Six Nations 2026 preview: Pieces in place for England and Steve Borthwick to take crown from France while Ireland lick their injury wounds

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With the 2026 men’s Six Nations getting underway, TNT Sports assesses who the potential title contenders might be and which nations will be battling to avoid the wooden spoon. Defending champions France are heavily favoured despite England's signs of promise, while Ireland cannot be written off despite their injury issues. Wales, meanwhile, will be looking to climb off the bottom.

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Another men's Six Nations is nearly upon us as the best of the Northern Hemisphere prepare to go toe-to-toe in one of rugby's great championships.

France enter the tournament as the defending champions and will be fancied by many to retain their title but, as ever, the competition will be fierce.

England are expected to pose the most serious threat. Steve Borthwick's side have won 11 games on the bounce and look like a team ready to win a first men's Six Nations crown since 2020.

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And what of Ireland? Amid something of an injury crisis, there is less expectation of the men in green this year, but write them off at your peril. They could yet spring a surprise.

Can Scotland finally challenge for a first Six Nations title? And will Wales and Italy be able to score some momentum-building wins?

We run through where each side is at coming into what promises to be another fascinating Championship.

France

Fabien Galthie is definitely not afraid of making big decisions. Ahead of his quest to lead his side to a second successive Six Nations title, the 56-year-old head coach turned heads with some significant omissions from his 42-man squad.

Among them was record try-scorer Damian Penaud, centre Gael Fickou and number eight Gregory Aldritt. It shows the depth of the French talent pool as well as Galthie’s willingness to put his trust in the next generation coming through.

What he would not have seen coming, though, was the shock retirement of prop Unai Atonio, who stepped away from the game due to a heart problem.

Following a long-term injury, talismanic captain Antoine Dupont is back and will be eager to inspire Les Bleus to glory. Accompanied by fly-half Matthieu Jalibert, wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey and full-back Thomas Ramos, France possess one of the most devastating backlines to complement their immense power up front.

They face Ireland first up in a game that could set the tone for the whole tournament. Galthie's side are favourites for the Thursday night clash under the Parisian lights and will want to make a statement before games against Wales and Italy that they should win comfortably.

Then comes Scotland at Murrayfield before a potential title showdown away to England.

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England

It feels like the pieces are now in place for Steve Borthwick’s England to contend for a first men’s Six Nations crown since 2020.

After a difficult start to his tenure succeeding Eddie Jones, Borthwick has really settled into the role and landed on a winning formula. That was certainly evident in the autumn with a statement win over New Zealand flanked by victories over Australia, Fiji and Argentina.

Winning breeds winning and England come into the tournament on the back of 11 straight Test triumphs.

They will be confident of extending that to 12 when they welcome Wales to Allianz Stadium first up, and it is easy to see why when looking through the matchday 23.

The starting back row of Guy Pepper, Sam Underhill and Ben Earl has the potential to be devastating, while waiting on the bench are the likes of Tom Curry and box-office youngster Henry Pollock.

The backline is also littered with threats. Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Henry Arundell are two of the quickest wings in the world, while fly-half George Ford can manage a game as well as anyone.

Should they hit top form, it could come down to a final-day shootout against France in Paris. Would that not be a fitting way to end their title drought?

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Ireland

There is a fair amount of uncertainty surrounding Andy Farrell’s team coming into this year’s tournament.

While they only lost one game in 2025 to finish third, Ireland failed to hit the heights of previous years as a golden generation came to an end.

Now, amid something of an injury crisis, expectations seem unusually low for a side that was ranked as the world’s best not so long ago.

Farrell will be without Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy, Robbie Henshaw and Mack Hansen for their blockbuster tournament opener against France in Paris, while Bundee Aki is set to miss the first three games through suspension.

It is a lot of firepower to be without, especially going away to France and England in the first three rounds.

