The 2023 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 24th Six Nations Championship, an annual

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

competition contested by the national teams of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. It was the 129th edition of the competition (including all its previous incarnations as the Home Nations Championship and Five Nations Championship). France entered the tournament as defending champions, having won the

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

in 2022. Ireland won the tournament for a 15th time, along with a 13th

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Tri ...

and a fourth

; it was also the first time they won the title in Dublin. In beating England in their final game on 18 March, Ireland completed a full set of consecutive victories over all the other tier-one international sides. In total 91 tries were scored in the Championship, a Championship record.

Participants

Squads

Table

Table ranking rules * Four points are awarded for a win. * Two points are awarded for a draw. * A bonus point is awarded to a team that scores four or more tries, or loses by seven points or fewer. If a team scores four or more tries, and loses by seven points or fewer, they are awarded both bonus points. * Three bonus points are awarded to a team that wins all five of their matches (a Grand Slam). This ensures that a Grand Slam winning team would top the table with at least 23 points, as there would otherwise be a scenario where a team could win all five matches with no bonus points for a total of 20 points and another team could win four matches with bonus points and lose their fifth match while claiming one or more bonus points giving a total of 21 or 22 points. * Tiebreakers ** If two or more teams are tied on table points, the team with the better points difference (points scored less points conceded) is ranked higher. ** If the above tiebreaker fails to separate tied teams, the team that scores the higher number of total tries (including penalty tries) in their matches is ranked higher. ** If two or more teams remain tied after applying the above tiebreakers then those teams will be placed at equal rank; if the tournament has concluded and more than one team is placed first then the title will be shared between them.

Fixtures

The tournament's fixtures were announced on 20 April 2022. There were no Friday night fixtures. Other than the final weekend, the three kick-off time slots were the same each weekend of the tournament.

Round 1

Notes: *

Leigh Halfpenny Stephen Leigh Halfpenny (born 22 December 1988) is a Welsh rugby union player who plays as a fullback or wing for the Scarlets, Wales and the British & Irish Lions. Halfpenny is the third highest points scorer for Wales after Neil Jenkins and ...

(Wales) was originally named at full-back, but he was replaced by Liam Williams ahead of the match, after suffering a back spasm in training. *

Jamison Gibson-Park Jamison Ratu Gibson-Park (born 23 February 1992) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for United Rugby Championship club Leinster. Born in New Zealand, he represents Ireland at international level after qualifying thr ...

(Ireland) was originally named at scrum-half, but withdrew on the day of the match due to injury. He was replaced in the starting line-up by

Conor Murray Conor Murray (born 20 April 1989) is an Irish rugby union player who plays for Munster in the United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup. Internationally, Murray has represented Ireland and the British & Irish Lions, whom he ...

, whose place in the bench was taken by Craig Casey. *

Cian Healy Cian Healy (born 7 October 1987) is an Irish rugby union rugby player. He plays for Leinster, and has also won over 100 caps for the Ireland national team. He was named as part of the Lions squad for the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Austra ...

(Ireland) was originally named among the replacements, but withdrew on the day of the match due to injury. His place was taken by

Dave Kilcoyne David Kilcoyne (born 14 December 1988) is an Irish rugby union player for Munster in the United Rugby Championship and European Rugby Champions Cup. He plays as a prop and represents UL Bohemians in the All-Ireland League. Early life Bo ...

. * Ireland won at the Millennium Stadium in a Six Nations match for the first time since

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

. ---- Notes: *

Ollie Hassell-Collins Oliver John Hassell-Collins (born 17 January 1999) is an English professional rugby union player who primarily plays wing for Leicester Tigers in the Premiership Rugby. He has also represented England at international level, having made his te ...

(England) made his international debut. * Scotland retained the

Calcutta Cup The Calcutta Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of the rugby match between England and Scotland played annually in the Six Nations Championship. Like the match itself (England–Scotland), the Calcutta Cup is the oldest trophy contested be ...

. * Scotland won three consecutive games against England for the first time since

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

, and registered successive away wins against England for the first time since

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Jan ...

. *With this win, Scotland moved up to fifth in the

World Rugby Rankings The World Rugby Rankings (formerly the IRB Rankings) is a ranking system for national teams in rugby union, managed by World Rugby, the sport's governing body. There are separate men's and women's rankings. The teams of World Rugby's member nation ...

