A host of rugby union greats have set the Six Nations alight down the years, creating unforgettable memories that still stir the senses today. Jonny Wilkinson's World Cup-winning kick for England may be the most famous drop goal ever.
Still, Ronan O'Gara and Jonathan Sexton entered Six Nations folklore when they produced their own jaw-dropping drop goals at pivotal moments. O’Gara’s kick ended Ireland's 61-year Grand Slam drought during the final match of the 2009 Six Nations against Wales in Cardiff, while Jonathan Sexton snatched a staggering victory against France in Paris with an epic 45-metre last-gasp drop goal during Ireland’s successful 2018 Grand Slam campaign.
Ronan O'Gara and Jonathan Sexton remain legendary figures of the game and are still 1st and 2nd, respectively, on the all-time Six Nations points standings. Before both their fantastic feats, Brian O’Driscoll had set Irish pulses racing during the Six Nations. Replays of BOD scoring a hat-trick of tries vs France in 2000 still get the hairs standing up in awe.
Getty ImagesBrian O’Driscoll (2006, 2007 & 2009) is one of only three players to claim the Six Nations tournament player award on multiple occasions. The other two are Stuart Hogg (2016 & 2017) and Antoine Dupont (2020, 2022 & 2023). Stuart Hogg led by example for Scotland, scoring crucial tries and holding his nerve to complete crucial kicks. Antoine Dupont has been the vital cog in the French machine during recent years. His exceptional speed, strength, tactical awareness, and incredible passing make him one of the modern-day rugby greats. Dupont wants to return with a bang this year after missing the 2024 Six Nations campaign.
Which players will rise to the challenge and create the most memorable moments during the 2025 Six Nations Championship? Let GOAL take you through each nation's final squad line-ups and fixtures for the forthcoming campaign below.
England
Getty Images - Coach: Steve Borthwick
- Captain: Maro Itoje
- Uncapped: Oscar Beard, Cadan Murley, Arthur Clark
- Most capped: George Ford
England coach Steve Borthwick knows he’s under immense scrutiny, but he also knows he has the players who can turn it on and surprise anyone like they did when beating Ireland during last year’s Six Nations. Despite some impressive performances during the Autumn Nations Series, England suffered too many losses, and the onus is on Borthwick to rediscover the winning formula quickly.
England’s Six Nations 2025 squad
Forwards: Fin Baxter, Ollie Chessum, Arthur Clark, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Chandler Cunningham-South, Ben Curry, Tom Curry, Theo Dan, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Joe Heyes, Ted Hill, Maro Itoje, Curtis Langdon, George Martin, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Henry Pollock, Bevan Rodd, Will Stuart, Tom Willis
Backs: Oscar Beard, Elliot Daly, Fraser Dingwall, George Ford, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Lawrence, Alex Mitchell, Cadan Murley, Raffi Quirke, Harry Randall, Tom Roebuck, Henry Slade, Ollie Sleightholme, Fin Smith, Marcus Smith, Ben Spencer, Freddie Steward
England's Six Nations fixtures
| Game | Date | Time (GMT/CET) | Venue | Watch (Stream) | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland vs England | Sat, Feb 1 | 4:45 pm/5:45 pm | Aviva Stadium, Dublin | ITV (ITVX) / Virgin Media (Virgin Media Play) | StubHub |
| England vs France | Sat, Feb 8 | 4:45 pm/5:45 pm | Twickenham Stadium, London | ITV (ITVX) / FranceTV (+ streaming) | StubHub |
| England vs Scotland | Sat, Feb 22 | 4:45 pm/5:45 pm | Twickenham Stadium, London | ITV (ITVX) / STV (STV Player) | StubHub |
| England vs Italy | Sun, Mar 9 | 3 pm/4 pm | Twickenham Stadium, London | ITV (ITVX) / TV8 (+ streaming) | StubHub |
| Wales vs England | Sat, Mar 15 | 4:45 pm/5:45 pm | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff | ITV (ITVX) | StubHub |
France
Getty Images - Coach: Fabien Galthié
- Captain: Antoine Dupont
- Uncapped: Maxime Lamothe, Giorgi Beria, Joshua Brennan, Matthias Halagahu, Noah Nene, Gael Drean
- Most capped: Uini Atonio
The return of talisman and skipper Antoine Dupont to the French fold is huge. Dupont aside, Les Bleus are stuffed to the rafters with top notch talent, that includes the kicking king, Thomas Ramos. A large number of the squad also play for Bordeaux and Toulouse, who have been flying high in the European Champions Cup recently. A slight negative for Galthie’s guys is the fact they must take to the road on three occasions, the third of those being a trip to Dublin during round 4.
