We assess the title chances of each team as the 2025 Six Nations comes into view. The championship is always more interesting in a Lions year, with players from the four home nations looking to secure their spot on the plane to Australia in July. Meanwhile, the return of Antoine Dupont puts France in the pound seats for the title itself this season.
Ireland – 7/4
Ireland’s performances in the Autumn internationals were far from their usual standards. They began November with a crushing 13-23 loss to New Zealand, before pipping Argentina 22-19, seeing off Fiji 52-17 and sneaking past Australia in another 22-19 result. With several ageing veterans like Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray still kicking around, it may be time for the next generation to get more of a look-in this year, while the flyhalf conundrum remains a problem to solve, with Jack Crowley, Sam Prendergast and Ciarán Frawley all vying for the No 10 berth.
Andy Farrell’s decision to take the Lions’ coaching reigns this year means Ireland’s regular defence guru Simon Easterby will be the man in charge as they seek what would be a historic third successive Six Nations title. That said, that coaching change will see some disruption to the environment and couple that with what looks to be a side on the wane means they may not hit the heights they have become accustomed to.
Verdict: Third
2024 finish: Champions
Player to watch: Garry Ringrose
France – 13/8
With his Olympic Sevens side quest over, Antoine Dupont’s presence in Fabien Galthie’s French side makes them a whole different prospect for their opposition. He was surely the missing ingredient as Les Blues finished second in 2024 but given what we saw from them at the backend of last year, they will be difficult to stop this time around.
Their most crucial game is likely to be their round four matchup in Dublin, where victory could win or lose them the championship. Their trip to Twickenham in the second round will also be vital, especially considering they only play two home games this year. Still, with the quality on display from the French clubs in the Champions Cup, this season and the form of their star players, a Grand Slam could very well be on the cards, even without the impact of injured trio Charles Ollivon, Gaël Fickou and Jonathan Danty.
Verdict: First (Grand Slam winners)
2024 finish: Second
Player to watch: Louis Bielle-Biarrey (and Dupot, obviously)
England – 4/1
Another sub-par campaign and Steve Borthwick may very well find himself unemployed by the start of April. His time in charge of England has largely been an underwhelming affair, with fans sick of coming so close, only to ultimately miss out in tight Test matches. Their November record saw them fall to narrow losses against the three southern hemisphere heavyweights (22-24 to the All Blacks; 37-42 to the Wallabies and 20-29 to the Boks) which followed on from a tour to New Zealand that saw them lose the two-match Test series 2-0, thanks to a 16-15 defeat in Dunedin and 17-24 result in Auckland.
On the flip side of that coin though is the notion that they are possibly within striking distance of turning the corner and getting over the line in close games. However, considering some of the baffling tactical decisions we’ve seen from Borthwick so far as well as the ongoing coaching merry-go-round in the England setup, they would do well to finish in the top three.
Verdict: Fourth
2024 finish: Third
Player to watch: Chandler Cunningham-South
Scotland – 6/1
Scotland will again come into a new Six Nations campaign high on hope and with an ever-increasing pool of world-class talent. The likes of Sione Tuipulotu, Huw Jones, Blair Kinghorn, Rory Darge, and Darcy Graham, to say nothing of their famed flyhalf, are all excellent players and will again be aiming to replicate the achievement of their fabled side of 1999 and go all the way in the competition.
The fact that they play Ireland at Murrayfield is huge in the context of their season, giving them a golden opportunity to beat the Emerald Isle for the first time since 2017 and end a run that has seen them lose all 10 of their head-to-heads since. As ever, consistency will be the buzzword for Gregor Townsend’s boys, who will want to put themselves in a position to take home the title by the time they face France in Paris in the final round.
Verdict: Second
2024 finish: Fourth
Player to watch: Sione Tuipulotu
Wales – 50/1
What to say of Wales? The team has never before endured such a dark period, with their 12-Test losing streak stretching back to the last World Cup encompassing all 11 of their games in 2024. The Welsh Rugby Union reportedly needs to pay the head coach
Warren Gatland around £1 million to terminate his contract and the New Zealander does not want to budge, the unhappy marriage looks set to continue indefinitely.
It’s fair to assume the Dragons’ first-round game against France in Paris will be written off, but they have a massive opportunity to end their barren run against Italy in Rome. Regardless of what transpires in their campaign after that, if they can pip the ever-improving Azzurri on 8 February, that will be cause for celebration in and of itself.
Verdict: Fifth
2024 finish: Sixth
Player to watch: Jac Morgan
Italy – 150/1
Italy finished the 2024 edition of the competition in fifth after a highly successful campaign that included a 13-all draw in Paris, as well as wins over Scotland (31-29 in Rome) and Wales (21-24 in Cardiff). Building on those terrific results will be the name of the game for Gonzalo Quesada and his charges this term, with a draw of three home matches against the Welsh, French and Irish working in their favour.
The home matchup with Wales will arguably make or break their tournament, while they will have a fantastic opportunity to beat England for the first time when they meet in London in round three, having fallen to a narrow 24-27 loss at the Stadio Olimpico last year.
Verdict: Sixth
2024 finish: Fifth
Player to watch: Tommaso Menoncello
