Champions France will host Ireland in the opening game of next year's Six Nations with the first match of the tournament being held on a Thursday for the first time since 1948, organisers announced on Monday.

The competition decided against holding the game on Friday, 6 February to avoid a clash with the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍 🔒

The 2026 Guinness Men's Six Nations fixtures 🏆

➡️ https://t.co/wldeNAghRz#GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/0FrwP8JrcR

— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) May 19, 2025

The game is set to be held at the Stade de France, Paris, while the French rugby federation told AFP Les Bleus' two other home games, against Italy and England, could be played in different cities.

Ireland will welcome Wales on a Friday in round four, a first time for a game to be held in that slot in Dublin.

In a change from recent years, there will be just one weekend off, instead of two for next season's edition.

Six Nations 2026 fixtures (times GMT):

Round one

February 5: France v Ireland (2010)

February 8: Italy v Scotland (1410), England v Wales (1640)

Round two

February 14: Ireland v Italy (1410), Scotland v England (1640)

February 15: Wales v France (1510)

Round three

February 21: England v Ireland (1410), Wales v Scotland (1640)

February 22: France v France (1510)

Round four

March 6: Ireland v Wales (2010)

March 7: Scotland v France (1410), Italy v England (1640)

Round five

March 14: Ireland v Scotland (1410), Wales v Italy (1640), France v England (2010)

Six Nations champions France will host Ireland in the opening fixture of the 2026 edition in February, organisers said on Monday.

The competition, featuring England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales, will be played from February 5 to March 14.

The final round will be a 'Super Saturday' on March 14 with Ireland hosting Scotland, Italy meeting Wales and France welcoming England.

France claimed their seventh Six Nations trophy with a record-breaking 35-16 victory over Scotland in March, clinching the title for the first time since 2022.

England, who finished second this year, will host Wales in the first round and will meet rivals Scotland in round two.

France host Italy in the third round of action. Round four, the penultimate weekend, will have Ireland hosting Wales, England meeting Italy and Scotland locking horns with France.

FIXTURES

ROUND 1

Thursday February 5:

France v Ireland (8:10pm)

Saturday 7 February:

Italy v Scotland (2:10pm)

England v Wales (4:40pm)

ROUND 2

Saturday 14 February:

Ireland v Italy (2:10pm)

Scotland v England (4:40pm)

Sunday 15 February:

Wales v France (3:10pm)

ROUND 3

Saturday 21 February:

England v Ireland (2:10pm)

Wales v Scotland (4:40pm)

Sunday 22 February:

France v Italy (3:10pm)

ROUND 4

Friday 6 March:

Ireland v Wales (8:10pm)

Saturday 7 March:

Scotland v France (2:10pm)

Italy v England (4:40pm)

ROUND 5

Saturday 14 March:

Ireland v Scotland (2:10pm)

Wales v Italy (4:40pm)

France v England (8:10pm)

France winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey was named Six Nations Player of the Championship on Tuesday after scoring eight tries to help his team win the tournament.

The 21-year-old set a record for the most tries scored in a single Championship during the Six Nations era, surpassing the mark of seven held by Ireland's Jacob Stockdale since 2018.

Bielle-Biarrey claimed the majority of the fans' vote, from a shortlist that included England back Tommy Freeman, Scotland fullback Blair Kinghorn, and last year's Player of the Championship, Italy centre Tommaso Menoncello.

"My parents signed me up for rugby when I was 5 years old. Straight away, I really liked it, it is a childhood dream today to be able to live my passion," Bielle-Biarrey said.

France claimed their seventh Six Nations trophy with a 35-16 victory over Scotland on March 16, ending with 21 points, one ahead of England in the standings.

France staved off an Ireland fightback to win 27-15 in the opening match of the 2025 Women's Six Nations in Belfast on Saturday.

Both teams scored three tries apiece but while France's Morgane Bourgeois was perfect from the kicking tee, with three conversions and two penalties, Ireland missed all of their conversions.

Last season France were runners-up to England – who begin their quest to win an unprecedented eighth successive title and fourth consecutive Grand Slam at home to Italy on Sunday, with the Red Roses bidding for more Six Nations glory ahead of this year's Women's Rugby World Cup on home soil.

But Ireland, third in 2024, came into this tournament with high hopes following a stunning victory over world champions New Zealand in September.

Yet it was France who led 17-5 at halftime after tries from Gabrielle Vernier and Marine Menager.

But a 45th-minute red card for Vernier gave Ireland a way back into the game at Ravenhill.

Ireland made their advantage count as Neve Jones and Aoife Wafer – with her second try of the match – reduced the deficit to 17-15.

But that was as close as Ireland got, with Emilie Boulard's late try for France putting the game beyond the reach of the hosts.

"We're disappointed and we feel we let a result get away from us," Ireland coach Scott Bemand told the BBC.

He added: "France are a very good team and we gave them too many soft entries early in the game. But there's a streak of resilience in this group, we got a score back and there's huge credit to what the forwards are doing."

France made their early pressure count when centre Vernier marked her 50th cap by barging over from close range.

France doubled their lead when Bourgeois unselfishly sent in Menager to help make it 14-0 but Ireland responded when Wafer powered over in the 21st minute.

Dannah O'Brien, however, was unable to convert.

Bourgeois's penalty extended France's lead before the break.

But the second-half dismissal of Vernier, who saw a yellow card upgraded to red for making head contact with Eve Higgins, sparked an Irish revival that saw Jones score a try from a rolling maul.

Wafer then set up an exciting finish when she scored her second try of the match but a late Bourgeois penalty and Boulard's try saw France pull clear.

Scotland face Wales in the tournament's second match later Saturday.

England newcomer Henry Pollock forecast he would score his first test try on the wing and even planned his celebration the night before, according to teammate Tommy Freeman.

The 20-year-old Northampton back-row came off the bench to make his England debut in Saturday's 68-14 Six Nations rout of Wales in Cardiff.

Pollock underlined England's pulverising performance at the Principality Stadium with two late tries in a match where England crossed the Welsh line a remarkable 10 times.

With his first try, scored just inside the touchline following a sublime pass from veteran replacement fly-half George Ford, he became England's youngest men's Six Nations try-scorer, eclipsing wing Henry Arundell by 36 days.

Pollock has long been spoken of as one of English rugby's rising star and his latest feats came as no surprise to Northampton teammate Freeman, who set his own record as the first England player to score a try in every game of a Six Nations campaign when he too went over the line on Saturday.

"He is unbelievable," Freeman said of Pollock. "I don't want to big him up too much, but honestly, he brings some sort of energy like you have never seen before for a 20-year-old.

"I remember my first game I was shaking in the corner, all nervous. But this guy, nothing fazes him. I remember (Friday) night as well.

