2025 Men’s Six Nations Preview

men six nations preview

Author: Liam Lacey,

The 2025 Men’s Six Nations kicks off on January 31st at the Stade de France in Paris with the home side France hosting the 2024 Wooden Spoon recipients Wales. Across 5 match weekends during January, February and March the best of the best in Northern Hemisphere rugby will lock horns to claim the title of Europe’s best once again. Ireland heads into this year’s tournament seeking to become the first nation to win the Six Nations three years in a row after their successes in 2023 and 2024.

As fans look forward to the Championships, below, I will look at the six nations taking part.

“Ireland heads into this year’s tournament seeking to become the first nation to win the Six Nations three years in a row after their successes in 2023 and 2024.”

🏆 Ireland: 2025 History Makers

Back-to-back champions Ireland kick off their 2025 three-in-a-row bid against England in Dublin on February 1st, looking to avenge their single-point loss to the English at Twickenham last year. An up-and-down November Series has questions being asked of the Irish team for the first time in a while, but led by the likes of captain Caelan Doris, the returning Dan Sheehan and their new out-half star Sam Prendergast, Simon Easterby’s men are still heavily fancied to take all the beating in this year’s Championship. Their first two matches against England and Scotland should inform us where this Irish side are, in 2025.

🔥 Can Antoine Dupont’s Return Lead France to Glory

The French, off the back of an impressive Autumn, come into this year’s Championships as the favourites to lift the title for the first time since 2022. A loss to Ireland and a draw with Italy scuppered their 2024 chances, but the importance of the return of Antoine Dupont after he took a season off in 2024 cannot be downplayed. The Toulouse star is such a difference maker to this French side, that his return means Fabien Galthie’s men, already armed with the likes of Gregory Alldritt, Thomas Ramos, Damien Peynaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey are even more dangerous than 2024.

⚔️ Will England ease Pressure on Steve Borthwick with a positive showing

A disappointing 2024 for the competition’s most successful nation saw Steve Borthwick’s men lose 7 of their 12 matches, including 2 of their 5 Six Nations matches, to Scotland and France. The highlight of their year was the formidable performance they put in at Twickenham to beat Ireland but can that kind of performance become a template for England or was that kind of a win just a one-off under Borthwick? Led by the likes of their new skipper Maro Itoje, Ollie Lawrence, Josh Earl and the mercurial Marcus Smith, England will look to make another statement when they begin against Ireland in Dublin on February 1st.

🎯 Can the Scots finally Mount a Title bid in 2025

Scotland has never finished higher than 3rd in a Six Nations Championships so 2025 will be the year they break the mould. 2024 was a mixed bag for Gregor Townsend’s men, with all five of their games in the Six Nations decided by single-figure outcomes. Depending on whether you are a glass-half-full or empty fan, this can be viewed as the Scots not being far away from the top nations in the Championship or being close to being dragged into the discussion at the bottom of the table. Scotland will once again look to the talents of Finn Russell to lead their charge, aided by the likes of scoring machines Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham, along with No 8 Jack Dempsey. The loss of team captain Sione Tuipulotu however will be a huge blow to the team’s chances.

🏉 Italy: Celebrating 25 years in the Competition

Italy will look to mark their 25th anniversary of participation in the Six Nations with a bang this year. The Italians are unbeaten in their last three Six Nations matches from 2024 and will hope to continue that form with a tricky trip to Murrayfield in Round 1 this year. Led by their tackling machine, flanker Michele Lamaro, Italy will also look to the likes of the exciting pair of Ange Capuozzo and Tommaso Menoncello to help them back up what they achieved in 2024.

🥄 Can Wales avoid the Wooden Spoon again in 2025

Wales under Warren Gatland desperately needs positive results after a disastrous 2024 which saw them claim the Wooden Spoon in the Six Nations. Wales lost all their matches in 2024; the first time this has happened since 1937. Warren Gatland has come under pressure for such poor performances but has been backed by the WRU to get things right in his second stint in charge. The 4 time Six Nations Grand Slam winners will hope that Josh Adams can return to his best along with another veteran in Liam Williams. Up front, they will look to Captain Jac Morgan in the back row and lock Dafydd Jenkins to help prevent them from having another disaster in 2025.

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✒️ Liam Lacey – Football, Tennis and GAA Sports Expert

Liam Lacey is a sports writer covering Gaelic football, hurling, and international football. From the All-Ireland Championships to the Champions League, he delivers expert analysis, match previews, and sharp predictions.