Who’s been on the wrong end of the biggest thrashings since Italy joined the championship in 2000?
Wales host France at the Principality Stadium on Sunday with few giving them any hope of victory.
In fact, with the home side having lost their last two Six Nations matches to England by huge margins (68-14 and 48-7, respectively) and Les Bleus looking in rampant form against Ireland last weekend, more pertinent questions surround the size of the potential points margin between the teams.
Could the Welsh be set for a record-breaking defeat in Cardiff?
We’ve crunched the numbers for the entire duration of the Six Nations era, to find the biggest losing (or winning, depending on your point of view) margins since Italy joined the competition in 2000. (Italy fans might want to look away now – this doesn’t make pretty reading for the Azzurri.)
We’ve also identified the biggest ever Six Nations defeats for all six teams.
What is the biggest losing margin in the history of the Six Nations?
You have to go back to the second year of the expanded Six Nations to find its biggest ever losing margin. Clive Woodward’s all-conquering England side beat championship newbies Italy 80-23 at Twickenham in 2001, a whopping 57-point losing margin for the Azzurri.
But the biggest ever home defeat is rather more recent, as Wales’ 68-14 loss to England in 2025 (a 54-point margin) is a record victory for an away team – and the second biggest Six Nations thrashing overall.
Both records could tumble on Sunday if Wales go down to France by 58 points or more.
Italy appear on the list rather more than they’d like, being on the receiving end of a thrashing in 10 of the 14 worst Six Nations defeats of all time.
The 10 biggest Six Nations losing margins of all time
(Losing team in bold)
1. England v Italy, 2001 – 80-23 (57-point margin, away defeat)
2. Wales v England, 2025 – 14-68 (54-point margin, home defeat)
3. Italy v Ireland, 2017 – 10-63 (53-point margin, home defeat)
4. Ireland v Italy, 2022 – 57-6 (51-point margin, away defeat)
5. Italy v France, 2025 – 24-73 (49-point margin, home defeat)
=6. Italy v England, 2000 – 12-59 (47-point margin, home defeat)
=6. Ireland v Italy, 2000 – 60-13 (47-point margin, away defeat)
8. England v Italy, 2011 – 59-13 (46-point margin, away defeat)
9. Ireland v Wales 2002 – 54-10 (44-point margin, away defeat)
=10. Italy v France, 2005 – 13-56 (43-point margin, home defeat)
=10. Ireland v Italy, 2016 – 58-15 (43-point margin, away defeat)
=10. England v Italy, 2019 – 57-14 (43-point margin, away defeat)
=10. England v France, 2023 – 10-53 (43-point margin, home defeat)
=10. France v Wales, 2025 – 43-0 (43-point margin, away defeat)
Wales 68-14 loss to England in 2025 is a record home defeat in the Six Nations (Ian Cook – CameraSport via Getty Images)
What are the worst losing margins suffered by each of the Six Nations?
With Italy so “dominant” in the all-time list of record defeats, Wales and England (thanks to their 2023 Twickenham humbling against France) are the only other sides to “earn” a place in the top 10.
France’s biggest defeat is, by some distance, the least worst – a mere 29-point losing margin. This is 10 points better than that of the next least worst, Ireland.
The biggest Six Nations losing margins by nation
England: 43 points (England 10 v 53 France, 2023)
France: 29 points (England 48 v 19 France, 2001)
Ireland: 39 points (France 44 v 5 Ireland, 2002)
Italy: 57 points (England 80 v 23 Italy, 2001)
Scotland: 40 points (England 43 v 3 Scotland, 2001)
Wales: 54 points (Wales 14 v 68 England, 2025)
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