The Rugby Six Nations continues Saturday, March 9 for Round 4, and you can catch all the action, all tournament long, on Peacock.
The 25th edition of the event, which has a history dating back much further than the start of the 21st century, takes place across Europe over the next seven weeks.
Round 4 kicks off with Italy v. Scotland on Sat., March 9 at 9:15 a.m. ET, then follows with England v. Ireland at 11:45 a.m. ET and Wales v. France at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday. All matches are airing on CNBC and Peacock.
Keep reading for more information about Rugby Six Nations, the full schedule, point system, history and more.
Why is it called Six Nations?
The competition has been called Six Nations since Italy became the sixth participant in 2000, but the event’s history starts more than 100 years before then.
Rugby Six Nations history
It began all the way back in 1883 as the Home Nations, then featuring England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales -- the United Kingdom’s four Home Nations, naturally. The competition became Five Nations in 1910 when France joined in on the action, and it continued as such through the 20th century, with two exceptions: France was expelled from 1932-39, causing a revert back to the Home Nations for those years, and World War II paused the event from 1940-46.
When Italy joined the party in 2000, it became the Six Nations, the name and format under which the tournament operates today.
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Where are Rugby Six Nations 2024 games being played?
The event takes place at venues across Europe over the next seven weeks, including Orange Vélodrome, Marseille; Stadio Olimpico, Rome; Principality Stadium, Cardiff; Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Twickenham Stadium, London; Aviva Stadium, Dublin; Decathlon Arena, Lille; Groupama Stadium, Lyon.
Rugby Six Nations point system
So how does the Six Nations work, anyway?
Six teams -- World No. 2 Ireland, No. 4 France, No. 5 England, No. 6 Scotland, No. 8 Wales and No. 11 Italy -- play the tournament out over the course of seven weekends, beginning the first weekend in February. Each team plays each other once, for a total of 15 matches; three per round. There’s a weekend off between Rounds 2 and 3, and another between 3 and 4.
The event introduced a bonus points system in 2017, and since then, the scoring has worked as follows: Teams earn four points for a win, two points for a draw, one point for scoring at least four tries in a match, one point for a match defeat by seven or fewer and zero points for losing by a wider margin.
If a team wins a Grand Slam -- achieved by winning all their matches -- it earns an extra three points. That’s done to prevent the possibility of a 5-0 team being passed on bonus points. Of the 24 Six Nations events this century, 13 have been won in Grand Slam fashion.
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Who has won the most Six Nations titles all time?
In its current six-team format, England leads the way with seven titles (two Grand Slams), followed by Wales and France with six (four grand slams each) and Ireland with five (three Grand Slams). Neither Italy nor Scotland have won a Six Nations. Ireland is the reigning champion, winning a Grand Slam in 2023.
In the history of the tournament -- Home Nations, Five Nations and Six Nations combined -- England leads with 29 outright titles, followed closely by Wales’ 28. France has won outright 18 times, Ireland and Scotland 15 apiece.
However, it’s a bit more complicated than that. Until a rules change in 1994, teams tied in points shared that year’s title. (Now, point differential, then total number of tries, serve as tiebreakers before resorting to a shared title). Factoring in shared ones, England and Wales tie with 39 titles, France has 26, Ireland and Scotland 24.
Along with zero outright titles, Italy has never won a shared title either. It does lead in one category, though perhaps an inglorious one: Wooden Spoons, given to the team that brings up the rear in a given tournament. Ireland has “won” a record 25 Wooden Spoons, but since joining in 2000, the Italians have taken 18.
Full 2024 Rugby Six Nations schedule:
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| Date | Matchup | Result | Time (ET) | Platform |
| Fri., Feb. 2 | France v. Ireland | IRE, 38-17 | 3 p.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
| Sat., Feb. 3 | Italy v. England | ENG, 27-24 | 9:15 a.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
| Sat., Feb. 3 | Wales v. Scotland | SCO, 27-26 | 11:45 a.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
| Sat., Feb. 10 | Scotland v. France | FRA, 20-16 | 9:15 a.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
| Sat., Feb. 10 | England v. Wales | ENG, 16-14 | 11:45 a.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
| Sun., Feb. 11 | Ireland v. Italy | IRE, 36-0 | 10 a.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
| Sat., Feb. 24 | Ireland v. Wales | IRE, 31-7 | 9:15 a.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
| Sat., Feb. 24 | Scotland v. England | SCO, 30-21 | 11:45 a.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
| Sun., Feb. 25 | France v. Italy | DRAW, 13-13 | 10 a.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
| Sat., March 9 | Italy v. Scotland | ITA, 31-29 | 9:15 a.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
| Sat., March 9 | England v. Ireland | ENG, 23-22 | 11:45 a.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
| Sun., March 10 | Wales v. France | FRA, 45-24 | 10 a.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
| Fri., March 15 | Wales v. Italy | ITA, 24-21 | 10:15 a.m. | Peacock, NBC |
| Sat., March 16 | Ireland v. Scotland | IRE, 17-13 | 12:45 a.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
| Sat., March 16 | France v. England | FRA, 33-31 | 4 p.m. | Peacock, CNBC |