'SPECIAL KID'

"He was in my room telling me about he was going to get his first try on the wing –- and then he gets it. He was doing the try celebrations as well in the room, showed me what he was going to do," added Freeman, himself only 24.

"But that is the type of guy he is, and fair play to him, he backs it up and he has got a big career ahead of him. That kid is pretty, pretty special, and he will continue to be, I am sure."

England were in complete command when Pollock took the field. But the loose forward still made his presence felt during a 30-minute stint on the pitch, although even this crushing victory was not enough to prevent France taking the title, with England close behind in second place.

"I wanted to come into this environment and be myself, whether that is giving energy on the pitch or energy in training, and I hope I did that," said Pollock.

He added: "I was just so excited to get out there. What an amazing stadium to win my first cap in... They (England's senior players) wanted me to come into the environment and be myself. They gave me the freedom to do that. I am so grateful for that."

Freeman, switched from wing to centre against Wales, is one of only three players to score a try in every round of a Six Nations campaign, with France's Louis Bielle-Biarrey joining him this year in equalling the 2001 feat of Les Bleus wing Philippe Bernat-Salles.

"It's pretty special," said Freeman. "I tried not to think about it too much... I was happy to get over the line."

France's crowning as this season's Six Nations champions underlined their status as genuine contenders to South Africa's global supremacy thanks to an efficient gameplan, generational individual talents and some record-setting performances.

The French produced a 20-minute second-half burst to cruise past Scotland in Paris on Saturday for their second championship since the head coach Fabien Galthie took over in late 2019.

🇫🇷 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 #𝐆𝐔𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐌𝟔𝐍 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 🇫🇷

France win the competition for the seventh time in the Six Nations era 🏆 pic.twitter.com/qg9IxuX9b9

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 15, 2025

After thrashing Wales in their opener, Les Bleus overcame a one-point loss at England in round two to trounce Italy and sweep past holders Ireland in Dublin to set up the decider at the Stade de France.

France's success was mastered thanks to a best-ever try count in the tournament, Thomas Ramos' accurate goal-kicking and the unorthodox use of seven forwards on the substitutes' bench balancing brutal power and lightning speed out wide.

"The game in Ireland was, I feel, the stand-out match from the past six years," Galthie told reporters.

"They were on to a Grand Slam, we were on our journey, everything was possible.

"This (Scotland) game was a final and now we're building."

The title was secured even in the absence of scrum-half Antoine Dupont, who suffered a serious knee injury after just half an hour of the victory in Dublin and was in crutches in the stand for the win over Scotland.

Maxime Lucu stood in for the talisman at half-back while No 8 Gregory Alldritt captained the team against Scotland.

Alldritt was part of a dominant pack, as Galthie chose to name almost a whole new set of forwards on the bench, as first done so by the Springboks in 2023.

"We'll still work hard to win, not just leave our mark on history, but leave our mark on ourselves," Alldritt said.

"We have a long-term vision as players," he added.

'STACKED'

France scored a record 30 touchdowns during the tournament, winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey crossing eight times in five games and full-back Ramos leapfrogging Frederic Michalak as his country's all-time leading points scorer.

"We can still improve, that's for sure, mainly to recycle ball quicker," Ramos said.

"If we score so many tries, so many points, everyone enjoys it and we players, too," the 29-year-old added.

Next up for Galthie's squad is a three-test series in New Zealand in July, although the former France scrum-half and captain is likely to take a second-string side to the southern hemisphere.

Players involved in June 28's Top 14 final will not be involved and Galthie has hinted at resting a string of first-choice players, including Alldritt and Ramos.

Centre Yoram Moefana played all of the five games in the Six Nations success, but could miss the tour as his Bordeaux-Begles side are contenders for the French league title.

Moefana grew up on the French Polynesian territory of Wallis and Futuna in the south Pacific, a four-hour flight from New Zealand.

"The future will tell," Moefana said. "If I'm lucky enough to go, we know New Zealand are a great team, every player wants to play big teams.

"But for the end of this season I’ll concentrate more on Bordeaux-Begles."

After the trip south, France host three November internationals including a chance of revenge for the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal loss to double champions South Africa and an opportunity for bragging rights two years out from the showpiece event in Australia.

"We have a stacked year," Alldritt said. "With a tour in New Zealand and a big November.

"The team are already motivated to win more games and more titles."

France blitzed to a second Six Nations title under Fabien Galthie thanks to Saturday's demolition job over Scotland, but next up for Les Bleus is a daunting summer tour of New Zealand.

Galthie's side have three tests against the All Blacks in July but doubts exist about the quality of squad the former captain will be able to select.

The French Rugby Federation and the country's professional clubs announced in August that no players involved in June 28's Top 14 final will be included in the tour to the three-time Rugby World Cup champions.

Top 14 holders Toulouse and their all-star side including fly-half Romain Ntamack are currently atop of the league standings while Bordeaux-Begles' thrilling backline are second.

One certainty is the absence of Ntamack's half-back partner in Antoine Dupont after the talisman was ruled out for more than six months with a serious knee injury.

"I don't know what's exactly possible or not, if those in the final are allowed to go to New Zealand," Ntamack told reporters after the 35-16 win over Scotland.

"It's my dream to play there so if I'm lucky enough to go, even if the club are in the final, it will obviously be a pleasure," the 25-year-old added.

New Zealand Rugby are understood to be frustrated by the idea of welcoming a weakened team to their shores in a few months' time.

Meetings between France and the All Blacks are part of rugby folklore, especially at World Cups.

However, France have beaten New Zealand on their own turf just four times since their first visit in 1961.

"Maybe there's an exception to be done with the tour because it's quite exceptional to go and play in New Zealand," Ntamack said.

"Final or no final, if I go it will be a pleasure because tours of New Zealand are unique," he added.

ICING ON THE CAKE

The stand-out moment from Galthie's six-year tenure was the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal loss to South Africa on home soil.

It was followed by a hammering of Ireland in the opening game of last year's Six Nations.

"I think the team is better since 2023, a lot of things have developed," Galthie said.

"Because the players came through 2023 and 2024, which was a difficult Six Nations and we still finished second."

Since Galthie took over as head coach in late 2019, summer tours have been restricted to second or even third-choice players.

Last July's scandal-hit series in South America was littered with debutants, while 2021's three-game visit of Australia included gametime for players from the French second division.

"We have no news on that for now. I'll leave the coaching staff to answer it," Ntamack's club and test teammate Thomas Ramos said.

"Maybe there are players that will go, those who won't.

"We have less certainties compared to previous years."

Ramos, 29, finished the Six Nations campaign as France's record scorer, overtaking Frederic Michalak's 436 points haul.

"It was the icing on the cake to beat Fred's record," said Ramos, whose 20-point tally against Scotland took him to 450.

