As the anticipation continues to build around the 2025 Men’s Guinness Six Nations, the battles lines are being drawn for the start of the upcoming Championship.
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With just over three weeks to go before France and Wales ignite the competition on Friday 31st January in Paris, we’ve dusted off the crystal ball to make some bold predictions for the tournament.
What makes the Six Nations such an attraction is the unpredictability of the competition, with even the most unlikely result proving possible should fortune favour the brave. Ireland and France and once again the front-runners for this years Grand Slam, with the nations ranked at second and fourth in the official World Rugby standings. Ireland are out to make history, as should they win the competition for the third year in a row, it will be the first three-peat of victories from any side since the tournament expanded to include Italy in 2000.
So, before the competition kicks off in the French capital, as Fabien Galthie’s Blues host Warren Gatland’s fire-breathing Dragons, lets lay out our five bold predictions for the tournament.
Be wary that the following predictions do fluctuate in likelihood, but then again, that’s what separates a bold prediction from a sure-fire bet. Here’s what we think could unfold across February and March’s blockbuster competition.
1. England shock the world with an opening round win in Dublin
Picture the scene, it is 18-18 at the Aviva Stadium, with less than a minute left on the clock. England have pressure on the Irish 22m, and everyone in Dublin’s riverside stadium watches on with baited breath. The ball pops back to Marcus Smith, and in a mirror image of last year’s dramatic finale at Twickenham, he nails a dramatic match-winning drop goal to silence the sea of green jerseys.
Whilst we appreciate that it is unlikely for lightning to quite literally strike twice, England could well shock the rugby world with an opening round win to kick-start their competition. Steve Borthwick’s side are by no means a world away from such a victory, having fallen twice at the final hurdle against the All Blacks and Wallabies in the latest Autumn Nations Series. The potential is certainly there for England to take the proverbial scalps of their top tier opponents, and Borthwick will be determined for an unexpected win upon the Emerald Isle.
Had George Ford’s last ditch penalty or subsequent drop goal gone through the posts, England would have secured a colossal win over New Zealand. Likewise, had Maro Itoje not knocked-on the re-start after scoring the last-ditch try, the Australians would not have regained possession for Max Jorgensen’s winning try. Test match rugby is celebrated a contest that’s decided by the fine margins, and should England fall on the right side of such margins on Feburary 1st, we could well see some another underdog win against the Irish.
Whilst there is never a ‘perfect’ time to take on Ireland, the opening round of the 2025 Six Nations could well catch a re-structured side off-guard. The aura of Ireland dwindled throughout the latest Autumn Nations Series, after succumbing to a defeat against New Zealand, and narrowly scraped unconvincing wins over Australia and Argentina.
Andy Farrell has also stepped away from his head coach role to focus upon his British & Irish Lions responsibilities, and will be absent from an Ireland coaching box for the first time since 2016. The pressure will be firmly upon the shoulders of Intirim head coach Simon Easterby, as even the subtlest of disjointed defensive structures could open the door for England to strike.
2. France win the 2025 Men’s Six Nations Championship
France are in search of their first Men’s Six Nations title since 2022, having finished second behind Ireland in the latest two competitions. Fabien Galthie’s men have built some meteoric momentum heading into the tournament, as Les Bleus ended the Autumn Nations Series as the only undefeated Six Nations side. France recorded solid wins over Japan and Argentina, yet the stand out triumph of last November was the seismic 30-29 victory over the All Blacks.
It was an incredible night in the Stade de France, as Galthie’s men tied the record for French men’s home wins against the All Blacks, in what was their third consecutive home victory against New Zealand. France looked to have solidified their claim for the 2025 Six Nations title, with Galthie nailing down his strongest side, after experimenting with some breakthrough talents on the 2024 Summer tour of Argentina. France handed Los Pumas an emphatic 37-23 defeat in the Autumn, which was a far cry from the drawn two-match series in Buenos Aires.
Leading the French push to reclaim their men’s Six Nations crown will of course be Antoine Dupont, as the player widely regarded as the best in the world, has slotted seamlessly back into life in rugby union. Having led the France Sevens side to their first Olympic Gold Medals this past Summer, Dupont is adamant to win more hardware in Paris. A recent spanner in the works for Fabien Galthie is the injury absence of Charles Ollivon, as the back row injured his right knee on Top 14 duty with RC Toulon.
However, looking across at the 2025 Six Nations playing field, and France would be backed as comfortable favorites against four of their five incoming opponents. There are no prizes for guessing who could potentially deny Les Bleus the clean sweep of the victories, yet we believe that France’s stacked deck of talent have what it takes to win them the 2025 Six Nations title.
3. … But Ireland deny France the Grand Slam
In the penultimate round of the Championship, Ireland host France at the Aviva Stadium with it all on the line. Should our previous prediction of an England opening round win come true, and Ireland will be chasing the undefeated French to be within a shot of the Six Nations silverware. We can see the men from the Emerald Isle overcoming a valiant French effort, yet the overall points difference will deny Ireland the title come the end of the competition.