Those two fixtures will go a long way to determining Ireland’s hopes of another title. Lose both and they are all but over. However, with home games against Italy, Wales and Scotland, if they can win at least one on the road, they could yet give themselves a chance of a third title in four years.

Scotland

Will this finally be Scotland’s year to challenge for a first Six Nations title? The evidence suggests not but there remains a lingering glimmer of hope the Scots can defy the odds.

If they are to do that, Scotland will need to put right the wrongs from a disappointing autumn in which their Jekyll and Hyde nature was on full display.

From 17-0 down to the All Blacks at half-time, Gregor Townsend’s side showed what they can do in a chaotic comeback to 17-17. A first ever win over New Zealand was in sight, but it ebbed away and the All Blacks ended up taking it 25-17.

Scotland then conspired to lose from 21-0 up at home to Argentina, sinking to a 33-24 defeat.

With Finn Russell, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu and Blair Kinghorn, Scotland have the ability to play sensational rugby and go on a tear. Yet questions remain about their ability to withstand in-game momentum changes.

Fixtures away to Italy and Wales in the opening three rounds sandwiching a home tie against England, means there is an opportunity to put themselves in title contention. But to do that, they will need to show they have learned the painful lessons of recent years.

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Italy

There is reason to be optimistic about Italy’s hopes. While not yet a consistent force, Gonzalo Quesada's side have shown they can mix it with a host of teams above them in the rankings.

Last year’s tournament yielded a lone victory over Wales and the fact that return was viewed as a disappointment highlights the progression. It should also not be forgotten how close the Italians ran Ireland on Super Saturday.

They come into this year’s campaign on the back of a strong autumn in which they beat Australia for just the second time in history. That was followed by a respectable 32-14 loss to the wrecking ball that is world champions South Africa and a solid win over Chile.

They have some up-front grunt but it is in the backline where they are likely to do their damage. In Paolo Garbisi, they have a fly-half who is a strong runner and accurate off the boot, while centre Tommaso Menoncello is one of the best in his position.

Juan Ignacio Brex, Monty Ioane and Louis Lynagh are also capable of brilliance. Frustratingly for Quesada, he will be without Ange Capuozzo and 19-year-old Northampton Saints winger Edoardo Todaro, who picked up a knee injury in camp.

There will be huge focus on the opening game at home to Scotland, whom they beat in the same fixture two years ago, while the Wales clash will be another the Italians have earmarked. The outcome of those will likely determine whether the tournament is a success or failure.

Michele Lamaro of Italy during the 2026 Guinness Men's Six Nations Launch Event at The Hub on January 26, 2026 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

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Wales

After picking up the Wooden Spoon in 2024 and 2025, the task for new head coach Steve Tandy and his squad is fairly simple: avoid an unwanted three-peat.

It remains a bit strange to say, given Wales won the men’s Six Nations as recently as 2021, but that is the current reality.

Putting the off-field issues aside, there is at least a little more positivity around Wales before the 2026 tournament than there was 12 months ago.

After a couple of narrow wins over Japan, they are no longer in the mire of a relentless losing streak. There were some further signs of improvement in the autumn. Against Argentina and New Zealand, the attack was more cohesive and threatening in spells. It was not sustained over the 80 minutes but it has given Tandy something to build on.

A record 73-0 loss to the Springboks last time out grabbed plenty of headlines but there should not be a huge amount of stock placed into that result given they were hugely under strength.

That being said, it is still expected to be a tough Six Nations campaign for Wales, who will be without captain Jac Morgan in their opener away to England.

That has all the makings of a difficult evening and it does not get much easier. France arrive in Cardiff a week later before they take on Scotland at home and Ireland in Dublin. It is a brutal line-up of fixtures.

Last up, they face Italy at the Principality Stadium. That game will be in the must-win column for Tandy, while he will hope to at least push some of the other nations close.

Continuing to rebuild the foundations is the main task at hand, but scoring a victory or two in the process would hand everyone associated with Welsh rugby a much-needed boost.