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Six Nations Championship

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the men's rugby union tournament. For the women's tournament, seeWomen's Six Nations Championship.
"Six Nations Tournament" redirects here. For the ice hockey tournament, seeSix Nations Tournament (ice hockey).

Six Nations Championship
Current season or competition:
2025 Six Nations Championship
The Guinness Six Nations logo
SportRugby union
Instituted1883;141 years ago(1883)
(as Home Nations Championship)
1910;114 years ago(1910)
(as Five Nations Championship)
2000;24 years ago(2000)
(as Six Nations Championship)
Number of teams6
CountryEngland
France
Ireland
Italy
Scotland
Wales
HoldersIreland(2024)
Most titlesEnglandandWales(39titles)
Websitesixnationsrugby.com
Six Nations Championship
Related competitionsWomen's Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Under 20s Championship

TheSix Nations Championship(known as theGuinness Six Nationsfor sponsorship reasons) is an annual international men'srugby unioncompetition between the teams ofEngland,France,Ireland,Italy,ScotlandandWales.It is also the oldest sports tournament ever betweenHome Nations.The championship holders are Ireland, who won the2024 tournament.

The tournament is organised by the unions of the six participating nations under the banner of Six Nations Rugby, which is responsible for the promotion and operation of the men's,women'sandunder-20stournaments, and the Autumn International Series, as well as the negotiation and management of their centralised commercial rights.

The Six Nations is the successor to the Home Nations Championship (1883–1909 and 1932–39), played between teams from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, which was the first international rugby union tournament.[1]With the addition of France, this became the Five Nations Championship (1910–31 and 1947–99), which in turn became the Six Nations Championship with the addition of Italy in 2000.

England and Wales have won the championship the most times, both with 39 titles, but England have won the most outright titles with 29 (28 for Wales). Since the Six Nations era started in 2000, only Italy and Scotland have failed to win the Six Nations title.

Thewomen's tournamentstarted as theWomen's Home Nations in the 1996 season.The men'sSix Nations Under 20s Championshipis the successor to the Under 21s tournament which began in 2004.

History and expansion

[edit]

The tournament was first played in 1883 as the Home Nations Championship among the then fourHome Nations of the United Kingdom– England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. However, England was excluded from the 1888 and 1889 tournaments due to their refusal to join theInternational Rugby Football Board.The tournament then became the Five Nations Championship in 1910 with the addition of France. The tournament was expanded in 2000 to become the Six Nations Championship with the addition of Italy.

Following the relative success of the Tier 2 nations in the2015 Rugby World Cup,there were calls byOctavian Morariu,the president ofRugby Europe,to letGeorgiaandRomaniajoin the Six Nations due to their consistent success in theEuropean Nations Cupand ability to compete in theRugby World Cup.[2][3]

Format

[edit]
The locations of the Six Nations participants

The tournament begins on the first weekend in February and culminates on the second or third Saturday in March. Each team plays every other team once (a total of 15 matches), with home ground advantage alternating from one year to the next. Before the 2017 tournament, two points were awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. Unlike many other rugby union competitions, abonus point systemhad not previously been used.

A bonus point system was first used in the 2017 Championship. The system is similar to the one used in most rugby championships (0 points for a loss, 2 for a draw, 4 for a win, 1 for scoring four or more tries in a match, and 1 for losing by 7 points or fewer). The only difference is that a team that wins all their games (a Grand Slam) are automatically awarded 3 extra points - to ensure they cannot be overtaken by a defeated team on bonus points.

Before 1994, teams equal on match points shared the championship. Since then, ties have been broken by considering the points difference (total points scored minus total points conceded) of the teams. The rules of the championship further provide that if teams tie on both match points and points difference, the team that scored the most tries wins the championship. Were this decider to be a tie, the tying teams would share the championship.[4]To date, however, match points and points difference have been sufficient to decide the championship.