, equalling their highest position, last set in May 2018. ---- Notes: * Edoardo Iachizzi (Italy) and Ethan Dumortier (France) made their international debuts. * France retained the

Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy ( it, Trofeo Garibaldi; french: Trophée Garibaldi) is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between France and Italy. The trophy, designed by former French internati ...

Round 2

Notes: *

, Andrew Porter and James Ryan (all Ireland) earned their 50th international test caps. * Prior to this game, Ireland were ranked 1st in the men's

and France were 2nd, the first time that a Six Nations Championship match had brought the world's top two teams together. * This was Ireland's 13th consecutive win at home, their longest consecutive run of home victories. * Ireland brought to an end France's 14-match unbeaten run dating back to November 2021. ---- Notes: * Rhys Davies (Wales) made his international debut. * Stuart Hogg (Scotland) earned his 100th international cap (98 for Scotland, 2 for the

British & Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

). * This was Scotland's biggest win over Wales, surpassing the 25-point winning margin set in

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China holds ...

. * Scotland won back-to-back matches in the opening rounds of the Six Nations for the first time. * Wales lost their opening two Six Nations games for the first time since 2007. * Scotland reclaimed the

Doddie Weir Cup The Doddie Weir Cup () is a perpetual rugby union trophy established in 2018 and contested between Scotland and Wales. The cup is named after the former Scotland international lock Doddie Weir who was diagnosed with motor neuron disease in 2016 ( ...

. ---- Notes: *

Jack Walker Jack Walker (19 May 1929 – 17 August 2000) was a British industrialist and businessman. Walker built his fortune in the steel industry, amassing a personal fortune of £600 million. He then went on to become the owner and benefactor of Black ...

(England) made his international debut. * Dan Cole (England) earned his 100th international cap (97 for England, 3 for the

Round 3

Notes: *

Garry Ringrose Garry Ringrose (born 26 January 1995) is an Irish rugby union player for Leinster and the Ireland national rugby union team. He usually plays at Centre. Leinster Following Ringrose's performances for the Ireland under-20s, Leinster coach Leo C ...

(Ireland) was originally named to start at outside centre, but withdrew the day before the match due to injury. He was replaced in the starting line-up by Stuart McCloskey, who started at inside centre with Bundee Aki moving to outside centre. McCloskey's place on the bench was taken by Jimmy O'Brien. ---- Notes: *

Mason Grady Mason Grady (born 29 March 2002) is a Welsh international rugby union player, currently playing for URC side Cardiff Rugby as a centre. Grady has represented Wales, making his debut during the 2023 Six Nations Championship. Club career Grady s ...

(Wales) made his international debut. * England won in Cardiff for the first time since their 21–16 victory in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

. * Wales fell to tenth in the

, equalling their worst-ever placement. ---- Notes: * France retained the

Auld Alliance Trophy The Auld Alliance Trophy is a trophy in rugby union awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between France and Scotland. The Trophy was first awarded in 2018, the centenary of the end of World War I, to commemorate the ...

. * Mohamed Haouas (France) became the first player to receive two career red cards in Six Nations Championship matches, his first also coming against Scotland in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

. * This was the 100th meeting between France and Scotland.

Round 4

---- Notes: * France won against England at Twickenham for the first time since 2007, and in a Six Nations match at Twickenham for the first time since 2005. * France scored their most points against England (previously 37 points in

) to set a new record winning margin over England (previously 25 last set in 2006). * This was England's heaviest defeat at home (43-point difference), surpassing the 36 points to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, and was the most points they had conceded at home, surpassing the 42 points conceded in the same game. * This was England's heaviest defeat in any Home, Five or Six Nations match, surpassing the 43–13 loss to Ireland in 2007, and the most points conceded (surpassing the same game). ---- Notes: * Stuart Hogg (Scotland) became the fourth Scotsman to earn his 100th test cap for Scotland. *

(Ireland) earned his 50th international test cap. *

Johnny Sexton Jonathan Jeremiah Sexton (born 11 July 1985) is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Leinster Rugby and Ireland, and he also captains both teams. He represented the British & Irish Lions in both 2013 and 2017 and has scored o ...

