Six Nations Championship

Six Nations Championship
Current season or competition:; 2024 Six Nations Championship
	The Guinness Six Nations logo
Sport	Rugby union
Instituted	1883; (as Home Nations Championship); 1910; (as Five Nations Championship); 2000; (as Six Nations Championship)
Number of teams	6
Country	England; France; Ireland; Italy; Scotland; Wales
Holders	Ireland (2023)
Most titles	England and Wales (39 titles)
Website	sixnationsrugby.com

The Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) is an annual international men's rugby union competition between the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The current champions are Ireland, who won the 2023 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.

History and expansion

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

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, or alternatively by a team that loses all of its games in a championship.[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 v England v Ireland v Italy	Ireland v Italy v Scotland v Wales	Wales v France v Italy v Scotland	England v Ireland v Wales	Italy v England v Scotland	Scotland v England v France
Odd years	England v France v Italy v Scotland	Italy v France v Ireland v Wales	Scotland v Ireland v Italy v Wales	France v Scotland v Wales	Ireland v England v France	Wales v England v Ireland

Trophies

Championship Trophy

The Original Six Nations Championship Trophy (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

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

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 neuron 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 matches with France, Italy or Wales.
France matches with England, Ireland or Wales.
Ireland matches with France, Italy or Wales.
Italy matches with England, Ireland or Wales.
Wales matches with England, France, Ireland or Italy.

Venues

The national rugby union stadiums of five of the six countries host the events. France will play all their matches away from their normal venue.

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	67,395
	Stade Vélodrome	Marseille	67,394
Wales	Millennium 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 Millennium Stadium being used as Dragon's Heart Hospital in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[21]

Results

Overall

	England	France	Ireland	Italy	Scotland	Wales
Tournaments	127	94	129	24	129	129
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	5	0	0	6
Overall	29 (10)	18 (8)	15 (8)	0 (0)	14 (8)	28 (11)
Grand Slams
Home Nations	—	—	—	—	—	2[22]
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	1
Overall	17	13	25	18	24	17

Home Nations (1883–1909)

Year	Champions	Grand Slam	Triple Crown	Calcutta Cup	Wooden spoon[lower-alpha 1]
1883	England	Not contested	England	England	Not contested
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	Ireland
1896	Ireland		–	Scotland	–
1897	Not completed		Not completed	England	–
1898	Not completed		Not completed	–	–
1899	Ireland		Ireland	Scotland	England
1900	Wales		Wales	–	–
1901	Scotland		Scotland	Scotland	England
1902	Wales		Wales	England	Scotland
1903	Scotland		Scotland	Scotland	England
1904	Scotland		–	Scotland	–
1905	Wales		Wales	Scotland	England
1906	Ireland and Wales		–	England	–
1907	Scotland		Scotland	Scotland	England
1908	Wales	Wales	Wales	Scotland
1909	Wales	Wales	Wales	Scotland	Ireland

A team that loses all its games is "awarded" the Wooden Spoon.

Five Nations (1910–1931)

Year	Champions	Grand Slam	Triple Crown	Calcutta Cup	Wooden spoon
1910	England	–	–	England	France
1911	Wales	Wales	Wales	England	Scotland
1912	Ireland and England	–	–	Scotland	France
1913	England	England	England	England	France
1914	England	England	England	England	–
1915–19	Not held due to World War I
1920	Scotland, Wales and England	–	–	England	Ireland
1921	England	England	England	England	–
1922	Wales	–	–	England	–
1923	England	England	England	England	–
1924	England	England	England	England	–
1925	Scotland	Scotland	Scotland	Scotland	France
1926	Ireland and Scotland	–	–	Scotland	France
1927	Ireland and Scotland	–	–	Scotland	–
1928	England	England	England	England	–
1929	Scotland	–	–	Scotland	France
1930	England	–	–	–	–
1931	Wales	–	–	Scotland	–

Home Nations (1932–1939)

Year	Champions	Grand Slam	Triple Crown	Calcutta Cup	Wooden spoon
1932	England, Ireland and Wales	–	–	England	Scotland
1933	Scotland	–	Scotland	Scotland	–
1934	England	–	England	England	Ireland
1935	Ireland	–	–	Scotland	–
1936	Wales	–	–	England	Scotland
1937	England	–	England	England	Wales
1938	Scotland	–	Scotland	Scotland	Ireland
1939	England, Ireland, Wales	–	–	England	Scotland

Five Nations (1940–1999)

