Seat Leon Cupra R the sportiest, most advanced and undeniably the range's most powerful model in Seat’s portfolio, with a 2.0 TSi petrol engine and 265PS available its one to take note of, unless you blink and miss it. The true power and speed that this model can muster is outlined in Seat’s tagline, “Get in or get out of the way.”

Wales - The underdog

The Welsh crept up on the English team at the final showdown to claim victory; no such victory was foreseen by anybody in the rugby industry because of the Welsh teams bad form prior to entering the tournament. Pundits has forecast that the Welsh team would follow in the same vein that they had been playing up until entering the tournament- and that wasn’t a route that was destined for success. The Welsh made the most of their fast forwards and backs and disarmed their opponents defence techniques with their quick and slick passing and running.

Similar surprise performances have come from the Dacia Sandero. Feedback from the European market is quite simply, ….”But it’s so cheap?” Starting at just £5995 the Dacia Sandero is a budget friendly SUV that has equipped the car with all of the essentials, and has provided ample boot space and simple exterior styling. A shockingly good level of quality is taking the industry by surprise, as the Welsh did with their uncharacteristic come-back from in the 6 nations.

France - Scrumming with style

The French 6 nations squad entered the tournament with all of the momentum behind them to put a real cat amongst the pigeons and do particularly well. However, March 2013 was not their year! The French team fell at the wayside when up against the competing five nations and buckled under the pressure of the increasingly good players being debuted, plus the old hands that know the rugby field inside-out. However, the style of the French play has improved incrementally with the bettered coaching and conditioning available.

The French team are stylish and play well, similar to the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, famed for its smooth ride, efficient engine, and stylish looks its credentials are not too dissimilar to the strategy in which the French team based their nature of play. Their smooth, stylish manner of play was rebutted by a superior level of off-loading and breakaways from the other teams.

Italy - Handles Well

The Italians portrayed a high level of handling care in this year’s 6 nation’s tournament; they have honed their style of play to catch the opponent off-guard with their fast off-loading game, when they got their hands on the ball. Had the defensive sides of the opposing team not been as vigilant this style of play would have resulted in try’s, when breakaway spaces were made the most of.

The Mazda MX5 attributes its handling success to the ‘brilliant chassis’ this enables it to make the most of quick steering and with nimble rear-wheel drive chassis means it’s a fun car to drive on the winding and undulating country roads. Handling well for both car and rugby team is the makings of a great team, perhaps for the Italians there is just a little more refinement needed, whilst the Mazda MX5 has got it on the nose in its field.

*source: Auto Express

About the Author

Jodie Davidson

Staff Writer at Arnold Clark

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