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Six Nations Championship

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This article is about the men's rugby union tournament. For the women's tournament, see Women's Six Nations Championship.
"Six Nations Tournament" redirects here. For the ice hockey tournament, see Six 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
Country England
 France
 Ireland
 Italy
 Scotland
 Wales
Holders Ireland (2024)
Most titles England and  Wales (39 titles)
Websitesixnationsrugby.com
Six Nations Championship
Related competitionsWomen's Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Under 20s Championship

The Six Nations Championship (6NC; known as the Guinness Six Nations)[a] is an annual international men's rugby union competition between the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It is also the oldest sports tournament ever between Home Nations. The championship holders are Ireland, who won the 2024 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's and under-20s tournaments, 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.

The women's tournament started as the Women's Home Nations in the 1996 season. The men's Six Nations Under 20s Championship is 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 four Home 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 the International 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 the 2015 Rugby World Cup, there were calls by Octavian Morariu, the president of Rugby Europe, to let Georgia and Romania join the Six Nations due to their consistent success in the European Nations Cup and ability to compete in the Rugby 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, a bonus point system had 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.

The Wooden Spoon is 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 the Earl of Westmorland, and was first presented to the winners of the 1993 championship, France. It is a sterling silver trophy, 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 alternative finials, each a silver replica of one of the team emblems, which can be screwed on the detachable lid.

A new trophy was introduced for the 2015 Championship.[7] The new trophy was designed and crafted by Thomas Lyte silversmiths 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'.

The Triple Crown may only be won by one of the Home Nations of 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) commissioned Hamilton & Inches to 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, the Calcutta Cup. Wales became the last nation to contest such a trophy, the Doddie Weir Cup in 2018, while the newest such trophy is the Cuttitta Cup introduced 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 celebrate Dublin's millennium in 1988[10]
Centenary Quaich Ireland and Scotland 1989[11][12][13] Named for the quaich, a traditional Gaelic drinking vessel. Marked the centenary of the founding of the International Rugby Football Board.
Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy France and Italy 2007 Commemorated the 200th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Garibaldi, leader in the unification of Italy and volunteer in the French Republican Army against Prussia
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 of Doddie Weir, who founded the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation which supports research into motor neurone disease[15]
Cuttitta Cup Scotland and Italy 2022 Commemorates Massimo Cuttitta, a former Italian captain and Scotland scrum coach, who died in 2021 at the age of 54 from COVID-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]
The national rugby union stadiums of 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 the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) that allowed the all-Ireland governing body for rugby union, the Irish 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 at Lansdowne 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.

The French 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 their 2018 match against Italy at Stade Vélodrome in Marseille.[20]

In 2020, Wales played their final game at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli due to the Principality Stadium being used as Dragon's Heart Hospital in response to the COVID-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 the 2024 Summer Olympics.[22] Instead they played their three home matches at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille, and Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon.

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  England and  Scotland – –
1887  Scotland – –
1888 Not completed England did not participate
1889 Not completed England did not participate
1890  England and  Scotland –  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  Ireland and  Wales –  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  Ireland and  England – –  Scotland
1913  England  England  England  England
1914  England  England  England  England
1915–19 Not held due to World War I
1920  Scotland,  Wales and  England – –  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  Ireland and  Scotland – –  Scotland
1927  Ireland and  Scotland – –  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,  Ireland and  Wales – –  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 to World War II Not contested
1947  England and  Wales – –  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,  France and  Wales  England  England
1955  France and  Wales – –  England
1956  Wales – –  England
1957  England  England  England  England
1958  England – – –
1959  France – – –
1960  England and  France –  England  England
1961  France – –  England
1962  France – – –
1963  England – –  England
1964  Scotland and  Wales – –  Scotland
1965  Wales –  Wales –
1966  Wales – –  Scotland
1967  France – –  England
1968  France  France –  England
1969  Wales –  Wales  England
1970  France and  Wales – –  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  France and  Ireland – –  Scotland
1984  Scotland  Scotland  Scotland  Scotland
1985  Ireland –  Ireland  England
1986  France and  Scotland – –  Scotland
1987  France  France –  England
1988  France and  Wales –  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 Ireland Gordon D'Arcy
2005 Wales Martyn Williams
2006 Ireland Brian O'Driscoll
2007 Ireland Brian O'Driscoll (2)
2008 Wales Shane Williams
2009 Ireland Brian O'Driscoll (3)
2010 Ireland Tommy Bowe
2011 Italy Andrea Masi
2012 Wales Dan Lydiate
2013 Wales Leigh Halfpenny
2014 England Mike Brown
2015 Ireland Paul O'Connell
2016 Scotland Stuart Hogg
2017 Scotland Stuart Hogg (2)
2018 Ireland Jacob Stockdale
2019 Wales Alun Wyn Jones
2020 France Antoine Dupont
2021 Scotland Hamish Watson
2022 France Antoine Dupont (2)
2023 France Antoine Dupont (3)
2024 Italy Tommaso Menoncello

Records

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

Ireland's Johnny Sexton holds the record for most points in the competition, with 566. England's Jonny Wilkinson holds 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 Scotsman George Campbell Lindsay who scored five tries against Wales in 1887.[25] England's Cyril Lowe and Scotland's Ian Smith jointly hold the record for tries in one season with 8 (Lowe in 1914, Smith in 1925). Ireland's Brian O'Driscoll has the Championship record for tries with 26.

