It might seem like only yesterday that the 2022 edition of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations Championship was coming to a close; France lifted the Six Nations trophy on 19 March, after beating England to seal a historic “Grand Slam”. The fall-out from the tournament is no doubt still unravelling: countless black eyes are still being nursed, pieces of confetti are still being cleaned off Parisian streets, and Welsh fans are still asking “how on earth did we lose to Italy?” To some, then, it may seem premature to be thinking about the 2023 competition, but as any rugby fan knows, it’s never too early to look forward to the Six Nations!
The 2023 Six Nations will get underway at 14:15 on Saturday 4 February, in Cardiff, where Wales will host Ireland. These 2 teams kicked-off the 2022 tournament too, with the Irish prevailing 29-7 in Dublin. The Welsh, having finished a disappointing 5th last time round, will be hoping that a home crowd can spur them on to a stronger start. England and Scotland will then get their campaigns started in London, at 16:45 the same day, in a huge Calcutta Cup clash. “The auld enemy” hosted Scotland on the opening day of the 2021 tournament, too, and were beaten 6-11 by the visitors. In 2022 the Scots then retained the Calcutta Cup on home soil. England will therefore be more determined than ever to claim the latest win of this long-fought rivalry, but it’s easier said than done when it comes to the Six Nations. The third and final match of the opening round will see reigning champions France visit Rome, to play an Italy side which recorded its first victory in 37 matches during the final round of the 2022 tournament. This all-continental fixture will take place on Sunday 5 February, at 16:00 local time.
In round 2, which will be played across Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 February, Ireland will host France in a mammoth match-up, Wales will travel to Scotland for the 6th edition of the Doddie Weir Cup, and England will look to ease past Italy at Twickenham.
Following a rest week, round 3 will then take place between Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 February. All roads will lead to Rome for the Irish, historic rivals Wales and England will face-off in Cardiff in what is always one of the tournament’s most heated fixtures, and France will host Scotland, against whom they scored 6 tries in 2022, on their way to a 17-36 away victory.
Come round 4 – which will be played between Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 March – the Six Nations table will be starting to take shape, and the top teams will have one eye on the trophy. The first match of the weekend will see Wales travel to Italy, in a reverse of one of the 2022 tournament’s stand-out fixtures; on that day, Italy snatched a deserved win from a lacklustre Welsh side in Cardiff, to record their first Six Nations victory since 2015. It was as humiliating for Wales as it was joyous for Italy, so the Welsh will be doing everything to ensure history doesn’t repeat itself. Elsewhere in round 4, France will travel to Twickenham to face England, and Scotland will host Ireland in Edinburgh, in a fixture that always supplies plenty of points.
In the 5th and final round of the 2023 Six Nations, Italy will visit Scotland, France will host Wales, and England will hop over the Irish Sea. All 3 fixtures will take place on the traditional “Super Saturday”, this year falling on 18 March. If the Championship is still up for grabs, the scenes in Edinburgh, Paris, and Dublin could be wild. Expect Dublin to be especially excitable for the visit of England, as Super Saturday is the day after St. Patrick’s Day, providing the perfect backdrop to the always feisty fixture.
Whoever has their hands on the trophy at the end of the day - and whichever city will get covered in confetti for a few weeks – it promises to be another thrilling instalment of one of the world’s premier rugby union competitions. Hospitality, travel, and accommodation packages are expected to go on sale for all fixtures over the next few weeks, whilst match tickets are set to go on sale later in the year. Be sure to add the Six Nations, your favourite team, and their individual fixtures to your Koobit interests, so you can be notified when ticket sales begin!
For more information on the Guinness Men’s Six Nations Championships, click here.