France’s Six Nations 2025 squad
Forwards: Esteban Abadie, Dorian Aldegheri, Gregory Alldritt, Uini Atonio, Hugo Auradou, Cyril Baille, Giorgi Beria, Paul Boudehent, Joshua Brennan, Georges-Henri Colombe, Francois Cros, Thibaud Flament, Marko Gazzotti, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Mickaël Guillard, Matthias Halagahu, Oscar Jegou, Maxime Lamothe, Julien Marchand, Peato Mauvaka, Emmanuel Meafou, Dany Priso, Rabah Slimani, Romain Taofifénua
Backs: Theo Attissogbe, Pierre-Louis Barassi, Leo Barre, Nicolas Depoortere, Gael Drean, Antoine Dupont, Antoine Frisch, Emilien Gailleton, Matthieu Jalibert, Nolann le Garrec, Maxime Lucu, Yoram Moefana, Noah Nene, Romain Ntamack, Damien Penaud, Thomas Ramos, Killian Tixeront, Gabin Villiere
France's Six Nations fixtures
| Game | Date | Time (GMT/CET) | Venue | Watch (Stream) | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France vs Wales | Fri, Jan 31 | 8:15 pm/9:15 pm | Stade de France, Paris | FranceTV (+ streaming) / ITV (ITVX) | StubHub |
| England vs France | Sat, Feb 8 | 4:45 pm/5:45 pm | Twickenham Stadium, London | ITV (ITVX) / FranceTV (+ streaming) | StubHub |
| Italy vs France | Sun, Feb 23 | 3 pm/4 pm | Stadio Olimpico, Rome | TV8 (+ streaming) / FranceTV (+ streaming) | StubHub |
| Ireland vs France | Sat, Mar 8 | 2:15 pm/3:15 pm | Aviva Stadium, Dublin | RTE (RTE Player) / FranceTV (+ streaming) | StubHub |
| France vs Scotland | Sat, Mar 15 | 8 pm/9 pm | Stade de France, Paris | FranceTV (+ streaming) / STV (STV Player) | StubHub |
Italy
Getty Images - Coach: Gonzalo Quesada
- Captain: Michele Lamaro
- Uncapped: Luca Rizzoli
- Most capped: Tommaso Allan
Italy are no longer seen as the whipping boys of the Six Nations. The Azzurri secured two wins and a draw during the 2024 Six Nations and confidence is growing with a wave of talented youngsters on the way through. However, heavy defeats to Argentina and New Zealand in the Autumn will have hurt and it will be interesting to see how they respond to those setbacks.
Italy’s Six Nations 2025 squad
Forwards: Lorenzo Cannone, Niccolo Cannone, Riccardo Favretto, Simone Ferrari, Danilo Fischetti, Alessandro Izekor, Dino Lamb, Michele Lamaro, Gianmarco Lucchesi, Sebastian Negri, Giacomo Nicotera, Marco Ricconi, Luca Rizzoli, Federico Ruzza, Ross Vintcent, Giosue Zilocchi, Manuel Zuliani
Backs: Tommaso Allan, Juan Ignacio Brex, Ange Capuozzo, Matt Gallagher, Alessandro Garbisi, Paolo Garbisi, Simone Gesi, Monty Ioane, Leonardo Marin, Tommaso Menoncello, Martin Page-Relo, Jacopo Trulla, Stephen Varney
Italy's Six Nations fixtures
| Game | Date | Time (GMT/CET) | Venue | Watch (Stream) | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland vs Italy | Sat, Feb 1 | 2:15 pm/3:15 pm | Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh | STV (STV Player) / TV8 (+ streaming) | StubHub |
| Italy vs Wales | Sat, Feb 8 | 2:15 pm/3:15 pm | Stadio Olimpico, Rome | TV8 (+ streaming) / ITV (ITVX) | StubHub |
| Italy vs France | Sun, Feb 23 | 3 pm/4 pm | Stadio Olimpico, Rome | TV8 (+ streaming) / FranceTV (+ streaming) | StubHub |
| England vs Italy | Sun, Mar 9 | 3 pm/4 pm | Twickenham Stadium, London | ITV (ITVX) / TV8 (+ streaming) | StubHub |
| Italy vs Ireland | Sat, Mar 15 | 2:15 pm/3:15 pm | Stadio Olimpico, Rome | TV8 (+ streaming) / RTE (RTE Player) | StubHub |
Ireland
Getty Images - Coach: Simon Easterby
- Captain: Caelan Doris
- Uncapped: Jack Boyle
- Most capped: Cian Healy
Ireland are seeking an historic third Six Nations title in-a-row. Three consecutive sole wins was even unheard of during the Home Nations and Five Nations eras. With Andy Farrell overseeing the Lions Tour later in the year, Simon Easterby has taken over the Irish reins for the upcoming Six Nations and it is to be seen whether this proves to be a disruptive factor or not.
