Six Nations 2026: What impact might new schedule have?

In a sport which is often changing, the Six Nations is usually left well alone.

While the authorities tinker with laws and competitions, they dare not meddle with the famous old Championship.

February and March, every year. Since 2000, the same six teams. And any talk of promotion and relegation, or expansion, is just that – talk. The Six Nations is brilliantly enduring and enduringly brilliant.

However, this year it will look a little different.

Not just because of a Thursday night start for the first time, but in an unprecedented move the tournament will be played over just six weeks rather than seven, with only one rest weekend between rounds three and four. There will be three back-to-back games at the start.

It may seem a minor tweak, but it could be significant. Since 2003 the tournament has been played over seven weeks, with a rest week either side of round three; before that the Championship was played over as many as 10 weeks.

Compressing the tournament has been mooted for a while. However, when raised in 2017, it was met by opposition from the players and quietly shelved – until now.

From a commercial viewpoint it makes sense. Build a narrative. Own the early spring sporting landscape. Keep up the momentum.

That middle weekend – with fallow weeks either side – always felt a little imperfect.

However, back in 2017, England’s George Ford said the tournament was «tough enough» on players and his concerns remain valid.

Three high-intensity games on consecutive weekends will take a physical and mental toll, especially on the countries with fewer resources.

«It could have an impact, absolutely,» former Scotland captain John Barclay told the Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

«And it will impact Scotland, Wales and Italy more because they are the countries which don’t quite have that level of depth.»

Barclay, who won 76 caps in a twelve-year international career, remembers a particularly brutal meeting with the French in Paris nine years ago, which resulted in head injury assessments (HIAs) for seven Scotland players.

Under World Rugby’s HIA protocol, players showing concussion symptoms must spend a minimum of 12 days on the sidelines.

After that 2017 trip to Paris, the Scots had a rest week to lick their wounds and make a semblance of a recovery for the third round of matches. That would not be possible this time around.

Having spoken to the Six Nations coaches, all agree that managing playing and training load will be more important than ever.

England vice-captain Jamie George agrees the schedule could help the squads with greater strength in depth.

«It puts a bigger emphasis on recovery and getting yourself right, and it’s certainly more challenging,» George told BBC Sport.

«At the same time it probably emphasises the importance of squad depth, which is something that we’re blessed with in the squad.

«I think you’ll see a lot more rotation of players, whether that be for injury or form or whatever it might be.»

«We’re pleased with our depth,» insists Scotland boss Gregor Townsend, who estimates between 30 and 35 players will need to be called upon across the six weeks.

«If you’ve gone beyond that [30-35 players] then you’ve probably had a lot of injuries and any team will be affected by that.

«Let’s hope we don’t pick up too many injuries during the five games.»

Ireland boss Andy Farrell has had to deal with multiple injuries already in his squad, but he feels three high-intensity matches in a row will serve teams well for a 2027 Rugby World Cup where the pool stage has been reduced to add a new last-16 round.

«International rugby is tough, and it does take longer to get over, but the World Cup has changed as well and we are all trying to prepare for that further down the track,» Farrell told Rugby Union Weekly.

Perennial underdogs Italy start with Scotland at home before travelling to Ireland then France – a treacherous trio of games.

«Honestly, it is what it is and we are going to adapt,» says Azzurri head coach Gonzalo Quesada.

«There are positives – we have a lot of players who play abroad [and return to clubs in fallow weeks] so to have them for three weeks in a row is a good thing.

«But it is going to be tough. We need to have not a lot of injuries if we are going to arrive at the France game and be competitive.»

For Steve Tandy and Wales, another squad who could find themselves stretched to the limit, it will be about boxing clever to keep the players fresh.

«It’s a huge demand, but that’s where you want to be,» Tandy explained. «There will be injuries and fatigue but that will create an opportunity for someone else.

«But you realise sometimes less is more. In certain weeks you have to get the players mentally fresh. So we have to make sure we are managing their weeks right. We are going to have to be smart.»

The beauty of the Six Nations is the consistency with which David fells Goliath. Wales (population three million) has won twice as many Grand Slams this millennium as England (population 57 million).

But with England and France the best-resourced countries and tournament favourites, the scheduling may make it that bit harder for the underdogs to have their day.