With one round of fixtures still to play, the 2026 Six Nations title is still up for grabs
The Men’s Six Nations 2026 is heading for a Hollywood-esque denouement, with France, Scotland and Ireland all in with a shout of lifting the trophy at the end of Super Saturday.
Despite being level on championship points with second-placed Scotland, reigning champions France remain in the driving seat thanks to their epic points difference.
Ireland are reliant on the other two teams slipping up, though have the advantage of knowing they haven’t lost to the Scots since 2017.
Ireland v Scotland kicks off in Dublin at 2.10pm GMT on Saturday 14 March, meaning that the victor will have a long wait to see what France deliver when their game against England gets underway in Paris at 8.10pm GMT that evening.
Below we detail all the Super Saturday permutations, and explain what each of the three teams needs to do to lift the Six Nations trophy.
It’s sure to be an epic day of rugby and you can follow every minute on TV – as we explain in our guide to watching the 2026 Six Nations wherever you are.
1. France
(Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
Championship points: 16
Points difference: + 79
This time last week, Les Bleus would have been hoping they’d be heading into their last Six Nations 2026 fixture chasing a Grand Slam.
Their 50-40 defeat to Scotland in Edinburgh destroyed those aspirations, but it may turn out that the late flurry of scores in Murrayfield is what ultimately wins them the title. Indeed, thanks to that try-scoring bonus, France remain the only team for whom claiming the Six Nations trophy is, to all intents and purposes, in their own hands.
The good fortune of a late kick-off in Paris also means that Fabien Galthié’s team have the advantage of knowing exactly what they need to do to win.
Read more: How to watch every minute of “Super Saturday”?
France’s points difference is so vastly superior to Scotland’s (a 58-point gap) that it’s effectively equivalent to an extra bonus point. So, even though they’re level on points with Scotland in the championship table, a bonus point victory over England would guarantee them the title – Scotland would need to beat Ireland by at least 60 points, and that’s not going to happen, especially in Dublin.
But if France fail to beat England – or even win without scoring enough tries to earn a bonus point – things get a lot more interesting…
2. Scotland
(David Rogers/Getty Images)
Championship points: 16
Points difference: + 21
If France beat England without scoring four tries or more, Scotland will claim their first ever Six Nations title if they’ve secured a bonus point victory over Ireland.
If France draw against England (even with a try-scoring bonus point), any kind of Scotland win will be enough to send the Six Nations trophy to Murrayfield – along with the team’s first ever Six Nations-era Triple Crown.
Should France lose in Paris, a draw in Dublin will be enough for Scotland overtake them in the Six Nations table – unless France secure both a try-scoring and a losing bonus point against England. In that scenario, Scotland would need at least a draw with a try-scoring bonus to overtake them.
If Scotland lose to Ireland, however, they can wave their championship hopes goodbye whatever Les Bleus do at the Stade de France later on Saturday evening – if that happens, Ireland will have already leapfrogged them in the table.
3. Ireland
(Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
Championship points: 14
Points difference: + 16
The mathematics for Ireland are comparatively simple. Firstly, they need a victory over Scotland – a draw does them no good at all.
Then they (realistically) need England to do them a massive favour by beating France – though they’d only require a bonus point win to claim the title if France picked up both their try-scoring and losing bonus points.
Ireland could still win the championship in the event of a draw at the Stade de France. But… thanks to France’s huge points difference, the Irish would need to win with a bonus point, and for France to score three or fewer tries against England.
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