TheWooden Spoonis a metaphorical award given to the team that finishes in last place; a team which loses all their matches is said to have been "whitewashed".[5]Since the inaugural Six Nations tournament in 2000, only England and Ireland have avoided finishing last. Italy have finished last 18 times in the Six Nations era, and have lost every match 13 times.

Home advantage in the Six Nations
Three home matches Two home matches
Even years France Ireland Wales England Italy Scotland
Odd years England Italy Scotland France Ireland Wales

Trophies

[edit]

Championship Trophy

[edit]
The Original Six Nations Championship Trophy (left, 1993–2014) and The Triple Crown Trophy

The winners of the Six Nations are presented with the Championship Trophy.[6]This was originally conceived by theEarl of Westmorland,and was first presented to the winners of the 1993 championship, France. It is asterling silvertrophy, designed by James Brent-Ward and made by a team of eight silversmiths from the London firm William Comyns.

It has 15 side panels representing the 15 members of the team and with three handles to represent the three officials (referee and two touch judges). The cup has a capacity of 3.75 litres – sufficient for five bottles of champagne. Within the mahogany base is a concealed drawer which contains six alternativefinials,each a silver replica of one of the team emblems, which can be screwed on the detachable lid.

A new trophy was introduced for the2015 Championship.[7] The new trophy was designed and crafted byThomas Lytesilversmiths and replaces the 1993 edition, which is being retired as it represented the nations that took part in the Five Nations Championship. Ireland were the last team to win the old trophy and the first team to win the new one.[8]

Grand Slam and Triple Crown

[edit]

A team that wins all its games wins the 'Grand Slam'.

TheTriple Crownmay only be won by one of theHome Nationsof England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, when one nation wins all three of their matches against the others. The Triple Crown dates back to the original Home Nations Championship, but the physical Triple Crown Trophy has been awarded only since 2006, when the Royal Bank of Scotland (the primary sponsor of the competition) commissionedHamilton & Inchesto design and create a dedicated Triple Crown Trophy. It has since been won four times by Ireland and Wales, and three times by England.

Rivalry trophies

[edit]

Several individual competitions take place under the umbrella of the tournament. Some of these trophies are also awarded for other matches between the two teams outside the Six Nations. Only Scotland play for a 'rivalry' or challenge trophy in every Six Nations match, as well as for the oldest such trophy, theCalcutta Cup.Wales became the last nation to contest such a trophy, theDoddie Weir Cupin 2018, while the newest such trophy is theCuttitta Cupintroduced between Scotland and Italy in 2022.

Trophy Teams Since Notes
Calcutta Cup England and Scotland 1879[9] Made from melted-down Indian rupees donated by the Calcutta Club
Millennium Trophy England and Ireland 1988 Presented to celebrateDublin's millenniumin 1988[10]
Centenary Quaich Ireland and Scotland 1989[11][12][13] Named for thequaich,a traditionalGaelicdrinking vessel. Marked the centenary of the founding of theInternational Rugby Football Board.
Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy France and Italy 2007 Commemorated the 200th anniversary of the birth ofGiuseppe Garibaldi,leader in theunification of Italyand volunteer in theFrench Republican ArmyagainstPrussia
Auld Alliance Trophy France and Scotland 2018 In memory of the war dead from the rugby communities of Scotland and France[14]
Doddie Weir Cup Wales and Scotland 2018 In recognition ofDoddie Weir,who founded the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation which supports research intomotor neurone disease[15]
Cuttitta Cup Scotland and Italy 2022 CommemoratesMassimo Cuttitta,a former Italian captain and Scotland scrum coach, who died in 2021 at the age of 54 fromCOVID-19.[16]

Currently the following matches have no additional trophy contested:

  • England–France
  • England–Italy
  • England–Wales
  • France–Ireland
  • France–Wales
  • Ireland–Italy
  • Ireland–Wales
  • Italy–Wales

Venues

[edit]
Thenational rugby union stadiumsof five of the six countries host the events. France played all their matches away from their normal venue in 2024.

