The dust has barely settled on the men’s equivalent than the 2025 edition of the Women’s Six Nations swings into action with the first round of games this coming weekend.
Ireland start the tournament against France at Kingspan Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 1pm) with what already looks like something of a defining game.
Ireland approach this game in an altogether different frame of mind compared to last season’s trip to Le Havre, but to improve on 2024’s third-place finish they probably need to beat France on Saturday.
That is still a tall order as Les Bleus have been second to England in each of the last five championships and have not lost to any of the other teams.
The tournament will run over six weeks and may likely end with a final day Grand Slam shoot-out between England and France at Twickenham.
This championship also takes place in the context of England hosting the World Cup later this year.
Team by Team guide
England
Championship record: 20 titles (18 Grand Slams)
World ranking: First
Probably no team in the world sport is as dominant as England in the Women’s Six Nations. Since their 18-17 loss to France on March 10th, 2018 they have won 29 matches in a row. This has effectively included five Grand Slam in succession, with the asterisk of the Covid-impacted three-game championship they won in 2021.
John Mitchell’s side are currently on a 20-game winning run and added a second WXV1 title to their roll of honour in October with a 21-12 win over Canada, who had earlier taken comprehensive wins over France and Ireland.
Lock Zoe Aldcroft has taken over the captaincy from Saracens flanker Marlie Packer, who is still hugely influential. World Player of the Year Ellie Kildunne remains the star having ended last season’s championship as both the top scorer in terms of points (45) and tries (nine).
They have been further strengthened by the return of dynamic scrumhalf Natasha Hunt and the emergence of Maud Muir, one of the game’s most exciting young frontrowers.
Forecast: First
France
Championship record: Six titles (five Grand Slams)
World ranking: Fourth
France are the last team to beat the Red Roses in the competition back in 2018, but although Les Bleus have finished runners-up in each of the last four campaigns they have lost their last 13 games against the reigning champions.
What’s more, there were signs that England’s five-try blitz in the first half of last season’s title shoot-out at a packed Stade Chaban Delmas may have left France with some psychological scars.
By their own high standards, France underperformed in WXV1 last year, losing to Canada and New Zealand either side over their 22-14 win over the USA.
In classically French style scrumhalf Pauline Bourdon Sansus is the heartbeat of a team that plays off their petite generale, while winger Marine Menager gives them X-factor, witness her two tries against England in that Bordeaux finale last season.
Forecast: Second
Ireland
Championship record: Two titles (one Grand Slam)
World ranking: Sixth
Compared to this time last year, Ireland have been utterly transformed and embark upon this Six Nations campaign with heightened expectations. Two seasons ago they finished with their first wooden spoon since 2004, thus compounding a painful failure to qualify for the last World Cup.
But all has changed with the IRFU’s much improved backing, the appointment of former England assistant coach Scott Bemand and serious support staff, coupled with the buy-in of the squad, the leadership of Edel McMahon and Sam Monaghan, the successful reintegration of the Sevens players and the emergence of new stars such as Aoife Wafer. The explosive Leinster backrower scored six tries in nine Tests last year and was named Ireland Women’s Player of the Year.
Ireland exceeded expectations with last season’s third-place finish to secure direct qualification for this year’s World Cup and the WXV1, in which they beat New Zealand and the USA to finish third.
Admittedly the schedule and other results fell kindly for Ireland last year and this year presents a tougher itinerary – the big two of France in Belfast and England in Cork coming either side of a tricky trip to Parma and finishing away to Scotland after a six-day turnaround from the Wales game.
Monaghan is also sidelined for the tournament while Béibhinn Parsons misses the start, but otherwise they are in good health, confident and entitled to aim high.
Forecast: Third
Scotland
Championship record: One title (one Grand Slam)
World ranking: Seventh
Scotland have become acute rivals of Ireland in recent times, their dramatic 20-18 World Cup-qualifying win in September 2021 underlined by the 36-10 win in 2023 which condemned Ireland to a wooden spoon.
As in 2022, Ireland won another tense final-day battle in Belfast last year thanks to Dannah O’Brien’s 73rd-minute penalty, but optimism is high in Scotland that they can secure a third-place finish for the first time since 2005.
Coach Bryan Easson has named nine uncapped players in his squad and Leicester Tigers centre Evie Willis returns after recovering from an ACL injury.
