Women’s Six Nations 2026: England’s Dominant Start, Full Fixtures, Results, Standings, and Comprehensive BBC Coverage

POLICY WIRE — London, UK — England’s national women’s rugby team has commenced its pursuit of an unprecedented eighth consecutive Women’s Six Nations championship with commanding victories over both Ireland and Scotland.

The reigning world champions, led by head coach John Mitchell, initiated their campaign with a 33-12 triumph against Ireland. This match, held on April 11 at Allianz Stadium, drew a record-breaking crowd of 77,120 spectators, marking the highest attendance ever for a Women’s Six Nations fixture.

Just one week later, the Red Roses delivered an emphatic performance at Murrayfield, scoring 12 tries en route to an 84-7 victory over Scotland. This fixture attracted 30,498 fans, setting a new benchmark for the largest standalone women’s sporting event attendance in Scotland. With regular captain Zoe Stratford on maternity leave, centre Meg Jones has commendably stepped into the leadership role, guiding the team since their recent World Cup success in September.

England’s remarkable form continues, extending their unbroken run to 35 consecutive match wins, a streak that includes being undefeated in the Six Nations tournament since 2018.

Meanwhile, France, widely considered England’s primary challengers for the championship title, has also shown strong early form. They secured a 40-7 win against Italy in Grenoble during the opening round, followed by a convincing 38-7 victory over Wales.

Under new head coach Sione Fukofuka, Scotland began their Six Nations campaign positively with a 24-19 win over Wales at Principality Stadium, before facing their significant defeat by England. Ireland, after their initial loss to England, bounced back with a dominant 57-20 win against Italy, largely propelled by Beibhinn Parsons’ hat-trick of tries.

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Upcoming Women’s Six Nations Fixtures

The next round of matches is scheduled for Saturday, April 25:

• 14:15 BST: England v Wales at Ashton Gate, Bristol (broadcast on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer)
• 16:30 BST: Italy v Scotland at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma (broadcast on BBC iPlayer)
• 20:10 BST: France v Ireland at Stade Marcel-Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand (broadcast on BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer)

Following this, Saturday, May 9 will feature:

• 14:00 BST: Italy v England at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma (broadcast on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer)
• 16:15 BST: Scotland v France at Hive Stadium, Edinburgh (broadcast on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer)
• 18:30 BST: Ireland v Wales at Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast (broadcast on BBC One Wales, BBC iPlayer)

The final round, on Sunday, May 17, includes:

• 12:15 BST: Wales v Italy at Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff (broadcast on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer)
• 14:30 BST: Ireland v Scotland at Aviva Stadium, Dublin (broadcast on BBC iPlayer)
• 16:45 BST: France v England at Stade Atlantique, Bordeaux (broadcast on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer)

Round 1 & 2 Women’s Six Nations Results

Round One Results (Saturday, April 11):

• France 40-7 Italy (Stade des Alpes, Grenoble)
• England 33-12 Ireland (Allianz Stadium, London)
• Wales 19-24 Scotland (Principality Stadium, Cardiff)

Round Two Results (Saturday, April 18):

• Scotland 7-84 England (Murrayfield, Edinburgh)
• Wales 7-38 France (Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff)
• Ireland 57-20 Italy (Dexcom Stadium, Galway)

Comprehensive BBC Coverage of the Women’s Six Nations

The BBC Sport network offers extensive free-to-air coverage of this year’s Women’s Six Nations across various platforms, ensuring fans don’t miss any action.

Every match from the tournament will be broadcast live on BBC TV and BBC iPlayer. Notably, former England World Cup captain Zoe Stratford has joined their panel of expert analysts, providing insightful commentary and match breakdowns.

Digital coverage includes live text updates for every game on the BBC Sport website and app, complemented by video clips, player reactions, and pundit analysis. Furthermore, BBC Sport’s social media channels will share standout moments and exclusive interviews with key players.

For audio enthusiasts, live commentary throughout the championship is available on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, and BBC Sounds. Regular episodes of the Rugby Union Weekly podcast will also be released.

Regional BBC programming enhances the experience: BBC Wales will air "Scrum V the Build-up" every Thursday for fixture previews, and fans can enjoy dedicated podcasts such as the "Scrum V podcast," the "BBC Scotland Rugby podcast," and the "Ireland Rugby Social podcast."

Recap of the 2025 Women’s Six Nations Championship

The 2025 tournament concluded with England clinching their seventh consecutive Women’s Six Nations title, alongside their fourth Grand Slam in a row. This impressive feat was secured through a nail-biting 43-42 victory against France in the championship’s final match.

England’s dominant performance, including five bonus-point wins, earned them an additional three bonus points, culminating in a total of 28 championship points.

France finished as runners-up, a position they have held in every Six Nations since their last triumph over England in 2018, securing four victories. Ireland secured third place by gaining a losing bonus point in their 26-19 defeat to Scotland.

Italy concluded their campaign on a high note, achieving fourth place with a decisive 44-12 win over Wales, finishing just one point behind Ireland. Scotland earned fifth place with a morale-boosting victory over Ireland, thanks to Francesca McGhie’s late try.

Conversely, Wales, under coach Sean Lynn, suffered a difficult tournament, losing all five of their matches for the first time in their history and consequently earning the Wooden Spoon for the second year running.

A Brief History of the Women’s Six Nations

The championship originated in 1996 as the Women’s Home Nations. It expanded to include France in 1999, becoming the Five Nations, and was formally rebranded as the Women’s Six Nations in 2002. Italy joined the competition in 2007, replacing Spain.

Historically, England has been the dominant force, winning 21 of the 29 tournaments contested, alongside an impressive 19 Grand Slams and 25 Triple Crowns. The Red Roses have been victorious in the last seven tournaments, achieving Grand Slams in six of those years. Their winning streak includes 32 consecutive Six Nations matches, during which they scored 252 tries while conceding only 33, with their last defeat occurring against France in 2018.

Beyond England, France, the inaugural Six Nations champions in 2002, holds six titles and five Grand Slams. Ireland claimed the championship in 2013 and 2015, while Scotland won the Home Nations championship in 1998. Notably, neither Wales nor Italy has ever lifted the tournament trophy.

Understanding the Women’s Six Nations Scoring System

Teams are awarded four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points are also a crucial element of the competition:

• One bonus point is given for scoring four or more tries in a single match.
• Another bonus point is awarded to a team that loses by seven points or fewer.

A team that achieves a Grand Slam by defeating all five other nations, as England did last year, receives an additional three bonus points, which typically guarantees them the championship title.