The record for appearances is held by Sergio Parisse of 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 in Dublin, Ireland by Six Nations Rugby Ltd.[27]

Former England 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 Dunne was 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 and women's Six 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, the BBC has 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 language coverage of broadcasts matches featuring the Welsh team shown by the BBC are shown on S4C in Wales in 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 with ITV Sport for rights to the Six Nations from 2016 through 2021. ITV acquired 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 for CVC Equity Partners to 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 and EU laws 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] RTÉ have broadcast the championship since RTÉ's inception and continued to do so until 2017, while TG4 televised 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 and Virgin Media would share broadcasting rights.[45]

In France, the entire Six Nations rugby tournament must appear on free-to-air television.[46] France Télévisions has 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 Italia broadcasts all matches while free-to-air TV8 only covers Italy fixtures.

In the United States, NBC Sports broadcasts matches in English.[48] The tournament is also broadcast on DAZN in Canada, Premier Sports Asia in East and Southeast Asia, Sky Sport in New Zealand, Stan Sport in Australia and SuperSport in 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 Italy matches only
 United Kingdom BBC One All home matches from Scotland and Wales
ITV1 All home matches from England, France, Ireland and Italy
S4C Wales matches shown by BBC in the Welsh language
Asia Premier Sports Asia All matches
 Australia Stan Sport All matches
Baltic states and Nordic 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 the Spanish language
ESPN Brazil All matches shown in the Portuguese 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 no title sponsor. Sponsorship rights were sold to Lloyds TSB Group for the 1999 tournament and the competition was titled the Lloyds TSB 5 Nations and Lloyds TSB 6 Nations until 2002.[52]

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group took over sponsorship from 2003 until 2017, with the competition being branded the RBS 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 the NatWest banking subsidiary, becoming the NatWest 6 Nations.[54]

On 7 December 2018, Guinness was announced as the Championship's new title sponsor, with the competition to be named the Guinness Six Nations from 2019 to 2024.[55] Due to the Loi Évin laws which prohibit alcohol 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]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ For sponsorship reasons.

