France will be out to defend their Six Nations crown as rugby’s annual spring spectacular returns.

Les Bleus pipped England and Ireland to last year’s title and started in style with a big win over Ireland, with Steve Borthwick taking his side to Paris on the final weekend in this year’s tournament.

The removal of one rest weekend has slightly condensed the campaign, which may serve to further underline the competitiveness of a competition that always seems to deliver.

Is this the year Scotland finally get over the hump despite some November struggles? Can Italy claim another statement win or two? And is there any hope for Wales amid questions on and off the field?

Here’s everything you need to know.

Six Nations 2026 schedule

(all times GMT)

Round One

Thursday 5 February: France 36-14 Ireland

Saturday 7 February: Italy vs Scotland (2.10pm, Rome)

Saturday 7 February: England vs Wales (4.40pm, Twickenham)

Round Two

Saturday 14 February: Ireland vs Italy (2.10pm, Dublin)

Saturday 14 February: Scotland vs England (4.40pm, Edinburgh)

Sunday 15 February: Wales vs France (3.10pm, Cardiff)

Round Three

Saturday 21 February: England vs Ireland (2.10pm, Twickenham)

Saturday 21 February: Wales vs Scotland (4.40pm, Cardiff)

Sunday 22 February: France vs Italy (3.10pm, Lille)

Round Four

Friday 6 March: Ireland vs Wales (8.10pm, Dublin)

Saturday 7 March: Scotland vs France (2.10pm, Edinburgh)

Saturday 7 March: Italy vs England (4.40pm, Rome)

Round Five

Saturday 14 March: Ireland vs Scotland (2.10pm, Dublin)

Saturday 14 March: Wales vs Italy (4.40pm, Cardiff)

Saturday 14 March: France vs England (8.10pm, Paris)

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom will be able to watch every match live on the BBC and ITV, who are in the first year of their a new joint agreement for the television rights. Live streams will be available via the BBC iPlayer and ITVX, and viewers can also watch some games on Premier Sports.

And they said that Antoine Dupont and Matthieu Jalibeart couldn’t play together; consider that notion most definitively dismissed. On a night of real Gallic charm, France laid down a Six Nations marker with a display of ambition and attacking skill to rival any that they have produced during the recent restoration of the French monarchy in this competition. Led by their half-backs, the defending champions looked down on a fellow contender and perhaps exiled them for good, leaving Ireland confronting the grim realities of what feels a sharp decline.

These two have shared a few epics in their shared recent duopoly of this championship. This was not an occasion of that type. Virtually from the first peep of Karl Dickson’s whistle, the victor was clear as France found a level that Ireland could not match. With Louis Bielle-Biarrey adding two more tries to his rapidly-swelling tournament tally, France provided the first 29 points of what plenty felt might be a nip-and-tuck contest to cement their place as title favourites.

The hypothesis was that Dupont and Jalibert were an ill-matched half-back pairing, two of rugby’s premier talents never managing to find the symbiosis required at Test level. It was a theory backed up by the evidence of the last two times they had started in partnership: the quarter-final defeat to South Africa at the 2023 World Cup and the insouciant display against England last year. Galthie’s seeming distaste for the fly half had not helped matters, with the relationships built between Dupont and his teammates at Toulouse generally deemed preferable to the considerable gifts Jalibert could bring.

This felt like the first time that both have really clicked in the same French side, each bouncing with ideas and invention, with Jalibert accepting of his role as second. fiddle. It could perhaps be said that France felt the benefit of the bounce of the ball, yet much of their interplay was delicious regardless. It is hoped that Dupont’s usual running-mate Romain Ntamack will be back from a kidney issue for next week’s trip to Wales, but Jalibert could have done little more to stake a claim to remain. Dupont certainly will – France’s win over Ireland last year had ended in agony for the France captain after tearing his ACL; now he could share fully in the ecstasy.

The road to this year’s Six Nations title will surely travel through Paris, with England here on the final weekend. The Stade is a special place on nights like these with the tricolores waving and lights flashing to a Parisian beat, with a glitterball draped from the ceiling only accentuating the discotheque feel. With such an atmosphere and such a side, it will take some team to stop them again.

