The 2025 Six Nations Championship will begin on Friday, January 31st in the Stade de France. This rugby competition is one of the most awaited of the season: the 6 most prominent European rugby-playing countries in the Northern hemisphere will dispute the title once again.
The 2025 Guinness Six Nations will be broadcast all around the world, across 190 countries. More than 130 million fans will watch the rugby matches live, at home or in a pub.
Going to a pub to watch the Six Nations is great to meet with other rugby enthusiasts and support your favourite rugby team. For the occasion, beer flows and matches are broadcast on 4k screens in O’Sullivans Irish pubs!
History of the Six Nations Championship
A rugby championship created in 1883
This rugby championship was created in 1883 as the Home International Championship. At that time, only England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales were participating. France officially joined the competition in 1910, even if its rugby team already played 4 tournaments before this date. The Five Nations was officially created; England won the first edition.
Source image : gallica.bnf.fr – Bibliothèque nationale de France
23/01/1926 Dublin, [Five Nations], France – Ireland
During World War I, the competition was suspended… Then, France was ejected from it in 1931. From 1931 to 1939, the rugby championship was referred to as the Home Nations.
During World War II, tournaments were halted… They only resumed in 1947 as the Five Nations: France was back in the rugby competition. Around 1970, the rugby championship became extremely popular: ticket sales increased, the number of rugby fans was growing.
Did you know that something unexpected happened during the 1972 tournament? Wales and Scotland refused to travel to Ireland to play: the 1972 Five Nations Championship never ended.
Up until 1993, there was no trophy to win for the winning team. The first trophy was conceived by the 15th Earl of Westmorland, David Farne, and was presented to the winning rugby union team: France.
One year later, rules changed: points difference between the teams will be taken into account when there is a tie. The rules have been updated to avoid what happened in 1973: a five-way tie between all participating rugby teams. The 1973 season was unique, every nation lost and won two games. This new rule played an important role during the following years. In 2006, France won against England; Les Bleus (The Blues) won again a match in 2007 thanks to this new rule.
The Six Nations Championship was created in 2000, when Italy joined the competition. The Six Nations Championship is played by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. But it’s only in 2015 that a new trophy was created to represent the Six Nations era.
A last change in the points system was operated in 2017: the addition of bonus points. Each rugby union team is awarded 4 match points for a win, 1 extra point if they score four tries or more. Teams win 1 match point if they lost by seven or less points or if they scored four or more tries while losing.
Championship records
Over the years, seasons or rugby players marked the rugby history. Here are some important records or events to remember:
• Ireland won their first Grand Slam (the team won all its games) in 1948. They won their second Grand Slam in 2009 in a historic final match against Wales.
• In 2019, England vs Scotland ended with a 38-38 draw. It’s the highest scoring in a drawn match in rugby history. Just after 30 minutes, England were already leading 31-0 during this epic match.
• The longest Six Nations Championship happened in 2020. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the competition was paused and was completed in the autumn.
• Rugby players who scored the most points since the start of the Six Nations Championship are Johnny Sexton (566 points, for Ireland), Ronan O’Gara (557 points, for Ireland) and Jonny Wilkinson (546 points, for England).
During the 2024 Six Nations Championship, Thomas Ramos scored the most points with 63 points. He’s followed by Finn Russel (55) and Jack Crowley (52). Ireland won the 2024 Six Nations Championship with 144 points. They were followed by France (128 points) then England (118 points).
Since the Six Nations era, only Italy and Scotland failed to win the Six Nations Championship title. Gli Azzurri (The Blues) finished 18 times at the bottom of the Six Nations table and have lost every match of a season 12 times.
England and Ireland never got the “Wooden Spoon”, which means they never finished last in the Six Nations era. France got it only once, in 2013.
Who will win the 2025 Six Nations Championship?
Six Nations 2025 fixtures
Guinness Six Nations matches
From Friday, January 31st to Saturday, March 15th, 15 matches will be played between England, France, Italy, Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The first and the last matches of the season will happen in the Stade de France.
The kick-off of the 2025 Six Nations Championship will be at 21:15 (UTC+1), with France vs Wales.
Ready to support your favourite rugby team?
Ireland Six Nations fixtures
Ireland Six Nations fixtures for 2025 are:
• Round 1: Ireland vs England, Aviva Stadium, 17:45 on Saturday, February 1st.
• Round 2: Scotland vs Ireland, Scottish Gas Murrayfield, 16:00 on Sunday, February 9th.
• Round 3: Wales vs Ireland, Principality Stadium, 15:15 on Saturday, February 22nd.
• Round 4: Ireland vs France, Aviva Stadium, 15:15 on Saturday, March 8th.
• Round 5: Italia vs Ireland, Stadio Olimpico, 15:15 on Saturday, March 15th.UTC+1 time
Don’t miss Ireland vs France on March 8th: meet at one of our Irish O’Sullivans pubs for a memorable atmosphere!
2025 Guinness Six Nations at O’Sullivans!
All 2025 Six Nations Championship matches will be broadcast on large 4k screens in O’Sullivans pubs.
Experience the Guinness Six Nations as if you were at the stadium: ecstatic supporters, street food, beer, anthems, good craic!
Join us from Friday, January 31st to Saturday, March 15th in Paris Bastille, Paris Pigalle, Paris Grands Boulevards, Paris Champs-Elysées, Paris Châtelet, Cergy, Mandelieu-la-Napoule or in Montpellier to support Le XV de France or the men in green.
Will Ireland win the Six Nations Championship three times in a row? Or will France get the 2025 Six Nations title?