World champions England will be favourites to repeat last year’s grand slam but France and Ireland will eye an upset. England are on a high after winning the World Cup and will take to the pitch against Ireland on Saturday for the first time since they were crowned world champions in September. There have been some changes to the squad, including the retirements of Abby Dow and Emily Scarratt as well as Tatyana Heard’s foot injury and the pregnancies of Zoe Stratford (formerly Aldcroft, the captain), Abbie Ward and Lark Atkin-Davies. Scarratt is now England’s attack and backs coach and seven of the 38-player squad are uncapped. Though they are depleted, England are firm favourites and while many may think the Red Roses do not have anything else to conquer, their new captain, Meg Jones, has outlined their target for this tournament. “We could be the first men or women’s team to win a Six Nations after a World Cup win so that is definitely a challenge we are very aware of,” she said.
Key player Jones is among the most influential in the squad, but Alex Matthews, the Gloucester-Hartpury back-rower, is now a vice-captain and has been a part of two World Cup winning campaigns. Prediction Every fan will predict England will win all of their matches and take home the trophy for the eighth year in a row, even if through gritted teeth. The Red Roses look like an unstoppable machine and are on a winning run of 33 games. Grand slam again
Coach François Ratier Captain Manaé Feleu Last year’s finish 2nd. The fear of being second best hangs over France every year because they cannot find a way to overcome England. But what might be worrying them this year is that other teams are catching up and so they could finish lower than second. They used to be a shoo-in for a grand slam decider with the Red Roses, but Ireland will be another big challenge. France’s improvement seems to have stalled over the past few years. While impressive at times – losing by a point at Twickenham last year, for example – they have not made strides. However, François Ratier took over as head coach in January and so the team is also a little bit of an unknown. Ratier said: “Our objective is to continue expanding the squad’s depth, fostering healthy and demanding competition at all positions.”
Key player Pauline Bourdon Sansus brings France’s performances to the next level; unbelievably fast, a calm leader and great at game management. A real menace at No 9. Prediction France will squeak past Ireland but England will again have their measure come the final round. 2nd
Ireland have progressed hugely over the past few years, pushing the Red Roses for the first half-hour of their 2025 Six Nations fixture, and finishing third. At the World Cup they were impressive and unfortunate not to make the semi-finals after a controversial game against France in the last eight when they let slip a 13-0 lead to lose 18-13. Ireland are welcoming back a few faces. Erin King returns after injury and has been appointed captain with fellow back-rowers Dorothy Wall and Aoife Wafer available once again. However, the wing Amee-Leigh Costigan is pregnant with twins and misses the tournament, while the former co-captain Edel McMahon is injured. Ireland will test England, though the task is a little more difficult as they play them in the opening game in front of what will be a record Women’s Six Nations crowd.
Key player King is now the captain but even before having such a pivotal leadership role she was one of Ireland’s best players. Her anterior cruciate ligament injury was cruelly timed and meant she missed out on the World Cup, but she will be keen to hit the ground running. Prediction Ireland have gone from strength to strength over the past few years and they are the main challengers to France and England. Power is still an issue, but they will continue to improve. 3rd
Coach Fabio Roselli Captain Elisa Giordano Last year’s finish 4th. Fabio Roselli has had a bumpy start to his tenure as Italy’s coach. He was appointed in 2025 and his first tournament was the Six Nations, when his side beat Scotland and Wales and pushed France close. That 34-21 defeat gave fans hopes for how far they could go in the Rugby World Cup, but it was a disappointing tournament for them. They were knocked out in the pool stage after managing to beat only debutants Brazil. They lost to France, and South Africa caused a