France did not quite find their groove in November but were soon moving to their music here. It took just two minutes for Bielle-Biarrey to produce his first moment of magic, a gorgeous chip-and-chase which would have led to a try if not for a fumble from a sliding Charles Ollivon at the last. The wing soon took matters out of his teammates hands. A sublime bit of skill from Sam Prendergast saw the fly half hook the ball back into play on the volley to prevent a 50:22, but his failure to find touch gave France a chance in transition. Enter Bielle-Biarrey, ghosting past three would-be tacklers without having to use the full extent of the proverbial phone box.

Prendergast had managed to tap the speedster’s ankle to no avail, though did save a score after intercepting a pass from Nicolas Depoorteere within metres of his own line. His wretched toss thereafter, though, kept Ireland under pressure, and Jalibert glided in down the blindside from the resultant scrum. A Thomas Ramos penalty extended the advantage to 15 points, which felt almost unassailable.

When Ollivon, surer of hand taking a pass from ubiquitous second-row partner Mickael Guillard, finished a lovely move that followed a Jalibert chip, France were pretty much out of sight. They had married daring with discipline – their first penalty conceded did not arrive until the 45th minute. That was two minutes before their fourth try, which was finished off by Bielle-Biarrey following can-can kicks from Dupont and Ramos.

Replacement Nick Timoney broke Ireland’s duck, scooting under the posts on the hour, before Michael Milne punched in to continue the fightback, with Prendergast finding a degree of confidence after the introduction of fellow fly-half Jack Crowley. It was a rally that will hearten Andy Farrell and his staff somewhat, and give hope of better times to come in the campaign, but it felt striking for a game between two top-tier nations to be decided so early. The general trend in international rugby over the last few years has been for tight Tests settled in the final quarter – the sight of a Mexican wave in Paris on the 65-minute mark said plenty. Fittingly, a Frenchman in Theo Attissogbe had the last word.

Ireland had been brutalised by the Springboks in November but escaped with positives in the fight they had shown. There will be fewer for Farrell to find here.

There is something powerfully ancient about the game of rugby: for as long as there have been people, surely, they have locked together in fierce and physical clashes to decide who among them is the most fearsome. It is a game of grit and muscle, won by the people most gifted with heft and speed and the skill to use those things to their own advantage. There might, in short, be nothing less obviously technological, even if the work is intensely technical.

That’s clear as the England team practice their scrum at their training camp outside of Girona, days before the beginning of the Six Nations and the team’s first match, against Wales. The heaving, hefty mass of 16 of the strongest men in the country binding together in an astonishing crush; incredible amounts of human force matched only by the equally incredible amounts of human force on the other side of the scrum. A 32-legged monster set against itself, giving everything to go barely anywhere.

But look up above this sunlit, war-like field and you will see something altogether more dainty. There, in the sky, hovers a drone, looking down on that scrum with elegant exactitude. And up on a hill at the side of the field, watching from afar, stands the drone’s headquarters: an assembled group of cameras, computers and coaches ready to analyse that power with pinpoint precision.

This is the modern game of rugby: powerful players backed by equally powerful equipment, aimed at analysing that team to ensure they are the best they can be. The array of equipment is vast: not only hovering above the field, but on it and beside it, too. Dotted around the training field are a series of iPads, offering instant replays. Up above the training field, on that hill, stands a series of cameras all feeding their video into a set of MacBooks. Analysts sit at those computers, marking up the footage as it arrives so that it can be watched by coaches and turned into immediate feedback for those players.

This kind of analysis isn’t new, of course; that’s what coaches do. But what is new is the technology that powers it: the robustness and the speed of the technology means that the analysis can be provided instantly, and the players can react as it happens.

“There’s a lot of analysis that goes into it these days, and it’s analysis of the opposition but more importantly analysis of us as well. So we review training hard, we review games hard,” says George Ford, an England fly-half.

“And obviously what the tech does is just make that process a lot easier, cleaner, simpler for us. The ability to just upload stuff on iPhones, iPads, whatever it might be – we’re just picking up and off we go straight away,” says Ford, who at age 32 is among the more senior members of the team, a role he embraces by helping out with tactics and with training.

