2021 Six Nations Championship in Review

Explore all the highlights from the 2021 Six Nations Championship here at RugbyPass. Our rugby gurus have compiled the best and most surprising moments from the 2021 tournament, including the decisive postponed round-three match between France and Scotland.

From England’s disappointing results to Wales’ wait to be crowned the Six Nations 2021 winner, read on for round-by-round summaries and the final Six Nations table for 2021.

2021 Six Nations Stats: Who Won the Six Nations 2021?

Six Nations 2021 Winner: Wales

The 2021 Six Nations Championship was the second Six Nations tournament to be disrupted by Covid-19. It was the 22nd Six Nations and the 127th edition of the Championship, and it was held behind closed doors with no spectators.

Contested between 6 February and 26 March 2021, the 2021 Six Nations took place just three months after the end of the 2020 tournament. However, despite such a short gap between the two annual competitions, the 2021 edition delivered some surprising results.

Defending champions England won only two of their matches and finished in fifth place. Meanwhile, Wales won four of their games, claiming their 28th Championship Trophy and 22nd Triple Crown. Their victory was sealed by the postponed round-three match between France and Scotland – France needed a 21-point win to steal the trophy.

Two of Scotland’s players topped the tournament stats: Duhan van der Merwe was the top try scorer with five tries and Hamish Watson was the 2021 Six Nations Player of the Tournament. Additionally, Ireland’s Johnny Sexton was the top point scorer with 65 points.

Round One Review

Match one: Italy 10-50 France (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)
Match two: England 6-11 Scotland (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Match three: Wales 21-16 Ireland (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)

France opened the first round of the 2021 Six Nations. Expertly steered by the boot of Matthieu Jalibert, Les Bleus annihilated Italy 50-10. Next, Scotland celebrated a historic win against England. 

Captained by Stuart Hogg, a steely Scotland outplayed an error-prone England side. The result: Scotland won their first match at Twickenham since 1983 and regained the Calcutta Cup.

The round drew to a close with Wales’ 21-16 victory against Ireland. This tense match saw Peter O’Mahony become the first Irishman to receive a red card in a Six Nations match; he was sent off after 14 minutes following an elbow to Tomas Francis.

Round Two Review

Match one: England 41-18 Italy (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Match two: Scotland 24-25 Wales (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)
Match three: Ireland 13-15 France (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)

Round two of the 2021 Six Nations featured one of England’s two wins. Although their Grand Slam hopes ended in the first round, the reigning champions put on an impressive display and strolled to a 41-18 victory. 

Next, a tense tussle saw Wales take their second win and reclaim the Doddie Weir Cup. Rallied by Louis Rees-Zammit’s second-half try, the Welsh side fought from a 17-8 deficit at half-time. Admittedly, Wales were helped by Zander Fagerson’s 54th minute red card. 

Then, Ireland and France met in the 100th test between the two countries. Although Ireland dominated the first half, France edged ahead and clinched a 15-13 win. For the emerald side, this result solidified their worst start to a Six Nations campaign; this was the first time Ireland had finished the second round of the Six Nations with two consecutive losses.

Round Three Review

Match one: Italy 10-48 Ireland (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)
Match two: Wales 40-24 England (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match three (postponed): Scotland 27-23 France (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)

The first match of round three saw an all-Leinster backline defeat Italy 48-10. This was the first time Ireland’s backline featured an all-Leinster line-up since 1931. Next, Wales continued their winning streak and served England their second loss of the 2021 Six Nations. 

This score was a major milestone for the Welsh squad. It was the most points Wales had ever scored against England – their previous record was 34 points in 1967. Meanwhile, Owen Farrell scored his 1000th point for England. 

Due to a Covid-19 outbreak in the French camp, the third match between Scotland and France was postponed until 26 March.

Round Four Review

Match one: Italy 7-48 Wales (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)
Match two: England 23-20 France (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Match three: Scotland 24-27 Ireland (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)

Round four saw Wales bulldoze Italy 48-7. The match featured stellar performances by two Welsh players: George North and Ken Owens. North scored his sixth consecutive Six Nations try against the Azzurri while Owens was the first hooker to score a Six Nations brace since 2004. 

Next up, England’s 23-20 win ended Les Bleus Grand Slam hopes. This was thanks to Maro Itoje, whose late try steered England to victory. 

Finally, an undeterred Ireland defeated Scotland 27-24. With just three minutes left on the clock, Johnny Sexton slotted the final three points of a tight encounter and secured victory for Ireland.

Round Five Review

Match one: Scotland 52-10 Italy (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)
Match two: Ireland 32-18 England (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Match three: France 32-30 Wales (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)

Round five of the 2021 Six Nations started with a clash between Scotland and Italy. The Scottish side ran in eight tries, including braces from Dave Cherry and Duhan van der Merwe. This sealed their biggest win in Six Nations, Five Nations and Home Nations history.

The second match was a disaster for England. Their loss in this game meant that England lost to all three home nations in the same campaign for the first time since the 1976 Championship.

Super Saturday ended with France’s narrow 32-30 victory over Wales. Brice Dulin’s try in the 80th minute left Wales reeling as their Grand Slam dreams were dashed.

Postponed Match Between France and Scotland

France 23-27 Scotland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)

The Six Nations 2021 winner was determined by the postponed round-three match between France and Scotland. France entered the game needing a 21-point win to claim the 2021 Six Nations Championship Trophy. However, Scotland had other ideas.

After an excellent and tight game, Scotland’s Duhan van der Merwe put an end to France’s hopes. His 80th-minute try cemented Wales’ 28th Championship. 

Additionally, this match was momentous for Scotland. It was the first time Scotland had defeated England and France in away Championship games since 1926.

Six Nations Table 2021

Here are the Six Nations results from 2021:

The 2021 tournament was altered due to Covid-19, with no spectators allowed and one match postponed. This third-round match added an extra week to the tournament and heightened the tension; fans anxiously waited to find out if Wales or France would emerge as the winners.

In the end, Wales climbed to the top of the Six Nations table in 2021. Meanwhile, this was the closest Les Bleus had come to winning since their last title in 2010.