The Six Nations will recommence on March 9
The Six Nations fixtures has entered its second fallow week, meaning there is no action this weekend.
After the third round, Ireland lead the way on three wins, while Scotland are now second after beating England. Italy remain bottom despite a dramatic draw away to France.
Read more: How to watch the Six Nations wherever you are
The tournament takes place over seven weeks with the third and fifth weeks being ones where no games take place. This is to allow players to have a break from playing at the Test level. Teams use it to prepare for the rest of the tournament and to train ahead of their final fixtures.
In the 2024 competition, the weekends of February 17-19 and March 1-3 will not have fixtures.
The pattern of where the fallow weeks fall has been in place since 2003 but the format is likely to change. The introduction of the bi-annual Nations Championship in 2026 will impact the Six Nations schedule.
On a year when the new tournament takes place the Six Nations will lose one of its rest weeks in order for the world calendar to fit both competitions. The Six Nations will remain in the February-March window.
The Nations Championship will take place on the years without another global competition on the schedule. This means it won’t clash with a Rugby World Cup or a British and Irish Lions tour.
Related: What is a Six Nations fallow week?
World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said about the new competition: “We now look forward to an exciting new era for our sport commencing in 2026. An era that will bring certainty and opportunity for all.
“An era that will support the many, not the few, and an era that will supercharge the development of the sport beyond its traditional and often self-imposed boundaries. I would like to thank all my colleagues for their spirit of collaboration.”
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