“I think the biggest thing that’s changed – and the most impressive thing these days – is how live that can be. Which helps us as players, because say if we’re training or playing then the analysis guys can show us straight away what it looks like, as it’s happening. So then hopefully we can adapt stuff and find solutions quicker than we did in the past.”

Ford points to the training that’s taking place behind him, that afternoon. As they work on defending, for instance, analysts are watching to ensure that they are properly covering space, if they’re reacting to the right triggers and cues that show what an attacker might be doing. “If we’re not, then they’ll come over straight away and go: look, you need to be maybe five metres that way, and start your movement later. Because sometimes when you’re out there, you feel, but you don’t quite always see it like you can from above.

“Everything’s happening at 100 miles an hour and it’s sometimes hard to see where the space is. It’s difficult to see, or pull yourself out of the game to see the bigger picture, and that gives you a good idea if there’s anything that’s changing or even things you need to keep doing.”

When Ford was growing up, playing at 16 or 17, he got some of the same analysis but it took much longer. “You played on a Saturday, and you won’t see footage until Monday – whereas now, obviously, we’ve seen training while it’s going on, we’re seeing stuff in the game while it’s going on, never mind as you’ve finished. The biggest thing to change I just how instant it can be, how live it can be, and how helpful that is.

“Because the big thing I like doing is seeing if how we feel on the field matches up with what it looks like. Because sometimes you feel something completely different. You come off [the pitch] having a certain thought in your head as to why things happened, and then that might change entirely after you watch the analysis.”

For all of its bellicose heft, rugby can be decided in a matter of moments, and by a matter of metres. But the quick and complicated nature of the play means that understanding those very fine details can be difficult amid a mass of crashing limbs. That is made nowhere more clear than in the scrum, in which players are wrapped in each others’ arms and looking down, and so can struggle to understand exactly what went right and wrong. Once again, technology is improving that, by allowing players to see themselves from the outside. As the players engage with each other to train the scrum, two iPads sit on stands just metres away, ready to provide instant feedback.

“You need to create a connection between: this is what it looks like and this is how it feels – so that we can repeat it, repeat it, repeat it,” says Tom Harrison, a former player and now coach who oversees the scrum. “The scrum is eight blokes, doing the same thing at the same time, and it comes down to split seconds. So the ability to have it on a delayed replay” is key, he says. “There’s immediate feedback on the iPad – so they get up and they’re watching it. You’re giving that feedback from there, straight away.”

The speed of being able to do that work has been transformative, he says. Once, doing that analysis would mean loading it up into a computer, chasing them around the team hotel as they try to recover, “running around with laptops” trying to show players what happened that afternoon. Now, they are able to watch on iPads on a 20-second delay, ready to integrate what they learn not the next day but the next scrum.

There is a huge amount going on in a given rugby game, or training session. Some of the job of Carwyn ‘Caz’ Morgan and his analyst colleagues is knowing what not to look at, to ensure that they are giving proper attention to the right things. As such, they will know the aims of the session and will tailor their work around whatever the team are trying to improve.

“Because there is so much information, you have to sort of use that as an anchor to work towards. You want to look at everything – but it’s about guiding your attention to one specific thing” and seeing how the information is shaped around that, he says, likening it to looking at a specific part of a tree to get a sense of “how everything grows around it,” Morgan says.

The more important this analysis is, however, the more dangerous the loss of it might be. Once, that was a real threat: dying batteries, crashing computers, and a range of other threats meant that analysts had to be constantly aware of their limits. The improvements in the MacBooks they use – they point specifically to the recently introduced Apple Silicon, which dramatically improved not only the power of those computers but also their resilience, by improving battery life – have meant that the feedback is not only quicker but much more reliable.

“We know it's going to work. Even four, five years ago – you weren't quite sure. And if you wanted to push and do a little more, like get an extra angle or something like that, you might crash the whole thing. The robustness has been massive,” Morgan says. A crashing computer could be the difference between winning and losing, he suggests, pointing to a game years ago in which things didn’t work properly.

“We've beating Wales in Cardiff, and things have gone really well,” he remembers. “But the second half we lost, and we couldn't answer the question of why. So we've had a massive push in the last three to four years: how can we be more intuitive? How can we be more engaged in this? That's the skill: to develop that and know what you're looking at.”