Fourth in each of the last two seasons, Scotland had been wooden spoonists in eight of the previous dozen Six Nations, and at last year’s WXV2 in Cape Town they beat Italy 19-0 and Japan 19-13 before losing 31-22 to Australia.
Forecast: Fourth
Italy
Championship record: Zero titles
World ranking: Eighth
Italy have also proven a thorn in Ireland’s side over the last couple of seasons, winning 24-7 in Parma two seasons ago and by 27-21 on a profoundly frustrating day for the home side at the RDS last season. Yet they have lost their other four matches in both Championships.
In last year’s WXV2 they recovered from an opening loss to Scotland by beating Wales and South Africa to finish third behind Australia and Scotland, yet the Italian Federation then decided to change head coach, installing Fabio Roselli in place of Giovanni Raineri.
Rosello has a nice easy one to begin with, away to champions England in York on Sunday.
The Italians carry a threat for all other opponents though, not least in their quick-footed, diminutive fullback Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi, who was ranked fourth for metres gained in last year’s Six Nations, and centre Beatrice Rigoni, whose strong carrying and vision make her an exceptionally good player.
Forecast: Fifth
Wales
Championship record: Zero titles
World ranking: 10th
After a dozen seasons of finishing in the bottom half, Wales secured third place in 2022 and 2023. However, they only redeemed last season’s campaign thanks to an entertaining, if slightly fortuitous, 22-20 win over Italy on the final day, although that was not sufficient to avoid another wooden spoon.
Wales then had an underwhelming WXV2, losing 37-5 to Australia and 8-5 to Italy before a 19-10 win over Japan earned them a fifth-place finish in the six-team pool after which Ioan Cunningham stood down as head coach in November.
Sean Lynn has been recruited from Gloucester-Hartpury where he and Welsh captain, hard-running centre Hannah Jones, have just won a third successive Premiership Women’s Rugby title.
Lynn’s appointment appears to have boosted interest, with more than 10,000 tickets already sold for England’s visit to the Principality Stadium on March 29th, breaking the previous home attendance record for the Welsh women’s team.
However, their destructive Gloucester-Hartpury prop Sisilia Tuipulotu, daughter of the former Tongan scrumhalf Sione, will miss the tournament due to a hamstring injury.
Forecast: Sixth
Women’s Six Nations fixtures
Round 1
Saturday, March 22nd
Ireland v France; Kingspan Stadium, Belfast, 1pm. Live on Virgin Media One and BBC Two Northern Ireland.
Scotland v Wales; Hive Stadium, Edinburgh, 4.45pm. Live on RTÉ Player and BBC Two.
Sunday, March 23rd
England v Italy; LNER Community Stadium, York, 3pm. Live on Virgin Media Two and BBC Two.
Round 2
Saturday, March 29th
France v Scotland; Stade Marcel-Deflandre, La Rochelle, 1pm. Live on Virgin Media Two and BBC iPlayer.
Wales v England; Principality Stadium, Cardiff, 4.45pm. Live on RTÉ Player and BBC Two.
Sunday, March 30th
Italy v Ireland; Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma, 3pm. Virgin Media One and BBC Two Northern Ireland.
Round 3
Saturday, April 12th
France v Wales; Stade Amedee-Domenech, Brive-la-Gaillarde, 1.45pm Irish time. Live on RTÉ Player and BBC Wales.
Ireland v England; Virgin Media Park, Cork, 4.45pm. Live on RTÉ 2 and BBC Two.
Sunday, April 13th
Scotland v Italy; Hive Stadium, Edinburgh, 3pm. Live on Virgin Media Two and BBC One Scotland.
Round 4
Saturday, April 19th
Italy v France; Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma, 1pm. Live on RTÉ Player and BBC iPlayer.
England v Scotland; Mattioli Woods Welford Road, Leicester, 4.45pm. Live on Virgin Media Two and BBC Two.
Sunday, April 20th
Wales v Ireland; Rodney Parade, Newport, 3pm. Live on RTÉ 2 and BBC One Wales.
Round 5
Saturday, April 26th
Italy v Wales; Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma, 12.15pm Irish time. Live on RTÉ Player and BBC One Wales.
Scotland v Ireland; Hive Stadium, Edinburgh. 2.30pm. Live on Virgin Media One and BBC One Scotland.
England v France; Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, 4.45pm. Live on RTÉ Player and BBC Two.
