2024 Women's Six Nations Championship Explained
2024 Women's Six Nations Championship |
Date: | 23 March – 27 April 2024 |
Countries: |
|
Count: | 20 |
Grand Slam: | (18th title) |
Triple Crown: | (24th title) |
Matches: | 15 |
Top Point Scorer: | Ellie Kildunne (45) |
Top Try Scorer: | Ellie Kildunne (9) |
Player Of The Tournament: | Ellie Kildunne |
Previous Year: | 2023 |
Previous Tournament: | 2023 Women's Six Nations Championship |
Next Year: | 2025 |
Next Tournament: | 2025 Women's Six Nations Championship |
The 2024 Women's Six Nations Championship, known as the Guinness Women's Six Nations for sponsorship purposes except in France where due to alcohol sponsorship prohibitions the tournament was unsponsored, was the 23rd series of the Women's Six Nations Championship, an annual women's rugby union competition between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It began on 23 March and ended on 27 April 2024.
The competition was part of the qualification process for the 2025 World Cup, with a qualifying place awarded to the highest finisher other than England and France who had already qualified automatically for the tournament.[1]
Participants
Nation | Stadium | Coach | Captain | World Rugby Ranking |
---|
Home stadium | Capacity | Location | Start | End |
---|
| Ashton Gate | 27,000 | Bristol | John Mitchell[2] | Marlie Packer | 1st | 1st |
Twickenham Stadium | 82,000 | London |
| Stade Marie-Marvingt | 25,064 | Le Mans | Gaëlle Mignot David Ortiz[3] | Manaé Feleu | 3rd | 3rd |
Stade Jean-Bouin | 19,904 | Paris |
Stade Chaban-Delmas | 34,462 | Bordeaux |
| RDS Arena | 18,500 | Dublin | Scott Bemand[4] | Edel McMahon Sam Monaghan | 10th | 9th |
Musgrave Park | 8,008 | Cork |
Ravenhill Stadium | 18,196 | Belfast |
| Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi | 5,000 | Parma | Giovanni Raineri[5] | Elisa Giordano Sofia Stefan | 7th | 8th |
| Edinburgh Rugby Stadium[6] | 7,800 | Edinburgh | Bryan Easson[7] | Rachel Malcolm | 8th | 6th |
| Cardiff Arms Park | 12,125 | Cardiff | Ioan Cunningham | Hannah Jones | 6th | 7th |
Millennium Stadium | 73,931 |
|
Squads
See main article: 2024 Women's Six Nations Championship squads.
Table
Table ranking rules
- Four points are awarded for a win.
- Two points are awarded for a draw.
- A bonus point is awarded to a team that scores four or more tries, or loses by seven points or fewer.
- Three bonus points are awarded to a team that wins all five of their matches (a Grand Slam). This ensures that a Grand Slam winning team would top the table with at least 23 points, as another team could lose one match while winning two bonus points and win the other four matches while winning four bonus points for a maximum of 22 points.
- Tiebreakers
- If two or more teams are tied on table points, the team with the better points difference (points scored against points conceded) is ranked higher.
- If the above tiebreaker fails to separate tied teams, the team that scores the higher number of total tries (including penalty tries) in their matches is ranked higher.
- If two or more teams remain tied after applying the above tiebreakers then those teams will be placed at equal rank; if the tournament has concluded and more than one team is placed first then the title will be shared between them.
Fixtures
Round 1
Notes:
----
Notes:- Jenny Hesketh and Sian Jones (both Wales) made their international debuts.[11] [12]
- Alex Stewart (Scotland) made her international debut.[13]
- Scotland won their seventh consecutive test, making this their longest winning streak in terms of games played, surpassing the six successive victories between 1997 and 1998.
----
| |
---|
FB | 15 | Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi | RW | 14 | Aura Muzzo | OC | 13 | | | | IC | 12 | Beatrice Rigoni | LW | 11 | Alyssa D'Incà | FH | 10 | Veronica Madia | SH | 9 | Sofia Stefan (c) | | | N8 | 8 | | | | OF | 7 | | | | BF | 6 | Isabella Locatelli | RL | 5 | | | | LL | 4 | | | | TP | 3 | Sara Seye | HK | 2 | | | | LP | 1 | | | | Replacements: | HK | 16 | | | | PR | 17 | | | | PR | 18 | | | | LK | 19 | | | | FL | 20 | | | | FL | 21 | | | | CE | 22 | | | | WG | 23 | | | | Coach: | Giovanni Raineri | |
| | | |
Notes:- Maddie Feaunati (England) made her international debut.