The England team are days out from their first game of the Six Nations, against Wales at Twickenham, which will set the tone for the whole competition, and in turn the team’s journey to the World Cup next year. And the training is not just for the players: the analysts too are preparing for that game.

The setup is largely the same in a real game, but the analysts don’t actually need to take video, since they have the six or sometimes eight broadcast feeds that are used to show the match streaming into their Macs, as well as third-party data that is arriving live and fed into custom dashboards. But, once again, the real work can be knowing where not to look.

That focus becomes more important than ever at half time in a big game. There are only 15 minutes to go around, and the coaches and analysts have to share that with all of the other demands on players’ time. Plus “you’ve got all the emotion, there’s a lot on the line”, Caz notes; “the teams are starting to feel each other a little bit”.

“This the only proper intervention you get, so it becomes a really critical piece,” he says. Having the right piece of video on hand to illustrate a coach’s point could be the difference between fixing it for the second half; that second half could be the difference between winning and losing; that could be what decides whether, for instance, England wins the World Cup, as the team hopes to next year. One clip, and one computer to find it, could be the point on which the whole rugby world turns.

The 2026 Six Nations will again be shown live on free-to-air channels in the United Kingdom after ITV and the BBC renewed their combined deal to show the competition.

One match per round will be carried by the national broadcaster with all other games on ITV, which has established itself as the home of international rugby for the foreseeable future after striking an agreement to show the new Nations Championship from July.

For now, though, coverage will have a familiar look with few new faces in the two punditry and commentary line-ups.

Established voices like Jonny Wilkinson, Jonathan Davies and Maggie Alphonsi will be joined by more recent retirees, including Greig Laidlaw, providing analysis across the five rounds.

Here is who you can expect to see and hear throughout the Six Nations.

ITV

Presenters Mark Pougatch and Jill Douglas will front ITV’s coverage, with Nick Mullins and Miles Harrison providing lead commentary voices. Former England international Topsy Ojo will feature as both a pundit and reporter, with ITV veteran Gabriel Clarke also providing on-the-ground reports.

ITV Pundits

Jonny Wilkinson

Wilkinson’s World Cup-winning drop goal in 2003 remains the signature moment in English men’s rugby history. An occasional coaching consultant to the national team, the former fly half won 97 caps and finished his club career forging a dynasty on the French south coast with Toulon.

Maggie Alphonsi

Ex-flanker Alphonsi was a key cog in England’s 2014 World Cup win under Gary Street, and has become a familiar face on ITV and Sky since retirement, as well as working as a regular columnist for The Telegraph. She was the first female winner of Rugby Union Writers’ Club’s prestigious Pat Marshall Memorial Award.

Ugo Monye

The busy Monye will combine his work for ITV with his regular duties as a co-host of the BBC’s Rugby Union Daily podcast and presenter of Rugby Special, the Sunday evening highlights show. The former England international has forged a successful, varied post-playing career, including a stint as a captain on Question of Sport and an appearance on Strictly Come Dancing.

Brian O’Driscoll

Regarded as one of the greatest centres in history and perhaps Irish rugby’s most talented individual player, O’Driscoll is a dextrous pundit, too. The three-time Six Nations player of the championship won 133 caps for his country and appeared on four British and Irish Lions tours.

Rory Best

The Ulsterman, who captained Ireland at the World Cup in 2019, offers a measured take on proceedings and the expertise that comes with 102 test starts at hooker.

Jamie Roberts

Hulking former Wales centre Roberts’s career took in stops in England, France, South Africa and Australia, and the 36-year-old is well qualified off the pitch, too, earning a degree in medicine at Cardiff University and completing a Master’s in medical science at Cambridge.

Dan Biggar

A first Six Nations since announcing his full playing retirement sees Biggar continue his journey into the punditry world. A fierce competitor on the pitch has proved a shrewd analyst off it, having operated as a columnist for the Daily Mail while still involved at Toulon.

Sergio Parisse

Italy’s greatest ever player returns having made his ITV debut during the 2023 World Cup after confirming his retirement shortly before the tournament. He will also feature on the BBC.

Benjamin Kayser

The bilingual Kayser has become a popular pundit on both sides of the channel. Erudite and entertaining, the former Leicester and Clermont Auvergne hooker studied at the University of Oxford and has spent time coaching recreational club Tunbridge Wells RFC in Kent.

