Alexandre Bozio / Credits: Matthieu Mirville / DPPI via AFP
Almost three months after the end of the 2023 World Cup, international rugby will make its return to France and Europe with the traditional VI Nations tournament. This annual meeting which pits the six best European teams against each other, namely France, Ireland, England, Italy, Scotland and Wales, will be held this year from Friday February 2 to Saturday 16 March. Calendar, broadcaster and format, a quick overview of what awaits oval enthusiasts in the weeks to come.
France-Ireland at the opening, a Crunch at the end
A shock to begin with. To open this 2024 edition, the Irish title holders will face, on Friday February 2 (9 p.m.), the French XV in the fiery Stade Vélodrome. The next day, Italy will host England (3:15 p.m.) and Scotland will travel to the Millennium Stadium to face the Welsh (5:45 p.m.). A week later, the Blues will go to Edinburgh, before hosting Italy on Sunday February 25 (4 p.m.) at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium in Lille.
On the fourth day, Fabien Galthié’s men will then visit Cardiff against the Welsh who have been reinvigorated since the World Cup, before a final Crunch to close the tournament against the vengeful English on Sunday March 16 (9 p.m.). Let’s hope that this evening ends with the presentation of the trophy for the French rugby players.
The complete 6 Nations 2024 calendar
France – Ireland: February 2 at 9 p.m. (Stade Vélodrome, Marseille)
Italy – England: February 3 at 3:15 p.m. (Olympic Stadium, Rome)
Wales – Scotland: February 3 at 5:45 p.m. (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Scotland – France : February 10 at 3:15 p.m. (Murrayfield, Edinburgh)
England – Wales: February 10 at 5:45 p.m. (Twickenham, London)
Ireland – Italy: February 11 at 4 p.m. (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Ireland – Wales: February 24 at 3:15 p.m. (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Scotland – England: February 24 at 5:45 p.m. (Murrayfield, Edinburgh)
France – Italy: February 25 at 4 p.m. (Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille)
Italy – Scotland: March 9 at 3:15 p.m. (Olympic Stadium, Rome)
England – Ireland: March 9 at 5:45 p.m. (Twickenham, London)
Wales – France : March 10 at 4 p.m. (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Wales – Italy: March 16 at 3:15 p.m. (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Ireland – Scotland: March 16 at 5:45 p.m. (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
France – England: March 16 at 9 p.m. (Parc OL, Lyon)
Format and broadcaster
Like every year, all of the tournament’s matches will be followed on France 2. No match takes place at the same time and each day is played over two days, with the exception of the final day where all three matches will take place. the same Saturday.
Regarding the format, no notable change. Victory will be worth four points, a draw two points and a defeat zero. An offensive bonus will be awarded for four tries scored and a defensive bonus for a defeat of a maximum difference of seven points. As a reminder, the Grand Slam (winning all matches in the tournament) brings three additional points.