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The 2020 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 21st Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales, and the 126th edition of the competition (including all the tournament's previous versions as the Home Nations Championship and Five Nations Championship). The tournament began on 1 February 2020, and was scheduled to conclude on 14 March; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Italy's penultimate match against Ireland and all three of the final weekend's matches were postponed with the intention of being rescheduled.[2][3] It was the first time any match had been postponed since 2012, and the first time more than one match had been delayed since the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 2001.[4] In July 2020, a revised fixture schedule was announced, with the last four games being played in October.[5][6]
| 2020 Six Nations Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 1 February – 31 October 2020 | ||
| Countries | |||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Champions |  England (29th title) | ||
| Triple Crown | England (26th title) | ||
| Matches played | 15 | ||
| Attendance | 727,458 (48,497 per match) | ||
| Tries scored | 74 (4.93 per match) | ||
| Top point scorer(s) |  Romain Ntamack (57) | ||
| Top try scorer(s) | Charles Ollivon (4) | ||
| Player of the tournament | Antoine Dupont[1] | ||
| Official website | sixnationsrugby.com | ||
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England became the first team to win the title despite losing their first game since Wales did so in 2013. It was England's 39th title overall (including shared titles), drawing them level with the record Wales set the previous year, and extended their record of 29 outright titles.[7]
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| Nation | Stadium | Head coach | Captain | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home stadium | Capacity | Location | |||
| England |
Twickenham Stadium | 82,000 | London |  Eddie Jones |
Owen Farrell |
| France |
Stade de France | 81,338 | Saint-Denis | Fabien Galthié |
Charles Ollivon |
 Ireland |
Aviva Stadium | 51,700 | Dublin | Andy Farrell |
Johnny Sexton |
 Italy |
Stadio Olimpico | 73,261 | Rome |  Franco Smith |
Luca Bigi |
 Scotland |
Murrayfield Stadium | 67,144 | Edinburgh | Gregor Townsend |
Stuart Hogg |
 Wales |
Millennium Stadium | 73,931 | Cardiff |  Wayne Pivac |
Alun Wyn Jones |
| Parc y Scarlets[a] | 14,870 | Llanelli | |||
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| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | GS | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England |
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 121 | 77 | +44 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
| 2 | France |
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 138 | 117 | +21 | 17 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| 3 | Ireland |
5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 132 | 102 | +30 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| 4 | Scotland |
5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 77 | 59 | +18 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| 5 | Wales |
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 119 | 98 | +21 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| 6 | Italy |
5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 44 | 178 | −134 | 6 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Table ranking rules
- 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 in a match or loses a match by seven points or fewer. If a team scores four tries in a match 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 will always top the table with a minimum of 23 points. A team that loses a single match could only achieve a maximum of 22 points – they could win four matches with four try bonus points and lose the remaining match but still win two bonus points while losing that game.
- Tiebreakers:
- If two or more teams are tied on table points, the team with the better match 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 in its matches is ranked higher.
- If two or more teams remain tied for first place at the end of the championship after applying the above tiebreakers, the title will be shared between them.
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The fixtures were announced on 20 March 2019. For the first time since 2013, no matches were scheduled on a Friday night. The final match of the tournament also returned to peak time for the first time since 2016.[8]
Round 1
| 1 February 2020 14:15 GMT (UTC+0) |
| (1 BP) Wales | 42–0 | Italy |
| Try: Adams (3) 18' m, 30' c, 80+2' c Tompkins 59' c North 76' c Con: Biggar (2/3) 31', 61' Halfpenny (2/2) 77', 80+4' Pen: Biggar (3/3) 4', 11', 16' | Report Match data |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 68,582[9] Referee: Luke Pearce (England) |
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Player of the Match:
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Notes:
- Johnny McNicholl and Nick Tompkins (both Wales) and Niccolò Cannone and Danilo Fischetti (both Italy) made their international debuts.
- Josh Adams became the second Welsh player to score a hat-trick in the Six Nations after George North scored three times against Italy in 2015.
