Six Nations records that are under threat

Records. Made to be broken, made to be set, and in the upcoming 2026 Six Nations, there are a few that could fall if the dominoes land in their rightful place.

From Thomas Ramos having the chance to narrow the gap to Johnny Sexton, to Jac Morgan’s 88 successful tackles in a single campaign, here are some individual records that could be in jeopardy come February.

Leading try scorer
A record that has not budged for the last 12 years. Since Brian O’Driscoll’s last Six Nations try, no player has been able to equal or surpass it (26), with George North coming close but ultimately falling short, finishing on 24 tries.

Currently, only Damian Penaud has had a realistic chance of reaching that mark, but the latest developments suggest his bid is over. After scoring 17 Six Nations tries for France, the wing has been left out by Fabien Galthié, a shocking omission from Les Bleus squad for the Championship.

Could George North come out of Test-match retirement and try to reach O’Driscoll’s number? Or will the responsibility fall on the shoulders of Louis Bielle-Biarrey?

Fixture

Six Nations

France

12:10

5 Feb 26

Ireland

All Stats and Data

Most tries in a season
The French Road Runner Louis Bielle-Biarrey equalled what Cyril Lowe in 1914 and Ian Smith in 1925 had previously achieved, scoring eight tries in a single Six Nations campaign.

However, Lowe and Smith’s tallies came in the primordial version of what is now the Six Nations, meaning Bielle-Biarrey can be viewed as the outright record holder under the modern format.

So the question now is simple: who can beat LBB at his own game? Or will the Union Bordeaux Bègles wing set a new benchmark in his bid to become the greatest Six Nations try scorer of all time?

Consecutive leading try scorer
Only one player in the last 40 years has finished as the sole or joint leading try scorer across more than two tournaments, and that is Philippe Saint-André. The former France great, now Provence director of rugby, ended as the Five Nations top try scorer in four different seasons, in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1995.

England’s Will Greenwood, Ireland’s O’Driscoll, Tommy Bowe and Keith Earls, Wales’ George North, France’s Penaud and Scotland’s Duhan van der Merwe have all topped the Six Nations try charts twice, but none managed it a third time.

With that in mind, Penaud and van der Merwe still have time to challenge the record, even if Bielle-Biarrey looks poised to threaten virtually every Six Nations try-scoring mark.

Most points in a single season
Will there ever be another tee-kicker like Jonny Wilkinson? One of England’s finest, he was central to Six Nations titles in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2011, setting a Championship benchmark with 89 points in 2001.

Since then, the tournament has been played 24 times, but only one player has come close to matching that total. It was not Jonny Sexton or Owen Farrell, but a player from the mainland, Thomas Ramos.

The French utility back amassed 84 points in 2023, just five shy of Wilkinson’s record. It ultimately proved out of reach, but Ramos remains active and has another opportunity to finally match or surpass the Englishman.

Curiously, this is one of three records still within Ramos’ grasp, as breaking it would also leave him just 27 points shy of Jonny Sexton’s all-time Six Nations points tally.

Leading points scorer
While Jonny Sexton never threatened Wilkinson’s single-season record, he cemented his legacy as the Championship’s greatest points scorer, finishing his Six Nations career on 566 points.

Having featured for Ireland from 2009 to 2023, Sexton functioned like a long-range missile system, relentlessly accumulating points from the tee that more than once proved decisive in title-winning campaigns.

However, if Steve Borthwick makes the call, that record could yet fall to Owen Farrell. A tee specialist in his own right, Farrell has amassed 528 Six Nations points, and another campaign could see him overhaul Sexton at the top of the standings.

Consecutive leading points scorer
Another record firmly in Ramos’ sights is finishing as the Six Nations leading points scorer for four consecutive tournaments.

After another kicking masterclass in 2025, Ramos topped the points charts with 71, following previous hauls of 84 in 2023 and 63 in 2024.

He is not alone in achieving this feat, however, with Ireland’s Ronan O’Gara also leading the scoring charts across three successive tournaments between 2005 and 2007.

Should Ramos again enjoy a season of piling up points from the tee, he would become the sole holder of this record.

Most tackles in a season
While 2025 was a difficult year for Welsh supporters, Jac Morgan’s work rate stood out, with the flanker finishing as both Wales’ and the Championship’s top tackler with 88 completed tackles.

In doing so, Morgan broke the previous record held by fellow Welshman Justin Tipuric, who made 87 tackles in 2017, another challenging season for Wales.

That mark may not stand for long. Morgan’s total could yet be surpassed this year, with the likes of Michele Lamaro, Maro Itoje, Caelan Doris and Charles Ollivon all lurking with the potential to set a new benchmark.

All-time most turnovers
Maro Itoje has the opportunity to further extend his legacy, needing just one more turnover to become the outright leader for turnovers won in Six Nations history.

At present, the 31-year-old shares the record with O’Driscoll, with both men sitting on 53 turnovers, ahead of John Barclay with 37, Sergio Parisse with 36 and Alun Wyn Jones with 35.

As England look to prise the title from France, Itoje’s breakdown work could again prove decisive, with a single turnover often enough to spark a counter-attack or halt an opposition scoring threat.