Winner in 2022 with a Grand Slam at stake, the French team hopes to achieve the double in this World Cup year.
Never has a VI Nations tournament been so important for the French team. From Saturday February 4, the traditional tournament in the northern hemisphere will punctuate international rugby news before the 2023 World Cup, which will be played from September in France. The Blues, precisely, will enter the competition on Sunday February 5 against Italy to officially defend their Grand Slam acquired in 2022.
At the time when we write these few lines, we do not know the group composed by Fabien Galthie and its staff for this 6 Nations tournament. But one thing is certain, Jonathan Danty will not be part of the adventure. The one who has played 14 of the last 16 games for the France team, was injured with his club Stade Français in January and will be absent for three months. What can open the door to a new kid a few months away from a World Cup where the Blues are more than ever the big favorites.
The schedule of matches for the 6 Nations Tournament is established over five days. Each team meets its opponents only once. For this 2023 edition, France travels three times (since it had received three times during the previous edition). The schedule of matches in 2023:
First day
- Saturday, February 4, 2023
- Wales – Ireland at 3:15 p.m.
- England – Scotland at 5:45 p.m.
- Sunday February 5
- Italy – France at 4 p.m.
Second day
- Saturday February 11
- Ireland – France at 3:15 p.m.
- Scotland – Wales at 5:45 p.m.
- Sunday February 12
- England – Italy at 4 p.m.
third day
- Saturday February 25
- Italy – Ireland at 3:15 p.m.
- Wales – England at 5:45 p.m.
- Sunday February 26
- France – Scotland at 4 p.m.
Fourth day
- Saturday March 11
- Italy – Wales at 3:15 p.m.
- England – France at 5:45 p.m.
- Sunday March 12
- Scotland – Ireland at 4 p.m.
fifth day
- Saturday March 18
- Scotland – Italy at 1:30 p.m.
- France – Wales at 3:45 p.m.
- Ireland – England at 6 p.m.
The classification of the 6 Nations Tournament is established as follows: victory is worth 4 points, a draw 2 points and a defeat 0 point. Each of the six teams can also collect bonus points: 1 offensive bonus point if it scores at least four tries in the match, 1 defensive bonus point if it loses the match with a maximum gap of seven points. Finally, if one of the selection achieves the Grand Slam, it is granted an additional bonus of 3 points. In the event of a tie at the end of the tournament, the teams were decided on the basis of the difference in points per match.
In France, the matches of this 2023 6 Nations Tournament will be broadcast on FranceTV. The pair made up of Matthieu Lartot and Dmitri Yachviliaccompanied by Cécile Grès for the interviews on the sidelines, is on the comments of the nine matches of the competition, including all those of the Blues, scheduled on France 2. For the other matches, the broadcast is also accessible on the antennas of France TV , with the Laurent Bellet – Jérôme Cazalbou duo on the microphone.