Editing Six Nations Championship (section)

== Format ==
[[File:Tournoi2.svg|thumb|left|The locations of the Six Nations participants]]
The tournament begins on the first weekend in February and culminates on the second or third Saturday in March. Each team plays every other team once (a total of 15 matches), with home ground advantage alternating from one year to the next. Before the 2017 tournament, two points were awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. Unlike many other rugby union competitions, a [[Rugby union bonus points system|bonus point system]] had not previously been used.

A bonus point system was first used in the 2017 Championship. The system is similar to the one used in most rugby championships (0 points for a loss, 2 for a draw, 4 for a win, 1 for scoring four or more tries in a match, and 1 for losing by 7 points or fewer). The only difference is that a team that wins all their games (a Grand Slam) are automatically awarded 3 extra points - to ensure they cannot be overtaken by a defeated team on bonus points.

Before 1994, teams equal on match points shared the championship. Since then, ties have been broken by considering the points difference (total points scored minus total points conceded) of the teams. The rules of the championship further provide that if teams tie on both match points and points difference, the team that scored the most tries wins the championship. Were this decider to be a tie, the tying teams would share the championship.<ref name="rules">{{cite web|url=http://www.rbs6nations.com/en/championship-information_rules.php |title=Rules of the RBS 6 Nations Championship |publisher=RBS 6 Nations |access-date=24 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509142546/http://www.rbs6nations.com/en/championship-information_rules.php |archive-date=9 May 2008 }}</ref> To date, however, match points and points difference have been sufficient to decide the championship.

The [[Wooden Spoon (rugby union)|Wooden Spoon]] is a metaphorical award given to the team that finishes in last place; a team which loses all their matches is said to have been "whitewashed".<ref>{{Cite web|date=16 March 2024|title=Six Nations: Wales look to avoid the Wooden Spoon - but what is it?|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-68575509|publisher=BBC}}</ref> Since the inaugural Six Nations tournament in 2000, only England and Ireland have avoided finishing last. Italy have finished last 18 times in the Six Nations era, and have lost all their matches in 12 tournaments.
{|class="wikitable"
|+Home advantage in the Six Nations
!
! colspan=3 | Three home matches
! colspan=3 | Two home matches
|-
! Even years
| {{ru|FRA}}
* v England
* v Ireland
* v Italy
| {{ru|IRE}}
* v Italy
* v Scotland
* v Wales
| {{ru|WAL}}
* v France
* v Italy
* v Scotland
|valign=top| {{ru|ENG}}
* v Ireland
* v Wales
|valign=top| {{ru|ITA}}
* v England
* v Scotland
|valign=top| {{ru|SCO}}
* v England
* v France
|-
! Odd years
| {{ru|ENG}}
* v France
* v Italy
* v Scotland
| {{ru|ITA}}
* v France
* v Ireland
* v Wales
| {{ru|SCO}}
* v Ireland
* v Italy
* v Wales
|valign=top| {{ru|FRA}}
* v Scotland
* v Wales
|valign=top| {{ru|IRE}}
* v England
* v France
|valign=top| {{ru|WAL}}
* v England
* v Ireland
|}