Ronan O’Gara

Equally outspoken and intuitive, O’Gara is an outstanding rugby communicator, as evidenced by his work with La Rochelle. Things have soured slightly for the two-time Champions Cup winning coach at the Top 14 club but a top international role surely beckons someday for the former Ireland fly half. He will also appear on the BBC.

Greig Laidlaw

Ex-Scotland scrum half Laidlaw is another working his way up through the coaching ranks. The 40-year-old has worked in Japan and with Scotland’s Under 20s.

ITV co-commentators

Shane Williams

Since hanging up his international boots as Wales’ record try scorer in 2011, hot stepper Williams has been a regular fixture on television. The 46-year-old remains a fitness fanatic.

Gordon D’Arcy

O’Driscoll’s long-time centre partner, D’Arcy announced his retirement in 2015 having won three Champions Cups and 82 Ireland caps. He is a contributor to The Irish Times.

Ben Kay

2003 World Cup winner Kay has forged a reputation as one of commentary’s sharpest, calmest communicators on commentary since retirement. A regular feature of club rugby coverage on TNT Sports, the lock partners well with ITV’s lead commentator Nick Mullins. He is also now a member of the RFU board.

Scott Hastings

Hastings won 65 Scotland caps at centre, often in the same backline as brother Gavin. Twice a Lions tourist, Hastings is also occasionally employed as a lead commentary voice.

David Flatman

Ex-England prop Flatman is among the most popular rugby talkers in the game, adding levity and scrum-time expertise to coverage.

Danielle Waterman

A try scorer in England’s 2014 World Cup final victory over Canada, Waterman is another former fleet of foot back in ITV’s commentary roster. An Olympian in rugby sevens, the ex-full back is an ambassador for Laureus, Guinness and HSBC.

BBC

The highly experienced Gabby Logan, one of three hosts of football’s Match of the Day, will again front the BBC’s coverage, with versatile lead voice Andrew Cotter steering the commentary teams throughout the tournament. Sara Orchard, Alastair Eykyn and Gareth Rhys Owen will also provide commentary for the highlights. The broadcaster will provide extensive radio commentary led by rugby union correspondent Chris Jones, whose Rugby Union Weekly podcast partner Danny Care joins the television line-up after his retirement from international duty at the end of last year’s Six Nations.

Sam Warburton

Warburton led Wales to a World Cup semi final in 2011 having been installed as a young skipper by Warren Gatland. Possessor of a sharp rugby mind, Warbuton was forced into an early retirement after a number of injury issues but has become a popular analyst on TV, radio and in print for The Times.

Martin Johnson

England’s World Cup-winning skipper in 2003, Johnson’s stint as head coach was less successful, but he remains a highly-respected figure in the sport and a measured, perceptive pundit.

John Barclay

Barclay has impressed as a pundit since retiring in 2019 with 76 Scotland caps, including plenty as captain. A long stint with the Scarlets offers him in-depth understanding of the Welsh game, too.

Jonathan Davies

Nicknamed “Jiffy”, veteran Davies provides punditry on both codes after a long playing career in league and union. The Welshman received an MBE in 1995 and an OBE in 2015.

Chris Paterson

Known for his accuracy from the tee, former full-back Paterson finished his Test career as Scotland’s record points scorer, and has since helped out the national team as a specialist kicking coach.

Danny Care

Care concluded his playing days last summer, but his punditry life had long since been underway. A regular on the BBC’s radio and podcast output, the former England scrum half is also now a key figure for TNT Sports as they continue to expand their rugby portfolio.

Nigel Owens

The Welsh referee took charge of the 2015 Rugby World Cup final and became the first official to oversee 100 international matches shortly before retiring in December 2020. He will provide expert insight on key decisions made by the officiating teams during the tournament.

The Six Nations returns with rugby’s annual spring spectacular set to provide the usual thrills and spills.

France begin as defending champions and will hope for more success, but are likely to face tough opposition from England, who arrive on an 11-match winning run, and Ireland, who meet Les Bleus on the opening night in Paris.

