History of the Six Nations: Rugby’s most iconic tournament
With the 2025 Six Nations tournament underway, we're taking a look at the history and some fun stats from the famous rugby tournament.
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The Six Nations rugby tournament is not only a famous competition in the world of rugby, but it is also a staple in the history of general sporting events. With its origins beginning around 142 years ago, the Six Nations is undeniably a tournament with a lot of history.
With the 2025 Six Nations Championship getting underway on 31st January, now seems like a great time to take a look back at the origins of the famous rugby tournament.
Join us here at Sky HISTORY as we go back to the beginning of Six Nations to examine how it became the behemoth tournament that it is now. We’ll also check out some of the most noteworthy stats in Six Nations history!
The history of the Six Nations
The Home Nations Championship was the tournament that would later become Six Nations. It was first played more than 100 years ago in 1883. Rugby was growing in popularity across the British Isles in the late 19th century, hence why the tournament came to be.
Originally, as the name of the tournament suggested - only the four home nations were involved in the tournament, those being England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.
In the early years, England was often the dominating team. They won the first three titles. However, they were excluded from the tournament in 1888 and 1889 after they refused to become part of the International Rugby Football Board.
France joins the fray
The tournament became more and more popular as the years went on, continuing through into the 20th century.
The Home Nations Championships officially expanded in 1910 when France became part of the tournament. The competition was renamed the Five Nations Championship, and this is how it would remain until the early 21st century.
France initially had difficulty establishing itself as a formidable opponent. However, they soon began to grow as a team and achieved their first title in 1954 (which was shared with Wales and England). The team went on to win the title outright for the first time in 1959.
Interestingly, there was no physical reward for the victors of the Five Nations Championship at first. It wasn't until 1993 that the winners received a trophy.
The first trophy handed out was awarded to France, showing just how far they had come since they first entered the competition.
Italy’s inclusion and the start of the Six Nations
The Six Nations officially came to be in 2000, when Italy was invited to become part of the tournament. Italy hasn’t had the best track record since they became part of the championship. They've finished last 18 times!
That being said, Italy has had a few noteworthy moments during its time in the Six Nations. The Italian team won its first away match in Edinburgh against Scotland in 2007. They managed to win twice that year, also defeating Wales when playing in Rome.
But what about the future of the competition? Well, in recent years, talk has begun about the Six Nations having a relegation zone, where the last-placed team would be replaced in favour of the Rugby Europe champion. If such a feature is included, it could see Georgia join the Six Nations at the expense of Italy.
Or who knows? Maybe soon we’ll be calling the Six Nations the Seven Nations instead. We reckon The White Stripes would probably approve of that…
Noteworthy stats from the Six Nations
There have been plenty of great records throughout the history of the Six Nations. From joyful wins to painful losses, the tournament has seen it all since its humble origins.
Let's take a look at some particularly noteworthy statistics of records from the Six Nations Championships.
Most wins
Before the start of the 2025 tournament there is a very close finish at the top of the table for wins. Ireland comes in just above the other competitors. Altogether, Ireland has taken home an impressive 85 wins within 125 matches at the Six Nations. This narrowly beats France - with 81 - and England, coming in at 79.
Top point scorer
Irish player Johnny Sexton comes in first place for the record of most points scored during the tournament. He has managed to accumulate an impressive score of 566 points over the years.
Second place is fellow Irish player Ronan O’Gara, with 557 points. Third place goes to English player Johnny Wilkinson, who has obtained 546 points.
Most Grand Slams
During the Six Nations, a Grand Slam refers to when a team manages to beat every other nation during one tournament.
England have won the most Grand Slams, with a record of 13. Wales comes in second with 12 and France in third with 10.
Most losses
As mentioned, poor old Italy takes the top spot for the most losses during the Six Nations. They’ve lost an upsetting 108 of the 125 matches they have played during their time in the tournament.
Scotland comes in second place with 81 defeats, but Italy is definitely out in front with this unwanted title!
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