- Marlie Packer became the 7th Englishwoman to earn her 100th test cap.[15]
Round 2
Notes:
----
Notes:
----
| | | |
---|
FB | 15 | | | RW | 14 | Aura Muzzo | OC | 13 | Beatrice Rigoni | IC | 12 | Emma Stevanin | LW | 11 | Alyssa D'Incà | FH | 10 | | | | SH | 9 | Sofia Stefan (c) | N8 | 8 | | | | OF | 7 | | | | BF | 6 | | | | RL | 5 | Giordana Duca | LL | 4 | Valeria Fedrighi | TP | 3 | | | | HK | 2 | | | | LP | 1 | | | | Replacements: | HK | 16 | | | | PR | 17 | | | | PR | 18 | | | | LK | 19 | | | | FL | 20 | | | | FL | 21 | | | | WG | 22 | | | | FB | 23 | Beatrice Capomaggi | Coach: | Giovanni Raineri | |
| |
Player of the Match: Vittoria Vecchini (Italy)Assistant referees: Precious Pazani (Zimbabwe) Maria Heitor (Portugal) Television match official: Chris Assmus (Canada)
| |
Notes:- This was Italy's first away win against Ireland.
Round 3
Notes:- Fiona McIntosh (Scotland) made her international debut.
- Emma Wassell was originally named in the second row for Scotland, but withdrew prior to the match due to injury. She was replaced by Fiona McIntosh, whose place on the bench was taken by Eva Donaldson.
----
Notes:- Shannon Ikahifo (Ireland) and Gwennan Hopkins (Wales) made their international debuts.[24]
- No replacement was made for Aoife Wafer (Ireland) when she came off in the 74th minute.
----
| | | |
---|
FB | 15 | Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi | RW | 14 | Aura Muzzo | OC | 13 | | | | IC | 12 | Emma Stevanin | LW | 11 | Alyssa D'Incà | FH | 10 | | | | SH | 9 | Sofia Stefan (c) | N8 | 8 | | | | OF | 7 | Isabella Locatelli | BF | 6 | | | | RL | 5 | | | | LL | 4 | Valeria Fedrighi | TP | 3 | | | | HK | 2 | | | | LP | 1 | | | | Replacements: | HK | 16 | | | | PR | 17 | | | | PR | 18 | | | | LK | 19 | | | | FL | 20 | | | | FL | 21 | | | | SH | 22 | | | | FB | 23 | | | | Coach: | Giovanni Raineri | |
| |
Notes:- Teani Feleu (France) made her international debut.
- This was the last test as an official for Joy Neville, who announced her retirement before the beginning of the tournament.[26]
Round 4
Notes:- Lizzie Hanlon (England) made her international debut.
- Rosie Galligan was originally named in the England second row, but withdrew through injury during the warm-up. She was replaced by Morwenna Talling, whose place on the bench was taken by Lizzie Hanlon. Talling resumed wearing 19 while Hanlon wore 24.
- With this win, England won their 24th Triple Crown, their 8th in succession.
----
| |
---|
FB | 15 | Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi | RW | 14 | Aura Muzzo | OC | 13 | Alyssa D'Incà | IC | 12 | Beatrice Rigoni | LW | 11 | Francesca Granzotto | FH | 10 | Veronica Madia | SH | 9 | Sofia Stefan | N8 | 8 | Elisa Giordano (c) | OF | 7 | | | | BF | 6 | Ilaria Arrighetti | RL | 5 | Giordana Duca | LL | 4 | Sara Tounesi | TP | 3 | Sara Seye | HK | 2 | Vittoria Vecchini | LP | 1 | Silvia Turani | Replacements: | HK | 16 | Laura Gurioli | PR | 17 | Gaia Maris | PR | 18 | Lucia Gai | LK | 19 | Valeria Fedrighi | FL | 20 | | | | SH | 21 | Beatrice Veronese | CE | 22 | Sara Mannini | FB | 23 | Beatrice Capomaggi | Coach: | Giovanni Raineri | |
| | | |
Notes:
----
Notes:
Round 5
| | | |
---|
FB | 15 | | | | RW | 14 | Aura Muzzo | OC | 13 | Alyssa D'Incà | IC | 12 | Beatrice Rigoni | LW | 11 | Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi | FH | 10 | | | SH | 9 | Sofia Stefan | N8 | 8 | Elisa Giordano (c) | OF | 7 | | | | BF | 6 | Ilaria Arrighetti | RL | 5 | Giordana Duca | LL | 4 | | | | TP | 3 | | | | HK | 2 | Vittoria Vecchini | LP | 1 | Silvia Turani | Replacements: | HK | 16 | Laura Gurioli | PR | 17 | Gaia Maris | PR | 18 | | | | LK | 19 | | | | FL | 20 | | | | FL | 21 | Beatrice Veronese | FH | 22 | Veronica Madia | WG | 23 | | | | Coach: | Giovanni Raineri | |
| |
Notes:- Lucia Gai became the second Italian woman, after Sara Barattin, to earn her 100th Test cap.