"It's a great moment of pride to surpass a player like that, a player who I admired when I was small.

"I'm happy but I don’t want to finish there.

"We're all competitors, so from time-to-time individual rewards do some good but my priority will always to be win titles for the team."

France defence coach Shaun Edwards hailed his team's resilience as they beat Scotland 35-16 on Saturday to be crowned Six Nations champions.

In what was the former Wigan and Britain rugby league legend's 250th international as a player and coach in both codes, Edwards said the "stars aligned for me tonight".

"We showed resilience in defence second half, when we only conceded three points," Edwards told ITV.

"We defended really well against Ireland but kind of went off it for the last five minutes, but today we were on it for the full 80."

France were only 16-13 up at halftime, but a raft of replacements early in the second-half ended any Scottish hopes of victory at the Stade de France, with Thomas Ramos amassing a personal tally of 20 points to overtake Frederic Michalak as France's leading all-time points scorer.

France opened their campaign with a 43-0 home rout of Wales before suffering a one-point loss at England (26-25). The French rebounded with a 73-24 victory over Italy in Rome and an impressive 42-27 win over Ireland in Dublin.

Edwards said there were no regrets over that loss at Twickenham.

"I feel just as happy as if it was a Grand Slam because it shows we had great resilience to come back from losing a game," Edwards said.

Aside from Ramos, there was also a new record for France's electric winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who scored a try to take his tally in this championship to eight.

"Since the World Cup in 2023 he has gotten better and better, and hopefully he gets better again. He is a sensational athlete, a wonderful guy," Edwards said of the Bordeaux-Begles winger.

Bielle-Biarrey played down his record, having moved clear of Jacob Stockdale's record of seven tries for Ireland in the 2018 edition.

"I’m really happy to have done it as after the England win it (title) wasn't a guarantee. We went and grabbed the trophy," he said.

"It (the record) means nothing much to me. I’m just happy, I would have preferred winning the match over breaking the record."

Talismanic skipper Antoine Dupont was missing after sustaining a nasty knee injury against Ireland, something not lost on France centre and player-of-the-match Yoram Moefana.

"It's so bad for Antoine he was injured, but we wanted to fight in this game for him. We did, and we are so happy," Moefana, who scored a brace of tries, told ITV.

Anthony Jelonch added: "It's never easy to win a Six Nations. Antoine stayed with us all week, he’s here tonight, it's good for all of us. We wish him the best recovery."

Moefana acknowledged it had been a "very tough game, Scotland are a big team and I want to say thank you to the team because we were fighting with Scotland from start to finish. It's amazing".

"We are happy on the field and to play our game. We want to take the pressure off and go for tries."

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend said he had "mixed feelings" after the defeat.

"We asked the players to deliver a performance of effort and physicality and they did that," Townsend told ITV. "Our forwards played outstanding rugby at times, really fronted up."

But he was honest when asked if Scotland deserved to finish higher than fourth in the table.

"No, if we don't win when we have a lot of the game, that's where we are going to finish. We are a quality side, it just didn't go our way this year."

France swept to the Six Nations title with a 35-16 victory over Scotland on Saturday, edging out bitter rivals England whose 68-14 rout of hapless Wales had sent the championship battle down to the wire.

On a chilly night in Paris, France held their nerve to emerge champions for the first time since their Grand Slam-winning campaign of 2022.

Les Bleus, who were only 16-13 ahead at the break at the Stade de France, ran in four tries to secure a bonus-point victory and a one-point winning margin over England in the final standings.

Ireland's slender hopes of wrapping up a third successive Six Nations ended despite defeating Italy 22-17 in Rome in the day's opening match.

France full-back Thomas Ramos starred with 20 points to lead his team to victory, making light of the absence of iconic scrum-half Antoine Dupont who was injured in last week's victory in Ireland.

🏆 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐒𝐢𝐱 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 🤩

🇫🇷 @FranceRugby 🇫🇷#GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/M1yVPfJZvn

— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 15, 2025

"We showed resilience in defence second half, when we only conceded three points," said France defence coach Shaun Edwards.

Ramos's haul included a try as part of a 19-point blitz in 20 minutes just after the interval although France missed out on the Grand Slam after their narrow round two loss away to England.

France controlled the opening quarter to lead 10-0 thanks to a converted Yoram Moefana try and Ramos penalty.

By the 25-minute mark, the hosts were down a man as hooker Peato Mauvaka was yellow-carded for a headbutt on scrum-half Ben White.

Finn Russell cut the deficit before Ramos reinstated the 10-point advantage to make it 13-3, which moved him ahead of Frederic Michalak as Les Bleus' leading scorer.

Bonne nuit 💙#GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/cXlLQXcEwB

— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 15, 2025

Winger Darcy Graham crossed for Scotland with Russell then bringing his side level.

Ramos re-established the three-point lead three minutes from the interval but Scotland were denied the lead when Blair Kinghorn's foot was adjudged to be in touch in the build-up to Tom Jordan's try.

Just after the break, Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored a record-equalling eighth try in one campaign.

"Since the World Cup in 2023 he has gotten better and better, and hopefully he gets better again. He is a sensational athlete, a wonderful guy," said Edwards.

⌚️ Louis Bielle-Biarrey with the speed to race over the line for France to steer them to victory in Paris 🤩#Breitling #DefiningMoment @Breitling pic.twitter.com/wpX45tXGPV

— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 15, 2025

Ramos added the extras to make it a 10-point game with 35 minutes left and he stretched the lead with a try off a rolling maul.

His sixth successful kick made it 30-16 before Moefana added his second try of the night.

HAPPY TO FINISH WELL

In Cardiff, England scored 10 tries with a bonus-point triumph which had temporarily moved them top of the table and piled the pressure on France.

England had their match in Wales all but wrapped up at halftime after scoring five tries to lead 33-7 at the break.

Captain Maro Itoje opened the scoring as early as the third minute, with Tom Roebuck, Tommy Freeman, Chandler Cunningham-South and Will Stuart all following the skipper's lead.

Scrum-half Alex Mitchell, debutant Henry Pollock, with two of his own, Joe Heyes and Cunningham-South again added five more tries between them in the second half.

That allowed England to surpass their previous record Six Nations winning margin over Wales of 40 points set during a 50-10 success at Twickenham in 2006.

🏆 Your final table! France are the Guinness Men's Six Nations champions for 2025! 🇫🇷 #GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/ranTqsEDWR

— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 15, 2025

"The team has been progressing, this is a young and evolving team," said England coach Steve Borthwick.

For Wales, their 17th successive test defeat represented an unwanted record for a Tier One country in the professional era.

Their 11th straight championship loss meant they had finished with back-to-back wooden spoons for the first time.

- 'Emotions raw' -

"It's a very difficult one to reflect on, especially now because the emotions are quite raw," admitted Wales interim coach Matt Sherratt.

