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2025 Six Nations Championship
International rugby union competition From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2025 Men's Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Men's Six Nations for sponsorship reasons and branded as M6N) was a rugby union competition that took place from late January to mid-March 2025, featuring the men's national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It was the 131st season of the competition (including its incarnations as the Home Nations Championship and the Five Nations Championship), but the 26th since it expanded to become the Six Nations Championship in 2000. It started on 31 January 2025 with a Friday night match between France and Wales, and ended with France against Scotland on 15 March.[1] Ireland entered the tournament as two-time reigning champions, aiming to become the first team to win the Championship outright three years in a row. France returned to their normal home venue, the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, after a year away while the stadium was being prepared for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
France won the championship in the final match, crowned Six Nations champions for the seventh time, their 19th outright title in all formats and their 27th title overall.[2] Three teams – France, England and holders Ireland – won four games and lost a fifth, with France triumphing on bonus points. Wales finished with a second successive Wooden Spoon after losing all five games. No team won the Grand Slam, although Ireland completed their 14th Triple Crown before defeat to France. Their third place finish was the worst of any Triple Crown-winning side; all previous winners had either won the championship or finished runners-up.
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Participants
Notes
- Simon Easterby was named as the interim head coach of the Ireland team while Andy Farrell is in charge of the British & Irish Lions for their tour to Australia.[5]
- Rory Darge and Finn Russell were named as co-captains of the Scotland team, after original captain Sione Tuipulotu was ruled out of the competition due to a rib injury.[7][8]
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Squads
Table
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Source: Six Nations Rugby
Table ranking rules[11]
- 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
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The fixtures for the 2025 Six Nations were announced on 9 March 2024, beginning with a Friday night match between France and Wales in Saint-Denis.[12]
Round 1
31 January 2025 21:15 CET (UTC+1) |
(1 BP) France ![]() | 43–0 | ![]() |
Try: Attissogbé (2) 18' c, 34' c Bielle-Biarrey (2) 23' c, 40+1' c Marchand 55' m Gailleton 68' m Alldritt 78' m Con: Ramos (4/5) 19', 24', 35', 40+2' | Report |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 77,752 Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)[13] |
Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Dan Edwards (Wales) made his international debut.[15]
- Nicky Smith (Wales) earned his 50th test cap.[16]
- France kept a clean sheet against Wales for the first time since the 1998 Five Nations.[17]
- This was France's largest winning margin against Wales at home, surpassing the 33-point margin set in 1991.[18]
- This was the first time Wales had failed to score a point in a Six Nations match, and the first time in any match since they lost 31–0 to Australia in 2007.[19]
- This was Wales' 13th defeat in a row, which is now their longest losing streak.[20]
1 February 2025 14:15 GMT (UTC+0) |
(1 BP) Scotland ![]() | 31–19 | ![]() |
Try: Darge 3' c Jones (3) 8' c, 60' c, 65' m White 28' m Con: Russell (3/5) 4', 9', 61' | Report | Try: Brex 45' c Con: Allan (1/1) 46' Pen: Allan (4/4) 20', 23', 38', 43' |
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,144 Referee: Karl Dickson (England)[13] |
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Player of the Match:
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Notes:
- Luca Rizzoli (Italy) made his international debut.[22]
- Scotland reclaimed the Cuttitta Cup, having lost it in the previous year's tournament.[23]
1 February 2025 16:45 GMT (UTC+0) |
(1 BP) Ireland ![]() | 27–22 | ![]() |
Try: Gibson-Park 34' m Aki 51' m Beirne 63' c Sheehan 71' c Con: Crowley (2/2) 64', 72' Pen: S. Prendergast (1/1) 55' | Report | Try: Murley 8' c T. Curry 75' m Freeman 80+1' c Con: M. Smith (2/3) 9', 80+1' Pen: M. Smith (1/1) 40' |
Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,700 Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)[13] |
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Player of the Match:
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Notes:
- Cadan Murley (England) made his international debut.[25]
- Ireland reclaimed the Millennium Trophy, having lost it in the previous year's tournament.[26]
Round 2
8 February 2025 15:15 CET (UTC+1) |
Italy ![]() | 22–15 | ![]() |
Try: Capuozzo 20' c Con: Allan (1/1) 21' Pen: Allan (5/7) 7', 29', 34', 61', 74' | Report | Try: Wainwright 69' m Penalty try 79' Pen: B. Thomas (1/1) 17' |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 60,518 Referee: Matthew Carley (England)[13] |
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Player of the Match:
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Notes:
- Dafydd Jenkins and Liam Williams (Wales) were originally named to start the match, but withdrew prior to kick-off due to illness and injury, respectively. They were replaced by Freddie Thomas and Blair Murray, whose places on the bench were taken by Teddy Williams and Josh Hathaway.[28]
- Italy recorded back-to-back victories over Wales for the first time, and their first home win against the nation since 2007.[29]
- With this defeat, Wales dropped to 12th place in the World Rugby Rankings – their worst position since the rankings were established in 2003.[30]
- This was Warren Gatland's last match as Wales head coach, as he left the role by mutual consent on 11 February. He was replaced by Matt Sherratt from 17 February.[31]
8 February 2025 16:45 GMT (UTC+0) |
(1 BP) England ![]() | 26–25 | ![]() |
Try: Lawrence 36' c Freeman 58' m Baxter 70' c Daly 79' c Con: M. Smith (1/2) 37' F. Smith (2/2) 71', 80' | Report | Try: Bielle-Biarrey (2) 30' c, 75' c Penaud 61' m Con: Ramos (2/3) 31', 76' Pen: Ramos (2/3) 50', 56' |
Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 81,000 Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)[13] |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
9 February 2025 15:00 GMT (UTC+0) |
Scotland ![]() | 18–32 | ![]() |
Try: Van der Merwe 40+1' m White 76' c Con: Kinghorn (1/2) 76' Pen: Kinghorn (2/2) 43', 49' | Report | Try: Nash 8' c Doris 31' c Lowe 54' c Conan 59' m Con: S. Prendergast (3/4) 9', 32', 55' Pen: S. Prendergast (2/2) 23', 70' |
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,144 Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)[13] |
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Player of the Match:
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Notes:
- Mack Hansen (Ireland) was originally named in the starting line-up, but withdrew the day before the match due to a hamstring injury. He was replaced by Calvin Nash.[35]
- This was Ireland's 11th consecutive victory over Scotland.[36]
- Cian Healy made his 66th Six Nations appearance, to become Ireland's most capped player in the tournament's history – breaking the record previously held by Brian O'Driscoll. In doing so, he also moved to third on the all-time list for most Six Nations caps, behind Sergio Parisse (Italy) and Alun Wyn Jones (Wales).[37]
Round 3
22 February 2025 14:15 GMT (UTC+0) |
Wales ![]() | 18–27 | ![]() |
Try: Morgan 40+3' c Rogers 43' m Con: Anscombe (1/2) 40+4' Pen: Anscombe (2/2) 23', 35' | Report | Try: Conan 7' c Osborne 56' m Con: Prendergast (1/2) 8' Pen: Prendergast (5/6) 21', 49', 67', 70', 78' |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 73,623 Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)[13] |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Cian Prendergast (Ireland) was originally named among the replacements but was ruled out due to illness; he was replaced on the bench by Ryan Baird.[39]
- Ellis Mee (Wales) and Jack Boyle (Ireland) made their international debuts.[40][41]
- Ireland won the Triple Crown for the 14th time.[42]
22 February 2025 16:45 GMT (UTC+0) |
England ![]() | 16–15 | ![]() |
Try: Freeman 9' c Con: M. Smith (1/1) 9' Pen: M. Smith (2/2) 56', 67' F. Smith (1/1) 70' | Report | Try: White 4' m Jones 19' m Van der Merwe 79' m |
Twickenham Stadium, London Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)[13] |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- George Martin (England) was originally named among the replacements, but was ruled out with a knee injury; he was replaced on the bench by Ted Hill.[44]