As of the 2024 competition, Six Nations matches are held in the following stadiums:

Team Stadium Location Capacity
England Twickenham Stadium London 82,000
France Parc Olympique Lyonnais Lyon 59,186
Stade Pierre-Mauroy Lille 50,186
Stade Vélodrome Marseille 67,394
Wales Principality Stadium Cardiff 73,931
Italy Stadio Olimpico Rome 72,698
Scotland Murrayfield Stadium Edinburgh 67,144
Ireland Aviva Stadium Dublin 51,700

The opening of Aviva Stadium in May 2010 ended the arrangement with theGaelic Athletic Association(GAA) that allowed the all-Ireland governing body for rugby union, theIrish Rugby Football Union,to use the GAA's flagship stadium,Croke Park,for its international matches. This arrangement was made necessary by the 2007 closure and subsequent demolition of Ireland's traditional home atLansdowne Road;Aviva Stadium was built on the former Lansdowne Road site. During this construction, Croke Park was the largest of the Six Nations grounds, with a capacity of 82,300.

In 2012 Italy moved their home games from the 32,000 seat Stadio Flaminio, to Stadio Olimpico, also in Rome, with a capacity of 72,000.

TheFrench Rugby Federation(FFR) had planned to build a new stadium of its own, seating 82,000 in the southern suburbs of Paris,[17]because of frustrations with their tenancy of Stade de France.[18]However the project was cancelled in December 2016.[19]France played their2018 match against ItalyatStade VélodromeinMarseille.[20]

In 2020, Wales played theirfinal gameatParc y ScarletsinLlanellidue to the Principality Stadium being used asDragon's Heart Hospitalin response to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[21]

In 2024, France was unable to use the Stade de France for their Six Nations home games due to ongoing preparations for its use in the2024 Summer Olympics.[22]Instead they played their three home matches at theStade VélodromeinMarseille,Stade Pierre-MauroyinLille,andParc Olympique LyonnaisinLyon.

Results

[edit]

Overall

[edit]

England
France
Ireland
Italy
Scotland
Wales
Tournaments 128 95 130 25 130 130
Outright wins (shared wins)
Home Nations 5 (4) — 4 (3) — 9 (2) 7 (3)
Five Nations 17 (6) 12 (8) 6 (5) — 5 (6) 15 (8)
Six Nations 7 6 6 0 0 6
Overall 29(10) 18(8) 16(8) 0(0) 14(8) 28(11)
Grand Slams
Home Nations — — — — — 2[23]
Five Nations 11 6 1 — 3 6
Six Nations 2 4 3 0 0 4
Overall 13 10 4 0 3 12
Triple Crowns
Home Nations 5 — 2 — 7 6
Five Nations 16 — 4 — 3 11
Six Nations 5 — 7 — 0 5
Overall 26 — 13 — 10 22
Wooden Spoons
Home Nations 7 — 10 — 5 6
Five Nations 10 12 15 — 15 10
Six Nations 0 1 0 18 4 2
Overall 17 13 25 18 24 18

Home Nations (1883–1909)

[edit]
Year Champions Grand Slam Triple Crown Calcutta Cup
1883 England Not contested England England
1884 England England England
1885 Not completed Not completed
1886 EnglandandScotland – –
1887 Scotland – –
1888 Not completed England did not participate
1889 Not completed England did not participate
1890 EnglandandScotland – England
1891 Scotland Scotland Scotland
1892 England England England
1893 Wales Wales Scotland
1894 Ireland Ireland Scotland
1895 Scotland Scotland Scotland
1896 Ireland – Scotland
1897 Not completed Not completed England
1898 Not completed Not completed –
1899 Ireland Ireland Scotland
1900 Wales Wales –
1901 Scotland Scotland Scotland
1902 Wales Wales England
1903 Scotland Scotland Scotland
1904 Scotland – Scotland
1905 Wales Wales Scotland
1906 IrelandandWales – England
1907 Scotland Scotland Scotland
1908 Wales Wales Wales Scotland
1909 Wales Wales Wales Scotland

