Latest news with #GuinnessMen'sSixNations
Glasgow Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Champions France to host Ireland in opening match of truncated 2026 Six Nations
The clash between Antoine Dupont's champions and one of their main rivals for the title takes place on February 5, most likely at the Stade de France pending the conclusion of negotiations with the French Rugby Federation (FFR). The schedule for the 2026 Six Nations is the first to feature only one fallow week rather than the customary two. ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง'๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฑ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ ๐ข๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๏ธ๐#GuinnessM6N โ Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) May 19, 2025 First announced in 2023, the removal of one break week is to assist with the alignment of the new global rugby calendar. The first three rounds will be played on consecutive weekends, there will be no games on Saturday, February 28 and Sunday, March 1, before the competition closes with back-to-back matches. In another significant break with tradition, the Six Nations starts on a Thursday evening rather than the customary Friday or Saturday slots to avoid a clash with the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics on February 6. Maro Itoje's England start their 2026 Six Nations title push against Wales (Adam Davy/PA) England finished runners-up this year and their bid to go one better will begin against Wales at Allianz Stadium on February 7. They face a Valentine's Day appointment with Scotland at Murrayfield, collide with Ireland at home on February 21 and finish with away trips to Italy and France, with 'Le Crunch' closing out Super Saturday on March 14. All Six Nations matches will be shown free to air after a new rights deal lasting until 2029 was struck with ITV and BBC in March.
Scotsman
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scotland's Six Nations 2026 fixtures announced with significant change to tournament format added
Scotland's schedule for the 2026 Six Nations has been confirmed. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland now know what lies ahead for them in the 2026 Six Nations as the tournament organisers confirmed one major change. Gregor Townsend's side will kick off their competition with a trip to Rome as they face Italy on Saturday, February 7 before hosting England at Murrayfield seven days later. A visit to Wales and a home clash with France follow before the tournament wraps up with the return of 'Super Saturday' as Scotland's trip to Ireland and France's home clash with England sandwich Italy's visit to Wales. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, the major change in the 2026 Six Nations comes elsewhere as the first ever Thursday night fixture takes place when holders France face Ireland on Thursday, February 5. The official reason given for the earlier-than-expected start is to avoid clashing with the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, which takes place in Milan just 24 hours later. That means the first Friday of next year's Six Nations has been left free with Scotland's trip to Italy and England's home game with Wales taking place on the first Saturday of February. Another change to next year's competition sees one of the two 'rest' weekends cut from the schedule with the first three rounds taking place on consecutive weeks before a solitary free weekend is followed by the final two rounds. What has been said about the 2026 Six Nations schedule change? A statement released on the official Six Nations website read: 'The full fixture list for the 2026 Guinness Men's Six Nations has been confirmed, with the Championship set to kick off on Thursday 5th February as France host Ireland in a blockbuster opening clash. 'It will be the first time a Championship match has been played on a Thursday since 1948, when it was the Five Nations and Ireland claimed a rare win on French soil on New Year's Day. France will have three home fixtures in 2026, hosting Italy in Round Three and England in Round Five, with 'Le Crunch' serving as the final fixture of Super Saturday, on March 14th. Rugby fans in France can look forward to being part of the opening and closing acts of what is set to be another unmissable edition of rugby's most loved annual occasion.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What are the fixtures for the 2026 Six Nations? Blair Kinghorn points the way to the tryline as Huw Jones scores for Scotland against Italy in this year's Six Nations. The centre bagged a hat-trick in the game. | SNS Group / SRU Round One: France v Ireland (Thursday 5 February - 8.10pm) Italy v Scotland (Saturday 7 February - 2.10pm) England v Wales (Saturday 7 February - 4.40pm) Round Two: Ireland v Italy (Saturday 14 February - 2.10pm) Scotland v England (Saturday 14 February - 4.40pm) Wales v France (Sunday 15 February - 3.10pm) Round Three: England v Ireland (Saturday 21 February - 2.10pm) Wales v Scotland (Saturday 21 February - 4.40pm) France v Italy (Sunday 22 February - 3.10pm) Round Four: Ireland v Wales (Friday 6 March - 8.10pm) Scotland v France (Saturday 7 March - 2.10pm) Italy v England (Saturday 7 March - 4.40pm) Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Round Five: Ireland v Scotland (Saturday 14 March - 2.10pm) Wales v Italy (Saturday 14 March - 4.40pm) France v England (Saturday 14 March - 8.10pm) Your next Scotland Rugby Union read: Edinburgh Rugby and Scotland duo celebrate British and Irish Lions call-up for Australia tour
Leader Live
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Champions France to host Ireland in opening match of truncated 2026 Six Nations
The clash between Antoine Dupont's champions and one of their main rivals for the title takes place on February 5, most likely at the Stade de France pending the conclusion of negotiations with the French Rugby Federation (FFR). The schedule for the 2026 Six Nations is the first to feature only one fallow week rather than the customary two. ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง'๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฑ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ ๐ข๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๏ธ๐#GuinnessM6N โ Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) May 19, 2025 First announced in 2023, the removal of one break week is to assist with the alignment of the new global rugby calendar. The first three rounds will be played on consecutive weekends, there will be no games on Saturday, February 28 and Sunday, March 1, before the competition closes with back-to-back matches. In another significant break with tradition, the Six Nations starts on a Thursday evening rather than the customary Friday or Saturday slots to avoid a clash with the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics on February 6. England finished runners-up this year and their bid to go one better will begin against Wales at Allianz Stadium on February 7. They face a Valentine's Day appointment with Scotland at Murrayfield, collide with Ireland at home on February 21 and finish with away trips to Italy and France, with 'Le Crunch' closing out Super Saturday on March 14. All Six Nations matches will be shown free to air after a new rights deal lasting until 2029 was struck with ITV and BBC in March.
