Explore the 2020 Six Nations Championship right here at RugbyPass. Whether you’re looking for the stats or you want to explore the tournament in its entirety, our rugby gurus have filled this review with all of the key details from every round.
Take a look below to see how England edged past France, climbed to the top of the table and won the Six Nations 2020.
2020 Six Nations Stats: Who Won the Six Nations 2020?
Six Nations 2020 Winner: England
The 2020 Six Nations was the 126th Championship tournament (including the Home Nations and Five Nations) and the 21st Six Nations. It was also the first Six Nations to be interrupted by Covid-19; the last four matches were postponed until October 2020.
The tournament was initially scheduled to commence on 1 February and conclude on 14 March 2020. The four postponed matches – Italy and Ireland’s round-four clash and the three round five games – were the first delayed Six Nation matches since 2012. The 11th match was held on 8 March and play resumed on 24 October 2020.
After a seven-month wait, England emerged as the winners of the Six Nations 2020. This was their 29th outright title and 26th Triple Crown. In a tight table, they edged past France on points difference alone: England finished with +44 and France with +21.
Although England took the title, France’s players topped the stats. Antoine Dupont was named Six Nations 2020 Player of the Tournament, Romain Ntamack was the top point scorer with 57 points and Charles Ollivon was the top try scorer with four tries.
Round One Review
Match one: Wales 42-0 Italy (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match two: Ireland 19-12 Scotland (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Match three: France 24-17 England (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)
Round one of the 2020 Six Nations began with a clean sheet for Wales and a nil-point loss for Italy. A hat-trick from Josh Adams saw Wales obliterate Italy 42-0. This was the first time the Italian side had finished a game with 0 points since 2017.
Johnny Sexton stole the show in Ireland’s opening match. He scored each of Ireland’s 19 points, including one try, one conversion and four penalties. It was a similar story for Scotland, with Adam Hastings securing all 12 points.
Meanwhile, eventual winners England suffered a disappointing start. The young French hosts ran circles around the more experienced England squad and won 24-17. This was the first time France had won their opening Six Nations game since 2016 and the first time England had lost theirs since 2014 – their previous loss was also against France.
Round Two Review
Match one: Ireland 24-14 Wales (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Match two: Scotland 6-13 England (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)
Match three: France 35-22 Italy (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)
Round two saw Ireland secure their second home win of the 2020 Six Nations Championship. After a closely-contested first half, the Irish side dominated during the second. Wales struggled to gain possession and subsequently suffered a 24-14 loss.
Match two featured Ellis Genge’s debut Six Nations try. With just 10 minutes left on the clock, Genge sealed England’s first win of the tournament with a 13-6 victory over Scotland. Additionally, his try also helped England reclaim the Calcutta Cup for the first time since 2017.
The round closed with a thrilling and energetic match between France and Italy. Les Bleus scored five tries to Italy’s three and secured a 35-22 home win.
Round Three Review
Match one: Italy 0-17 Scotland (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)
Match two: Wales 23-27 France (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match three: England 24-12 Ireland (Twickenham Stadium, London)
In round three, Scotland finally won their first game of the tournament. The Scottish side celebrated a 17-0 victory that featured a phenomenal try from Stuart Hogg. From 50 metres, he successfully zigzagged through the Azzurri’s defence and sailed over the line.
Next, France won their first Six Nations match in Cardiff since 2010. Their third win from three, the match was a clash between two players: Welsh behemoth Dan Biggar and France superstar Romain Ntamack. After a tight and tense game, France prevailed 27-23.
Finally, a tactical England claimed their first home win of the tournament. Although Ireland fought for territory, they were no match for the skillful England squad and the match ended 24-12.
Round Four Review
Match one: England 33-30 Wales (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Match two: Scotland 28-17 France (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)
Match three (postponed): Ireland 50-17 Italy (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Round four of the Six Nations 2020 was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The first two matches were contested as planned on 7 and 8 March 2020; the last game was rescheduled until 24 October 2020.
The first match was a battle between England and Wales. It was a ferocious game of attacks and counter attacks. But, after a tenacious match from both sides, England won 33-30 and secured their 26th Triple Crown.
In the second game, Scotland saw off France 28-17. This was a monumental result for Scotland and a disappointing outcome for France. Scotland claimed their 200th Six Nations victory – their first consecutive win against France since 1964 – and reclaimed the Auld Alliance Trophy. But, the loss was bad news for France, who could no longer claim the Grand Slam.
Seven months later, the tournament restarted with Ireland’s 50-17 triumph over Italy.
Round Five Review
Match one (postponed): Wales 10-14 Scotland (Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli)
Match two (postponed): Italy 5-34 England (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)
Match three (postponed): France 35-27 Ireland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)
The delayed round five of the 2020 Six Nations was contested on 31 October. First up, Scotland won their first Doddie Weir Cup and celebrated their first victory in Wales since 2002. They beat Wales 14-10 and won three Six Nations matches in a row for the first time since 1996.
Next, Ben Youngs earned his 100th cap as England overpowered Italy 34-5. This left Italy at the bottom of the table once again.
The final match of Super Saturday featured a tense clash between France and Ireland. With both teams still in contention, France and Ireland entered the match with three wins apiece. However, France’s 35-27 victory fell short of their required 28-point margin of victory – Ireland needed a seven-point win (or six if they scored at least one try) – and handed England the title.
Six Nations Table 2020
Here are the Six Nations results from 2020:
Team | Won | Lost | Points Difference | Tries For | Tries Against | Grand Slam Points | Try Bonus Points | Losing Bonus Points | Total Points |
England | 4 | 1 | +44 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
France | 4 | 1 | +21 | 17 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
Ireland | 3 | 2 | +30 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
Scotland | 3 | 2 | +18 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
Wales | 1 | 4 | +21 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
Italy | 0 | 5 | -134 | 6 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
After a seven month postponement, the rescheduled 2020 Six Nations Championship ended on 31 October 2020. This delay led to significant squad changes. In particular, round five saw Wales change 19 players and Scotland change 15.
In terms of performance, this was a tense tournament that came down to the wire. The result was decided with France and Ireland’s Super Saturday match, when both teams failed to dethrone England. As such, England’s 29th Championship win was awarded on points difference.