Whilst Scotland and England would have something to say about whether the 2025 Six Nations is another two-horse race, Ireland and France are certainly the bookies favourites to battle it out for the title. The two Northern Hemisphere heavyweights will collide on Saturday 8th March, with the shock-waves set to be felt through every pint of Guinness served across the Irish capital. When the fourth round of the tournament comes around, Ireland would have shaken off any cobwebs that come with a new head coach at the helm, and would be primed and battle-tested to take on the French.
Add in the extra motivation chasing from behind following an opening round defeat, and a raucous Irish crowd set to lift the decibels to unprecedented heights with each rendition of ‘Fields of Anthenry’, and you have a concoction for an immensely fired up Ireland side. The ’16th man’ will give the Irish a real lift, for the men in green to embrace the winners mentality showcased by Leinster’s 11-match unbeaten run so far in the United Rugby Championship and Investec Champions Cup.
Leinster’s clash with La Rochelle this Sunday, could act as a nice trial run for the strong Ireland international contingent, to test their mettle against some top ranking French players. Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle has been a thorn in Leinster’s side throughout previous Champions Cup campaigns, but a win for the Irish province could well act as a spoiler for the fourth round clash of the 2025 Six Nations.
4. Wales end their run of defeats, Italy take the wooden spoon
2024 was a miserable time to be a Wales fan, as Warren Gatland’s side failed to pick up a single Test match win throughout the calendar year. The saving grace was the one-point victory over Queensland Reds mid-way through Wales’ 2024 Summer tour of Australia, yet the win against the Super Rugby side failed to cushion the blow of eleven consecutive Test match defeats.
Whilst the odds were stacked against Wales for their Summer Tests against South Africa and Australia, and also when faced with Six Nations heavy-hitters Ireland and France, Gatland’s men had some definite chances to take home the ‘W’ in 2024. The fire of the fabled Welsh dragon fizzled out, as Italy claimed their second Six Nations win over Wales in three years, and Fiji recorded their first ever win at the Principality Stadium in an Autumn Series to forget.
Amidst all of the down-trodden darkness that has clouded the Welsh national side in recent years, there is a ember of hope that is steadily growing into a smolder. Gatland has made it clear that he is investing in the future of his current crop of players, and encouraged the Wales fans to be patient as he faced the chop towards the tail end of 2024. The likes of Mason Grady, Jac Morgan, Max Llewellyn, Christ Tshuinza, Aaron Wainwright, and Rio Dyer continue to emerge towards their prime playing years, and the coming Six Nations campaign could be telling one, to see if the ‘future is now’ for Gatland’s maturing squad.
Gatland’s Welsh squad was also riddled with injuries throughout 2024, with the likes of his captain Dafydd Jenkins and veteran powerhouse Taulupe Faletau unavailable for the majority of the term. Also, the likes of Liam Williams and Gareth Anscombe are back in Test match contention, having returned to the Premiership from their stints in Japan Rugby League One. Gatland’s arsenal of weapons is steadily stronger than that of his 2024 Six Nations set-up, with the void left by the likes of Louis Rees-Zammit, Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric shrinking with his new crop of stars.
Italy are once again the underdogs heading into the Six Nations, yet they bolster a squad of live-wires who will have their eyes set on a win over Wales. Likes likes of pocket rocket Ange Capuozzo and fly half talisman Paolo Garbisi will be out to entertain the Azzurri faithful, yet we can see this maturing Wales squad rising to the occasion and recording a significant tide-turner of a win.
5. Scotland win their fifth consecutive match against England
Scotland have been enjoying a recent string of success against their old Anglo enemies, with England sent packing after four defeats in a row ‘tae think again’. Gregor Townsend seems to have sussed out what it takes to record a win over England, and we can see Scotland making it a perfect five on the bounce when they travel South of the border, for the third round clash at the Allianz.
England and Scotland share the oldest rivalry within Test match rugby, with the first meeting between the two Home Nation rivals acting as the first ever competitive match of international rugby union. Dating back to their inaugural match on the 27th March 1871, which witnessed a win for Scotland, the rivals have battled each other on 142 occasions for the fabled Calcutta Cup trophy. Scotland have retained possession of the silverware since 2020, and could well be on their way to another retention this year.
Historically this fixture has favoured England, with 76 victories under their belts compared to Scotland’s record of 47. Whilst a draw is unlikely in any Test match fixture, the competitiveness of this British Isles derby has racked up a total of 19 ties, with neither side best pleased with that result. The last meeting between England and Scotland was the impressive 30-21 triumph for Townsend’s men up at Murrayfield in the 2024 Six Nations, as Duhan van der Merwe dismantled England with a formidable hat-trick.
The South African born wing has been a bitter foe for England within recent Six Nations meetings, as dating back further to the 2023 competition, and van der Merwe ran riot at Twickenham with an unbelievable solo try as he collected a brace. Scotland have long been the dark horses of the competition, having challenged the pack leaders Ireland and France in recent years. Yet they could well be considered favourites ahead of their trip to London, with the mental confidence coming from four years of Scottish dominance in their Anglo-Celtic encounters.
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