Scotland also have a squad capable of challenging as they bid to bounce back from a disappointing autumn; Italy will hope to overcome injuries to maintain their upward curve; and Wales will look to banish off-field noise and take steps forward in their first Six Nations under Steve Tandy.

It is a slightly condensed campaign this year, with the removal of a rest weekend likely to put increased pressure on each squad. Could that have a bearing on the outcome of the competition?

Find out who The Independent’s writers are tipping for success in our annual predictions:

Winner

Harry Latham-Coyle, rugby correspondent: Why not England? Well, Steve Borthwick’s side have to go to Paris on the final weekend. And Edinburgh, a place of unhappy recent memories, in round two. There’s Ireland at home to fret about, too. But after too many years out of contention, this is surely the time for a title tilt from a team that has all the tools, you’d say, to win it after an 11-match winning run to conclude 2025.

Luke Baker, sport live editor: As tempting as it is to follow Harry in with England, home advantage for France in their two toughest games to bookend the tournament leads me to go with Les Bleus. And what a home advantage it is – the Stade de France will be rocking, so if they can make it to round five with a grand slam still on the line, it’s hard to bet against them. History says that Six Nations teams going for a grand slam on home soil always get it. It also says that France win the Six Nations that follows a Lions tour. Bonne chance to the rest.

Wooden Spoon

HLC: There has been no greater fan of Italy’s overdue development into a genuine Six Nations threat than I, but one fears a difficult campaign for the Azzurri. In part, this is due to some rough injury luck — to lose teenage talent Edoardo Todaro with fellow will o’ the wisp Ange Capuozzo already out is particularly unfortunate — and I just feel that Wales might have one big performance in them in Cardiff.

LB: I don’t think Wales have one big performance in them in Cardiff... Actually, that’s unfair as there were the slightest flashes of promise in the autumn and Steve Tandy is building an environment that is allowing the scars of horrific past couple of years to ever so slowly heal. However, I think this Six Nations comes too soon. Italy is their only realistic chance of a win but the Azzurri have those recent victories to draw on, so will break Welsh hearts.

Player of the tournament

HLC: The history of the official award has not been kind to Englishmen. Mike Brown in 2014 remains the only winner (Stuart Hogg was voted player of the tournament despite an English grand slam two years later), leaving it perhaps foolish to select one here. But if they do win a first Six Nations since 2020, then one would imagine it will be hard to ignore their case - Ben Earl might just marry the standout statistics and statement showings required to contend.

LB: I refuse to overthink this one. Even though it’s 11 months since his last appearance in the blue jersey and he’s only played for France seven times since the 2023 World Cup, Antoine Dupont is still the best player in the world. He is unlikely to miss a beat as he makes his return and you suspect he’ll want to right some wrongs in the opener against Ireland, almost a year on from rupturing his cruciate ligaments while facing Andy Farrell’s side. That will set him up to add a third player of the tournament gong to his 2022 and 2023 crowns.

Breakthrough Star

HLC: Andy Farrell’s regeneration of his team might have been accelerated somewhat by injury, but this feels a pivotal campaign for the Ireland head coach to find a few individuals that can take them forward. Having spotlighted Edwin Edogbo as one of our six new(ish) faces to watch, it was a shame not to see the Munster lock in the matchday 23 for the opener against France but it feels likely he features at some stage. There’s a lot to like about the 23-year-old’s size and skill.

LB: If you’re going to be selected ahead of France’s all-time record try-scorer Damian Penaud, then you better be special. Luckily Theo Attissogbe is. Having shone almost immediately when forcing his way into the Pau team as a teenager, the tackle-breaking winger – who is also a much superior defensive option than Penaud – made something of a mark in last year’s Six Nations when scoring two tries against Wales and another against Italy. Fabien Galthie is said to be a huge fan and the 21-year-old could easily cement himself a genuinely world-class star in probably the best back three in world rugby this year.

Top try scorer

HLC: Louis Bielle-Biarrey is the obvious answer, and the right one. Since the 2025 Six Nations, the Bordeaux Begles and France wing has 27 tries in 27 matches for club and country, which is rather reasonable.

