French astronaut Thomas Pesquet was watching England beat France while orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station. 

Richard Williams
BBC Sport Wales in Rome

Image source, Rex Features

Sergio Parisse and and Alun Wyn Jones may be legends of the oval ball, but in Stadio Olimpico football rules.

As Wales' kickers went through their routines at the stadium the day before the game, one of the local groundstaff asked a member of the Welsh management team the question that's on everyone's lips here.

"Who's changing in Totti's seat?"

"We haven't allocated the seats yet," was the reply.

"People in this city will pay good money to sit in that seat."

Francesco Totti - a Roma god compared to mere legends Parisse and Jones, at least in local eyes.

Great art. A poor pizza.

Image source, Getty Images

One battle within the wider war in Rome today will be at number eight.

Ross Moriarty, 22 years old and the owner of 12 caps, will line up opposite Sergio Parisse, who has 121 Test appearances dotted across his 33 years.

"When I watched the Six Nations, he was always one of the stand-out players for Italy, and you cannot take away the fact he is a quality player. I look forward to the challenge," said Moriarty.

"We have done a lot of analysis on him. We've had a nominated Parisse in training. Whoever fits the mould."

Moriarty has provided a lot of go-forward and mobility around the pitch in his appearances so far, but this will be a stern test against one of the world's best.

The Daily Mail

World Cup winning coach Sir Clive Woodward has had his say on England's latest offering.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Woodward describes the performance against France as "the poorest by some distance" during Eddie Jones' tenure.

It might be a record 15th win on the spin, but Woodward says it is also a "massive kick up the backside and should act as a wake-up call" for England.

The Daily Express

Image source, The Daily Express

"Not even the All Blacks triumph with dazzling style and panache in every game," writes Jim Holden in the Sunday Express.

England have "forgotten how to lose", he says, after victory over France at Twickenham on Saturday made it 15 on the bounce.

The Sunday Times

Image source, The Sunday Times

"No joyride on Eddie's Express," says Stephen Jones in the Sunday Times, adding that England needed "courage and conviction" against France on Saturday to keep their winning run going.

Jones called France "splendid opposition" and fancies them to cause a lot of trouble for Scotland next week.

They is also a good bit of injury news for England if the paper is to be believed. They claim that prop Mako Vunipola could return for England's third game of the Six Nations - away to Italy on 26 February.

The Daily Mail

The Mail on Sunday's describe England's win against France yesterday as "edgy and "ugly". 

They have also rated each player out of 10:

No player was given less than a six - they went to Dylan Hartley, George Ford and Joe Launchbury. Owen Farrell, Tom Wood, Dan Cole, Nathan Hughes and the coach Eddie Jones were all awarded eights. No nines or 10s - plenty of room for improvement. 

Image source, The Daily Mail

We'll tell you now, Will...

Image source, Getty Images

Italy: E Padovani (Zebre); G Bisegni (Zebre), T Benvenuti (Treviso), L McLean (Treviso), G Venditti (Zebre); C Canna (Zebre), E Gori (Treviso); A Lovotti (Zebre), O Gega (Treviso), L Cittadini (Bayonne), M Fuser (Treviso), G Biagi (Zebre), A Steyn (Treviso), M Mbanda (Zebre), S Parisse (Stade Francais, capt). Replacements: L Ghiraldini (Toulouse), S Panico (Calvisano), P Ceccarelli (Zebre), J Furno (Zebre), F Minto (Treviso), G Bronzini (Treviso), T Allan (Treviso), M Campagnaro (Exeter). 

Wales: L Halfpenny (Toulon); G North (Northampton), J Davies (Scarlets), S Williams (Scarlets), L Williams (Scarlets); D Biggar (Ospreys), R Webb (Ospreys); N Smith (Ospreys), K Owens (Scarlets), S Lee (Scarlets), J Ball (Scarlets), A W Jones (Ospreys, capt), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues), J Tipuric (Ospreys), R Moriarty (Gloucester). 

Replacements: S Baldwin (Ospreys), R Evans (Scarlets), T Francis (Exeter), C Hill (Newport Gwent Dragons), J King (Ospreys), G Davies (Scarlets), S Davies (Ospreys), J Roberts (Harlequins). 

 Referee: JP Doyle (England). 

Wales have made five changes from the team that beat South Africa in November for Sunday's Six Nations opener against Italy in Rome.

Scrum-half Rhys Webb returns after injury, while former captain Sam Warburton is named on the blind-side flank by interim coach Rob Howley.

Props Nicky Smith and Samson Lee come in to the team, with Jake Ball in for the injured Luke Charteris at lock.

Bath number eight Taulupe Faletau has failed to recover from a knee injury.

Image source, Rex Features

The two teams are in the bowels of the Stadio Olimpico.

There is a bit of a Gladiator vibe to network of tunnels behind the scenes at the Stadio Olimpico.

But Italian telly bring us back to the present day by giving Sergio Parisse  the prize fight treatment, tracking him all the way to the dressing room with a camera up his nostril.

Image source, Getty

BBC Radio 5 live

So, where can you get your Six Nations fix today?

Well, Italy v Wales will be airing on BBC Radio 5 live, with all the build-up from 13:00 GMT.

The Six Nations Special will recap all the weekend's action on BBC Two at 18:00 this evening, while there will be highlights of the Women's Six Nations on the same channel at 22:45.

Richard Williams
BBC Sport Wales in Rome

Image source, Rex Features

There's a certain irony to the entertainment greeting the well-heeled patrons of the Stadio Olimpico hospitality suites.

A full-blown Welsh male voice choir were giving it plenty of tuneful "Men of Harlech" and "Calon Lan" in the capital of the country that gave us Enrico Caruso and Luciano Pavarotti.

No hint of "Delilah" yet, but I suspect it's only a matter of time.

Image source, Getty

Will Wales come with all guns blazing from the start in the Stadio Olimpico?

Kicking coach Neil Jenkins - whose game was never really about the champagne stuff - is keeping all options open.

"We have to be ready to play from anywhere and be ready to play the territory game as well," he told BBC Wales Sport.

Taking the media conference non-quote to the next level there.

Richard Williams
BBC Sport Wales in Rome

Image source, Getty Images

Form says Wales; history says Wales; the team sheet says Wales.

But the pressure is on interim coach Rob Howley as his side kick-off their Six Nations campaign in Rome.

The Welsh rugby public and media like a little style to season their wins, and three victories in the autumn were considered bland by many. The loss against Australia a disaster!

In international rugby a win's a win. But against a team fielding 13 players from the bottom-two sides in the Pro12 - Zebre and Treviso - spectators may expect the tournament's first try bonus point.

Sergio Parisse and company will have other ideas.

Image source, Getty Images

Wrong because of the logic of the present.

Conor O'Shea - the former Harlequins head coach - has galvanised the Italy dressing room.

In November, they beat the Springboks for the first time in their history.

Image source, Getty Images

Wrong because history says so.

Ten years ago, a Wales team featuring Tom Shanklin, James Hook, Shane Williams and today's captain Alun Wyn Jones came a cropper 23-20 in the Eternal City.

Image source, Getty Images

Italy? The Six Nations gimme, right? 

The rubber that is not quite dead, but whose vital signs are decidedly weak.

The week in the fixture list for a nice trip to the continent and a nice win on the pitch.

Right? 

Wrong.