Five Nations (1910–1931)

[edit]
Year Champions Grand Slam Triple Crown Calcutta Cup
1910 England – – England
1911 Wales Wales Wales England
1912 IrelandandEngland – – Scotland
1913 England England England England
1914 England England England England
1915–19 Not held due toWorld War I
1920 Scotland,WalesandEngland – – England
1921 England England England England
1922 Wales – – England
1923 England England England England
1924 England England England England
1925 Scotland Scotland Scotland Scotland
1926 IrelandandScotland – – Scotland
1927 IrelandandScotland – – Scotland
1928 England England England England
1929 Scotland – – Scotland
1930 England – – –
1931 Wales – – Scotland

Home Nations (1932–1939)

[edit]
Year Champions Grand Slam Triple Crown Calcutta Cup
1932 England,IrelandandWales – – England
1933 Scotland – Scotland Scotland
1934 England – England England
1935 Ireland – – Scotland
1936 Wales – – England
1937 England – England England
1938 Scotland – Scotland Scotland
1939 England,Ireland,Wales – – England

Five Nations (1940–1999)

[edit]
Year Champions Grand Slam Triple Crown Calcutta Cup Millennium Trophy Centenary Quaich
1940–46 Not held due toWorld War II Not contested
1947 EnglandandWales – – England
1948 Ireland Ireland Ireland Scotland
1949 Ireland – Ireland England
1950 Wales Wales Wales Scotland
1951 Ireland – – England
1952 Wales Wales Wales England
1953 England – – England
1954 England,FranceandWales England England
1955 FranceandWales – – England
1956 Wales – – England
1957 England England England England
1958 England – – –
1959 France – – –
1960 EnglandandFrance – England England
1961 France – – England
1962 France – – –
1963 England – – England
1964 ScotlandandWales – – Scotland
1965 Wales – Wales –
1966 Wales – – Scotland
1967 France – – England
1968 France France – England
1969 Wales – Wales England
1970 FranceandWales – – Scotland
1971 Wales Wales Wales Scotland
1972 Not completed Scotland
1973 England,France,Ireland,
Scotland,Wales 		– – England
1974 Ireland – – Scotland
1975 Wales – – England
1976 Wales Wales Wales Scotland
1977 France France Wales England
1978 Wales Wales Wales England
1979 Wales – Wales –
1980 England England England England
1981 France France – England
1982 Ireland – Ireland –
1983 FranceandIreland – – Scotland
1984 Scotland Scotland Scotland Scotland
1985 Ireland – Ireland England
1986 FranceandScotland – – Scotland
1987 France France – England
1988 FranceandWales – Wales England
1989 France – – – England Scotland
1990 Scotland Scotland Scotland Scotland England Scotland
1991 England England England England England Scotland
1992 England England England England England Scotland
1993 France – – England Ireland Scotland
1994 Wales – – England Ireland –
1995 England England England England England Scotland
1996 England – England England England Scotland
1997 France France England England England Scotland
1998 France France England England England Scotland
1999 Scotland – – England England Scotland

Six Nations (2000–present)

