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England Overpowers Italy, Setting Up Grand Slam Showdown Against France
Defending Women’s Six Nations champions England are set to clash with France in Bordeaux for a decisive Grand Slam match on Sunday, May 17 (live on BBC Two, 16:45 BST).
John Mitchell’s squad commenced their quest for an eighth consecutive title with a 33-12 victory over Ireland, witnessed by a record-breaking Women’s Six Nations crowd of 77,120 at Allianz Stadium on April 11.
The Red Roses then delivered a dominant performance, scoring 12 tries in an 84-7 triumph over Scotland, followed by 10 tries in a 62-24 victory against Wales to secure the Triple Crown.
A 61-33 victory against Italy in Parma maintained their title defense and extended their unprecedented winning streak to 37 Tests across all competitions. They remain undefeated in the Women’s Six Nations since 2018.
However, they are poised to face formidable competition from France, who have secured four bonus-point wins themselves, as they aim for their first title since 2018.
Francois Ratier’s team initiated the championship with a 40-7 win over Italy, followed by victories against Wales (34-7) and Ireland (26-7), before scoring 11 tries in a 69-28 win against Scotland in Edinburgh.
France, recognized for possessing the strongest defense in this year’s competition, trails England in points difference as they head into the title-deciding match.
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Ireland, currently in third place, has experienced alternating results, with a dominant 57-20 victory over Italy the week following a loss to England, before rebounding from a defeat in France with a 33-12 win over Wales.
They are scheduled to host Scotland in Dublin on the final day (14:30), with their visitors hoping to end a streak of three heavy defeats.
However, it hasn’t been all negative for Scotland, with the team defeating Wales 24-19 on the opening weekend and securing try bonus points against both France and England.
Italy, positioned in fourth place, suffered significant losses to France and Ireland before rebounding with a 41-14 victory over Scotland in Parma.
Despite a substantial loss to England in round four, they secured a third try bonus point of the championship, providing confidence before their trip to Cardiff (May 17, 12:15).
Wales remains in search of their first win of the tournament, with a losing bonus point against Scotland and a try bonus against England representing rare moments of optimism as they attempt to avoid a third consecutive wooden spoon.
Sunday, 17 May
12:15 – Wales v Italy, Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff – BBC Two, BBC iPlayer
14:30 – Ireland v Scotland, Aviva Stadium, Dublin – BBC iPlayer
16:45 – France v England, Stade Atlantique, Bordeaux – BBC Two
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Round one – Saturday, 11 April
France 40-7 Italy, Stade des Alpes, Grenoble
England 33-12 Ireland, Allianz Stadium, London
Wales 19-24 Scotland, Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Round two – Saturday, 18 April
Scotland 7-84 England, Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Wales 7-38 France, Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
Ireland 57-20 Italy, Dexcom Stadium, Galway
Round three – Saturday, 25 April
England 62-24 Wales, Ashton Gate, Bristol
Italy 41-14 Scotland, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma
France 26-7 Ireland, Stade Marcel-Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand
Round four – Saturday, 9 May
Italy 33-61 England – Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma
Scotland 28-69 France – Hive Stadium, Edinburgh
Ireland 33-12 Wales – Affidea Stadium, Belfast
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Guinness Women’s Six Nations
11 April to 17 May
Watch every match live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app; listen to match commentaries on BBC Radio 5 Live, Sports Extra and BBC Sounds; follow live text and match highlights online
BBC Sport provides comprehensive free-to-air coverage of this year’s Women’s Six Nations across TV, radio, and online platforms.
Every tournament game will be broadcast on BBC TV and BBC iPlayer, with England’s World Cup-winning captain Stratford joining the team of experts to analyze the matches.
The BBC Sport website and app will offer live text coverage of each game, complete with clips, player reactions, and expert analysis.
BBC Sport’s social media channels will showcase standout moments from the matches and exclusive interviews with key players.
Live commentary will be available throughout the championship on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, and BBC Sounds, in addition to regular editions of the Rugby Union Weekly podcast.
BBC Wales will broadcast Scrum V the Build-up every Thursday throughout the tournament, previewing upcoming fixtures.
Rugby fans can also tune in to the Scrum V podcast, the BBC Scotland Rugby podcast and the Ireland Rugby Social podcast.
Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm, Ireland captain Erin King, France captain Manae Feleu, England captain Meg Jones, Kate Williams, captain of Wales, and Silvia Turani of Italy pose for a photo with the Women’s Six Nations trophy
England clinched a seventh consecutive Women’s Six Nations title and fourth Grand Slam in a row with a nailbiting 43-42 victory over France in the tournament’s final game.
Securing the Grand Slam with five bonus-point wins earned England an additional three bonus points, resulting in a final championship total of 28.
France finished as runners-up, a position they have held in every Six Nations since their last victory over England in 2018, with four wins.
Ireland secured a losing bonus point in a 26-19 defeat by Scotland, ensuring a third-place finish.
Italy concluded their campaign impressively with a comprehensive 44-12 victory over Wales to finish fourth in the table, trailing Ireland by a single point.
Francesca McGhie’s late try sealed a morale-boosting victory for Scotland over Ireland as they finished fifth.
Wales’ defeat relegated Sean Lynn’s side to the Wooden Spoon for the second consecutive year, as they lost all five games for the first time in their history.
The championship began as the Women’s Home Nations in 1996, expanded to include France in the Five Nations in 1999, and officially became the Women’s Six Nations in 2002.
Italy joined the championship in 2007, replacing Spain.
England has been a dominant force in the championship:
England has won 21 of the 29 tournaments, securing 19 Grand Slams and 25 Triple Crowns in the process.
The Red Roses have won the past seven tournaments, claiming Grand Slams in six of those years and only being prevented from a seventh due to changes to the 2021 season resulting from Covid.
England’s last defeat was against France in 2018. They have won their past 36 Six Nations matches, scoring 286 tries and conceding only 45.
France represents the strongest competition:
France, the inaugural Six Nations champion in 2002, has won the title six times, including five Grand Slams.
Ireland won the championship in 2013 and 2015.
Scotland won the 1998 Home Nations championship.
Wales and Italy have yet to win the tournament.
Teams are awarded four points for a win and two for a draw.
Bonus points are awarded for scoring four or more tries in a match and for losing by seven points or fewer.
A team that achieves a Grand Slam by defeating all five other nations—as England did last year—receives three additional bonus points to secure the title.
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