Arguably the greatest championship in international rugby is back with a bang for 2023, as the Six Nations kicks off on Saturday, February 4 with Wales facing Ireland in Cardiff before auld rivals England and Scotland do battle at Twickenham.
While the anticipation leading up to the tournament is always at fever pitch, this year’s edition has seen the stakes raised higher than ever. England and Wales have both changed their coaching staff since the autumn, while defending champions France will be hoping for a strong showing ahead of hosting the Rugby World Cup later this year.
As always, the tournament will stretch from early February to mid-March, providing five weeks of fierce competition and kicking off what is set to be a jam-packed year of elite international rugby that will culminate at the Stade de France in late October.
All 👀 on the prize at County Hall.
🏆 #AwakenAnticipation pic.twitter.com/6wXUbWI7Ji
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) January 23, 2023
This will be the 24th edition of the modern Six Nations championship, which began in 2000 after Italy joined the old Five Nations. The tournament’s roots date all the way back to 1883, when England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales contested the first Home Nations Championship.
There’s plenty of scores to settle in this year’s edition, and all six teams will have one eye on the World Cup later in 2023 as we gear up for the start of another glorious campaign.
For everything you need to know about the Six Nations championship, here at The Sporting News, we’ve got you covered.
Six Nations 2023 schedule, results
Week 1
| Date | Match | Time (GMT) | Time (ET) | Result |
| Feb. 4 | Wales vs Ireland | 14:15 | 09:15 | — |
| Feb. 4 | England vs Scotland | 16:45 | 11:45 | — |
| Feb. 5 | Italy vs France | 15:00 | 10:00 | — |
Week 2
| Date | Match | Time (GMT) | Time (ET) | Result |
| Feb. 11 | Ireland vs France | 14:15 | 09:15 | — |
| Feb. 11 | Scotland vs Wales | 16:45 | 11:45 | — |
| Feb. 12 | England vs Italy | 15:00 | 10:00 | — |
Week 3
| Date | Match | Time (GMT) | Time (ET) | Result |
| Feb. 25 | Italy vs Ireland | 14:15 | 09:15 | — |
| Feb. 25 | Wales vs England | 16:45 | 11:45 | — |
| Feb. 26 | France vs Scotland | 15:00 | 10:00 | — |
Week 4
| Date | Match | Time (GMT) | Time (ET) | Result |
| March 11 | Italy vs Wales | 14:15 | 09:15 | — |
| March 11 | England vs France | 16:45 | 11:45 | — |
| March 12 | Scotland vs Ireland | 15:00 | 10:00 | — |
Week 5
| Date | Match | Time (GMT) | Time (ET) | Result |
| March 18 | Scotland vs Italy | 12:30 | 07:30 | — |
| March 18 | France vs Wales | 14:45 | 09:45 | — |
| March 18 | Ireland vs England | 17:00 | 12:00 | — |
Six Nations 2023 standings
| Place | Team | Points | Played | Points Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | France | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Ireland | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Italy | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Scotland | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Wales | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What time are Six Nations 2023 matches?
The 2023 Six Nations matches kick off in three different time slots for the first four weeks: 14:15 and 16:45 GMT on Saturdays, and 15:00 GMT on Sundays.
In the final week, all three games take place on Saturday, March 18. The kick-off times are 12:30, 14:45 and 17:00 GMT.
How to watch Six Nations 2023: TV channel, live stream
| TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| USA | — | fuboTV, Peacock |
| Canada | — | |
| UK | BBC, ITV, S4C | BBC iPlayer, ITVX |
| Australia | — | Stan Sport |
| New Zealand | — | Sky Sport NOW |
| India | — | Premier Sports Asia |
| Hong Kong | — | Premier Sports Asia |
| Malaysia | — | Premier Sports Asia |
| Singapore | — | Premier Sports Asia |
USA: All games are streaming live on Peacock and will also be available through fuboTV. However, they will also be repeated on CNBC on delay, usually by a couple of hours.
Canada: All games are streaming live on DAZN.
UK: Matches will be shown on BBC and ITV, with S4C also broadcasting in Wales.
Australia: Six Nations coverage is provided by Stan Sport.
India: Premier Sports Asia is the main place to watch the Six Nations.
What is the Six Nations 2023 scoring system?
Four points are awarded for each win, two for a draw, and zero for a loss — but there are some bonus points up for grabs.
If a team scores four tries or more in a game, they will be awarded a bonus point. Additionally, losing teams are awarded a bonus point if their margin of defeat is seven points or fewer.
This means a winning team could take home either four or five points, while a losing team could earn zero, one or two.
What is a Grand Slam in Six Nations?
There is another means of getting some bonus points on the board. If a team wins all five of their matches, thereby completing what is known as a ‘Grand Slam’, then they are awarded three extra points. This has been achieved in 12 of the previous 22 editions of the Six Nations.
In 2022, France finished top of the standings on 25 points, having won all of their matches and earned five bonus points by achieving the Grand Slam and via try-scoring reward system.
Six Nations 2023 betting odds, favourites
Sky Bet, Caesars and Sports Interaction have Ireland, the world No.1 Test side, as their favourites to take home the Six Nations title. Defending champions France are second-favourites.
Ireland are also most heavily favoured by Sky Bet to win the Triple Crown and/or the Grand Slam, being backed at 5/4 to beat the other three Home Nations, and 3/1 to win all five of their games.
| Winner | Sky Bet (UK) | Caesars (US) | Sports Interaction (Canada) | Neds (Aus) |
| Ireland | 11/8 | +130 | 2.29 | TBC |
| France | 6/4 | +150 | 2.57 | TBC |
| England | 9/2 | +450 | 4.75 | TBC |
| Wales | 12/1 | +1600 | 12.00 | TBC |
| Scotland | 20/1 | +2000 | 19.75 | TBC |
| Italy | 500/1 | +50000 | 486.00 | TBC |
Six Nations rivalries, trophies, Triple Crown explained
For England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, a Triple Crown is achieved by winning all three of their games against the other so-called ‘home nations’.
There are also six individual rivalry trophies up for grabs each year, contested between the following teams:
Calcutta Cup: England vs Scotland
Millennium Trophy: England vs Ireland
Centenary Quaich: Scotland vs Ireland
Guiseppe Garibaldi Trophy: France vs Italy
Auld Alliance Trophy: Scotland vs France
Doddie Weir Cup: Scotland vs Wales
Cuttitta Cup: Scotland vs Italy
Who has won the most Six Nations championships?
Including the Home Nations, Five Nations and Six Nations championships, England have won the most titles overall.
They have won the tournament 29 times (with a further 10 shared titles), ahead of Wales (28 wins, 11 shared titles).
In the Six Nations era, England are the most successful side with seven trophies, just ahead of Wales and France on six. Ireland have won four Six Nations championships; Scotland and Italy have won none.