Year	Champions	Grand Slam	Triple Crown	Calcutta Cup	Millennium Trophy	Centenary Quaich	Wooden spoon
1940–46	Not held due to World War II				Not contested
1947	England and Wales	–	–	England			Scotland
1948	Ireland	Ireland	Ireland	Scotland			–
1949	Ireland	–	Ireland	England			–
1950	Wales	Wales	Wales	Scotland			–
1951	Ireland	–	–	England			–
1952	Wales	Wales	Wales	England			Scotland
1953	England	–	–	England			Scotland
1954	England, France and Wales		England	England			Scotland
1955	France and Wales	–	–	England			–
1956	Wales	–	–	England			–
1957	England	England	England	England			France
1958	England	–	–	–			–
1959	France	–	–	–			–
1960	England and France	–	England	England			Ireland
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			Scotland
1969	Wales	–	Wales	England			–
1970	France and Wales	–	–	Scotland			–
1971	Wales	Wales	Wales	Scotland			–
1972	Not completed			Scotland			England
1973	England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales	–	–	England			–
1974	Ireland	–	–	Scotland			–
1975	Wales	–	–	England			–
1976	Wales	Wales	Wales	Scotland			England
1977	France	France	Wales	England			Ireland
1978	Wales	Wales	Wales	England			Scotland
1979	Wales	–	Wales	–			–
1980	England	England	England	England			–
1981	France	France	–	England			Ireland
1982	Ireland	–	Ireland	–			–
1983	France and Ireland	–	–	Scotland			–
1984	Scotland	Scotland	Scotland	Scotland			Ireland
1985	Ireland	–	Ireland	England			–
1986	France and Scotland	–	–	Scotland			Ireland
1987	France	France	–	England			–
1988	France and Wales	–	Wales	England			–
1989	France	–	–	–	England	Scotland	–
1990	Scotland	Scotland	Scotland	Scotland	England	Scotland	Wales
1991	England	England	England	England	England	Scotland	–
1992	England	England	England	England	England	Scotland	Ireland
1993	France	–	–	England	Ireland	Scotland	–
1994	Wales	–	–	England	Ireland	–	–
1995	England	England	England	England	England	Scotland	Wales
1996	England	–	England	England	England	Scotland	–
1997	France	France	England	England	England	Scotland	–
1998	France	France	England	England	England	Scotland	Ireland
1999	Scotland	–	–	England	England	Scotland	–

Six Nations (2000–present)

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[lower-alpha 1]
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

the team finishing in last place

Titles and awards

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
Scotland	0	—	0	—
Italy	0	—	—	—

Wooden Spoon

Wooden Spoons (last place)
Team	Wooden Spoons	Last Wooden Spoon	HNC	FNC	SNC
Ireland	25	1998	11	14	0
Scotland	24	2015	5	15	4
Italy	18	2023	—	—	18
England	17	1987	7	10	0
Wales	17	2003	6	10	1
France	13	2013	—	12	1

Six Nations

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	1	2003
France	1	2013
England	0
Ireland	0

Bold indicates that the team did not win any matches.

Player awards

Player of the championship[23]
Year	Winner
2004	Gordon D'Arcy
2005	Martyn Williams
2006	Brian O'Driscoll
2007	Brian O'Driscoll (2)
2008	Shane Williams
2009	Brian O'Driscoll (3)
2010	Tommy Bowe
2011	Andrea Masi
2012	Dan Lydiate
2013	Leigh Halfpenny
2014	Mike Brown
2015	Paul O'Connell
2016	Stuart Hogg
2017	Stuart Hogg (2)
2018	Jacob Stockdale
2019	Alun Wyn Jones
2020	Antoine Dupont
2021	Hamish Watson
2022	Antoine Dupont (2)
2023	Antoine Dupont (3)

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.[24] 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,[25] 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.[24] 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

The Championship is run from headquarters in Dublin, Ireland by Six Nations Rugby Ltd.[26]

Former England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) CEO, Tom Harrison,[27] was appointed the CEO of Six Nations Rugby in January 2023 following the resignation of Benjamin Morel in November 2022.[28] Morel had held the position of CEO since November 2018,[29] replacing John Feehan, who stepped down after sixteen years as CEO in April 2018.[30] Harrison's tenure as CEO commenced from April. 2023.[27][31]

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.[32]

Marketing

Broadcasting rights

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.[33]

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.[34] 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.[35]

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.[36] 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.[37][38] 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.[39][40]

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.[41]

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.[42] 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.[43] In 2022 it was announced that RTÉ and Virgin Media would share broadcasting rights.[44]

In France, the entire Six Nations rugby tournament must appear on free-to-air television.[45] 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.[46] Sky Italia broadcasts all matches while free-to-air TV8 only covers Italy fixtures.