- Italy were held to zero points for the first time since losing 29–0 to Scotland in 2017.
| 1 February 2020 16:45 GMT (UTC+0) |
| Ireland | 19–12 | Scotland (1 BP) |
| Try: Sexton 10' c Con: Sexton (1/1) 12' Pen: Sexton (4/5) 35', 45', 57', 73' | Report Match data | Pen: Hastings (4/5) 5', 16', 52', 66' |
| Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,000[10] Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France) |
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Notes:
- Caelan Doris and Rónan Kelleher (both Ireland), and Nick Haining (Scotland) made their international debuts.[11]
- Simon Berghan (Scotland) was originally named as a replacement, but he was replaced on the day of the game by WP Nel.[12]
- Ireland retained the Centenary Quaich.
| 2 February 2020 16:00 CET (UTC+1) |
France  | 24–17 | England (1 BP) |
| Try: Rattez 6' c Ollivon (2) 20' c, 55' c Con: Ntamack (3/3) 7', 21', 56' Pen: Ntamack (1/1) 16' | Report Match data | Try: May (2) 57' c, 65' c Con: Farrell (2/2) 58', 65' Pen: Farrell (1/1) 80+2' |
| Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 79,310[13] Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) |
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Notes:
- Anthony Bouthier, Mohamed Haouas, Boris Palu, Arthur Vincent and Cameron Woki (all France) and George Furbank and Will Stuart (both England) made their international debuts.
- Damian Penaud (France) was originally named in the starting line-up, but was ruled out with a calf injury. Vincent Rattez replaced him, while Arthur Vincent took Rattez's place on the bench.[14]
- France won their opening Six Nations match for the first time since beating Italy 23–21 in 2016.[15] England lost their opening Six Nations match for the first time since 2014, which was also a loss to France in Paris.[citation needed]
- England failed to score points in the first half for the first time in a Six Nations match since their 35–3 victory over Ireland in 1988.[16]
Round 2
| 8 February 2020 14:15 GMT (UTC+0) |
| (1 BP) Ireland | 24–14 | Wales |
| Try: Larmour 19' m Furlong 32' c Van der Flier 47' c Conway 75' m Con: Sexton (2/4) 33', 48' | Report Match data | Try: T. Williams 27' c Tipuric 80+1' c Con: Biggar (1/1) 28' Halfpenny (1/1) 80+2' |
| Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,000[17] Referee: Romain Poite (France) |
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Notes:
- Max Deegan (Ireland) made his international debut.[18]
- Owen Williams was named on the bench for Wales but was replaced by Jarrod Evans due to a calf injury.[19]
| 8 February 2020 16:45 GMT (UTC+0) |
| (1 BP) Scotland | 6–13 | England |
| Pen: Hastings (2/2) 46', 78' | Report Match data | Try: Genge 70' c Con: Farrell (1/1) 71' Pen: Farrell (2/5) 11', 77' |
| Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,144[20] Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (France) |
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- Ben Earl (England) made his international debut.
- England reclaimed the Calcutta Cup for the first time since 2017.
| 9 February 2020 16:00 CET (UTC+1) |
| (1 BP) France | 35–22 | Italy |
| Try: Thomas 7' m Ollivon 18' m Alldritt 39' c Ntamack 59' m Serin 74' c Con: Ntamack (1/4) 40' Jalibert (1/1) 75' Pen: Ntamack (2/3) 3', 32' | Report Match data | Try: Minozzi 24' c Zani 65' c Bellini 80' m Con: Allan (2/2) 26', 66' Pen: Allan (1/2) 29' |
| Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 52,000[21] Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland) |
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Notes:
- Alessandro Zanni (Italy) was originally named in the starting line-up, but suffered an injury in the pre-match warm-up and replaced by Dean Budd. Budd's place on the bench was taken by Jimmy Tuivaiti.[22]
- France retained the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy.
