Recap the greatest victories, tries and player performances from the rugby Six Nations 2023. Our rugby gurus have revisited each round of the 2023 Six Nations, tracing Ireland’s path to the Championship Trophy, the Grand Slam and the Triple Crown.
Whether you want to relive Ireland’s glorious 15th title or review the tournament’s best moments, here are the highlights and stats from the Six Nations rugby 2023.
2023 Six Nations Stats: Who Won the Six Nations 2023?
Six Nations 2023 Winner: Ireland
The Six Nations rugby 2023 was the 24th edition of the Six Nations and the 129th annual Championship – the original Home Nations started in 1883. The tournament kicked off on 4 February and Super Saturday was contested on 18 March 2023.
As the top-ranked team, Ireland entered the competition hoping to maintain their status. To the joy of Irish fans, Ireland delivered a spectacular campaign and secured another sensational Six Nations Grand Slam.
Ireland won all five of their matches to claim their 15th Championship Trophy, fourth Grand Slam and 13th Triple Crown. They finished at the top of the Six Nations results 2023, outstripping France by seven points.
For the 2022 victors, France, the 2023 Six Nations Championship was also a success. Although Les Bleus finished second, their players stole the show. Damian Penaud was the top try scorer of the Six Nations 2023 with five tries; Thomas Ramos was the tournament’s top point scorer with 84 points; and Antoine Dupont was the Six Nations 2023 Player of the Tournament.
Round One Review
Match one: Wales 10-34 Ireland (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match two: England 23-29 Scotland (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Match three: Italy 24-29 France (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)
The rugby 2023 Six Nations Championship got off to a flying start. Steered by a determined Johnny Sexton, Ireland cruised past Wales 34-10 – Ireland’s first Six Nations win at the Millennium Stadium since 2013.
Next, England suffered a shock defeat at home to a Finn Russell-inspired Scotland. With this triumph, the Scots equaled their highest World Rugby Ranking: fifth. To the dismay of the English fans, it was Scotland’s third consecutive win against England (the first time they’d achieved the feat since 1972).
Lastly, the final match of the round saw France defeat Italy 29-24. This tumultuous match was far from plain sailing. Although France led 19-6 at half-time, the Azzurri were always close behind and clearly fancied recapturing the glory of 2022, when they kicked Wales to the curb.
Round Two Review
Match one: Ireland 32-19 France (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Match two: Scotland 35-7 Wales (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)
Match three: England 31-14 Italy (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Round two of the 2023 Six Nations Championship saw an epic battle between the top two world-ranked teams: Ireland and France. Eager to quash France’s hopes of retaining the Championship title, Ireland overpowered France 32-19 in their 13th consecutive home win – a feat that put an end to France’s 14 successive test victories.
Next, another record win: Scotland secured their biggest ever winning margin against Wales. The last match of the round saw Steve Borthwick secure his first win as England’s head coach.
Round Three Review
Match one: Ireland 34-20 Italy (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)
Match two: England 20-10 Wales (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match three: France 32-21 Scotland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)
Round three opened with a nerve-racking showdown between Italy and Ireland. Although Ireland emerged victorious, the determined and fearless Italian side created constant problems for the Irish squad. This included a frenzied first half that saw fly-half Paolo Garbisi’s conversion tip the score in Italy’s favour.
Next, England saw off Wales in a tense match at the Millennium Stadium. To add insult to injury, the 20-10 loss resulted in Wales equalling their worst world ranking (tenth).
The third match was the 100th clash between France and Scotland. Les Bleus led throughout and their 32-21 win was sealed by Gaël Fickou’s 79th-minute try.
Round Four Review
Match one: Italy 17-29 Wales (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)
Match two: England 10-53 France (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Match three: Scotland 7-22 Ireland (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)
As the first match of round four drew to a close, Welsh fans finally breathed a sigh of relief. With their 29-17 victory against Italy, Wales had secured their first winning result of the 2023 Six Nations.
Next, France delivered one of the greatest Six Nations performances of all time. Les Bleus’ record-breaking 43-point win set four new records: it was France’s biggest score and biggest winning margin against England, England’s largest defeat on home soil, and England’s heaviest defeat in any Home, Five or Six Nations match.
At the close of the third match, Ireland’s 2023 Six Nations win was in sight. Their Murrayfield success concluded with Ireland becoming the first ever Six Nations side to record 80 tournament wins. If that wasn’t sweet enough, Ireland’s captain, Johnny Sexton, equalled Ronan O’Gara’s record as the leading point scorer in the Six Nations Championship with 557 points.
Round Five Review
Match one: Scotland 26-14 Italy (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)
Match two: France 41-28 Wales (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)
Match three: Ireland 29-16 England (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Super Saturday featured two teams who were fighting to top the Six Nations 2023 table: Ireland and France. Ireland went into the final round knowing their victory would secure the Grand Slam; a French victory required a fifth-round loss for Ireland.
After Scotland’s 26-14 win against Italy, France got one step closer to claiming the Championship Trophy. Their spectacular performance against Wales saw them run-in five tries in a 41-28 victory. They also handed Wales their worst Six Nations defeat, with the Welsh campaign culminating in 19 conceded tries.
France’s victory made Ireland’s task clear: they had to beat England to claim the Six Nations title and the Grand Slam. Thankfully for the jubilant home fans, the Irish side defeated England 29-16 to secure the Grand Slam.
Six Nations Table 2023
Here are the Six Nations results from 2023:
Team | Won | Lost | Points Difference | Tries For | Tries Against | Grand Slam Points | Try Bonus Points | Losing Bonus Points | Total Points |
Ireland | 5 | 0 | +79 | 20 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 27 |
France | 4 | 1 | +59 | 21 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
Scotland | 3 | 2 | +20 | 17 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
England | 2 | 3 | -35 | 13 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
Wales | 1 | 4 | -63 | 11 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
Italy | 0 | 5 | -60 | 9 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
From their victory against Wales to their final triumph over England, Ireland delivered a lesson in how to sail through the Six Nations. With a +79 points difference and 20 tries, Ireland’s perfectly executed campaign led them to the top of the rugby Six Nations 2023 table.
It was also the ultimate result for former Ireland captain, Johnny Sexton, who ended his Six Nations career as the highest Six Nations points scorer of all time with 566 points. He equalled the record (557 points) in round four and broke it during Ireland’s final Six Nations 2023 match.