- Rory Sutherland (Scotland) was originally named among the replacements, but was ruled out with a back injury; he was replaced on the bench by Jamie Bhatti.[45]
- England won the Calcutta Cup for the first time since 2020,[46] and for the first time at home since 2017.[47]
23 February 2025 16:00 CET (UTC+1) |
Italy ![]() | 24–73 | ![]() |
Try: Menoncello 11' c Brex 28' c P. Garbisi 61' c Con: Allan (2/2) 12', 29' P. Garbisi (1/1) 61' Pen: Allan (1/2) 18' | Report | Try: Guillard 14' c Mauvaka 21' c Dupont (2) 24' c, 54' c Boudehent 30' c Barré (2) 39' c, 65' c Alldritt 45' c Bielle-Biarrey 50' m Attissogbé 76' c Barassi 80' m Con: Ramos (8/9) 15', 22', 25', 31', 40', 46', 55', 66' Lucu (1/2) 77' |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 65,766 Referee: Karl Dickson (England)[13] |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes
- Niccolò Cannone and Danilo Fischetti (both Italy) earned their 50th test caps.[49]
- This was France's highest ever points total against Italy, as well as their largest ever away victory in the tournament.[50]
- This match broke the record for the most tries in a Six Nations fixture with 14 – breaking the previous record of 12.[51]
Round 4
8 March 2025 14:15 GMT (UTC+0) |
Ireland ![]() | 27–42 | ![]() |
Try: Sheehan 43' c Healy 77' c Conan 80+1' c Con: Prendergast (3/3) 44', 78', 80+1' Pen: Prendergast (2/3) 35', 40+3' | Report | Try: Bielle-Biarrey (2) 21' m, 50' c Boudehent 47' c Jégou 59' c Penaud 75' c Con: Ramos (4/5) 47', 51', 60', 75' Pen: Ramos (3/3) 36', 56', 68' |
Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,700 Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)[13] |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- James Lowe (Ireland) was originally named in the starting line-up, but withdrew during the pre-match warm-up due to a back injury; he was replaced by Calvin Nash.[53]
- Finlay Bealham, Jack Conan and Caelan Doris (all Ireland) earned their 50th test caps.[54]
- This was France's biggest ever away win against Ireland.[55]
- Damian Penaud scored his 38th international try, to become France's joint top try scorer in test history (tied with Serge Blanco).[56]
- Louis Bielle-Biarrey (France) equalled the record for most tries scored by one player in a single Six Nations tournament (seven, tied with Jacob Stockdale).[56] He also set a new record for most tries scored by a French player in one tournament.[55]
8 March 2025 16:45 GMT (UTC+0) |
(1 BP) Scotland ![]() | 35–29 | ![]() |
Try: Kinghorn (2) 5' c, 48' c Jordan (2) 11' c, 33' c Graham 27' c Con: Russell (5/5) 6', 12', 28', 34', 49' | Report | Try: Murray 24' m B. Thomas 61' c Te. Williams 68' c Llewellyn 80+4' c Con: Evans (3/3) 62', 69', 80+4' Pen: Anscombe (1/1) 3' |
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)[13] |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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9 March 2025 15:00 GMT (UTC+0) |
(1 BP) England ![]() | 47–24 | ![]() |
Try: Willis 4' c Freeman 27' c Sleightholme (2) 35' c, 53' c M. Smith 44' c T. Curry 47' c Earl 80+1' m Con: F. Smith (6/7) 4', 28', 36', 45', 48', 53' | Report | Try: Capuozzo 14' c Vintcent 31' c Menoncello 71' c Con: P. Garbisi (3/3) 14', 32', 72' Pen: P. Garbisi (1/2) 38' |
Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 81,912 Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)[13] |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Jamie George earned his 100th test cap for England, becoming the seventh player to reach this milestone (after Jason Leonard, Ben Youngs, Owen Farrell, Dan Cole, Courtney Lawes and Danny Care).[59]
Round 5
15 March 2025 15:15 CET (UTC+1) |
(1 BP) Italy ![]() | 17–22 | ![]() |
Try: Ioane 12' c Varney 63' c Con: Allan (2/2) 13', 65' Pen: Allan (1/1) 33' | Report | Try: Keenan 24' c Sheehan (3) 40' m, 47' m, 58' m Con: Crowley (1/4) 24' |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 68,981 Referee: Luke Pearce (England)[13] |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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15 March 2025 16:45 GMT (UTC+0) |
Wales ![]() | 14–68 | ![]() |
Try: B. Thomas (2) 31' c, 77' c Con: Anscombe (1/1) 32' Evans (1/1) 77' | Report | Try: Itoje 3' c Roebuck 10' c Freeman 34' c Cunningham-South (2) 38' c, 80+2' c Stuart 40' m Mitchell 55' c Pollock (2) 67' c, 79' c Heyes 70' c Con: F. Smith (5/6) 3', 11', 35', 38', 56' M. Smith (4/4) 68', 70', 80', 80+3' |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 74,169 Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)[13] |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Will Stuart (England) earned his 50th test cap.[61]