Round 3
| 22 February 2020 15:15 CET (UTC+1) |
| Italy | 0–17 | Scotland |
| Report Match data | Try: Hogg 23' m Harris 47' m Hastings 79' c Con: Hastings (1/3) 80' |
| Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 54,349 Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand) |
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| 22 February 2020 16:45 GMT (UTC+0) |
| (1 BP) Wales | 23–27 | France |
| Try: Lewis 48' c Biggar 75' c Con: Biggar (2/2) 49', 75' Pen: Biggar (3/3) 4', 26', 35' | Report Match data | Try: Bouthier 7' c Willemse 30' c Ntamack 52' c Con: Ntamack (3/3) 8', 31', 53' Pen: Ntamack (2/2) 19', 63' |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 73,931 Referee: Matthew Carley (England) |
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Notes:
- Will Rowlands (Wales), Dylan Cretin and Jean-Baptiste Gros (both France) made their international debuts.
- This was France's first Six Nations win in Cardiff since 2010.
| 23 February 2020 15:00 GMT (UTC+0) |
| England | 24–12 | Ireland |
| Try: Ford 8' c Daly 25' c Cowan-Dickie 62' c Con: Farrell (3/3) 9', 25', 64' Pen: Farrell (1/1) 40' | Report Match data | Try: Henshaw 50' m Porter 80+2' c Con: Cooney (1/1) 80+3' |
| Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 81,476 Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa) |
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Notes:
- Jonathan Joseph (England) earned his 50th test cap.
- England retained the Millennium Trophy.
- Iain Henderson was named as a lock for Ireland, but withdrew from the team for family reasons; he was replaced by Devin Toner, whose place on the bench was taken by Ultan Dillane.
Round 4
| 7 March 2020 16:45 GMT (UTC+0) |
| England | 33–30 | Wales (1 BP) |
| Try: Watson 4' c Daly 32' c Tuilagi 61' c Con: Farrell (3/3) 6', 34', 62' Pen: Farrell (3/3) 16', 39', 45' Ford (1/1) 52' | Report Match data | Try: Tipuric (2) 41' c, 80+1' c Biggar 78' c Con: Biggar (3/3) 42', 78', 80+1' Pen: Halfpenny (2/2) 9', 21' Biggar (1/1) 40+1' |
| Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 81,522 Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand) |
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Notes:
- England secured their 26th Triple Crown, their first since 2016.[23]
- Manu Tuilagi became the first England player to be sent off since Elliot Daly was dismissed against Argentina in 2016. It was also the first red card in a Six Nations match since Stuart Hogg was sent off for Scotland against Wales in 2014.[citation needed]
- Alun Wyn Jones made a record 57th Six Nations appearance for Wales.[citation needed]
| 8 March 2020 15:00 GMT (UTC+0) |
| Scotland | 28–17 | France |
| Try: Maitland (2) 40+1' m, 45' c McInally 64' c Con: Hastings (2/3) 46', 66' Pen: Hastings (3/3) 11', 19', 37' | Report Match data | Try: Penaud 33' c Ollivon 76' c Con: Jalibert (2/2) 34', 76' Pen: Jalibert (1/1) 61' |
| Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,144 Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand) |
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Notes:
- Kyle Steyn (Scotland) made his international debut.
- Fraser Brown (Scotland) earned his 50th test cap.
- With France's defeat, no team could win the Grand Slam.
- Scotland reclaimed the Auld Alliance Trophy.
- This was Scotland's 200th win in the Six Nations, including Home Nations and Five Nations tournaments.
- Scotland won back-to-back matches against France, after also defeating them in August 2019, for the first time since 1964.
- Camille Chat was named on the bench for France as hooker, but withdrew in the warm-up ahead of the game due to a hamstring injury, with Peato Mauvaka replacing him.
| 24 October 2020[b] 15:30 IST (UTC+01) |
| (1 BP) Ireland | 50–17 | Italy |
| Try: Stander 8' c Keenan (2) 30' c, 36' c Connors 61' c Sexton 65' m Aki 69' c Heffernan 80' c Con: Sexton (5/6) 9', 31', 38', 63', 71' R. Byrne (1/1) 80' Pen: Sexton (1/1) 14' | Report Match data | Try: Padovani 55' c Garbisi 80+2' c Con: Garbisi (2/2) 56', 80+3' Pen: Garbisi (1/2) 4' |
| Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 0 Referee: Matthew Carley (England)[c] |
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Note:
- Ed Byrne, Will Connors, Jamison Gibson-Park, Hugo Keenan (all Ireland), Gianmarco Lucchesi, Paolo Garbisi and Federico Mori (all Italy) made their international debuts.[25]
- This result meant Italy won the Wooden Spoon for the fifth consecutive year, and their 15th since joining the Six Nations.