The results from an incredible Super Saturday in the #GuinnessM6N 🤩🏆 pic.twitter.com/dawnNTZf7o

— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 15, 2025

In Rome, Italy took the lead at the Stadio Olimpico through Monty Ioane's 12th-minute try.

However, the Azzurri played more than half the match at least a man down after Michele Lamaro and Giacomo Nicotera were yellow-carded, while No 8 Ross Vintcent was shown a 20-minute red card for a head-on-head challenge.

Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan scored a hat-trick of tries, with full-back Hugo Keenan also crossing Italy's line.

"Happy with five points, we probably needed a bit more points difference," Sheehan told ITV.

Gonzalo Quesada's Italy side finished fifth in the table with five points, two points above Wales.

"We were not all that far away off getting a win which would have been incredible but at the same time there's a lot of which we can be proud," said Quesada.

Steve Borthwick backed England captain Maro Itoje to lead the British and Irish Lions in Australia after his side ended their Six Nations campaign with a 68-14 hammering of Wales.

Victory wasn't enough to give England their first Six Nations title in five years, with Borthwick's men finishing runners-up after France were crowned champions following a 35-16 defeat of Scotland in Paris in the final match of the tournament on Saturday.

England ran in 10 tries against a woeful Wales in Cardiff, with Saracens lock Itoje opening the scoring in just the third minute as the Red Rose brigade, who won four of their five games following a first-round loss away to defending champions Ireland, ended their Six Nations in superb style.

We end our #GuinnessM6N campaign with a win 🌹#WALvENG pic.twitter.com/utB4LzPlsS

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) March 15, 2025

"I think Maro has been absolutely outstanding," said England coach Borthwick. "He leads by example every day, and he's stepped up his game. He's improved in many areas this campaign and set an example. He's an experienced player at test level and Lions level."

Ireland coach Andy Farrell has been seconded to take charge of the Lions for a tour of Australia featuring three tests against the Wallabies in July and August.

Another clinical finish from Chandler Cunningham-South 👊#WALvENG | #GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/JHDLyQpQtR

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) March 15, 2025

Farrell is due to name his squad on May 8, with former England captain Borthwick saying: "I've got full confidence in Maro's ability to lead the Lions should Andy ask him."

BOOST TO LION'S PROSPECT

Several other players did their Lions prospects no harm at the Principality Stadium, with flanker Ben Curry impressive in a back row featuring twin brother Tom as England outmuscled Wales, finishing bottom of the championship table two years in a row for the first time, to pile up a record score against their border rivals.

Tom Roebuck, Tommy Freeman – whose try on Saturday meant he scored one in every round of the tournament – Chandler Cunningham-South and Will Stuart followed Itoje's lead in a first half that ended with England all but out of sight at 33-7.

The support line from Henry Pollock 👌#WALvENG | #GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/VUmzxDUCVJ

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) March 15, 2025

England added five more in the second half, with scrum-half Alex Mitchell, debutant replacement Henry Pollock (twice), Joe Heyes and Cunningham-South again all crossing Wales' line.

"The next thing for these players is that hopefully a lot of them will get picked for the Lions," said Borthwick. "It was Kevin Sinfield (England's skills and kicking coach) who proposed that part of our role is to get as many of them on that plane as possible.

"Our job is to help them do that and hopefully there will be a lot of England players heading Down Under in a couple of months' time on that Lions plane."

Thank you for joining us today, Your Royal Highness 🌹@KensingtonRoyal pic.twitter.com/6gVn5ZRZIo

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) March 15, 2025

England may have inflicted Wales' 17th straight test defeat but few forecasted a victory by 54 points.

"I wanted the players to play big and fast, aggressive with the ball and that's exactly what they did," said Borthwick.

"That's a sign that this young team just embraces challenges and it is growing and developing fast... We were just falling short before of getting those actual wins but the team has stuck to the process."

France beat Scotland 35-16 at the Stade de France on Saturday to become Six Nations champions.

We look at three takeaways from the French team's decisive win that sealed a first championship title since 2022.

RECORD SETTERS

Thomas Ramos scored a try and kicked three penalties and three conversions to take his test match tally from 430 points to 450.

It installed Ramos as France's record point scorer, the Toulouse full-back surpassing Frederic Michalak's previous France best of 436.

Winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey has been directly involved in 13 tries overall in this Six Nations (eight tries, five assists), becoming the first player to reach double figures for try involvements in a single edition of the championship.

Bielle-Biarrey's record eighth try against the Scots moved him ahead of Ireland's Jacob Stockdale, who scored seven tries in the 2018 championship.

He becomes only the third player to have scored in all five rounds of a campaign after France's Philippe Bernat-Salles in 2001 and England's Tommy Freeman in this edition.

There was no such luck for fellow winger Damian Penaud, however, who is still level with Serge Blanco as Les Bleus' all-time top try scorer in test rugby (38).

France also went into the match having scored 26 tries. The four touchdowns on Saturday saw them finish on 30, bettering England's best of 29 scored when they won the 2001 Six Nations title.

7-1 SPLIT, THE NEW BENCH

Coach Fabien Galthie gave his 'Bomb Squad' a successful run-out against Italy (73-23), something that was confirmed in a record score over Ireland (42-27).

Echoing Rassie Erasmus' tactic with the two-time world champion Springboks, Galthie plumped for a split of seven forwards and just one back on the bench.

When skipper Antoine Dupont went off injured in the first half against Ireland, Maxime Lucu took his place, but flanker Oscar Jegou was forced to play – very successfully – in the centre.

"It's simply a performance-based team selection," Galthie said.

Against Scotland, Galthie made six forward changes within the first five minutes of the second half, and the replacements made their game time count, the giant Emmanuel Meafou at the heart of a maul that rolled 15 metres into Scottish territory and eventually saw Ramos cross for a try.

LIONS CONTENDERS

Full-back Blair Kinghorn and fly-half Finn Russell underlined their credentials as likely shoo-ins for inclusion in the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia in the summer.

Kinghorn has been in consummate form for Toulouse and has carried that over to the international arena. A gifted attacker, he enjoyed one scything run to split a ragged French defence.

He ends the tournament in the knowledge that he carried more than any other Scotland player in an edition of the Six Nations.

Russell provided a perfect inside pass for Darcy Graham's try and was instrumental in trying to get his side back into the game as it slipped away in the second-half.

Russell is many pundits' choice as starting Lions fly-half and coach Andy Farrell will no doubt have him on the plane, with competition expected from the Ireland pair of Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley, and English veteran George Ford.

France full-back Thomas Ramos scored 20 points as France bulldozed Scotland 35-16 on Saturday in Paris to claim the Six Nations title.