LB: Deep down, I suspect it will be Bielle-Biarrey but in the interest of variety, I’ll plump for Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. Injuries have caused a slightly stop-start feel to his England career so far but the Exeter winger is absolutely electric and feels perennially on the verge of taking the next step and becoming a world-class Test player. Jason Robinson said this week that he sees a lot of himself in Feyi-Waboso, which is some recommendation.

Most looking forward to…

HLC: Two night games in Paris promise plenty given the sense of occasion the hosts tend to generate at the Stade de France, but the removal of the first fallow week fascinates me. Tweaks to the structure of the Six Nations do not come that regularly and while minor on paper, a shift in the schedule will make squad management all the more important, and lend greater momentum to the campaign.

LB: Somehow, this is already the penultimate Six Nations before the 2027 World Cup and it feels like a key one for a number of coaches. In fact, I predict that by the summer, one country will have made a coaching change. Steve Borthwick is flying as England boss, while Steve Tandy and Gonzalo Quesada would rightly feel hard done by to be given a P45, even following a wooden spoon, given the stage of development Wales and Italy are at. Which leaves three... Gregor Townsend’s awkward dual role with Newcastle Red Bulls and Scotland’s continued failure to turn a ‘golden generation’ into legitimate title contenders could easily come back to haunt him, while Fabien Galthie has never truly connected with the French public and a comprehensive defeat to the Springboks in the autumn, followed by, say, a two-loss Six Nations where they enter as favourites could raise questions. Then we come to Andy Farrell. Ireland feel in flux, although Farrell has a huge amount of credit in the bank. But imagine defeats to France, England and Scotland – not an implausible scenario – to leave the men in green finishing outside the top three for the first time since 2013. And there’s a king over the water at La Rochelle... Stranger things have happened.

The Rugby World Cup 2027 schedule has been released with England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales discovering their dates and venues in Australia for next year’s tournament.

The hosts, Australia, will kick off in Perth against Hong Kong on 1 October, meaning a crunch match with rivals New Zealand comes up in the second wave of fixtures on 9 October in Sydney.

England will start their campaign against Tonga in Brisbane on 2 October, while fellow Pool F side Wales begin in Adelaide against Zimbabwe on the same day.

Ireland bid for a breakthrough in the World Cup once again, and Andy Farrell’s side start against Portugal in Sydney on 4 October. Scotland, meanwhile, also in Pool D, take on Uruguay, on the same day.

And the defending champions, South Africa, battle Italy in Adelaide on 3 October as they prepare for a famous threepeat. Here’s the full schedule, fixtures and venues for what promises to be a famous Rugby World Cup in 2027:

Rugby World Cup 2027 schedule

Pool A

Fri, 1 Oct 18:45 Australia v Hong Kong China Perth Stadium, Perth | Boorloo

Sat, 2 Oct 13:15 New Zealand v Chile Perth Stadium, Perth | Boorloo

Sat, 9 Oct 17:10 New Zealand v Australia Stadium Australia, Sydney | Wangal

Sat, 9 Oct 20:15 Chile v Hong Kong China North Queensland Stadium, Townsville | Gurambilbarra

Fri, 15 Oct 17:15 New Zealand v Hong Kong China Docklands Stadium, Melbourne | Narrm

Sat, 16 Oct 15:10 Australia v Chile Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane | Meeanjin

Pool B

Sun, 3 Oct 14:15 South Africa v Italy Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Tarntanya

Sun, 3 Oct 20:15 Georgia v Romania North Queensland Stadium, Townsville | Gurambilbarra

Sun, 10 Oct 16:45 South Africa v Georgia Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane | Meeanjin

Mon, 11 Oct 19:45 Italy v Romania Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | Gadigal

Sun, 17 Oct 12:15 Italy v Georgia Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle | Awabakal-Worimi

Sun, 17 Oct 19:15 South Africa v Romania Perth Stadium, Perth | Boorloo

Pool C

Mon, 4 Oct 14:15 Fiji v Spain Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle | Awabakal-Worimi

Mon, 4 Oct 18:45 Argentina v Canada Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane | Meeanjin

Sun, 10 Oct 12:15 Fiji v Canada Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Tarntanya

Sun, 10 Oct 15:15 Argentina v Spain Docklands Stadium, Melbourne | Narrm

Sat, 16 Oct 13:15 Argentina v Fiji Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Tarntanya