- Wales received the Wooden Spoon, after finishing bottom of the Six Nations table for the first time since 2021, and for the first time in the traditional round robin format since 2018.
- This was the first Italy–Wales match won by the home team since 2015.
----
Notes:- Lana Skeldon was named as Scotland hooker, but withdrew before kick-off due to injury. She was replaced by Elis Martin.
----
Notes:
Player statistics
Top points scorers
[30]
Top try scorers
[30]
Discipline
Summary
width=160 | Team | width=60 | | width=60 | | width=60 | Total |
---|
| 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Yellow cards
- 2 yellow cards
- 1 yellow card
Red cards
- 1 red card
Citings/bans
Note: The cited player's team is listed in bold italics.[39] Awards
Player of the Match awards
Player of the Championship
Four players were nominated for the 2024 Women's Six Nations Player of the Championship on 30 April 2024.[40] The winner was announced on 17 May 2024.[41]
Try of the Championship
Four tries were nominated for the 2024 Women's Six Nations Try of the Championship on 2 May 2024.[42] The winner was announced on 14 May 2024.[43]
Team of the Championship
The 15 players voted in as the 2024 Women's Six Nations Team of the Championship were announced on 16 May 2024.[44]
Broadcast
Notes and References
- Web site: All you need to know about the Women's Rugby World Cup England 2025 qualification pathway . Rugby World Cup . 20 March 2024.
- News: John Mitchell appointed Red Roses Head Coach . www.englandrugby.com . . 4 May 2023 . 18 January 2024.
- Web site: How Gaëlle Mignot became France co-coach in only a few months . . 22 March 2022 . 22 March 2022.
- News: Scott Bemand Appointed Ireland Women's Team Head Coach . www.irishrugby.ie . . 27 July 2023 . 18 January 2024.
- Web site: 6 December 2022 . Raineri new Italy head coach after Di Giandomenico steps down . 7 December 2022 . TikTok Women’s Six Nations . en-GB.
- Web site: 2023 TikTok Women's Six Nations . 2 December 2022 . . en-GB.
- News: Easson to lead Scotland Women through to 2025 . scottishrugby.org . . 23 December 2020 . 18 January 2024.
- Web site: MADOUSSOU FALL La 2e ligne de @FranceRugby est élu Joueuse du match . X (formerly Twitter) . . 23 March 2024 . fr . 23 March 2024.
- Web site: Celtic Challenge Class of 2024. Congratulations Katie on your debut for @IrishRugby . X (formerly Twitter) . . 24 March 2024 . 23 March 2024.
- Web site: Tonight's #GuinnessW6N Player of the Match, @Scotlandteam 's Coreen Grant . X (formerly Twitter) . . 23 March 2024 . 23 March 2024.
- News: Women's Six Nations 2024: Jenny Hesketh to make Wales debut against Scotland . . 21 March 2024 . 21 March 2024.
- Web site: Celtic Challenge Class of 2024. Congratulations Sian on your debut for @WelshRugbyUnion ! . X (formerly Twitter) . . 24 March 2024 . 23 March 2024.
- Web site: Celtic Challenge Class of 2024. Congratulations Alex on your debut for @Scotlandteam ! . X (formerly Twitter) . . 24 March 2024 . 23 March 2024.
- Web site: Today's Guinness Women's Six Nations Player of the match, @RedRosesRugby 's Ellie Kildunne . X (formerly Twitter) . . 24 March 2024 . 24 March 2024.