After England's record 68-14 rout of Wales earlier in the day in Cardiff, Les Bleus needed to beat the visitors at the Stade de France and did so with a four-try, bonus-point victory.

Ramos' haul included a try as part of a 19-point blitz in 20 minutes just after the interval which sealed France's second championship in four years, but they missed out on the Grand Slam after their round two loss at England.

🏆 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐒𝐢𝐱 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 🤩

🇫🇷 @FranceRugby 🇫🇷#GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/M1yVPfJZvn

— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 15, 2025

"What we wanted to do tonight was to lift the trophy and it's job done," France captain Gregory Alldritt told France Televisions.

"We've had painful experiences in the past, and these moments you have to make the most of them," he added after France finished second four times in six editions of the tournament.

Scotland finished fourth in the table after a third loss in this year's tournament despite some encouraging displays from their British and Irish Lions hopefuls, including full-back Blair Kinghorn and fly-half Finn Russell.

France coach Fabien Galthie was forced into two changes from last weekend's huge victory over holders Ireland as scrum-half Maxime Lucu and centre Gael Fickou came in for the injured Antoine Dupont and Pierre-Louis Barassi.

Gaël Fickou 🤝 Yoram Moefana

The French centres are causing once again 💣

📺 Stream #GuinnessM6N on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/xvm3NjIjov

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 15, 2025

Scotland's Gregor Townsend also made a couple of alterations with lock Gregor Brown making his first Six Nations debut and Matt Fagerson in at No 8 from last Saturday’s nervy win over Wales.

The biggest cheer from the expectant crowd in the opening 10 minutes was when France talisman Dupont appeared on the stadium’s big screen, a week on from suffering a serious knee injury against Ireland.

France controlled the opening quarter to lead 10-0 thanks to a Moefana try sandwiched between a Ramos penalty and conversion, with the seven-pointer coming with Scotland flanker Jamie Ritchie in the sin bin.

It's a bonus point victory for France as they win the 2025 #GuinnessM6N 🥳🇫🇷#SSRugby pic.twitter.com/qxMyvdNVzP

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 15, 2025

By the 25-minute mark, the hosts were down a man themselves as hooker Peato Mauvaka was yellow carded for a headbutt on scrum-half Ben White, tipped as a member of Scotland’s talented backline to be part of this summer’s Lions squad touring Australia.

RECORD-BREAKER RAMOS

Russell cut the deficit before Ramos reinstated the 10-point advantage to make it 13-3, which moved him ahead of Frederic Michalak on 436 points as Les Bleus' all-time leading points scorer.

With Mauvaka off, Russell found his groove with the visitors on the up, to set up winger Darcy Graham.

The maverick playmaker’s conversion made it 13-10 with half an hour played.

Mauvaka returned only to cross paths with prop Jean-Baptiste Gros, who was sent to the bin before Russell brought the sides level with a penalty.

Ramos re-established the three-point lead three minutes from the interval but Scotland ended the half the better and were denied the lead, as Kinghorn’s foot was adjudged to be in touch in the build-up to Tom Jordan’s try.

Thomas Ramos scores the try to seal the #GuinnessM6N for the French 🇫🇷🏆

The home side lead 35-16 with less than five minutes to play 🔥

📺 Stream #GuinnessM6N on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/QkM7RQTVkg

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 15, 2025

Just after the break, France put Scotland’s hopes to bed as home winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored a record-equalling eighth try in one campaign of the Six or Five Nations, benefitting from a Graham knock-on.

Ramos added the extras to make it a 10-point game with 35 minutes left before Galthie introduced five from an unusual seven forwards on the bench.

The changes among the pack had the desired effect as a dominant rolling maul led to Ramos strolling over just before the hour mark.

His sixth successful kick at goal made it 30-16, with no way back for Townsend's tiring team, and sent the jubilant home fans in full voice with a mid-game rendition of La Marseillaise.

A second try from Moefana, again from a Fickou pass in the final quarter made sure of victory and the title, a seventh Six Nations championship success for France.

Wales will need to move on quickly from their humiliating 68-14 Six Nations loss to England in Cardiff on Saturday, according to interim coach Matt Sherratt, after a new low for a side who have plumbed the depths over the last 18 months.

A record 17th loss in a row for the Welsh was also their heaviest defeat in Cardiff, their biggest Six Nations loss and the most points they have conceded against old rivals England.

"The players are gutted. It was a tough game. Give credit to England, they’ve been good," a rueful Sherratt said following his final game in charge before Wales appoint a permanent coach.

Asked if he would like to continue in the role permanently after replacing Warren Gatland, his answer was a firm no.

"There’s no point going into any detail. More for the players if I’m honest. I’ve been here three weeks, so it’s not about me. It’s them I feel for," Sherratt said.

Wales had put in improved performances in a 27-18 loss to Ireland and a 35-29 defeat by Scotland, but were routed by England as the visitors scored 10 tries.

"It looked like a game too many," Sherratt said. "It’s been a long eight weeks (of the Six Nations) and it’s been emotional. Little things didn’t go our way and it opened up some wounds.

"They’re good lads. I think they just need some support. There’s going to be some fresh appointments. Today is disappointing. It’s devastating for the players."

Wales were bullied by a rampant England, who displayed all the attributes their hosts lacked – a power game, tenacity and the ability to create chances with ball in hand.

"Maybe as a nation we need to have better ball movement," Sherratt said. "You can’t coach power, but you can coach players to be faster. I'm gutted they couldn’t get a win. I came in to help the playing group. They deserve a win.

"I just spoke to (England coach) Steve Borthwick on the pitch. In his first Six Nations, they lost to France by 50 points.

"There’s no point talking about learnings. There’s a reset going on. The next camp has to feel fresh for the players."

France faced a win-or-bust Six Nations showdown against Scotland in Paris on Saturday after England routed sorry Wales to send the title battle down to the wire.

England scored 10 tries in a record 68-14 bonus-point triumph in Cardiff to move top of the table with 20 points, four ahead of the French.

France must now defeat Scotland in the concluding game of the tournament to wrap up the title, their first since romping to the Grand Slam in 2022.

Ireland's hopes of wrapping up a third successive Six Nations ended despite defeating Italy 22-17 in Rome in the day's opening match.

"We've been building towards this, each game we've shown a different side to us, we're just happy to finish it well," said England captain Maro Itoje.

England had their match in Wales all but wrapped up at halftime after scoring five tries to lead 33-7 at the break.

Itoje opened the scoring as early as the third minute, with Tom Roebuck, Tommy Freeman, Chandler Cunningham-South and Will Stuart all following the skipper's lead.

Scrum-half Alex Mitchell, debutant Henry Pollock, with two of his own, Joe Heyes and Cunningham-South again added five more tries between them in the second half.

