England looks to defend its crown as Six Nations champion when the 2021 edition of the annual competition kicks off in February.
Last year's tournament went down to the last day — which was played seven months after it was originally scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic — on which England beat Italy to tie France at the top of the standings. The English side had a better point differential (thanks in part to thrashing Italy on the final day), which was good enough to seal its 29th title.
The French will surely be looking for revenge this season, especially since they also finished second to England in the one-off Autumn Nations Cup.
As for the rest of the field, Ireland and Scotland will aim to improve upon their third and fourth-place finishes, respectively, while Wales will be keen to erase the memory of a disappointing 2020 tournament. Meanwhile, Italy will be happy keeping things close — as ever, it is at a big disadvantage against the well-established programs of its opponents.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2021 Six Nations championship:
Which teams are competing in the 2021 Six Nations?
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby tournament imvolving England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
What channel is showing the 2021 Six Nations?
In the UK, the games will be split between major networks BBC and ITV, which are available on any licenced television set as well as all digital and Freeview set-ups. In addition, all Wales games can be viewed on S4C with Welsh commentary, inside or outside of Wales.
All three networks have streaming services that allow viewers to watch the games on the go, if you download BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub and the S4C app on your device.
In the US, NBC is the official network for the Six Nations and will screen the games on their sports network as well as their 'Peacock' subscription service.
DAZN, the global streaming service, holds the rights to the Six Nations in Canada and other select countries. Canadian viewers can find out more information here.
More details about how to watch in other countries can be found at sixnationsrubgy.com.
Details on how to watch each game can be found below.
2021 Six Nations schedule, start times
Home team listed first.
| Round | Date | Time (GMT) | Match | TV (UK, US) |
| 1 | Feb. 6 | 14:15 | Italy vs. France | ITV, NBC |
| 1 | Feb. 6 | 16:45 | England vs. Scotland | ITV, NBC |
| 1 | Feb. 7 | 15:00 | Wales vs. Ireland | BBC/S4C, NBC |
| 2 | Feb. 13 | 14:15 | England vs. Italy | ITV, NBC |
| 2 | Feb. 13 | 16:45 | Scotland vs. Wales | BBC/S4C, NBC |
| 2 | Feb. 14 | 15:00 | Ireland vs. France | ITV, NBC |
| 3 | Feb. 27 | 14:15 | Italy vs. Ireland | ITV, NBC |
| 3 | Feb. 27 | 16:45 | Wales vs. England | BBC/S4C, NBC |
| 3 | Feb. 28 | 15:00 | France vs. Scotland | BBC, NBC |
| 4 | March 13 | 14:15 | Italy vs. Wales | ITV/S4C, NBC |
| 4 | March 13 | 16:45 | England vs. France | ITV, NBC |
| 4 | March 14 | 15:00 | Scotland vs. Ireland | BBC, NBC |
| 5 | March 20 | 14:15 | Scotland vs. Italy | BBC, NBC |
| 5 | March 20 | 16:45 | Ireland vs. England | ITV, NBC |
| 5 | March 20 | 20:00 | France vs. Wales | BBC/S4C, NBC |