What we learned from the 2026 Guinness Six Nations

By Duncan Bech, Press Association Sport Rugby Union Correspondent, Paris

France were crowned worthy champions when they retained their Guinness Six Nations title with a 48-46 victory over England, crowning a thrilling ‘Super Saturday’ that also produced wins for Ireland and Wales.

Here, the Press Association looks at five things learned from a tournament that produced a record number of tries.

Rugby’s crown jewel

The greatest Six Nations of them all delivered a fittingly enthralling ending as Thomas Ramos seized the title for France with the decisive penalty in the final act of the Championship.

Five weekends of glorious sporting theatre, which produced plot twists and wow moments across every round, came down to one kick.

Each team contributed to the drama in their own way, and as the celebrations began in Paris, no one was left in any doubt that the Six Nations is the crown jewel in the rugby calendar.

England light the way ahead

Everyone at the Stade de France late on Saturday night left with one question on their minds – where had this England been? It was the type of all-action performance they had promised as they swaggered into the tournament with an 11-Test winning run, only to crumble when the pressure came on against Scotland, Ireland and Italy.

Whether it was the players or coaches who instigated the tactical adjustment that replaced robotic kicking with a resolve to play with intent and ambition will emerge in time, but either way, the path ahead was illuminated in Paris. In the words of captain Maro Itoje, “the way we played is how we want to play going forward”.

Reality check

England’s stirring six-try challenge to France may have provided head coach Steve Borthwick some ammunition when he fights for his future in next week’s Rugby Football Union inquiry, but the grim reality is that they have collapsed to four successive defeats with world champions South Africa next up and for the first time in their history finished the Six Nations with just one victory.

Explaining the reasons for what went wrong in rounds two to four and convincing the RFU that he has the fixes is the task facing Borthwick over the coming days.

Level playing field

Never write off the Celts is a lesson that should have been learnt by now as pre-tournament forecasts of Anglo-French dominance for years to come based on the depth of their powerful squads were proved wildly inaccurate.

Ireland and Scotland produced a thriller in Dublin on Saturday as they fought for the title despite having fallen to inglorious defeats in the first round, showing England how to respond to adversity.

Ireland went within a Ramos penalty of claiming France’s crown, and Scotland’s commitment to a joyous playing style can only be celebrated. Wales, meanwhile, validated the progress made under Steve Tandy by clinching a first Six Nations win since 2023.

Italy on the rise

Italy may have fallen short of their target of recording three Six Nations wins for the first time but they showed enough in their historical triumph over England and round-one victory against Scotland that they are now a genuine force.

France magician Louis Bielle-Biarrey will surely be crowned player of the tournament, but in centre Tommaso Menoncello the Azzurri also have a talent to light up the game. Calls for relegation to be introduced with Italy the intended target have fallen silent.