[edit]
Year Champions Grand Slam Triple Crown Calcutta Cup Millennium
Trophy 		Centenary
Quaich 		Giuseppe
Garibaldi
Trophy 		Auld Alliance
Trophy 		Doddie Weir
Cup 		Cuttitta
Cup 		Wooden spoon
2000 England – – Scotland England Ireland Not contested Not contested Not contested Not contested Italy
2001 England – – England Ireland Scotland Italy
2002 France France England England England Ireland Italy
2003 England England England England England Ireland Wales
2004 France France Ireland England Ireland Ireland Scotland
2005 Wales Wales Wales England Ireland Ireland Italy
2006 France – Ireland Scotland Ireland Ireland Italy
2007 France – Ireland England Ireland Ireland France Scotland
2008 Wales Wales Wales Scotland England Ireland France Italy
2009 Ireland Ireland Ireland England Ireland Ireland France Italy
2010 France France – – Ireland Scotland France Italy
2011 England – – England Ireland Ireland Italy Italy
2012 Wales Wales Wales England England Ireland France Scotland
2013 Wales – – England England Scotland Italy France
2014 Ireland – England England England Ireland France Italy
2015 Ireland – – England Ireland Ireland France Scotland
2016 England England England England England Ireland France Italy
2017 England – – England Ireland Scotland France Italy
2018 Ireland Ireland Ireland Scotland Ireland Ireland France Scotland Italy
2019 Wales Wales Wales – England Ireland France France Wales Italy
2020 England – England England England Ireland France Scotland Scotland Italy
2021 Wales – Wales Scotland Ireland Ireland France Scotland Wales Italy
2022 France France Ireland Scotland Ireland Ireland France France Wales Scotland Italy
2023 Ireland Ireland Ireland Scotland Ireland Ireland France France Scotland Scotland Italy
2024 Ireland – – Scotland England Ireland – France Scotland Italy Wales

Titles and awards

[edit]
Grand Slams and Triple Crowns(All Time)
Nation Grand Slams Last Grand Slam Triple Crowns Last Triple Crown
England 13 2016 26 2020
Wales 12 2019 22 2021
France 10 2022 — —
Ireland 4 2023 13 2023
Scotland 3 1990 10 1990
Italy 0 — — —
Grand Slams and Triple Crowns(Six Nations)
Nation Grand Slams Last Grand Slam Triple Crowns Last Triple Crown
Wales 4 2019 5 2021
France 4 2022 — —
Ireland 3 2023 7 2023
England 2 2016 5 2020
Italy 0 — — —
Scotland 0 — 0 —

Wooden Spoon

[edit]

Overall

Wooden Spoons (last place)
Team Wooden Spoons Last
Wooden Spoon 		Era
HNC FNC SNC
Ireland 25 1998 11 14 0
Scotland 24 2015 5 15 4
Italy 18 2023 — — 18
Wales 18 2024 6 10 2
England 17 1987 7 10 0
France 13 2013 — 12 1

Six Nations era (2000–2024)

[edit]
Wooden Spoon winners (last place)
Team Wooden Spoons Years awarded
Italy 18 2000,2001,2002,2005,2006,2008,2009,2010,2011,2014,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023
Scotland 4 2004,2007,2012,2015
Wales 2 2003,2024
France 1 2013
England 0
Ireland 0

Bold indicates that the team did not win any matches

Match records (Six Nations era 2000–2024)

Team Played Wins Losses Draws Win % Loss %
Ireland 125 86 36 3 68.8% 28.8%
England 125 83 40 2 66.4% 32%
France 125 78 44 3 62.4% 35.2%
Wales 125 63 59 3 50.4% 47.2%
Scotland 125 41 81 3 32.8% 64.8%
Italy 125 16 105 2 12.8% 84%

Head-to-head records (Five Nations Championship)

Record
Team
 England France Ireland Scotland Wales Total record
England — 35–7–27 38–7–23 43–8–19 30–8–32 146–30–101 (52.71%)
France 27–7–35 — 42–5–23 34–2–33 30–3–37 133–17–128 (47.84%)
Ireland 23–7–38 23–5–42 — 34–2–33 25–5–38 105–19–151 (38.18%)
Scotland 19–8–43 33–2–34 33–2–34 — 29–1–40 114–13–151 (41.01%)
Wales 32–8–30 37–3–30 38–5–25 40–1–29 — 147–17–114 (52.88%)