That allowed England to surpass their previous record Six Nations winning margin over Wales of 40 points set during a 50-10 success at Twickenham in 2006.

For Wales, their 17th successive test defeat represented an unwanted record for a Tier One country in the professional era.

Their 11th straight championship loss meant they had finished with back-to-back wooden spoons for the first time.

"It was a tough game. We are gutted with the result but full credit to England, they were brilliant today and clinical when they had that ball," said Wales skipper Jac Morgan.

'GAME-PLAN WORKED WELL'

In Rome, Italy took the lead at the Stadio Olimpico through Monty Ioane's 12th-minute try but the Azzurri played more than half the match at least a man down after Michele Lamoro and Giacomo Nicotera were yellow-carded, while No 8 Ross Vintcent was shown a 20th-minute red card for a head-on-head challenge.

Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan scored a hat-trick of tries, with full-back Hugo Keenan also crossing Italy's line.

"Happy with five points, we probably needed a bit more points difference," Sheehan told ITV.

"Fair play to Italy, I thought their game-plan worked well and they put us under pressure."

Since being edged out 26-25 by England at Twickenham, France have been in commanding form.

Even the early loss through injury of captain Antoine Dupont in last weekend's 42-27 win over Ireland in Dublin failed to derail their progress.

Stand-in skipper Gregory Alldritt said Dupont's absence this weekend had "changed nothing" in terms of the team's overall approach.

"We're at the end of a Six Nations, the system has been in place since the start," Alldritt told reporters on Friday. "We've continued with what we've been working on for seven weeks."

The No 8 added: "We've progressed little by little. We've matured, become more consistent and I hope we'll prove that once again on Saturday night."

Scotland co-captain Finn Russell, who spent five years playing for Paris-based club Racing 92, is well aware of the task facing his side.

"They (France) have got everything to play for," said the fly-half. "Hopefully, we can disrupt it. I know it's going to be a massive challenge."

England kept their Six Nations hopes alive with a crushing 10-try, 68-14 bonus-point win over sorry Wales, piling the pressure on France who must now defeat Scotland in Paris later on Saturday to claim the title.

England had the match all but wrapped up at halftime after scoring five tries to lead 33-7 at the break.

England captain Maro Itoje opened the scoring as early as the third minute, with Tom Roebuck, Tommy Freeman, Chandler Cunningham-South and Will Stuart all following the skipper's lead.

Scrum-half Alex Mitchell, 20-year-old debutant replacement Henry Pollock, with two of his own, Joe Heyes and Cunningham-South again added five more tries between them in the second half.

England wrap their #GuinnessM6N campaign up in style 👏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/LdHU3VMJOP

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 15, 2025

That allowed England to surpass their previous record Six Nations winning margin over Wales of 40 points set during a 50-10 success at Twickenham in 2006.

Freeman's effort meant he equalled France wing Philippe Bernat-Salles' 2001 record of scoring a try in every round of the Six Nations.

For Wales, their 17th successive test defeat represented an unwanted record for a Tier One country in the professional era.

Their 11th straight championship loss meant they had finished with back-to-back wooden spoons for the first time in the history of a proud rugby nation.

England are cruising against Wales in Cardiff 😤

Tommy Freeman coasts over for another try 👇

📺 Stream #GuinnessM6N on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/B5CgnqgAdA

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 15, 2025

It was not the way interim Wales coach Matt Sherratt would have wanted to wrap up his three-game caretaker spell after taking over mid-tournament following the end of Warren Gatland's unsuccessful second stint in charge.

Itoje had spoken in the build-up about the need to "start well" and "really take the game to Wales".

The lock forward was as good as his word under the closed roof of a raucous Principality Stadium.

England kicked a penalty to the corner and, following a couple of line-out drives, Itoje dived over from a ruck as Wales were caught napping. Fly-half Fin Smith converted and England led 7-0.

Wales full-back Blair Murray sprinted in five minutes later but his try was disallowed after scrum-half Tomos Williams was offside in the build-up.

But there was no stopping a powerful England and Roebuck marked his first test start with a 10th-minute try when the wing shook off the diminutive Murray to go in at the right corner.

Fin Smith added the difficult conversion and England were 14-0 ahead.

Murray, however, almost broke clear for a try after chipping ahead only for England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie to bring him down with a brilliant tap-tackle.

Wales did cut the deficit in the 31st minute when, following an attacking line-out off a penalty, Williams' pass sent in centre Ben Thomas for a try converted by Gareth Anscombe.

Just three minutes later, England pulled clear again.

SLICK 40 MINUTES

Fly-half Anscombe's clearing kick was charged down and England worked out the ball back to Fin Smith before Freeman went over.

✅- Ireland ☘️
✅- France 🇫🇷
✅- Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
✅- Italy 🇮🇹
✅- Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Tommy Freeman has scored against ALL his opponents in the 2025 #GuinnessM6N 👏👏

📺 Stream #GuinnessM6N on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNho4A4 pic.twitter.com/ckamHCnsO3

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 15, 2025

England, in arguably the slickest 40 minutes of coach Steve Borthwick's reign, still had time to score two more tries before the interval.

The little inside ball by George Ford is too good 🤩✨

England put the pressure on France with an emphatic win in Cardiff 👏👏#GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/lviUIeJLvz

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 15, 2025

Wales were once more out-muscled at the breakdown with Cunningham-South, on as a replacement for the injured Ollie Chessum, twice involved before he finished for the four-try bonus point.

England, with flanker Ben Curry outstanding, crossed Wales' line again as prop Will Stuart celebrated his 50th cap with only his third test try.

Fin Smith then missed his first conversion in five attempts – the only blemish in a dominant first-half display by England.

Wales rallied at the start of the second half but it was England who scored next when Mitchell, seizing on a loose ball, kicked ahead for the visitors' sixth try.

Pollock and Heyes cemented England's grip on the game before Thomas scored his second try of the match only for Cunningham-South to have the last word late on.

Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada was angry at his side’s self-inflicted wounds in their 22-17 loss to Ireland in the Six Nations on Saturday after two yellow cards and a red for the hosts left them outnumbered for much of the game.

Italy were brave in defence and had incisive moments in attack, but endured a 20-minute red card for Ross Vintcent and yellows for Michele Lamaro and Giacomo Nicotera, in a display that lacked discipline and caused the hosts to play for more than half an hour with 14 players.

"Reality says we could have won and so we are very disappointed that we did not succeed," Quesada said.

"I'm very angry, before coming to speak (to the media) I had to calm down. I told the team that this scenario could present itself and that we would have to be ready to take it.

"If we had done a few minutes less with 14 (players, we could have won). But the cards are there. It's still a good Six Nations, but it could have ended in an incredible way."

'HEART AND CHARACTER'

Italy stretched Ireland on several occasions but in defence were short of numbers that allowed the visitors to score soft tries, including two from driving mauls.