Irish Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland face 2026 Six Nations opener in France in midweek fixture for first time
Ireland will play their opening 2026 Six Nations game on a THURSDAY night against France on February 5th at a venue yet to be is the first time a Six Nations game had been played on a Thursday and this is in part due to the competition having been reduced from seven to six are also down for a Friday night game, against England in Round Three on March 6th in will have three home fixtures in 2026, including the 'first and last' games in the competition, hosting Italy in Round Three and England in Round Five. Round One also includes one of rugby's greatest rivalries when England host Wales for the Anglo Welsh clash that will conclude the opening weekend of the ChampionshipThe Scotland-England Calcutta Cup game is the feature of Round Two, the match returning to Murrayfield. Last season, the Scots lost their grip on the Cup when they attempted to make it five years in a row of winning rugby's oldest piece of international Three sees Italy travel to France. The Azzurri have claimed famous wins, dramatic draws and suffered losses at the hands of ruthless France teams during their 25 years in the Championship, but it is its unpredictability that makes it one of the most anticipated fixtures in the Six Nations, each Round Four, Ireland reopen the action following the Championship's fallow weekend by playing Wales. Scotland host France, a repeat of the final fixture of the 2025 Championship, which ultimately sealed the title for France last time around. Round Five's 'Super Saturday' serves up three back-to-back fixtures. Proceedings get underway in Dublin, with Scotland travelling to face Ireland. Wales host Italy in Cardiff before France meet England in 'Le Crunch'.Said a Six Nations release: "The Guinness Men's Six Nations gets more competitive and unpredictable each year, inviting more and more fans to tune in and enjoy the drama. "In 2025, nearly 130 million fans were watching coverage of the Guinness Men's Six Nations in home markets; a +6.30% increase compared to the previous year, and the set of fixtures for 2026 promises to keep fans hooked for five rounds of sporting entertainment."2026 sees the introduction of first ever dedicated men's and women's rugby calendars, aligning the international and domestic game. "The new calendars have been shaped by the players, unions, regional associations, international and domestic competitions and leagues. "Within the changes to the calendar, the number of fallow weeks in the Guinness Men's Six Nations will reduce from two to one. "The venues for each of the France home fixtures in the 2026 Guinness Men's Six Nations will be confirmed in due course."The 2026 U20 Six Nations will mirror the Guinness Men's Six Nations format of fixtures. Final fixture dates, kick off times and venues will be confirmed in due course."The Guinness Women's Six Nations will start three weeks later than previous year's, following the conclusion of the Men's Championship. Confirmation of the 2026 Guinness Women's Six Nations fixtures will be announced soon."Irish coverage will continue to be shared by RTE and Virgin the UK, ITV and BBC Sport will bring live free-to-air coverage of the Six Nations across TV, radio and digital platforms. ITV will broadcast ten matches in 2026, including all England matches. BBC Sport will feature live TV coverage, TV highlights and digital clips, including five live matches involving Scotland and NATIONS FIXTURES 2026Round One: France vs Ireland, Thur Feb 5, 20:10; Italy vs Scotland, Sat Feb 7, 14:10; England v Wales, Sat Feb 7, 16:40Round Two: Ireland vs Italy Sat, Feb 14, 14:10; Scotland vs England Sat, Feb 14, 16:40; Wales vs France, Sun, Feb 15, 13:10Round Three: England vs Ireland, Sat, Feb 21, 14:10; Wales vs Scotland, Sat Feb 21, 16:40; France vs Italy, Sun, Feb 22, 15:10Round Four: Ireland vs Wales, Fri, March 6, 20:10; Scotland vs France, Sat, March 7, 14:10; Italy v England, Sat, March 7, 16:40Round Five: Ireland vs Scotland, Sat, March 14, 14:10; Wales vs Italy, Sat, March 14, 16:40; France vs England, Sat, March 14, 20:10 Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email.
South Wales Guardian
19-05-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Champions France to host Ireland in opening match of truncated 2026 Six Nations
The clash between Antoine Dupont's champions and one of their main rivals for the title takes place on February 5, most likely at the Stade de France pending the conclusion of negotiations with the French Rugby Federation (FFR). The schedule for the 2026 Six Nations is the first to feature only one fallow week rather than the customary two. ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ง๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง'๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฑ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ ๐ข๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๏ธ๐#GuinnessM6N โ Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) May 19, 2025 First announced in 2023, the removal of one break week is to assist with the alignment of the new global rugby calendar. The first three rounds will be played on consecutive weekends, there will be no games on Saturday, February 28 and Sunday, March 1, before the competition closes with back-to-back matches. In another significant break with tradition, the Six Nations starts on a Thursday evening rather than the customary Friday or Saturday slots to avoid a clash with the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics on February 6. England finished runners-up this year and their bid to go one better will begin against Wales at Allianz Stadium on February 7. They face a Valentine's Day appointment with Scotland at Murrayfield, collide with Ireland at home on February 21 and finish with away trips to Italy and France, with 'Le Crunch' closing out Super Saturday on March 14. All Six Nations matches will be shown free to air after a new rights deal lasting until 2029 was struck with ITV and BBC in March.
