Ireland head coach Andy Farrell says Jacob Stockdale "deserves" to start against France in the Six Nations opener in Paris on Thursday night.

Tommy Freeman knows an 11-match winning run brings expectation but Saints star is keen to thrive under pressureEngland will embrace the expectation surrounding their bid to end the wait for a Six Nations title, according to Tommy Freeman, who has vowed that Steve Borthwick’s side will “have a bit of swagger” during the Championship.Accusations of English arrogance, particularly from their Six Nations rivals, are nothing new but the best England sides in the competition’s history have not wanted for self-belief and Freeman admits they intend to puff out their chests as they look to continue their 11-match winning streak. Continue reading...

Wales flanker Alex Mann says he likes to try and get under the skin of the opposition as he prepares to face England in Saturday's Six Nations opener.

Ireland hooker Dan Sheehan says there is "confidence" in the players still available for Thursday's opening Six Nations match against France in Paris.

In the professional era, there is a common denominator that suggests France and Ireland might be worth backingAll that performance data, all those fixture permutations. All the gym sessions and marginal selections. Not to mention all those finger-in-the-wind tournament previews. But what if identifying the winner of the 2026 Six Nations basically involves overlooking all of that – and is shaped by an underlying factor so simple that it is staring everybody in the face?Interested in finding out what this magic bullet might be? OK, here goes. Without cheating (or consulting your new friend Monsieur AI), spot the common link in the following sequence of years: 2022, 2018, 2014, 2010, 2006, 2002, 1998, 1994, 1990, 1984, 1981, 1978, 1975, 1972, 1969 and 1967? Tricky, isn’t it? Even years, odd years, irregular gaps … if you were a statistician seeking a mathematical pattern you would be sat there gazing at the numbers for a long time. Continue reading...

Chris chats to Tommy Freeman and Fraser Dingwall who start in the midfield against Wales.

To help get you in the Six Nations mood, solve these anagrams to reveal twelve players hoping to make an impact over the next six weeks.

Prop Jeremy Loughman will make his first Ireland appearance in two years against France in the opening game of the 2026 Six Nations on Thursday but there is no place in the starting team for James Lowe, James Ryan or Tadhg Furlong.

Coaches may need to call on more players and there might be fewer underdog stories as a new Six Nations schedule is launched.

England's 21-year-old back row is comfortable with his love-hate relationship with rugby fans.

England and Wales will face each other in a potential pool decider at the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup on 16 October in Sydney.

Hosts’ big clash with All Blacks on second weekendEngland will begin against Tonga in BrisbaneThe 2027 World Cup will get off to a low-key start with Australia kicking off against Hong Kong after the organisers opted against beginning the tournament with the Wallabies’ blockbuster pool fixture against New Zealand. When Australia were drawn in the same pool as their arch-rivals in December it was widely expected that such a mouth-watering fixture would raise the curtain on the tournament.But with the first match taking place on Australia’s west coast in Perth on 1 October, organisers have opted to pit Hong Kong – competing at their first World Cup – against the Wallabies in what is sure to be a one-sided affair. The opening weekend of the tournament features just one fixture involving two tier one nations – South Africa against Italy. Continue reading...

Wales and England will renew a 145-year rivalry on Saturday in their opening Six Nations game.

Itoje missed start of camp to attend mother’s funeralArundell makes first England start in three years on wingJamie George will captain England in their Six Nations opener against Wales on Saturday with Maro Itoje named on the bench while Henry Arundell has been selected for a first start in three years.Itoje missed the start of England’s training camp in Girona to attend his mother’s funeral in Nigeria and Steve Borthwick has opted to name the second row among the replacements. Itoje has a remarkable record of appearing in every minute of England’s matches for the last six Six Nations campaigns but Alex Coles and Ollie Chessum assume second-row duties against Wales. Continue reading...