Six Nations

The RBS Six Nations is an annual tournament that showcases the cream of European Rugby Union talent. It was the first recognised international rugby union tournament. 

Spawned from the 'Five Nations', which began in 1947 following France's invitation to join the existing 'Home Nations' tournament - consisting of original members England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales - it grew to include Italy in 2000, and brought the total number of teams competing for the trophy to six.

The tournament operates in a 'round robin' format which sees each team play all of the other sides in the league once per tournament, alternating home and away fixtures each year. Two points are awarded to the victorious side and one point is awarded to each competing side following a draw. There are currently no bonus points on offer for scoring a set number of tries like there are in club rugby.

As well as the title itself, there are other prizes on offer including the Grand Slam (awarded to any side which wins all of their matches), the Triple Crown (awarded to England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales should they beat all the other Home Nations sides), as well as the Calcutta Cup, the Millennium Trophy and the Centenary Quaich (awarded to the winner of the games between England and Scotland, England and Ireland, and Ireland and Scotland respectively). 

The biggest recorded win was in 2001 when England scored 80 points at home against Italy, but the Azzurri have come on leaps and bounds in recent seasons, and in 2006 they recorded both their first point away from home in the competition as well as their first away win.

The record number of points scored in a single game of the Six Nations was 35 by England's Jonny Wilkinson. This feat came against Italy, and he also scored a record 89 points over the course of the tournament the following year.

However, it is Ireland's Ronan O'Gara who holds the record for the most Championship appearances, and in 2011 he also surpassed Wilkinson's record number of points to establish himself as the tournament's most influential player in its current format. His compatriot Brian O'Driscoll has the most Six Nations tries with 26 over the course of just 13 seasons.

It is thought that any plans to increase the size of the tournament further would be impractical for scheduling purposes, a point highlighted by Argentina's failure to join the competition in 2011 despite offering to play their home games in Spain.

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