Sat, 16 Oct 20:15 Spain v Canada North Queensland Stadium, Townsville | Gurambilbarra

Pool D

Sun, 3 Oct 17:15 Scotland v Uruguay Docklands Stadium, Melbourne | Narrm

Mon, 4 Oct 17:15 Ireland v Portugal Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | Gadigal

Sun, 10 Oct 17:45 Ireland v Scotland Perth Stadium, Perth | Boorloo

Mon, 11 Oct 17:15 Uruguay v Portugal Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle | Awabakal-Worimi

Sun, 17 Oct 14:45 Ireland v Uruguay Docklands Stadium, Melbourne | Narrm

Sun, 17 Oct 16:15 Scotland v Portugal Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane | Meeanjin

Pool E

Sat, 2 Oct 17:45 France v USA Docklands Stadium, Melbourne | Narrm

Sun, 3 Oct 12:15 Japan v Samoa Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle | Awabakal-Worimi

Sat, 9 Oct 12:15 USA v Samoa Perth Stadium, Perth | Boorloo

Sat, 9 Oct 18:45 France v Japan Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane | Meeanjin

Fri, 15 Oct 20:00 Japan v USA Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Tarntanya

Sun, 17 Oct 19:45 France v Samoa Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | Gadigal

Pool F

Sat, 2 Oct 12:15 Wales v Zimbabwe Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Tarntanya

Sat, 2 Oct 20:15 England v Tonga Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane | Meeanjin

Fri, 8 Oct 18:15 Wales v Tonga Docklands Stadium, Melbourne | Narrm

Fri, 8 Oct 20:15 England v Zimbabwe Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | Tarntanya

Fri, 15 Oct 20:15 Tonga v Zimbabwe North Queensland Stadium, Townsville | Gurambilbarra

Sat, 16 Oct 19:45 England v Wales Stadium Australia, Sydney | Wangal

Knockout phase

Round of 16

Sat, 23 Oct 14:15: Round of 16 (1): 2nd Pool C v 2nd Pool F Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | Gadigal

Sat, 23 Oct 15:45 Round of 16 (2): 1st Pool A v 3rd Pool C|E|F Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane | Meeanjin

Sat, 23 Oct 19:15 Round of 16 (3): 1st Pool E v 2nd Pool D Docklands Stadium, Melbourne | Narrm

Sat, 23 Oct 18:45 Round of 16 (4): 1st Pool B v 3rd Pool D|E|F Perth Stadium, Perth | Boorloo

Sun, 24 Oct 14:15 Round of 16 (5): 1st Pool C v 3rd Pool A|E|F Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | Gadigal

Sun, 24 Oct 16:45 Round of 16 (6): 1st Pool D v 3rd Pool B|E|F Docklands Stadium, Melbourne | Narrm

Sun, 24 Oct 18:15 Round of 16 (7): 2nd Pool A v 2nd Pool E Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane | Meeanjin

Sun, 24 Oct 18:45 Round of 16 (8): 1st Pool F v 2nd Pool B Perth Stadium, Perth | Boorloo

Quarter-finals

Sat, 30 Oct 16:45 Quarter-final 1: Winner R16 (2) v Winner R16 (4) Stadium Australia, Sydney | Wangal

Sat, 30 Oct 18:45 Quarter-final 2: Winner R16 (1) v Winner R16 (3) Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane | Meeanjin

Sun, 31 Oct 16:00 Quarter-final 3: Winner R16 (5) v Winner R16 (6) Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane | Meeanjin

Sun, 31 Oct 20:00 Quarter-final 4: Winner R16 (7) v Winner R16 (8) Stadium Australia, Sydney | Wangal

Semi-final

49 Fri, 5 Nov 20:00 Semi-final 1: Winner QF1 v Winner QF2 Stadium Australia, Sydney | Wangal

50 Sat, 6 Nov 20:00 Semi-final 2: Winner QF3 v Winner QF4 Stadium Australia, Sydney | Wangal

Third place play-off

Fri, 12 Nov 19:45 Bronze final: Runner-up SF1 v Runner-up SF2 Stadium Australia, Sydney | Wangal

Final

Sat, 13 Nov 20:00 Final: Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 Stadium Australia, Sydney | Wangal