- News: Women's Six Nations 2024: Marlie Packer to win 100th cap in England's open against Italy . . 21 March 2024 . 21 March 2024.
- Web site: Today's Guinness Player of the Match, @FranceRugby's Romane Menager . X (formerly Twitter) . . 30 March 2024 . 30 March 2024.
- News: McMillan to reach appearance milestone against France . . 28 March 2024 . 28 March 2024.
- Web site: Today's Guinness Player of the match is @RedRosesRugby's Rosie Galligan . X (formerly Twitter) . . 30 March 2024 . 30 March 2024.
- Web site: Mackenzie . Alasdair . Women's Six Nations: Zoe Aldcroft to hit 50 caps as England make seven changes for Wales clash . . 30 March 2024 . 28 March 2024.
- News: Women's Six Nations 2024: Jasmine Joyce is ruled out of England game through injury . . 29 March 2024 . 29 March 2024.
- Web site: Squad Update . X (formerly Twitter) . . 30 March 2024 . 30 March 2024.
- Web site: Today's Guinness Women's Six Nations Player of the match, @RedRosesRugby's Ellie Kildunne . X (formerly Twitter) . . 18 April 2024 . 13 April 2024.
- Web site: Today's Guinness Women's Six Nations Player of the Match, @IrishRugby's Aoife Wafer . X (formerly Twitter) . . 18 April 2024 . 13 April 2024.
- News: Rising star Hopkins aiming high . . 17 April 2024 . 17 April 2024.
- Web site: La pilier droite de @FranceRugby Assia Khalfaoui est élue Joueuse du Match . X (formerly Twitter) . . 18 April 2024 . fr . 14 April 2024.
- News: Joy Neville: History-making female referee and TMO to retire at 40 at end of season . . 15 January 2024 . 14 April 2024.
- Web site: Three times a charm. Today's #GuinnessW6N Player of the match, @RedRosesRugby's Ellie Kildunne . X (formerly Twitter) . . 21 April 2024 . 20 April 2024.
- Web site: Today's Guinness Women's Six Nations Player of the match, @Scotlandteam's Lana Skeldon . X (formerly Twitter) . . 21 April 2024 . 20 April 2024.
- Web site: La pilier gauche de @FranceRugby Annaelle Deshaye est élu Joueuse du Match . X (formerly Twitter) . . 21 April 2024 . fr . 21 April 2024.
- Web site: Statistics - Season 2024 - W6N . . 28 March 2024 . en.
- Web site: Judicial Hearing Decision - Sarah Beckett . . 28 March 2024.
- News: Independent Disciplinary update: Sarah Beckett Decision . . 28 March 2024.
- Web site: Judicial Hearing Decision - Amy Cokayne . . 18 April 2024.
- News: Independent Disciplinary update: Amy Cokayne Decision . . 18 April 2024.
- News: Judicial Hearing Decision - Chloe Rollie . . 23 April 2024.
- News: Independent Disciplinary update: Chloe Rollie Decision . . 23 April 2024.
- News: Judicial Hearing Decision - Assia Khalfaoui . . 30 April 2024.
- News: Independent Disciplinary update: Assia Khalfaoui Decision . . 30 April 2024.
- Web site: Disciplinary Decisions . . 28 March 2024.
- News: Guinness Player of the Championship - Vote Now . sixnationsrugby.com . . 30 April 2024 . 30 April 2024.
- News: Kildunne wins Guinness Player of the Championship . sixnationsrugby.com . . 17 May 2024 . 17 May 2024.
- Web site: Try of the Championship - Vote Now . sixnationsrugby.com . . 2 May 2024 . 2 May 2024.
- News: D'Incà touches down for Try of the Championship . sixnationsrugby.com . . 14 May 2024 . 17 May 2024.
- News: Revealed: The Fan's 2024 Team of the Championship . sixnationsrugby.com . . 16 May 2024 . 17 May 2024.
- Web site: Edwards . Richard . 17 April 2024 . Watch Women's Six Nations 2024: Live stream the fourth round for free . 17 April 2024 . Rugby World . en-US.
- News: Tomas . Fiona . 4 April 2024 . Women's Six Nations 2024: Results, TV details, fixtures and how to get tickets . 17 April 2024 . The Telegraph . en-GB . 0307-1235.