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The Guinness Men’s Six Nations Championship kicks off on Thursday 5 February when defending champions France take on Ireland at the Stade de France in Paris. It kick starts five weeks of action with the Championship coming to a conclusion on Super Saturday, 14th March.
France won the title last year but missed out on a Grand Slam after they wasted multiple chances against England at Allianz Stadium and then lost to a late Elliot Daly try and Fin Smith conversion.
Each team goes into the tournament knowing what will make it a success for them or not. Here ATR looks at what each team’s aim should be.
Ireland – New Blood
Plenty has been made about the average age of many of Andy Farrell’s key players – Jamison Gibson-Park, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, Garry Ringrose, James Lowe, Tadhg Furlong, Finlay Bealham, and Andrew Porter – are over 30. They are the heroes who have lifted the team to undreamed of heights, but as Johnny Sexton showed, no matter how good you are, time catches up with you.
Andy Farrell’s squad contains two uncapped players - Munster second row Edwin Edogbo and Ulster scrumhalf Nathan Doak - so expect gentle evolution, rather than a bloody revolution in terms of who he tries. That said, it would be a waste not to give them a chance. Leinster centre Jamie Osbourne is someone who has been hovering in the background, and Farrell’s calling of him to the Lions Tours suggests he may be in line for a bump up the order in Ireland colours.
But if there is a time to ditch the conservative approach, it is now. Farrell has enough credit in the bank to give the new faces plenty of gametime and ride out the consequences knowing he has another season to get things right before the World Cup arrives. He needs to have an idea of the answers of who could step in now, because in 18 months he will have no such luxury of time.
Italy – Wins
Gonzalo Quesada’s record of three wins and a draw in his first two Six Nations is a better than all of his predecessors, but there’s a nagging feeling that it should be better. They’ve not yet come close against England, they let Ireland off the hook in Rome last year, and the less said about France’s visit to the Eternal City in 2025, the better.
Italy will take great confidence from their wins over Australia and Chile in November, as well as the knowledge that, but for Paolo Garbisi’s woeful kicking, they could have given South Africa a scare. Benetton and Zebre improvements will help, but they are still in the lower half of the United Rugby Championship (URC) table.
Taking more than one bonus point, as they have the past three editions, would help. It would mean they have shipped less and scored more points. Wins are what would give the squad greater belief and make the public take more notice. Scotland, in their opener, are beatable, but a slow start would be ruthlessly exploited by a very capable team, and that would leave the Azzurri waiting for Wales in Cardiff on the final day. They can’t go into their shell when playing England, France and Ireland, they need to stand tall and start bloodying some noses.
Wales – Hope
Oh, to be a Welsh rugby fan right now. The word mess doesn’t cover it, and head coach Steve Tandy had to dance on a tightrope to keep his answers diplomatic despite his involvement as a player and coach with the Ospreys, who appear to be ready for the last rites.
We know the national team is struggling and unlikely to provide any great respite in the weeks, at least not in the way they did during the Warren Gatland years, when the Welsh clubs were as inconsistent as they are today.
In Tomos Williams, Louis Ree-Zammit, Blair Murray, Dewi Lake and Daffyd Jenkins, there are players who can mix it at the highest level, and they have to drag everyone with them through word and deed. Wales may not end victorious, but like their performance against New Zealand in November, they need signs that they aren’t the side that were flogged by England and South Africa last year, and are on an upward curve, not matter how shallow.
Scotland - Control
Gregor Townsend’s team will need to show that they are not haunted by their defeats to New Zealand and Argentina in the autumn. Both losses came after a lack of control at a crucial time in the match – after a rousing comeback to reel the All Blacks in, and after letting a 21-point lead slip against Los Pumas.
Despite the seemingly inevitable end result, there were moments where Scotland could have wrested back control, taken the heat out of the situation, and assessed the moment with cool heads.
A lot rests on the shoulders of Finn Russell, but with his captain, Sione Tuipulotu, outside him perhaps he should act as his ears and eyes a bit more. Tell him to get the ball down the field or even drop the odd goal or two. Small moments matter, and Scotland need to be better at recognising them, rather than running themselves into an ever-desperate frenzy.
France – Grand Slam
They missed out on the Grand Slam last year thanks to a lacklustre display at Allianz Stadium with at least two great try-scoring chances butchered. Still, you feel it was the ease that Daly broke through the French defence at the end that would have opposition coaches sitting up and taking notice more.
This year England are last up, with the stage set for a grand slam finale, but before then Fabien Galthie needs to have got his team ticking, without three of his usual big hitter – Gregory Aldritt, Damien Penaud, and Gael Fickou.
Fickou’s absence means that the centre partnership is likely to be Bordeaux-Begles’ Yoram Moefana and Nicolas Depoortere. Their age, and familiarity with each other and the likely starting flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert give France a good basis to build on for the next few years. We have become used to Toulouse providing the spine of the team, but maybe it is their rivals up France’s west who will shape the team as we look towards Rugby World Cup 2027.
England – Victory
It has been too long between drinks for England fans, and after a run of 11 consecutive wins, they are beginning to believe that 2026 could end their wait for a Six Nations title that stretches back to 2020. In truth they need to win something, a major piece of silverware to mark their progress.
Steve Borthwick’s team has balance and options everywhere you look. Will Stuart will be missed at tighthead, but such is their confidence at the moment, that his injury is being viewed as an opportunity, rather than something to get into a froth about. English teams are going well in the Investec Champions Cup, viewing figures are up, and television income is set to increase; English rugby is in a purple patch.
Of course, Scotland have shown that they have England’s number in recent editions, especially at Murrayfield where they play, and Ireland will want to squad the ledger after Marcus Smith’s last gasp drop goal stopped their hopes of a grand slam two years ago. Then there is the grand finale, France away at the Stade de France. Borthwick is making the right noises of taking everything one step at a time, so they arrive in contention. If his team are off the pace in any way before then, what was looking like a well planned process will have well and truly come off the rails.