Ireland’s Six Nations 2025 squad
Forwards: Ryan Baird, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Boyle, Thomas Clarkson, Jack Conan, Caelan Doris, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Cormac Izuchukwu, Rónan Kelleher, Gus McCarthy, Joe McCarthy, Peter O’Mahony, Andrew Porter, Cian Prendergast, James Ryan, Dan Sheehan, Josh van der Flier
Backs: Bundee Aki, Caolin Blade, Jack Crowley, Ciaran Frawley, Jamison Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, Conor Murray, Calvin Nash, Jimmy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, Sam Prendergast, Garry Ringrose
Ireland's Six Nations fixtures
| Game | Date | Time (GMT/CET) | Venue | Watch (Stream) | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland vs England | Sat, Feb 1 | 4:45 pm/5:45 pm | Aviva Stadium, Dublin | ITV (ITVX) / Virgin Media (Virgin Media Play) | StubHub |
| Scotland vs Ireland | Sun, Feb 9 | 3 pm/4 pm | Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh | BBC (BBC iPlayer) / RTE (RTE Player) | StubHub |
| Wales vs Ireland | Sat, Feb 22 | 2:15 pm/3:15 pm | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff | BBC (BBC iPlayer) / Virgin Media (Virgin Media Play) | StubHub |
| Ireland vs France | Sat, Mar 8 | 2:15 pm/3:15 pm | Aviva Stadium, Dublin | RTE (RTE Player) / FranceTV (+ streaming) | StubHub |
| Italy vs Ireland | Sat, Mar 15 | 2:15 pm/3:15 pm | Stadio Olimpico, Rome | TV8 (+ streaming) / RTE (RTE Player) | StubHub |
Scotland
Getty Images - Coach: Gregor Townsend
- Captain: Rory Darge & Finn Russell
- Uncapped: Jack Mann, Fergus Burke
- Most capped: Finn Russell
The recent injuries to skipper Sione Tuipulotu and Scott Cummings has hit Scottish preparations hard. The fact Gregor Townsend’s team kick off their campaign with two home encounters at Murrayfield will have eased the pain a tad, though they know they must be primed and ready to hit the ground running against Italy.