Player awards

[edit]
Further information:List of Six Nations Championship Player of the Championship winners
Player of the championship[24]
Year Winner
2004 IrelandGordon D'Arcy
2005 WalesMartyn Williams
2006 IrelandBrian O'Driscoll
2007 IrelandBrian O'Driscoll(2)
2008 WalesShane Williams
2009 IrelandBrian O'Driscoll(3)
2010 IrelandTommy Bowe
2011 ItalyAndrea Masi
2012 WalesDan Lydiate
2013 WalesLeigh Halfpenny
2014 EnglandMike Brown
2015 IrelandPaul O'Connell
2016 ScotlandStuart Hogg
2017 ScotlandStuart Hogg(2)
2018 IrelandJacob Stockdale
2019 WalesAlun Wyn Jones
2020 FranceAntoine Dupont
2021 ScotlandHamish Watson
2022 FranceAntoine Dupont(2)
2023 FranceAntoine Dupont(3)
2024 ItalyTommaso Menoncello

Records

[edit]
Main article:List of Six Nations Championship records

Ireland'sJohnny Sextonholds the record for most points in the competition, with 566. England'sJonny Wilkinsonholds the records for individual points in one match (35 points against Italy in 2001) and one season with 89 (scored in 2001).

The record for tries in a match is held by ScotsmanGeorge Campbell Lindsaywho scored five tries against Wales in 1887.[25]England'sCyril Loweand Scotland'sIan Smithjointly hold the record for tries in one season with 8 (Lowe in 1914, Smith in 1925). Ireland'sBrian O'Driscollhas the Championship record for tries with 26.

The record for appearances is held bySergio Parisseof Italy, with 69 appearances,[26]since his Six Nations debut in 2004.

The most points scored by a team in one match was 80 points, scored by England against Italy in 2001. England also scored the most ever points in a season in 2001 with 229, and most tries in a season with 29.[25]Wales hold the record for fewest tries conceded during a season in the Six Nations era, conceding only 2 in 5 games in 2008, but the 1977 Grand Slam-winning France team did not concede a try in their four matches. Wales hold the record for the longest time without conceding a try, at 358 minutes in the 2013 tournament.

Administration

[edit]

The Championship is run from headquarters inDublin,Irelandby Six Nations Rugby Ltd.[27]

FormerEngland and Wales Cricket Board(ECB) CEO,Tom Harrison,[28]was appointed the CEO of Six Nations Rugby in January 2023 following the resignation of Benjamin Morel in November 2022.[29]Morel had held the position of CEO since November 2018,[30]replacing John Feehan, who stepped down after sixteen years as CEO in April 2018.[31]Harrison's tenure as CEO commenced from April. 2023.[28][32]

Ronan Dunnewas appointed as the Chairman for Six Nations Rugby in November 2021 with his tenure commencing from January 2022. Dunne has responsibility for the commercial and marketing operations for both the men's andwomen'sSix Nations tournaments.[33]

Marketing

[edit]

Broadcasting rights

[edit]

One of the most important rugby union tournaments in the world, the Six Nations Championship is broadcast in various countries in addition to the six participating nations.[34]

In the UK, theBBChas long covered the tournament, broadcasting all matches (apart from England home matches between 1997 and 2002, which were shown live by Sky Sports with highlights on the BBC) until 2015. In addition,Welsh languagecoverage of broadcasts matches featuring the Welsh team shown by the BBC are shown onS4CinWalesin the United Kingdom.[35]Between 2003 and 2015, the BBC covered every match live on BBC Sport either on BBC One or BBC Two with highlights also on the BBC Sport website and either on the BBC Red Button or late at night on BBC Two.

