
The 2021 Guinness Six Nations – Latest News & Updates
Wales win the Triple Crown
Wales have unexpectedly won the Triple Crown after seeing off England 40-24 who were punished for giving away sloppy penalties at the end of the game, as well as a controversial referring performance. After beating Ireland and Scotland by narrow margins, Wales have incredibly beaten the three United Kingdom teams, to set up two away matches against Italy and France to win the title. France have recently been decimated by covid cases which lead to a late cancellation of France v Scotland, which will likely be rearrange. Forget the fact that it’s hosted behind closed doors, there’s still plenty of key fixtures to look forward to. England will realistically be playing for pride now as a loss against Scotland in their first match set them back massively, with the Wales defeat the real dagger. Eddie Jones’ side will be scratching their heads as to how the tournament got away with them so quickly.
Ireland v England – Behind Closed Doors Hospitality Package
A huge game on Super Saturday that may determine the final outcome of the Six Nations is Ireland vs England at the Aviva Stadium. After the success of our virtual event during the Autumn Nations Cup, we are hosting a premium hospitality package for guests to watch the final day in style. An incredible three-course meal delivered to your door awaits, where you will cook alongside Dylan Hartley, Alex Payne and Jimmy Garcia to deliver the perfect pre or post-match feast. You’ll also get to chat to a rugby star just before the match, as well as a beautifully brewed keg, bottles of wine, first-class snacks and many more additions arriving to you. Register your interest for the event and we can discuss this brilliant opportunity with you now.
Six Nations Preview
England and France were the form teams heading into the Six Nations. England having won last years Championship and the inaugural Autumns Nations Cup, will be looking to follow up with successive wins but also improve the quality of the rugby they play as a squad. Eddie Jones earlier this week outlined their willingness to play a brand of rugby which will excite fans.
“Maybe we haven’t played as well as we could have – and we want to play better,” Jones said. “Our goal in the Six Nations is to play better rugby. It doesn’t matter how many times you kick the ball, it’s the quality of rugby you play.”
France will want to follow up on last years success and will have been given a boost knowing they took England right to the wire in the Autumn Nations Cup Final with a team which was predominately made up of under 20’s and reserves. There is plenty of talent in this French team and they now have a defensive steel to boot. Watch out for ‘Les Bleus’.
Ireland and Wales will have been disappointed with their performance’s at the back end of the tournament in 2020 and as both squads are under new management at the start of this new World Cup cycle every player will be fired up and looking to cement his position for the long term.
Key fixtures
The Key battle this year will be between England and France at Twickenham. In week 3 of the Championship this fixture is at Twickenham however with no fans in attendance will England feel the home field advantage? The French shocked the English in the opening game of the Six Nations in 2020 which was played just after the 2019 World Cup Final. Unfortunately we all remember England narrowly losing to South Africa on that momentous occasion. Fans were expecting a response from Eddie Jones’s men however it was the French who in front of a packed Stade de France played some scintillating attacking rugby. Led by the two stand offs Antonie Dupont (9) and Romain Ntamack (10) The French rugby team tore through the English defence to rack up 24 points without a response. The second half belonged to England however it was too little too late and the rampant French deserved the spoils.
Ireland under Andy Farrell and Wales under the guidance of Wayne Pivac are both undergoing change. The senior figures are now looking to stamp their signature on the squad and the brand and systems of the rugby they want to play. Of the two it is Pivac who is under the most amount of pressure, taking over from Warren Gatland the most successful Welsh coach of all time. Between 2007 and 2019, Wales won four Six Nations titles, including three Grand Slams, and reached the semi-finals of the 2011 and 2019 Rugby World Cups. Tough shoes to fill and with only three wins from his first 10 Internationals and 5 losses on the bounce in the Six Nations, Pivac will be looking to prepare well and hit the ground running. On the bright side there is no trip to Ireland or England this year with both those two fixtures at the Principality. Although as we have already mentioned A trip to the Stade de France as both England and Ireland have shown is not an easy place to visit, with or without fans.
Scotland and Italy have struggled for consistency in recent years. Italy have taken home the wooden spoon on 13 occasions and will be desperate to turn their fortunes around. Scotland will be looking to build upon their win at the Parc Y Scarlets which was their first win in Wales for 18 years. Its great to see Finn Russell back for Scotland and fans will be excited to see how Gregor Townsend will get the best out of their forwards to allow their high flying back line quick ball to play with.
2021 Guinness Six Nations Venues :
The 2021 Guinness Six Nations will be held at The BT Murrayfield Stadium, The Aviva Stadium, The Principality, The Stade de France, The Stadio Olympico and Twickenham
2021 Guinness Six Nations Fixtures:
Round 1
6th Feb Italy v France
Round 2
Round 3
27th Feb Italy v Ireland
28th Feb France v Scotland
Round 4
13th Mar Italy v Wales
Round 5
20th Mar France v Wales