Scotland’s Six Nations 2025 squad
Forwards: Ewan Ashman, Jamie Bhatti, Gregor Brown, Dave Cherry, Luke Crosbie, Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey, Matt Fagerson, Zander Fagerson, Grant Gilchrist, Jonny Gray, Patrick Harrison, Will Hurd, Jack Mann, D’Arcy Rae, Dylan Richardson, Jamie Ritchie, Pierre Schoeman, Rory Sutherland, Marshall Sykes, Euan Ferrie, Cameron Henderson, Ewan Johnson, Alexander Masibaka, Ollie Smith
Backs: Fergus Burke, Matt Currie, Jamie Dobie, Darcy Graham, George Horne, Rory Hutchinson, Huw Jones, Tom Jordan, Blair Kinghorn, Stafford McDowall, Finn Russell, Kyle Rowe, Duhan van der Merwe, Ben White
Scotland's Six Nations fixtures
| Game | Date | Time (GMT/CET) | Venue | Watch (Stream) | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland vs Italy | Sat, Feb 1 | 2:15 pm/3:15 pm | Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh | STV (STV Player) / TV8 (+ streaming) | StubHub |
| Scotland vs Ireland | Sun, Feb 9 | 3 pm/4 pm | Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh | BBC (BBC iPlayer) / RTE (RTE Player) | StubHub |
| England vs Scotland | Sat, Feb 22 | 4:45 pm/5:45 pm | Twickenham Stadium, London | ITV (ITVX) / STV (STV Player) | StubHub |
| Scotland vs Wales | Sat, Mar 8 | 4:45 pm/5:45 pm | Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh | BBC (BBC iPlayer) | StubHub |
| France vs Scotland | Sat, Mar 15 | 8 pm/9 pm | Stade de France, Paris | FranceTV (+ streaming) / STV (STV Player) | StubHub |
Wales
Getty Images - Coach: Warren Gatland
- Captain: Jac Morgan
- Uncapped: Dan Edwards
- Most capped: Taulupe Faletau
Wales head into a Six Nations campaign as the bottom-ranked team for the first ever time. That’s no real surprise considering Gatland’s side are currently on a 12-game losing streak that stretches back to October 2023. Their Championship opener doesn’t come much tougher and won’t fill them with confidence either, a Friday night test against France in Paris. Looking from a positive angle, low pre-tournament expectations may allow the inexperienced squad a chance to play with freedom.
Wales' Six Nations 2025 squad
Forwards: Gareth Thomas, Nicky Smith, Kemsley Mathias, Keiron Assiratti, Henry Thomas, WillGriff John, Ben Warren, Elliot Dee, Evan Lloyd, Sam Parry, Dafydd Jenkins, Will Rowlands, Freddie Thomas, Christ Tshiunza, Teddy Williams, James Botham, Aaron Wainwright, Taulupe Faletau, Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell
Backs: Tomos Williams, Ellis Bevan, Rhodri Williams, Ben Thomas, Dan Edwards, Eddie James, Nick Tompkins, Joe Roberts, Owen Watkin, Tom Rogers, Josh Hathaway, Ellis Mee, Blair Murray, Josh Adams, Liam Williams
Wales' Six Nations fixtures
| Game | Date | Time (GMT/CET) | Venue | Watch (Stream) | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France vs Wales | Fri, Jan 31 | 8:15 pm/9:15 pm | Stade de France, Paris | FranceTV (+ streaming) / ITV (ITVX) | StubHub |
| Italy vs Wales | Sat, Feb 8 | 2:15 pm/3:15 pm | Stadio Olimpico, Rome | TV8 (+ streaming) / ITV (ITVX) | StubHub |
| Wales vs Ireland | Sat, Feb 22 | 2:15 pm/3:15 pm | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff | BBC (BBC iPlayer) / Virgin Media (Virgin Media Play) | StubHub |
| Scotland vs Wales | Sat, Mar 8 | 4:45 pm/5:45 pm | Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh | BBC (BBC iPlayer) | StubHub |
| Wales vs England | Sat, Mar 15 | 4:45 pm/5:45 pm | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff | ITV (ITVX) | StubHub |
Highest individual Six Nations points scorers
| Player (Country) | Total Points |
|---|---|
| Johnny Sexton (Ireland) | 566 |
| Ronan O'Gara (Ireland) | 557 |
| Jonny Wilkinson (England) | 546 |
| Owen Farrell (England) | 528 |
| Stephen Jones (Wales) | 467 |
Johnny Sexton tops the points ladder. The famous fly-half was the heartbeat of Ireland’s backline for over a decade (2010-2023). He finished on a high by helping guide the green machine to an historic Grand Slam during his curtain-closing international season. As well as topping the Six Nations points chart, unsurprisingly Sexton is also Ireland’s all-time leading scorer with 1,108 points to his name.
Recent Six Nations Player of the Championship winners
- 2024:Tommaso Menoncello (Italy)
- 2023: Antoine Dupont (France)
- 2022: Antoine Dupont (France)
- 2021: Hamish Watson (Scotland)
- 2020:Antoine Dupont (France)
- 2019: Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)
- 2018: Jacob Stockdale (Ireland)
- 2017: Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
- 2016: Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
- 2015: Paul O'Connell (Ireland)