Six Nations Championship

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 France, who won the 2022 tournament.

Six Nations Championship
Current season or competition:
2023 Six Nations Championship
The Guinness Six Nations logo
SportRugby union
Instituted1883 (as Home Nations Championship)
1910 (as Five Nations Championship)
2000 (as Six Nations Championship)
Number of teams6
Country England
 France
 Ireland
 Italy
 Scotland
 Wales
Holders France (2022)
Most titles England and  Wales (39 titles)
Websitesixnationsrugby.com

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. 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 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 15 times in the Six Nations era, and have lost every match 11 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

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.

TrophyTeamsSinceNotes
Calcutta CupEngland and Scotland1879[9]Made from melted-down Indian rupees donated by the Calcutta Club
Millennium TrophyEngland and Ireland1988Presented to celebrate Dublin's millennium in 1988[10]
Centenary QuaichIreland and Scotland1989[11][12][13]
Giuseppe Garibaldi TrophyFrance and Italy2007Commemorated 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 TrophyFrance and Scotland2018In memory of the war dead from the rugby communities of Scotland and France[14]
Doddie Weir CupWales and Scotland2018In recognition of Doddie Weir, who founded the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation which supports research into motor neuron disease[15]
Cuttitta CupScotland and Italy2022Commemorates Massimo Cuttitta, a former Italian captain and Scotland scrum coach, who died in 2021 at the age of 54 from COVID-19.[16]

Venues

The national rugby union stadiums of the six countries host the events.

As of the 2021 competition, Six Nations matches are held in the following stadiums:

TeamStadiumLocationCapacity
EnglandTwickenham StadiumLondon82,000
FranceStade de FranceSaint-Denis81,338
WalesPrincipality StadiumCardiff73,931
ItalyStadio OlimpicoRome72,698
ScotlandMurrayfield StadiumEdinburgh67,144
IrelandAviva StadiumDublin51,700

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
Tournaments1259212722127127
Outright wins (shared wins)
Home Nations5 (4)4 (3)9 (2)7 (3)
Five Nations17 (6)12 (8)6 (5)5 (6)15 (8)
Six Nations764006
Overall29 (10)18 (8)14 (8)0 (0)14 (8)28 (11)
Grand Slams
Home Nations0002
Five Nations116136
Six Nations242004
Overall131030312
Triple Crowns
Home Nations5276
Five Nations164311
Six Nations5605
Overall26121022
Wooden Spoons
Home Nations71052
Five Nations10915156
Six Nations0101741
Overall17102517249

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
  1. the team that loses all its games

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
  1. 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
 England132016262020
 Wales122019222021
 France102022
 Ireland32018122022
 Scotland31990101990
 Italy0
Grand Slams and Triple Crowns (6 Nations)
Nation Grand Slams Last Grand Slam Triple Crowns Last Triple Crown
 Wales4201952021
 France42022
 Ireland2201862022
 England2201652020
 Scotland0-0-
 Italy0-

Wooden Spoon

Wooden Spoons (last place)
TeamWooden SpoonsLast
Wooden Spoon
HNCFNCSNC
 Ireland 25 1998 11 14 0
 Scotland 24 2015 5 15 4
 England 17 1987 7 10 0
 Italy 17 2022 17
 Wales 17 2003 6 10 1
 France 13 2013 12 1

Home Nations and Five Nations

Wooden Spoon winners (alone in last place)
TeamWooden SpoonsYears awarded
 Ireland 25 1884, 1890, 1891, 1893, 1895, 1900, 1904, 1909, 1920, 1934, 1938, 1955, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1977, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998
 Scotland 20 1902, 1911, 1930, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1939, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1959, 1965, 1968, 1971, 1978, 1979, 1985, 1994
 England 17 1887, 1899, 1901, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1931, 1948, 1950, 1966, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1983, 1987
 France 9 1910, 1912, 1913, 1925, 1926, 1929, 1957, 1969, 1999
 Wales 9 1889, 1892, 1937, 1949, 1963, 1967, 1990, 1993, 1995
1883, 1885, 1886, 1888, 1897, 1898 and 1914 were not completed and 1973 was shared between each nation.

Bold indicates that the team did not win any matches.

Six Nations

Wooden Spoon winners (last place)
TeamWooden SpoonsYears awarded
 Italy 17 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
 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[22]
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)

Records

Ronan O'Gara of Ireland holds the career scoring record with 557 points. England's Jonny Wilkinson currently 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 Lindsay who scored five tries against Wales in 1887.[23] 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,[24] 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.[23] 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.[25] Benjamin Morel became the CEO of the Six Nations Championship as of 5 November 2018,[26][27][28] replacing John Feehan, who stepped down on 20 April 2018.[29][30]

Media

The BBC has long covered the tournament in the United Kingdom, broadcasting all matches apart from England home matches between 1997 and 2002, which were shown live by Sky Sports with highlights on the BBC. 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.[31] 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. In 2011, it was announced that the BBC's coverage of the tournament on TV, radio and online would be extended to 2017.[32]

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.[33]

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. 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.[34][35] 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.[36][37]

In Ireland, 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.[38] In 2022 it was announced that RTÉ and Virgin Media would share broadcasting rights.[39]

France Télévisions covered the competition in France.[40]

In Italy, from 2022 TV8 and Sky Italia broadcast all matches.

In the United States, NBC Sports broadcasts matches in English and TV5 Monde airs matches in French.[41]

Country Broadcaster Summary
 UK
S4C Wales games shown by BBC in the Welsh language
 France France 2 All games
 Republic of Ireland
  • RTÉ
  • Virgin Media Television
All games until 2025
 Italy Sky Italia All games from 2022

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.[42]

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.[43] 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.[44]

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.[45] 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.[46][47]

See also

  • The Rugby Championship, an analogous tournament of national teams in the Southern Hemisphere
  • Rugby Europe International Championships, for second- and third-tier national teams in Europe
  • Six Nations Under 20s Championship
  • Women's Six Nations Championship
  • British Home Championship, a similar tournament in association football

References

  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. 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. "What is the Wooden Spoon? We explain its meaning". 22 January 2020.
  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. 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. 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. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  15. "Doddie Weir Cup |". TheGuardian.com. 2 November 2018.
  16. "The Cuttitta Cup is unveiled". Scottish Rugby Union. 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. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  19. "Rugby-French federation drops plans for new stadium". Reuters. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  20. "France to host Italy in Marseille". rugby365.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  21. "Wales to play at Parc y Scarlets - Welsh Rugby Union". Welsh Rugby Union. 23 September 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  22. "PLAYER OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP". Six Nations Rugby. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  23. "Six Nations records". Rugby Heaven. 1 February 2005. Archived from the original on 13 January 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2007.
  24. "Records". Six Nations Rugby. Six Nations Rugby Ltd. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  25. "Contact Us". sixnationsrugby.com.
  26. "Six Nations Rugby Appoint Chief Executive Officer". sixnationsrugby.com. Six Nations Rugby. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
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Sources

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  • 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.
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