In the United States, NBC Sports broadcasts matches in English.[47] 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.[48]

Territory	Broadcaster	Summary
France	France 2	All matches
Ireland	RTÉ	All matches split between both channels
Ireland	Virgin Media Television	All matches split between both channels
Italy	Sky	All matches
Italy	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
Czech Republic (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
South America (including Argentina and Brazil)	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

Until 1998, the Championship 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.[49]

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.[50] 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.[51]

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.[52] 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 color and typeface as the Guinness wordmark.[53][54]

References

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
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"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.
"The Calcutta Cup: the legacy of a club that died". Scottish Rugby. Archived from the original on 14 February 2007. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
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Massie, Alan (19 February 2000). "Lamenting the sad decline of the fighting Irish". The Scotsman. p. 31.
Ferrie, Kevin (22 March 1999). "Scotland now have quality in quantity". The Herald. p. 1.
Walsh, David (13 February 2005). "Scots torn apart by Irish mean machine". The Sunday Times. p. Sport 2.
"Auld Alliance Trophy unveiled | Scottish Rugby Union". scottishrugby.org. Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
"Doddie Weir Cup |". TheGuardian.com. 2 November 2018. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
"The Cuttitta Cup is unveiled". Scottish Rugby Union. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
"Projet Stade" (in French). French Rugby Federation. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
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"Rugby-French federation drops plans for new stadium". Reuters. 14 December 2016. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
"France to host Italy in Marseille". rugby365.com. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
"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.
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.
"PLAYER OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP". Six Nations Rugby. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
"Six Nations records". Rugby Heaven. 1 February 2005. Archived from the original on 13 January 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2007.
"Records". Six Nations Rugby. Six Nations Rugby. Archived from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
"Contact Us". sixnationsrugby.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
"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.
"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.
"Six Nations Rugby Appoint Chief Executive Officer". sixnationsrugby.com. Six Nations Rugby. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
"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.
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.
"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.
"TV/Broadcast". Six Nations Rugby. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
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.
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.
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"Application and implementation of AVMSD: Major events". European Commission. 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
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"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.
"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.
"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.
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.
"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.
"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.
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.
"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.
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.
"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.

Sources

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.

External links

Official website

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[23] A team that loses all its games is "awarded" the Wooden Spoon.

[24] the team finishing in last place

[Godwin1-1] 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.

[rules-4] "Rules of the RBS 6 Nations Championship". RBS 6 Nations. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2008.

[5] "What is the Wooden Spoon? We explain its meaning". 22 January 2020. Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.

[trophy-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.

[CalcuttaCup-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.

[RFUAboutUs-10] "About Us". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 6 September 2007. Retrieved 29 September 2007.

[NeverIresQuaich-11] Massie, Alan (19 February 2000). "Lamenting the sad decline of the fighting Irish". The Scotsman. p. 31.

[QuaichAnnual-12] Ferrie, Kevin (22 March 1999). "Scotland now have quality in quantity". The Herald. p. 1.

[quaich-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.

[scottishrugby-16] "The Cuttitta Cup is unveiled". Scottish Rugby Union. 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.

[BBC_FFR_stadium-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] 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.

[25] "PLAYER OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP". Six Nations Rugby. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2021.

[SNrecords-26] "Six Nations records". Rugby Heaven. 1 February 2005. Archived from the original on 13 January 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2007.

[SNRrecords-27] "Records". Six Nations Rugby. Six Nations Rugby. Archived from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2019.

[28] "Contact Us". sixnationsrugby.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2018.

[:0-29] "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.

[30] "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.

[31] "Six Nations Rugby Appoint Chief Executive Officer". sixnationsrugby.com. Six Nations Rugby. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2018.

[32] "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.

[:1-33] 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.

[34] "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.

[35] "TV/Broadcast". Six Nations Rugby. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.

[36] 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.

[37] 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.

[38] 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.

[39] "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.

[40] "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.

[41] "Six Nations set to stay on BBC & ITV". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2021.

[42] "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.

[43] "Application and implementation of AVMSD: Major events". European Commission. 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.

[44] "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.

[45] "RTÉ loses rights to 6 Nations". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 11 November 2015. Archived from the original on 6 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.

[46] "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.

[47] "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.

[48] "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.

[49] "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.

[50] 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.

[51] "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.

[52] "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.

[53] 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.

[54] "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.

[55] 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.

[56] "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.