On 9 July 2015, in reaction to bids by Sky for the rights beginning in 2018, the BBC ended its contract two seasons early, and renegotiated a joint contract withITV Sportfor rights to the Six Nations from 2016 through 2021.ITVacquired rights to England, Ireland and Italy home matches, while the BBC retained rights to France, Scotland and Wales home matches. By ending its contract early, the BBC saved around £30 million, while the new contract generated £20 million in additional revenue for the Six Nations.[36]

With the end of the contract nearing, speculation once again emerged in 2020 that Sky was pursuing rights to the Six Nations from 2022 onward; under the Ofcom"listed events"rules, rights to the tournament can be held by a pay television channel if delayed broadcasts or highlights are made available on free-to-air television.[37]It was reported that the bid forCVC Equity Partnersto purchase a stake in the Six Nations was being hindered by a desire for a more lucrative broadcast contract; a call for the Six Nations to be moved to Category A (which requires live coverage to air free-to-air) was rejected.[38][39]In May 2021, the BBC and ITV renewed their contracts through 2025. The BBC will continue to broadcast home matches from Scotland and Wales and all women's and under-20s matches, with ITV airing England, France, Ireland and Italy home matches.[40][41]

France, Ireland, and Italy listed the Six Nations as a major event with cultural significance and enacted national andEUlaws to ensure coverage would be available on free-to-air channels.[42]

In Ireland, each of Ireland's games in the Six Nations may be held by a pay television channel, if the match is delayed broadcast and in full on free-to-air television.[43]RTÉhave broadcast the championship since RTÉ's inception and continued to do so until 2017, whileTG4televised highlights. However, in late 2015 RTÉ's free-to-air rival TV3 was awarded the rights for every game from the Six Nations on Irish television from 2018 to 2021.[44]In 2022 it was announced that RTÉ andVirgin Mediawould share broadcasting rights.[45]

In France, the entire Six Nations rugby tournament must appear on free-to-air television.[46]France Télévisionshas covered the competition in France.

In Italy, Six Nations rugby matches involving the Italian national team must be broadcast on free-to-air television.[47]Sky Italiabroadcasts all matches while free-to-airTV8only coversItalyfixtures.

In the United States,NBC Sportsbroadcasts matches in English.[48]The tournament is also broadcast onDAZNin Canada,Premier Sports AsiainEastandSoutheast Asia,Sky Sportin New Zealand,Stan Sportin Australia andSuperSportin South Africa.[49]

In 2024 the Six Nations teams featured in a Netflix documentary Six Nations: Full Contact.[50]In February 2024, the show was green lit for a second season.[51]

Territory Broadcaster Summary
France France 2 All matches
Republic of Ireland RTÉ All matches split between both channels
Virgin Media Television
Italy Sky All matches
TV8 Italymatches only
United Kingdom BBC One All home matches fromScotlandandWales
ITV1 All home matches fromEngland,France,IrelandandItaly
S4C Wales matches shown by BBC in theWelsh language
Asia Premier Sports Asia All matches
Australia Stan Sport All matches
Baltic statesandNordic countries(including Poland) Viaplay All matches
Canada DAZN All matches
Caribbean ESPN All matches
Czechia (including Slovakia) Nova Sport All matches
Germanic Europe(including Luxembourg) More Than Sports All matches
Israel Sport 5 All matches
Japan Wowow All matches
Malta GO All matches
MENA Premier Sports Middle East All matches
Netherlands Ziggo Sport All matches
New Zealand Sky Sport All matches
Portugal (including Slovenia) Sport TV All matches
Romania Orange Sport All matches
Spain (including Andorra) Movistar Plus+ All matches
South America(including Argentina and Brazil) ESPN Latin America All matches shown in theSpanish language
ESPN Brazil All matches shown in thePortuguese language
Sub-Saharan Africa(including South Africa) SuperSport All matches
United States NBC Sports All matches
Worldwide TV5Monde France matches only

Sponsorship

[edit]

Until 1998, the competition had notitle sponsor.Sponsorship rights were sold toLloyds TSB Groupfor the 1999 tournament and the competition was titled theLloyds TSB 5 NationsandLloyds TSB 6 Nationsuntil 2002.[52]

