5 Biggest Moments of the 2026 Six Nations... So Far

The current standings see France as the front-runners, with a rejuvenated Scotland side in second and Ireland sit at mid-table in third. After back to back defeats, England fall down the table to fourth, with Italy sat in fifth and Wales propping up the bottom of the table in line for the dreaded wooden spoon.

There have already been plenty of pivotal matches and moments that have shaped the start of the 2026 Six Nations, and here's our picks for the five of the biggest from the first three weeks.

The opening match of the 2026 Guinness Men's Six Nations, came with the unique caveat of taking place on a Thursday night for the first time ever. The alteration away from the usual Friday of Saturday fixtures was due to the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, yet this change of plans had little impact upon the defending champions. France were devastating upon the opening round clash against Ireland, in what was a humbling night for Andy Farrell's men in the Stade de France.

France ran in five tries against a dejected Ireland side, as Fabien Galthie's men got off to the races with a hot start in Saint-Denis. It took just twelve minutes before Louis Bielle-Biarrey crossed for his first of two tries, as the 2025 Six Nations Player of the Championship and Top Try Scorer embarked upon breaking his record-setting eight tournament tries from last year.

Aside from the brace from the Bordeaux-Begles speedster, France ran in three further tries from Matthieu Jalibert, Charles Ollivon and Theo Attissigobe. Plenty of question marks arose following this match, upon the status of this Ireland team, as an assortment of injured players thinned out the ranks as Andy Farrell ushered forward a crop of new and returning faces.

Whilst Ireland were able to turn their fortunes around following their 36-14 defeat (more on the shortly), this match saw France lay down the marker ahead of their subsequent victories over Wales and Italy, to keep the Grand Slam in their sights.

There is no doubt that Italy's narrative within the Six Nations has changed. Gone are the days which saw the calls for the Azzurri to leave the annual competition, as Gonzalo Quesada's side have progressed into genuine threats that can upset anyone on their day.

Italy made a strong habit of collecting victories over Wales throughout the past few Championships, and entered the 2026 Six Nations in impressive form in the Autumn Nations Series. Italy defeated Australia, and took the Springboks to their limit throughout November, and commenced their Six Nations with a gutsy victory over Scotland in the torrential Roman rain. Italy held their own to grind out a 18-15 win, with an their impassioned captain Michele Lamaro leading the charge.

Italy rolled this momentum into round two, as the Azzurri arrived in Dublin in search of their first ever win in the Irish capital. The Italians started strong at the Aviva Stadium, with a hot start that took the visitors into the break some 10-5 to the good. However, Andy Farrell's team-talk and second half substitutes lifted the hosts, as the likes of Jamison Gibson-Park and Jack Crowley exploded from the bench to steer Ireland over the line in a hard-fought come-back win.

Italy's latest efforts saw them capitulate in Lille, as France marched onward towards their Grand Slam hopes with a 33-8 victory in Round 3. However, the incoming return to Rome will be a testing one, as an in-form Italian side host an England team that are desperate for a win. England have never lost to Italy throughout their entire history of senior men's Tests - could next Saturday be the time to break the trend?

After collecting a rather routine 48-7 win against a struggling Welsh side in round one, England headed up beyond North of the Border upon a tidal wave of momentum. Steve Borthwick's side arrived in Edinburgh for their subsequent weekend's clash against Scotland, hot off the back of a stunning 12-match winning run which dated back to the 2025 Six Nations Championship.

Scotland carried the weight of a disappointed nation, who had expected to see their side prevail on the road against Italy in the opening weekend. However, despite the proceeding narratives, it was the underdogs who prevailed, as Gregor Townsend's men secured a 31-20 victory to get their hands back on the fabled Calcutta Cup. This marked the fifth Scotland win over England in six years, as the iconic piece of silverware was once again held aloft by Sione Tuipulotu and Finn Russell.

Scotland had clearly done their homework heading into the match, as the drop goal threat of George Ford was promptly nullified with breathtaking defensive line-speed. A second half attempt at the posts was charged down by Matt Fagerson, before the back row sent Huw Jones cascading down Murrayfield and across the try-line for a decisive breakaway try. England were sent back down to London 'tae think again', with Borthwick's men undone by some tactical brilliance in Edinburgh.

A leading contender to be named 2026 Six Nations Player of the Championship, is Ireland centre Stuart McCloskey. With Robbie Henshaw side-lined with a knee injury and Bundee Aki banned for the first three matches following descent in a URC match, McCloskey was called upon to re-form a centre partnership with Garry Ringrose for the men in green.

The Ulster midfielder led from the front with some truly inspirational performances, that left many in awe upon both the attacking and defensive sides of the ball. From blistering line-breaks, to NFL 'Quaterback' try assists, and a breathtaking work rate to deny Marcus Smith an intercept try, the plaudits have rained down upon McCloksey, following a phenomenal first three weeks in the 2026 Six Nations.

However, at 33-years-old, Ireland fans may need to savour such moments given the meteoric pace of a professional rugby career. The current Championship has seen a contingency of newcomers break out onto the Six Nations stage, as Andy Farrell awarded Edwin Edogbo his Ireland debut and first tournament caps for Cian Prendergast, Robert Baloucoune, Cormac Izuchuckwu, Michael Milne and Jeremy Loughman.

There has been plenty of discussion around how Ireland find themseleves in the middle of a 'transitional' period, 18-months removed from the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Andy Farrell has made it apparent that he trusts in the long term process of building up his team's international experience to be at their very best in time for the trip to Australia. With wins over Italy and England, Ireland find themselves in contention for a late push for the title, should they defeat both Wales and Scotland and hope that France slip up as well.

It was another gut-punch of a defeat for Wales in the Six Nations, as Scotland snuck across the try-line for a dramatic end to last weekend's clash in Cardiff. Replacement hooker George Turner drove over from close range, for a 75th minute score which elated the travelling Scots inside the Principality Stadium.

After suffering one-sided defeats to tournament front-runners England (48-7) and France (54-12), Wales held a 23-19 lead into the closing few minutes this past weekend. The Red Dragon had fire in it's belly once again, in the hopes that Steve Tandy was about to bag his first win as head coach of the side. Yet it would be the case for Wales in this Celtic derby, as Scotland prevailed for last-grasp 26-23 win.

Whilst it is by no means an easy one for Wales fans to take, those who support the team from across the River Severn could take great pride in their team's performance. It has long been said that a strong Wales side is good for rugby in general, and the recent saga surrounding the Ospreys collapse, darkens the shadow of doubt over the nation. Such signs of resilience from Wales, witnessed in the narrow defeat to Scotland, is exactly what the supporters need to see in times of struggle.

The embers still burn, and the hope stays alive, with a must win match against Italy set to close out Wales' campaign on the final day of the Six Nations.