- Henry Pollock (England) made his international debut.[62]
- This was England's highest points total and largest away win against Wales.[63]
- This was Wales' heaviest home defeat, their biggest loss in Six Nations history, and the most points conceded on their home ground.[64]
- Wales received a second consecutive Wooden Spoon, after going winless in back-to-back Six Nations tournaments for the first time.[65]
- Tommy Freeman became the first England player to score a try in every round of a single Six Nations tournament.[66]
- At the age of 20 years and 60 days, Henry Pollock became England's youngest try scorer in Six Nations history.[67]
15 March 2025 21:00 CET (UTC+1) |
(1 BP) France ![]() | 35–16 | ![]() |
Try: Moefana (2) 18' c, 62' m Bielle-Biarrey 43' c Ramos 57' c Con: Ramos (3/4) 18', 44', 58' Pen: Ramos (3/3) 4', 26', 39' | Report | Try: Graham 29' c Con: Russell (1/1) 30' Pen: Russell (3/3) 21', 36', 51' |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 80,000 Referee: Matthew Carley (England)[13] |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Jonny Gray (Scotland) was originally named among the replacements, but withdrew the day before the game due to a knee injury; he was replaced by Ewan Johnson.[69]
- France set a new record for most tries scored in a Six Nations tournament (30) – breaking the record held by England since 2001.[70]
- Louis Bielle-Biarrey (France) set a new record for most tries scored by one player in a Six Nations tournament (8).[71]
- Thomas Ramos became France's all-time top test points scorer, overtaking the record of 436 held by Frédéric Michalak.[72]
- The 2025 Six Nations Championship concluded with 829 points and 108 tries scored across 15 matches – both new tournament records, exceeding the previous highest figures of 803 points (set in 2000) and 91 tries (set in 2023).[73]
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Player statistics
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Discipline
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Summary
- As of 15 March 2025
Yellow cards
Marcus Smith (vs. Ireland)
François Cros (vs. Ireland)
Jean-Baptiste Gros (vs. Scotland)
Peato Mauvaka (vs. Scotland)
Joe McCarthy (vs. France)
Calvin Nash (vs. France)
Michele Lamaro (vs. Ireland)
Dino Lamb (vs. Wales)
Marco Riccioni (vs. Wales)
Jamie Ritchie (vs. France)
Duhan van der Merwe (vs. Ireland)
Josh Adams (vs. Italy)
WillGriff John (vs. Scotland)
Evan Lloyd (vs. France)
Freddie Thomas (vs. France)
Red cards
Romain Ntamack (vs. Wales)
Garry Ringrose (vs. Wales)
Giacomo Nicotera (vs. Ireland)
Ross Vintcent (vs. Ireland)
Citings/bans
Note: The cited player's team is listed in bold italics.[81]
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Awards
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Player of the Match awards
Player of the Championship
Four players were nominated for the 2025 Six Nations Player of the Championship on 17 March 2025.[82] France wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey was announced as the winner on 1 April 2025.[83]
- Winner in bold
Try of the Championship
Four tries were nominated for the 2025 Six Nations Try of the Championship on 19 March 2025.[88] Louis Bielle-Biarrey's try against Ireland was announced as the winner on 28 March 2025.[89]
Winner in bold
Team of the Championship
The 15 players voted in as the 2025 Six Nations Team of the Championship were announced on 20 March 2025.[90]
BKT Rising Player Award
On 15 March 2025, Ireland fly-half Sam Prendergast was given the BKT Rising Player Award. The prize recognises "players who have made significant contributions to their team throughout the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, celebrates the individuals who exemplify a team mentality whilst performing at the highest level", and is "reserved for players who have earned their first Guinness Men’s Six Nations cap and acknowledges their emergence on the elite international stage".[91]
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See also
Notes
- The suspension is reduced by one match, subject to the player's completion of the World Rugby Coaching Intervention Programme.[75]
References
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