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The Six Nations Championship is one of rugby union’s biggest and most prestigious tournaments. Also known as the Guinness Six Nations, the competition is held annually from February to March and is contested by six teams: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. There’s also a women’s version of the Six Nations, which sees the same teams compete.
Want to keep up to date with this year’s Six Nations Championship? Our RugbyPass experts have got you covered. Browse below to read the latest news and results, team standings and stats, as well as details about upcoming Six Nations matches.
The Six Nations is the oldest international rugby tournament in history. This competition can be traced back to the Home Nations Championship (1883-1909 and 1932-1939), which was the first international rugby union tournament ever held. The inaugural competition was contested by the four home nations: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
In 1910, the tournament was expanded to include France and subsequently became known as the Five Nations Championship (1910-1931 and 1947-1999). Finally, in 2000, Italy joined the tournament and the Six Nations was born.
Six teams compete to win the Six Nations and claim the Championship Trophy. However, while this may be the ultimate prize, there are also a number of other trophies up for grabs. This includes the Grand Slam, a title that’s given to a team if they win all five of their Six Nations matches. Next is the Triple Crown, a trophy that’s presented to one of the home nations (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) if they win all of their matches against the other home nations.
On top of this, so-called rivalry trophies are also available. For example, England and Scotland compete for the Calcutta Cup, while France and Italy play for the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy. Additionally, teams also play for the Millennium Trophy, Centenary Quaich, Auld Alliance Trophy, Doddie Weir Cup and Cuttitta Cup.