(Ireland) matched

Ronan O'Gara Ronan John Ross O'Gara ( ga, Rónán Ó Gadhra; born 7 March 1977) is an Irish former rugby union player and current coach. O'Gara played as a fly-half and is Ireland's second most-capped player and highest ever points scorer. He is currently ...

's record as the leading point scorer in Six Nations Championship (557 points). * Ireland retained the

Centenary Quaich The Centenary Quaich (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Cuach nan Ceud Bliadhna''; Irish: ''Corn na Céad Bliain'') is an international rugby union award contested annually by Ireland and Scotland as part of the Six Nations Championship. A "Quaich" is a Gae ...

. * Ireland become the first team to record 80 wins across all editions of the Six Nations Championship.

Round 5

Notes: * Ben Healy (Scotland), Simone Gesi and Marco Manfredi (both Italy) made their international debuts. * Tommaso Menoncello (Italy) had been named to start but withdrew ahead of the game and was replaced by Luca Morisi and Marco Zanon replaced Morisi on the bench. * Scotland retained the

Cuttitta Cup The Cuttitta Cup is a trophy in rugby union awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between Italy and Scotland. The trophy commemorates Massimo Cuttitta, a former Italian captain and Scotland scrum coach, who died o ...

. ---- Notes: *

Taulupe Faletau Tangaki Taulupe "Toby" Faletau (born 12 November 1990) is a Welsh professional rugby union player for Cardiff Rugby in the United Rugby Championship and has represented the national team for over 10 years. The back row forward played for Cr ...

(Wales) became the eighth Welshman to earn 100 test caps for Wales. *

Uini Atonio Uini Atonio (; born 26 March 1990) is a New Zealand-born professional rugby union footballer of Samoan heritage who represents France internationally. His usual position is tighthead prop. He currently plays for French club La Rochelle. BBC name ...

(France) and Dillon Lewis (Wales) earned their 50th test caps. * France scored their most points against Wales when at home, surpassing the 38 points scored in 2020. *

George North George Philip North (born 13 April 1992) is a Welsh professional rugby union player who plays for the Ospreys in the United Rugby Championship and the Wales national team. He has also represented the British & Irish Lions and currently has th ...

(Wales) surpassed

Shane Williams Shane Mark Williams, (born 26 February 1977) is a Welsh rugby union player most famous for his long and successful tenure as a wing for the Ospreys and the Wales national team. He also played scrum-half on occasion. Williams is the record tr ...

's record of 22 Six Nations tries to become Wales' top try scorer in the Six Nations. * France surpass their record of 18 tries scored in a Six Nations campaign set in 2006 and

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

and surpass their own record of 156 points scored in a campaign set in 2002. * Wales surpass their worst defensive record in a Six Nations campaign, conceding a total of 19 tries. It was previously 18 tries conceded in 2002. ---- Notes: * Dan Cole (England) became the fourth player to earn 100 test caps for England. *

Josh van der Flier Josh van der Flier () (born 25 April 1993) is an Irish rugby union player for Leinster and Ireland. His preferred position is flanker, but plays at other positions if needed. Van der Flier is of Dutch descent through his paternal grandparents, ...

(Ireland) earned his 50th test cap. * Ireland won the Championship for the 15th time and a fourth Grand Slam, their first won at home since 1948 and a home Championship since

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

. * Ireland became the first team to win the

in back-to-back consecutive years since they last did it in 2006 and 2007. * Ireland became the first nation to see their senior men's side and under-20s' side win the Grand Slam in the same year. *

(Ireland) surpassed

's record of 557 points scored in the Six Nations to become the competition's all-time leading point scorer. * Ireland retained the

Millennium Trophy The Millennium Trophy () is a rugby union award contested annually by England and Ireland as part of the Six Nations Championship. It was initiated in 1988 as part of Dublin's millennial celebrations. The trophy has the shape of a horned Viking ...

Player statistics

Most points

Most tries

Broadcasting

In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, each game was broadcast live on a free-to-air terrestrial TV channel, either the

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...

Participants

Squads

Table

Fixtures

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Player statistics

Most points

Most tries

Broadcasting

References