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 from the original on 25 March 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  3. ^ "let in Georgia and Romania, says governing body". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  4. ^ "Rules of the RBS 6 Nations Championship". RBS 6 Nations. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2008.
  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 from the original on 2 February 2007. Retrieved 5 February 2007.
  7. ^ "New Six Nations trophy unveiled". ESPN. 28 January 2015. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  8. ^ "Will Ireland be getting their hands on this? New trophy for the RBS Six Nations unveiled". Irish Independent. 28 January 2015. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  9. ^ "The Calcutta Cup: the legacy of a club that died". Scottish Rugby. Archived from the original on 14 February 2007. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
  10. ^ "About Us". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 6 September 2007. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
  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 from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  15. ^ "Doddie Weir Cup |". TheGuardian.com. 2 November 2018. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  16. ^ "The Cuttitta Cup is unveiled". Scottish Rugby Union. 7 March 2022. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  17. ^ "Projet Stade" (in French). French Rugby Federation. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  18. ^ "French national rugby team plan to quit Stade de France". BBC Sport. 25 November 2010. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  19. ^ "Rugby-French federation drops plans for new stadium". Reuters. 14 December 2016. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  20. ^ "France to host Italy in Marseille". rugby365.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  21. ^ "Wales to play at Parc y Scarlets - Welsh Rugby Union". Welsh Rugby Union. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  22. ^ "Why France will play none of their Six Nations home games at the Stade de France". Planet Rugby. 2 February 2024.
  23. ^ By convention, Wales is credited with two Grand Slams for the years 1908 and 1909 because, if France was admitted only in 1910, Wales already met France on the sidelines of the Tournament and doubled the Triple Crown of a victory against France.
  24. ^ "PLAYER OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP". Six Nations Rugby. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  25. ^ a b "Six Nations records". Rugby Heaven. 1 February 2005. Archived from the original on 13 January 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2007.
  26. ^ "Records". Six Nations Rugby. Archived from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  27. ^ "Contact Us". sixnationsrugby.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  28. ^ a b "Tom Harrison Appointed Six Nations Rugby CEO". Six Nations Rugby. 27 January 2023. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  29. ^ "Six Nations Rugby CEO Ben Morel to Step Down at the End of the Season After Five Years at the Helm". Six Nations Rugby. 28 November 2022. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  30. ^ "Six Nations Rugby Appoint Chief Executive Officer". sixnationsrugby.com. Six Nations Rugby. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  31. ^ "John Feehan Steps Down as CEO of Six Nations". sixnationsrugby.com. Six Nations Rugby. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  32. ^ Cameron, Ian (27 January 2023). "Six Nations Reveal Ben Morel's Replacement as CEO". RugbyPass. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  33. ^ "Six Nations Rugby Announces Appointment of Ronan Dunne as Chairman of the Board". Six Nations Rugby. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  34. ^ "TV/Broadcast". Six Nations Rugby. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  35. ^ Brown, David. "BBC reclaims Six Nations rugby from Sky with £70m three-year contract". The Independent. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  36. ^ Rees, Paul (9 July 2015). "BBC and ITV join forces to stop Sky winning Six Nations broadcast rights". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  37. ^ Woodhouse, John (3 May 2022). "Broadcasting: listed sporting events" (PDF). House of Commons Library. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  38. ^ "UK government committee calls for Six Nations to be given 'crown jewels' status". SportsPro Media. 16 March 2020. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  39. ^ "Pay-TV free to move on Six Nations after UK gov rejects 'crown jewels' bid". SportsPro Media. 23 March 2020. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  40. ^ "Six Nations set to stay on BBC & ITV". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  41. ^ "Six Nations to remain on BBC and ITV in TV rights renewal, says report". SportsPro Media. 19 May 2021. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  42. ^ "Application and implementation of AVMSD: Major events". European Commission. 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  43. ^ "Measures adopted by Ireland pursuant to Article 14 of Directive 2010/13/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council and referred to recital 1 of Decision C (2017) 2898 of 8 May 2017 / S.I. No 465 of 2017 Broadcasting Act 2009 (Designation of Major Events) Order 2017". European Commission. 25 October 2017. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  44. ^ "RTÉ loses rights to 6 Nations". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 11 November 2015. Archived from the original on 6 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  45. ^ "RTÉ and Virgin Media confirm Six Nations coverage". 19 January 2022. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022 – via www.rte.ie.
  46. ^ "2007/480/EC: Commission Decision of 25 June 2007 on the compatibility with Community law of measures taken by France pursuant to Article 3a(1) of Council Directive 89/552/EEC on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities". European Commission. 22 December 2004. Archived from the original on 18 May 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  47. ^ "2012/394/EU: Commission Decision of 21 December 2011 on the capability with EU law of measures to be taken by Italy pursuant to Article 14 Directive 2010/13/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the provision of audiovisual media services (Audiovisual Media Services Directive)". European Commission. 21 December 2011. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  48. ^ "NBC Sports presents coverage of 2023 Guinness Six Nations Championship Rugby, beginning with opening round this weekend on Peacock and CNBC". NBC Sports Group. 1 February 2023. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  49. ^ Dymock, Alan (18 March 2023). "Six Nations live stream: How to watch from anywhere". Rugby World. Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  50. ^ Bull, Andy (22 January 2024). "'Rugby needs all the help it can get': sport hunts F1-style Netflix uplift". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  51. ^ Morgan, Charlie (20 February 2024). "Six Nations to land second Netflix season of 'Full Contact'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  52. ^ "Lloyds-TSB backs Five Nations - Money Marketing". moneymarketing.co.uk. 7 July 1998. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  53. ^ "Title Sponsorship, Six Nations Championship". sixnationsrugby.com. Six Nations Rugby. 3 June 2016. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  54. ^ Jackson, Russell. "NatWest to sponsor Six Nations rugby tournament – for one year". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  55. ^ "Guinness announced as title sponsor of Rugby's Greatest Championship". sixnationsrugby.com. Six Nations Rugby. 7 December 2018. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  56. ^ Tézenas du Montcel, Magali (5 February 2019). "L'exception française au cœur du 'Guinness/Greatness Six Nations'". Les Échos (in French). Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  57. ^ "Guinness aims to become "world's number one rugby brand" with Six Nations title sponsorship". SportBusiness. 14 February 2019. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  58. ^ "World TV and stream broadcasters for Six Nations Championship 2024". SportTvGuide. 26 January 2024. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.

Sources

[edit]
  • Godwin, Terry (1984). The International Rugby Championship 1883–1983. London: Willows Books. ISBN 978-0-00-218060-3.
  • Starmer-Smith, Nigel, ed. (1986). Rugby – A Way of Life, An Illustrated History of Rugby. Lennard Books. ISBN 978-0-7126-2662-0.
  • Narz, Naomi, ed. (2019). Rugby – Wales and United States Connection, A showing of LDR feats in sport. Rich Books.
[edit]
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