The 2023 Six Nations campaign is set to return this weekend with holders France looking to make back-to-back wins for the first time since 2007.
France will begin their Six Nations campaign away to Italy on Sunday, February 5.
Wales will officially start the tournament when they host Ireland in the early kick-off on Saturday, February 4.
The 2023 Six Nations will return this weekend with holders France looking to retain their title
England begin their Six Nations campaign at home to Scotland on Saturday
As for England, the Steve Borthwick era will begin at home to Scotland in the afternoon game at Twickenham.
England’s Six Nations campaign will come to an end on Saturday, March 18 when they travel to Ireland, with Borthwick’s side hoping to lift their seventh title in the competition.
With the tournament fast approaching, Sportsmail breaks down everything you need to know below.
When does the Six Nations start?
The Six Nations will officially get underway this weekend, with Wales kicking off the month-long tournament.
Wales’ game with Ireland will take place on Saturday, February 4 at the Principality Stadium.
Holders France begin their Six Nations title defence against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico
The game will kick off at 2.15pm, with the hosts looking to make home advantage count against Ireland.
As for England, they will start their Six Nations campaign at home to Scotland at Twickenham, with the game kicking off at 4.45pm.
The final game of the weekend will see Italy host holders France on Sunday at the Stadio Olimpico.
What are the full fixtures for the Six Nations?
With the tournament set to begin this weekend, many rugby fans will be eager to know the full fixture list for the tournament.
Traditionally, the tournament will last just over a month, with it ending towards mid-March.
The full fixtures for the tournament are as followed:
Saturday, February 4
- Wales vs Ireland – 2.15pm
- England vs Scotland – 4.45pm
Sunday, February 5
Saturday, February 11
- Ireland vs France – 2.15pm
- Scotland vs Wales – 4.45pm
Sunday, February 12
After finishing second last year, Ireland will be eager to go one better this year
Saturday, February 25
- Italy vs Ireland – 2.15pm
- Wales vs England – 4.45pm
Sunday, February 26
- France vs Scotland – 3pm
Saturday, March 11
- Italy vs Wales – 2.15pm
- England vs France – 4.45pm
Sunday, March 12
- Scotland vs Ireland – 3pm
Saturday, March 18
- Scotland vs Italy 12.30pm
- France vs Wales – 2.45pm
Sunday, March 18
How to watch the Six Nations
As usual, both ITV Sport and BBC will show live coverage of the Six Nations.
Arguably, the biggest fixture of the tournament will take place between Wales and England, with the game being played on Saturday, February 25.
The Italian’s come into the Six Nations off the back of finishing bottom last year
The blockbuster showdown between the two sides will be shown live on BBC Sport.
Alternatively, all live games on BBC will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer, so you can keep in touch with all the action there.
ITV’s streaming platform, ITVX will also show all the games that are live only on ITV.
Sportsmail will also be covering a number of games live, so you can keep up-to-date.
How does the Six Nations scoring system work?
In terms of the format of the competition, the Six Nations point scoring works in a similar fashion as the Rugby Championship international competitions.
Like most sports, a team who losses will pick up no points.
For those who come away with a win, each winner will pick up four points
However, for teams coming away with a draw, each team will receive two points.
Winners of each match will receive four points. A team will also receive a bonus point: one for scoring four or more tries in a match and one for losing by seven points or fewer.
Six Nations Fantasy League: How to sign up and who should I pick?
With the return of the Six Nations nearly upon us, ‘Fantasy Rugby’ will once again be popular for many fans – and you can sign up HERE.
Each Fantasy Rugby squad is made up of 18 players with a starting XV and three substitutes.
Every player is assigned a value and fans will have a budget of 245 stars to work with. Players can select up to four players rom any one nation.
Marcus Smith is definitely one top have in your fantasy rugby team ahead of the Six Nations
For those wondering who to put in their team, England fly-half, Marcus Smith is one to definitely have in your team.
If you are looking for guaranteed scorers, both Damian Penaud and James Lowe will also be solid choices for your teams.
For more tips and tricks, visit the official Six Nations website HERE.