"We are proud of our game, 15 against 15 we dominated for long stretches, we played much better than the last two games,” Quesada said.

"We made this Ireland side, who came here to win the Six Nations, look like a normal team, putting heart and character on the field.

"I'm disappointed not to have won, today remains a bad feeling, but I'm sure that with a cool head, we will be able to turn it into a positive moment of growth."

Italy finished the Six Nations with five points from their five matches, their single win a 22-15 victory in Wales.

Reigning champions Ireland were left to watch and wait to see if they would win an unprecedented third successive Six Nations title after fulfilling their part of the bargain with a hard-fought, bonus-point 22-17 victory away to Italy.

Success in the opening match of the championship's concluding Super Saturday took Ireland top of the table on 19 points, three points clear of France and four ahead of England.

Italy took the lead at the Stadio Olimpico through Monty Ioane's 12th-minute try but the Azzurri played more than half the match at least a man down after Michele Lamoro and Giacomo Nicotera were yellow-carded, while No 8 Ross Vintcent was shown a 20th-minute red card for a head-on-head challenge.

Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan scored a hat-trick of tries, with full-back Hugo Keenan also crossing Italy's line.

"Happy with five points, we probably needed a bit more points difference," Sheehan told ITV.

"Fair play to Italy, I thought their game-plan worked well and they put us under pressure. We got five points and it's up to the other teams now."

The destiny of the title does indeed remain in France's hands.

A bonus-point victory at home to Scotland will be enough to take France to 21 points, with 20 the most England can manage if they beat Wales heavily in Cardiff in the second game of the day.

Another factor in favour of France, who scuppered Ireland's bid for a Grand Slam with a dominant 42-27 win in Dublin last weekend, is they are currently 86 points better off than England on points difference.

The only surprise is that after three thumping wins – including 43-0 and 73-24 routs of Wales and Italy – France are not on course for a Grand Slam of their own.

That dream died with an error-strewn display in a 26-25 second-round loss away to England, when France squandered several clear try-scoring opportunities.

But they have been in commanding form since that Twickenham reverse and even the loss early on against Ireland of inspirational captain Antoine Dupont to a knee injury that has ruled the outstanding scrum-half out of the Scotland game failed to derail their progress.

'MATURING FRANCE'

Stand-in skipper Gregory Alldritt said Dupont's absence this weekend had "changed nothing" in terms of the team's overall approach.

"We're at the end of a Six Nations, the system has been in place since the start," Alldritt told reporters on Friday. "We've continued with what we've been working on for seven weeks."

The No 8 added: "We've progressed little by little. We've matured, become more consistent and I hope we'll prove that once again on Saturday night."

Scotland co-captain Finn Russell, who spent five years playing for Paris-based club Racing 92, is well aware of the task facing his side.

"They (France) have got everything to play for," said the fly-half. "Hopefully, we can disrupt it. I know it's going to be a massive challenge tomorrow night."

England will be favourites to beat a Wales side on a 16-test losing streak.

'AGGRESSIVE'

But they would not be the first Red Rose team to be undone by the raucous atmosphere of a capacity Principality Stadium crowd, with England captain Maro Itoje saying it is vital his side hit the ground running.

"Whenever you play Wales, but particularly in Cardiff, you need to be aggressive," Itoje said.

The 30-year-old lock, a veteran of 92 England caps added: "The atmosphere is obviously great, it is a stadium you want to play in and I don't see it as intimidating at all...I have played very badly in Cardiff. I have played well in Cardiff, so I draw on all of those experiences."

Saturday's match will be Matt Sherratt's third and last as caretaker Wales boss since the Englishman took over mid-tournament following the end of Warren Gatland's unsuccessful second stint in charge.

Hooker Dan Sheehan scored a hat-trick of tries as champions Ireland laboured to a 22-17 bonus-point victory over hosts Italy on Saturday to move top of the Six Nations table and retain a chance of winning the title.

Ireland have 19 points from five matches, having completed their campaign with four victories, and must now hope Wales upset England in Cardiff and Scotland beat France in Paris later on Saturday to claim a third Six Nations crown in a row.

Fullback Hugo Keenan also crossed for a try as Ireland failed to finish numerous other entries into the Italy 22 in a scrappy display that was a last in international rugby for retiring loose-forward Peter O'Mahony and scrumhalf Conor Murray.

Ireland take the victory in Rome 😮‍💨#GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/hPpcpL8Xdn

— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 15, 2025

Italy played for half an hour with 14 players after yellow cards for Michele Lamaro and Giacomo Nicotera, and a 20-minute red for Ross Vintcent, but managed tries through winger Monty Ioane and scrumhalf Stephen Varney in a spirited end to their campaign.

It was job done for Ireland with their five-point haul, but as with much of this Six Nations campaign under stand-in coach Simon Easterby, the performance was far from convincing.

Italy were much improved on what has gone before in this campaign and will avoid the wooden spoon if Wales do not get two points from their fixture against England.

Italy made the game’s first score as flyhalf Paolo Garbisi’s perfect grubber kick sat up for Ioane to gather and cross in the corner.

Italy strike first with an exceptional team try 👏👏

📺 Stream #GuinnessM6N on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/y4fuZ7LCO0

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 15, 2025

Ireland prop Finlay Bealham had a try disallowed for a double movement but the visitors did register a first score with a simple backline move from a five-metre scrum that sent Keenan over the tryline.

Italy lost three forwards inside the opening half-hour as lock Dino Lamb, No 8 Lorenzo Cannone and flanker Sebastian Negri all limped out of the match.

Tommaso Allan’s long-range penalty gave Italy the advantage again, but Ireland led 12-10 at halftime as, after Lamaro’s deliberate knock-down at a ruck and subsequent yellow card, the visitors mauled their way over for Sheehan to score.

Ireland camped in the Italian 22 at the start of the second period and were rewarded with a second score that was a carbon copy of their first as Sheehan was at the back of a rolling maul.

Vintcent received a yellow card, later upgraded to a 20-minute red on bunker review, for head-on-head contact with Keenan as the replacement flanker was too upright in the tackle.

Sheehan scored his third try when he collected Mack Hansen’s tap-back from a Jamison Gibson-Park kick to complete his hat-trick.

Dan Sheehan scores a hat-trick to keep Ireland's hopes of winning the #GuinnessM6N alive ☘️🏉

📺 Stream #GuinnessM6N on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/tq12ChXmvU

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) March 15, 2025

Ireland should have been out of sight, but Jack Crowley’s three missed conversions kept their hosts in the game.

And when Varney scored Italy's second converted try following a brilliant break from Ange Capuozzo, the gap on the scoreboard was only five points with 18 minutes remaining but Ireland hung on for the win.

