2026 Six Nations: Team News & Kick-Off Times for Round 1

The 2026 Six Nations Championship commenced today, Thursday, February 5th, with a shift from the traditional Saturday start to accommodate the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina on Friday evening. The opening match saw defending champions France host Ireland at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, just outside of Paris.

France and Ireland Clash in Opener

Fabien Galthie’s France lineup featured a notable tactical approach with five players effectively deployed as back-rowers, including Mickael Guillard and Charles Ollivon in the second row. Antoine Dupont returned to captain the side from scrum-half, partnering with Matthieu Jalibert in the halfbacks. Galthie opted for a 6-2 split on the bench, indicating a focus on forward power.

Ireland, under Andy Farrell, faced a prop injury crisis leading to starts for Thomas Clarkson and Jeremy Loughman flanking Dan Sheehan. The Irish back three also saw changes due to injury, with Jamie Osborne, Tommy O’Brien, and Jacob Stockdale combining for the first time.

France: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Theo Attissogbe, 13 Nicolas Depoortere, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 8 Anthony Jelonch, 7 Oscar Jegou, 6 François Cros, 5 Mickael Guillard, 4 Charles Ollivon, 3 Dorian Aldegheri, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros. Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Rodrigue Neti, 18 Regis Montagne, 19 Hugo Auradou, 20 Emmanuel Meafou, 21 Lenni Nouchi, 22 Baptiste Serin, 23 Kalvin Gourgues.

Ireland: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Cian Prendergast, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Thomas Clarkson, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Jeremy Loughman. Replacements: 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Michael Milne, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 James Ryan, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Nick Timoney, 22 Craig Casey, 23 Jack Crowley.

Italy and Scotland Set to Battle in Rome

Saturday’s action begins with Italy hosting Scotland at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Three Italian players – captain Michele Lamaro, centre Juan Ignacio Brex, and fly-half Paolo Garbisi – are set to reach the milestone of 50 caps for the Azzurri. Gonzalo Quesada’s Italy will be without several first-choice players due to injury, but still fields a powerful matchday 23 hoping to replicate their 2024 success.

Italy: 15 Leonardo Marin, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Alessandro Fusco, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Michele Lamaro (c), 5 Andrea Zambonin, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 1 Danilo Fischetti. Replacements: 16 Tommaso di Bartolomeo, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Muhamed Hasa, 19 Federico Ruzza, 20 Riccardo Favretto, 21 Alessandro Garbisi, 22 Giacomo Da Re, 23 Lorenzo Pani.

Scotland’s lineup, surprisingly, does not include Blair Kinghorn or Duhan van der Merwe. Tom Jordan, Kyle Steyn, and Jamie Dobie will form the back three, a selection described as a “sensational selection call” by some observers. Darcy Graham has been demoted to the bench.

Scotland: 15 Tom Jordan, 14 Kyle Steyn, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu (c), 11 Jamie Dobie, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman. Replacements: 16 George Turner, 17 Nathan McBeth, 18 Elliot Millar Mills, 19 Max Williamson, 20 Gregor Brown, 21 George Horne, 22 Adam Hastings, 23 Darcy Graham.

England to Host Wales at Twickenham

The final match of the opening round sees England host Wales at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. England boasts an 11-match winning streak and aims to secure their first Six Nations title since 2020. Steve Borthwick has again loaded the bench with experienced players, including British and Irish Lions Luke Cowan-Dickie, Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, and Henry Pollock.

England: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, 13 Tommy Freeman, 12 Fraser Dingwall, 11 Henry Arundell, 10 George Ford, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Guy Pepper, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Alex Coles, 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Jamie George (c), 1 Ellis Genge. Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Bevan Rodd, 18 Trevor Davison, 19 Maro Itoje, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Henry Pollock, 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Marcus Smith.

Wales: 15 Louis Rees-Zammit, 14 Ellis Mee, 13 Eddie James, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Josh Macleod, 6 Alex Mann, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Dafydd Jenkins, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Nicky Smith. Replacements: 16 Liam Belcher, 17 Rhys Carre, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Ben Carter, 20 Taine Plumtree, 21 Harri Deaves, 22 Kieran Hardy, 23 Mason Grady.

Steve Tandy has opted to deploy Louis Rees-Zammit at full-back in his first Six Nations game in charge of Wales, also selecting a 6-2 split on the bench favoring forwards.

The opening round promises a compelling start to the 2026 Six Nations, with key matchups and tactical approaches setting the stage for a competitive championship.