2022 Six Nations Championship in Review

Travel back to the 2022 Six Nations right here at RugbyPass. Whether you want to track how France sealed their Championship win or revel in Italy’s final-minute victory against Wales, our rugby gurus have covered the greatest moments in this 2022 review.

From the first match to the 15th, scroll down to read the stats, highlights and scores from the 2022 Six Nations Championship.

2022 Six Nations Stats: Who Won the Six Nations 2022?

Six Nations 2022 Winner: France

The 2022 Six Nations Championship was the 128th edition of the Championship (including the Home Nations and Five Nations) and the 23rd Six Nations. It was contested from 5 February to 19 March 2022, when France’s Super Saturday victory clinched their 18th title and 10th Grand Slam.

For French fans, this was a monumental Six Nations. The 2022 tournament marked France’s first Championship Trophy and Grand Slam since 2010. Meanwhile, runners-up Ireland secured their 12th Triple Crown – their sixth during the Six Nations era.

With epic performances from both sides, France and Ireland players topped the stats. James Lowe, Damian Penaud and Gabin Villière each scored three tries apiece. In total, 73 tries were scored across 15 matches.

Additionally, French captain Antoine Dupont was named the 2022 Six Nations Player of the Tournament. Plus, England’s Marcus Smith was the tournament’s top point scorer with 71 points.

Round One Review

Match one: Ireland 29-7 Wales (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Match two: Scotland 20-17 England (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)
Match three: France 37-10 Italy (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)

Ireland and Wales opened the first round of the Six Nations 2022. Andrew Conway’s brace delivered a strong statement and the Irish side enjoyed a 29-7 win against the defending champions. 

The second match, a tense tussle between Scotland and England, was largely a two-man affair: Finn Russell for the Scots and Marcus Smith for England. Scotland came out on top and achieved their first back-to-back wins against England since 1984.

In the third game, France dominated Italy and ultimately triumphed 37-10. A hat trick from Gabin Villière made short work of the Italian side, but Italy also made history thanks to Tommaso Menoncello. In addition to making his international debut, Menoncello became the youngest player to score a try in the history of the Six Nations, Five Nations and Home Nations Championship.

Round Two Review

Match one: Wales 20-17 Scotland (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match two: France 30-24 Ireland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)
Match three: Italy 0-33 England (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)

Round two began with Wales’ first win, as the Welsh side edged past Scotland 20-17. Dan Biggar sealed the win during the tense, tryless second half. Next, France secured their second triumph of the 2022 Six Nations with a thrilling 30-24 victory against Ireland. A determined Les Bleus side got off to a solid start with an early 22-7 lead before ultimately hanging on towards the end of the game. 

After recovering from their first-round loss against Scotland, the last match of round two was a cakewalk for England. Italy were dealt a crushing defeat while the England squad enjoyed a confidence boost thanks to their 33-0 victory.

Interestingly, this was the first time England maintained a clean sheet against Italy during a Six Nations match.

Round Three Review

Match one: France 36-17 Scotland (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)
Match two: England 23-19 Wales (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Match three: Ireland 57-6 Italy (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)

Round three of the 2022 Six Nations produced a decisive victory for France. Les Bleus overpowered Scotland and recovered the Auld Alliance Trophy at Murrayfield – they lost the trophy in 2020. 

Next, England reigned supreme against Wales at Twickenham. Marcus Smith’s boot led England to a half-time 12-0 lead that the Welsh side couldn’t recover from. The game ended 23-19 and effectively ended Wales’ campaign to secure the Championship Trophy.

Thirdly, Ireland served Italy their 100th Six Nations defeat. Buoyed by their home crowd, the Irish side doubled down against a 13-man Italian side and finished the match 57-6 victors.

Round Four Review

Match one: Wales 9-13 France (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match two: Italy 22-33 Scotland (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)
Match three: England 15-32 Ireland (Twickenham Stadium, London)

Round four of the 2022 Six Nations began with a close contest between Wales and France. After a slow start, a frenzied France succeeded and moved within touching distance of the Grand Slam – only their Super Saturday match against England stood in their way.

Next, Scotland won the inaugural Cuttitta Cup after beating Italy 33-22. Meanwhile, the third game of the round saw Ireland trounce England 32-15 in front of a sold-out Twickenham crowd.

This match set two records. Firstly, it was Ireland’s largest win against England at Twickenham. Secondly, England’s Charlie Ewels received a red card 82 seconds into the match, making it the fastest-issued red card in the history of the Championship.

Round Five Review

Match one: Wales 21-22 Italy (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match two: Ireland 26-5 Scotland (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Match three: France 25-13 England (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)

The 2022 Six Nations Super Saturday started with a nail-biting clash between Wales and Italy. After a disappointing campaign, Italy came back fighting against Wales. They secured an early lead before ultimately winning the match with a converted try in the final minute. 

Crucially, this result was sensational for the Italian side; this was Italy’s first Six Nations victory since 2015 and it brought an end to their 36-match losing streak. It was also the Azzurri’s first ever away win against Wales and their first triumph against Wales since 2007.

Next, Ireland’s masterful 26-5 win secured their first Triple Crown since 2018. Finally, France emerged as the Six Nations winners in 2022. They overwhelmed England 25-13 to claim their first Grand Slam since 2010.

Six Nations Table 2022

Here are the Six Nations results from 2022:

Six Nations rugby 2022 was a tale of two teams: France and Italy. The tournament saw both sides conclude lengthy losing streaks. The victors, France, were crowned the Six Nations Champions for 2022 and ended their 12-year wait; this was France’s longest period without a Championship title since their first title in 1959. 

Additionally, Edoardo Padovani and Paolo Garbisi put an end to Italy’s streak of 36-successive losses. With two minutes left of the clock against Wales, Padovani scored a try for the Azzurri and then Garbisi’s boot sealed a famous 22-21 victory.