France head into Saturday's final round of the Six Nations knowing the title is theirs to lose.

They were in sublime form during a crushing 42-27 defeat of double defending champions Ireland in Dublin last weekend, a win that left France a point clear of second-placed England at the top of the table.

France's match at home to Scotland is the last of the tournament's concluding 'Super Saturday' and, regardless of results elsewhere, a bonus-point win would seal Les Bleus' first Six Nations title in three years as it would take them to 21 points, with 20 the most England can manage if they beat Wales heavily in Cardiff.

🔥 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐮 #𝐒𝐢𝐱𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 – 𝐉𝟒 🇫🇷

💪 En tête à un match de la fin, nos Bleus se donnent l'opportunité de jouer 𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐞 contre l'écosse samedi au @StadeFrance ! 🙌🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿#XVdeFrance #NeFaisonsXV #SixNations pic.twitter.com/g4ueOpF23v

— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) March 10, 2025

Another factor in France's favour is they are currently 86 points better off than England on points difference.

The only surprise is that after three thumping wins – including 43-0 and 73-24 routs of Wales and Italy – France are not on course for a Grand Slam.

🇫🇷🔥 Demain, on aura besoin de vous !
💙🤍❤️ Tous 𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐄 !#XVdeFrance #NeFaisonsXV #ECOFRA pic.twitter.com/xKBWfCgOgX

— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) March 14, 2025

That dream, however, died with an error-strewn display in a 26-25 second-round loss away to England, when France squandered several clear try-scoring opportunities.

But they have been in dominant form since that Twickenham reverse and even the loss early on against Ireland of inspirational captain Antoine Dupont to a knee injury that has ruled the outstanding scrum-half out of the Scotland game failed to derail their progress.

'MATURING FRANCE' -

Stand-in skipper Gregory Alldritt said Dupont's absence this weekend had "changed nothing" in terms of the team's overall approach.

"We're at the end of a Six Nations, the system has been in place since the start," Alldritt told reporters on Friday. "We've continued with what we've been working on for seven weeks."

The No 8 added: "We've progressed little by little. We've matured, become more consistent and I hope we'll prove that once again tomorrow (Saturday) night."

Scotland co-captain Finn Russell, who spent five years playing for Paris-based club Racing 92, is well aware of the task facing his side.

"They (France) have got everything to play for," said the fly-half. "Hopefully, we can disrupt it. I know it's going to be a massive challenge tomorrow night."

England will be favourites to beat a Wales side on a 16-test losing streak.

💪🔥 C'est parti pour notre dernier 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐑𝐮𝐧 du @SixNations_FR 2025 !
🏠🇫🇷 À la maison, au @StadeFrance !#XVdeFrance #NeFaisonsXV #FRAECO pic.twitter.com/EkjvGYqnpN

— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) March 14, 2025

But they would not be the first Red Rose team to be undone by the raucous atmosphere of a capacity Principality Stadium crowd, with England captain Maro Itoje saying it is vital his side hit the ground running.

"Whenever you play Wales, but particularly in Cardiff, you need to be aggressive," Itoje said. "You want to start the game well and really take the game to Wales."

The 30-year-old lock, a veteran of 92 England caps added: "The atmosphere is obviously great, it is a stadium you want to play in and I don't see it as intimidating at all...I have played very badly in Cardiff. I have played well in Cardiff, so I draw on all of those experiences."

🇫🇷🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Rendez-vous 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢 au @StadeFrance !

🔵⚪️🔴 On aura besoin 𝐝𝐞 𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐬 ! 💪#FRAECO #XVdeFrance #NeFaisonsXV pic.twitter.com/Xf6eM7bSu1

— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) March 13, 2025

Saturday's match will be Matt Sherratt's third and last as caretaker Wales boss since the Englishman took over mid-tournament following the end of Warren Gatland's unsuccessful second stint in charge.

"The occasion takes care of itself," said Wales back-row Aaron Wainwright. "For us, we spoke a bit about ending these three games that 'Jockey' (Sherratt) has come in on on a high."

Ireland, two points behind leaders France, can still win an unprecedented third successive Six Nations title if they beat Italy in Saturday's Rome opener and other results go their way.

"Who knows?," said interim Ireland coach Simon Easterby. "There's a chance and we just need to make sure we've prepared in the right way this week against a really good Italian team."

Matt Sherratt believes Wales will benefit from having "someone fresh to come in" as head coach after his three-game stint at the helm ends following Saturday's Six Nations finale with England.

Cardiff boss Sherratt was parachuted into the Wales position on an interim basis mid-tournament after a dire defeat by Italy signalled the end of Warren Gatland's unsuccessful second spell in charge.

Results under Sherratt have yet to improve as Wales go into their Cardiff clash with arch-rivals England on a national record 16-test losing streak.

Performances in defeats by Ireland and Scotland have at least revealed green shoots of a potential recovery.

And should Wales upset the odds to defeat Six Nations title-contenders England, pressure will grow on the Welsh Rugby Union to appoint the 47-year-old Englishman on a fulltime basis.

But Sherratt, born in Gloucester to an English father and a mother from the Welsh valleys town of Tredegar, expects to return to his day job at Cardiff regardless of Saturday's result.

"My instinct is that it needs someone fresh to come in (to the Wales role). And probably where I am as a coach – I have been a head coach for 18 months.

"I have always been pretty self-aware in terms of where I am in my development, and I feel I need a bit more time in the saddle as a head coach at club level."

'WE WILL GET OVER THE LINE'

Sherratt's first game in charge of Wales saw Ireland given a huge scare before the double-defending champions prevailed 27-18 at the Principality Stadium following a fine display of attacking rugby by the home side.

Wales then demonstrated commendable grit when, having fallen 35-8 behind away to Scotland last weekend, they rallied late on before going down 35-29 at Murrayfield.

"I said to the group after Ireland, I think we've just got to be in the hunt at the end (of games)," recalled Sherratt.

"I've said to the players not to worry about the end result. If we can be in the fight at 70-75 minutes, at some stage we will get over the line," he added, with Wales trying to avoid a second straight wooden spoon after finishing bottom of last season's Six Nations standings.

England will kick-off on Saturday knowing their clearest route to a first Six Nations title in five years is to beat Wales with a bonus point and then hope Scotland beat tournament favourites France in Paris.

Sherratt, reflecting on his Anglo-Welsh ancestry, said: "I used to have to sit between my mum and dad to split them up! And then I would switch sides, depending on who won.

The Wales boss added: "He (Sherratt's father) is going to the game on Saturday, and I've managed to change him I think (from England to Wales). I don't know how long for, but definitely for this weekend.

"I have worked in Wales for so long, and I have got so much familiarity with a lot of the Welsh players – probably three-quarters of the squad I have coached before and have personal relationships with – so I am more interested in that than what country I was born in."