England Aim for Eighth Consecutive Women's Six Nations Title
The Women's Six Nations tournament commences on Saturday, 11 April, with reigning world champions England pursuing their eighth consecutive title and a fifth straight Grand Slam.
The Red Roses will return to Allianz Stadium for the first time since their victory over Canada in the World Cup final last September, beginning their title defence against Ireland.
With captain Zoe Stratford expecting her first child, centre Meg Jones will assume captaincy duties for a team that holds a world record of 33 consecutive wins and remains unbeaten in the Six Nations since 2018.
England's campaign will conclude with a crucial away match against France, their main title contenders, in Bordeaux on Sunday, 17 May.
Ireland, captained by 22-year-old Erin King, have shown considerable development in recent years. Their back row star Aoife Wafer was named last year's Women's Six Nations player of the tournament.
Italy, led by veteran number eight Elisa Giordano, combine experienced players with newcomers as they aim to build on their fourth-place finish from last year.
Scotland, under the guidance of head coach Sione Fukofuka in his first Six Nations, seek to continue the progress demonstrated during their World Cup quarter-final run.
Wales, led solely by Kate Williams following Alex Callender's ankle injury, aim to end their losing streak in the championship and avoid finishing last.
Record Crowds Expected as Women's Rugby Grows
The sport is set to break several attendance records this year, building on the momentum from the World Cup.
Ticket sales for England's opening match have surpassed 70,000, surpassing the current Women's Six Nations attendance record of 58,498.
Wales will host Scotland at the Principality Stadium on the same day, aiming to exceed last year's attendance of 21,186 for Wales v England at the venue.
On 18 April, Scotland will host England at Murrayfield in their first game at the stadium, with ticket sales expected to break the Scottish record for a standalone women's sporting event, previously set at 18,555 during a 2019 women's football match against Jamaica.
Ireland will play Scotland in their first standalone Women's Six Nations fixture at the Aviva Stadium on 17 May, with over 14,000 tickets sold, setting a new attendance record.
France will host England at Bordeaux's Stade Atlantique, which holds 42,115 spectators, in what is anticipated to be the title-deciding match. Les Bleues aim to surpass their record attendance of 17,440 for a standalone match, set during the 2018 Six Nations win against England.
The total attendance for this year's tournament is projected to exceed last year's 151,506 spectators.
Jones on Red Roses Captaincy
'Me, but less weird' - Jones on Red Roses' captaincy
Other Notable Comments
'Treatment of Scotland players wasn't good enough'
New voices, new faces, big energy - Lynn's fresh Wales start
Nine uncapped players for Ireland but Costigan out
BBC Coverage of the Women's Six Nations
provides extensive free-to-air coverage of the Women's Six Nations across television, radio, and online platforms.
All matches will be broadcast live on BBC TV and BBC , with England's World Cup captain Zoe Stratford joining the expert analysis team.
The website and app will offer live text commentary, including clips, player reactions, and expert analysis for every game.
Social media channels will feature highlights and exclusive interviews with key players.
BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, and will provide live commentary for all matches involving England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.
The Rugby Union Weekly podcast will release regular episodes throughout the championship.
BBC Wales will air Sarra Elgan's Women's Six Nations preview on 10 April, and Scrum V The Warm-up will be available on Thursdays during the tournament.
Additional rugby podcasts include Scrum V, BBC Scotland Rugby, and Ireland Rugby Social.
Fans can watch all matches live on BBC and the website and app, listen to commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, Sports Extra, and , and follow live text and highlights online.
Fixtures, Kick-off Times, Venues, and BBC Broadcast Details
- 12:25 - France v Italy, Stade des Alpes, Grenoble - BBC
- 14:25 - England v Ireland, Allianz Stadium, London - BBC One, BBC
- 16:40 - Wales v Scotland, Principality Stadium, Cardiff - BBC Two, BBC
- 13:30 - Scotland v England, Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh - BBC Two, BBC
- 15:35 - Wales v France, Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff - BBC Two, BBC
- 17:40 - Ireland v Italy, Dexcom Stadium, Galway - BBC
- 14:15 - England v Wales, Ashton Gate, Bristol - BBC Two, BBC
- 16:30 - Italy v Scotland, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma - BBC
- 20:10 - France v Ireland, Stade Marcel-Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand - BBC Two NI, BBC
- 14:00 - Italy v England, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma - BBC Two, BBC
- 16:15 - Scotland v France, Hive Stadium, Edinburgh - BBC Two, BBC
- 18:30 - Ireland v Wales, Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast - BBC One Wales, BBC
- 12:15 - Wales v Italy, Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff - BBC Two, BBC
- 14:30 - Ireland v Scotland, Aviva Stadium, Dublin - BBC
- 16:45 - France v England, Stade Atlantique, Bordeaux - BBC Two
Review of the 2025 Women's Six Nations
England secured their seventh consecutive Women's Six Nations title and fourth consecutive Grand Slam with a narrow 43-42 victory over France in the final match of the tournament.
By completing the Grand Slam with five bonus-point wins, England earned an additional three bonus points, finishing the championship with 28 points.
France finished second, maintaining their position as runners-up in every Six Nations since their last win over England in 2018, with four victories.
Ireland earned a losing bonus point in a 26-19 loss to Scotland, securing third place.
Italy ended their campaign strongly with a 44-12 win over Wales, finishing fourth, one point behind Ireland.
Scotland achieved a morale-boosting victory thanks to Francesca McGhie's late try, concluding the tournament in fifth place.
Wales' defeat resulted in the team receiving the Wooden Spoon for the second consecutive year, losing all five matches for the first time in their history under coach Sean Lynn.
Final Standings
[Final standings table not provided]
Six Nations Scoring System
Teams earn four points for a win and two points for a draw.
Bonus points are awarded for scoring four or more tries in a match and for losing by seven points or fewer.
A team completing a Grand Slam by defeating all five opponents, as England did last year, receives an additional three bonus points to secure the title.
History of Women's Six Nations Titles
The championship began as the Women's Home Nations in 1996, expanded to the Five Nations with France in 1999, and became the Women's Six Nations in 2002.
Italy joined in 2007, replacing Spain.
England have dominated with 21 titles out of 29 tournaments, including 19 Grand Slams and 25 Triple Crowns.
They have won the last seven tournaments, achieving six Grand Slams in that period, with the 2021 season disrupted by Covid preventing a potential seventh.
England's last defeat was to France in 2018. Since then, they have won 32 consecutive Six Nations matches, scoring 252 tries and conceding only 33.
France, winners of the first Six Nations in 2002, have six titles and five Grand Slams.
Ireland won the championship in 2013 and 2015.
Scotland won the 1998 Home Nations championship.
Wales and Italy have yet to win the tournament.
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