TheRoyal Bank of Scotland Grouptook over sponsorship from 2003 until 2017, with the competition being branded theRBS 6 Nations.A new title sponsor was sought for the 2018 tournament and beyond.[53]However, after struggling to find a new sponsor, organisers agreed a one-year extension at a reduced rate. As the RBS brand was being phased out, the tournament was named after theNatWestbanking subsidiary, becoming theNatWest 6 Nations.[54]

On 7 December 2018,Guinnesswas announced as the Championship's new title sponsor, with the competition to be named theGuinness Six Nationsfrom 2019 to 2024.[55]Due to theLoi Évinlaws which prohibitalcohol sponsorship in sport,"Guinness" cannot be used as part of the branding of the tournament in France. The French-language logo for the tournament replaces the Guinness logo with the word "Greatness" in the same colour and typeface as the Guinness wordmark.[56][57] [58]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^Godwin (1984), pg 1. Though only matches involving Ireland could properly be considered international, and only after 1922, all other teams being from entirely within the nation state of the United Kingdom. The first ever Home Nations International Championship was played in 1883. No other Northern Hemisphere team played a recognised international match until France faced New Zealand in 1906
  2. ^Brown, Oliver (25 March 2015)."Open up the Six Nations and let Georgia in".The Daily Telegraph.Archived fromthe originalon 25 March 2015.Retrieved23 September2015.
  3. ^"let in Georgia and Romania, says governing body".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 24 May 2020.Retrieved25 February2016.
  4. ^"Rules of the RBS 6 Nations Championship".RBS 6 Nations. Archived fromthe originalon 9 May 2008.Retrieved24 February2008.
  5. ^"Six Nations: Wales look to avoid the Wooden Spoon - but what is it?".BBC. 16 March 2024.
  6. ^"Six Nations Championship Trophy Trust".RBS 6 Nations. Archived fromthe originalon 2 February 2007.Retrieved5 February2007.
  7. ^"New Six Nations trophy unveiled".ESPN. 28 January 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 9 March 2016.Retrieved28 January2015.
  8. ^"Will Ireland be getting their hands on this? New trophy for the RBS Six Nations unveiled".Irish Independent.28 January 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 9 January 2016.Retrieved28 January2015.
  9. ^"The Calcutta Cup: the legacy of a club that died".Scottish Rugby. Archived fromthe originalon 14 February 2007.Retrieved29 September2007.
  10. ^"About Us".Rugby Football Union. Archived fromthe originalon 6 September 2007.Retrieved29 September2007.
  11. ^Massie, Alan (19 February 2000). "Lamenting the sad decline of the fighting Irish".The Scotsman.p. 31.
  12. ^Ferrie, Kevin (22 March 1999). "Scotland now have quality in quantity".The Herald.p. 1.
  13. ^Walsh, David (13 February 2005). "Scots torn apart by Irish mean machine".The Sunday Times.p. Sport 2.
  14. ^"Auld Alliance Trophy unveiled | Scottish Rugby Union".scottishrugby.org.Archived fromthe originalon 19 February 2018.Retrieved9 February2018.
  15. ^"Doddie Weir Cup |".TheGuardian.com.2 November 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 8 November 2020.Retrieved9 March2019.
  16. ^"The Cuttitta Cup is unveiled".Scottish Rugby Union.7 March 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 7 March 2022.Retrieved7 March2022.
  17. ^"Projet Stade"(in French).French Rugby Federation.Archived fromthe originalon 15 June 2012.Retrieved6 July2012.
  18. ^"French national rugby team plan to quit Stade de France".BBC Sport.25 November 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 7 August 2020.Retrieved6 July2012.
  19. ^"Rugby-French federation drops plans for new stadium".Reuters.14 December 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 5 February 2017.Retrieved4 February2017.
  20. ^"France to host Italy in Marseille".rugby365.com.Archivedfrom the original on 30 October 2020.Retrieved26 October2020.
  21. ^"Wales to play at Parc y Scarlets - Welsh Rugby Union".Welsh Rugby Union. 23 September 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 30 October 2020.Retrieved26 October2020.
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Sources

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