Publication date: 11 Jan 2023
About the Six Nations Championship
The Guinness Six Nations is an annual international competition between the world’s strongest men’s rugby 15 teams featuring the European teams of Ireland, Italy, Wales, Scotland, France and England. The French team is the reigning champion, having won the tournament in 2022.
2023 Six Nations Championship
The 24th Guinness Six Nations competition among Europe’s top rugby nations will begin on February 4 and finish on 18 March 2023. Games will be played at stadiums in Wales, England, Italy, Ireland and France. The first round will take place on 4 and 5 February, the second round on 11 and 12 February, the third round on 25 and 26 February, the fourth round on 11 and 12 March while the fifth and final round will be played on 18 March. The schedule of the tournament is known from 20 April 2022.
History of the Guinness Six Nations
The first rugby tournament took place in 1883 between the national teams of the United Kingdom – England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The England national team was excluded from the tournament for two years as they refused to join the International Rugby Union and did not take part in the competition in 1888 and 1889.
Since 1910, the tournament has been held among 5 national teams with France joining.
In 2000, Italy joined the tournament and the competition was renamed the Six Nations Championship.
Traditionally the tournament starts on the first weekend in February and ends on the second or third Saturday in March. The teams play one round each and in the end 15 matches are played. The team that comes in last place or loses all games in the championship is awarded a symbolic award – a wooden spoon. In the history of the Guinness Six Nations, Italy has won the award 15 times.
Winners of the previous championships
| The year | Venue | Winning team |
| 2023 | England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy | Ireland national team |
| 2022 | Ireland, England, Wales, Italy, Scotland, France | France national rugby union team |
| 2021 | England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy | Wales national rugby union team |
2024 Six Nations Championship
It is already known that the 25th edition of the Six Nations Cup will take place from 2 to 16 February 2024. Cup matches will be held in the cities of the following countries: Great Britain, Ireland, France, Italy.
Keep an eye on the dates of rugby tournaments and other events in our Sporting Events Calendar.
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