Round 5
| 31 October 2020[d] 14:15 GMT (UTC+0) |
| (1 BP) Wales | 10–14 | Scotland |
| Try: Carré 31' c Con: Biggar (1/1) 32' Pen: Halfpenny (1/1) 66' | Report Match data | Try: McInally 61' m Pen: Russell (1/2) 10' Hastings (1/1) 40' Hogg (1/1) 80' |
| Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli Attendance: 0 Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)[e] |
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Notes:
- Wales made 19 changes to the team that was selected for the original fixture on 14 March, while Scotland made 15 changes.[27][28]
- Justin Tipuric was named in the starting XV at openside flanker, but was ruled out ahead of kick-off. James Davies replaced him in the starting team with Aaron Wainwright joining the replacements.
- Alun Wyn Jones (Wales) earned his 149th international cap (140 for Wales, 9 for the British and Irish Lions) to surpass New Zealand's Richie McCaw's record as the most capped international rugby player.
- Shane Lewis-Hughes (Wales) and Scott Steele (Scotland) made their international debuts.
- Scotland won three consecutive Six Nations matches for the first time since 1996.
- This was Scotland's first win in Wales since 2002.
- Wales finished in fifth place with one win, their worst performance since 2007.
- Wales played a home game away from the Millennium Stadium for the first time since playing Romania at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham in 2003. It was also the first Welsh international played in Llanelli since 1998 and the first Six Nations game in Llanelli since 1893, making this the first international match played at Parc y Scarlets.
- Scotland won the Doddie Weir Cup for the first time.
| 31 October 2020[f] 17:45 CET (UTC+01) |
| Italy | 5–34 | England (1 BP) |
| Try: Polledri 18' m | Report Match data | Try: Youngs (2) 5' c, 41' c George 51' c Curry 67' m Slade 72' m Con: Farrell (3/5) 6', 42', 52' Pen: Farrell (1/1) 13' |
| Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 0 Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (France) |
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Notes:
- Ben Youngs became the second England player after Jason Leonard to earn his 100th test cap.
- Jamie George (England) earned his 50th test cap.
- Tom Dunn, Jonny Hill, Ollie Lawrence and Ollie Thorley (all England) made their international debuts.
- Italy were whitewashed for the fifth consecutive year.
| 31 October 2020[g] 21:10 CET (UTC+01) |
| (1 BP) France | 35–27 | Ireland |
| Try: Dupont 7' c Penalty try 30' Ntamack 44' m Vakatawa 71' c Con: Ntamack (2/3) 8', 72' Pen: Ntamack (3/3) 38', 48', 52' | Report Match data | Try: Healy 19' c Henshaw 60' c Stockdale 80' c Con: Sexton (2/2) 19', 61' R. Byrne (1/1) 80+1' Pen: Sexton (2/2) 26', 33' |
| Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 0 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) |
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Notes:
- Arthur Retière (France) made his international debut.
- Cian Healy became the sixth Ireland player to earn his 100th test cap.
- France required a win by 28 points to win the championship, while Ireland needed a bonus-point win or a margin of seven points (or six if they scored at least one try). As neither side met their requirements, England won a record 29th outright title.[32][33]
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Most points
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Most tries
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- Wales final game was scheduled for Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli as the Millennium Stadium was unavailable due to being used as Dragon's Heart Hospital.
- Initially scheduled for 7 March 2020.[24]
- Nic Berry was initially appointed as referee, but travel restrictions meant the match was reassigned to Matthew Carley.
- This game was originally due to go ahead on 14 March, and teams had been announced, but it was postponed on 13 March.[26]
- Angus Gardner was initially appointed as referee, but travel restrictions meant the match was reassigned to Andrew Brace.
- The match between France and Ireland, initially scheduled for 14 March, was postponed on 9 March due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.[31]
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