Women’s Six Nations 2023

17 March 2023 | Rugby

England secured another Six Nations Grand Slam with a dramatic victory over France in 2022, this was their fourth successive World Cup title. The Red Roses will be going for a fifth title in the 2023 Championship, although their rivals will be determined to knock them off course. So what will this season reveal?

The Women’s Six Nations 2023 will surely be filled with unexpected surprises, a ton of talent and more supporters than ever before. As this is the year of the Women we are so excited to see the hype surrounding women’s sport. From the Proteas Women SA cricket team making history by making it to the final in the World Cup to Babalwa Latsha becoming the first female professional rugby player in Africa. Now that is a mouth full!

Teams for Six Nations

This is an exciting year for rugby. The sport is 200 years old, the Men’s World Cup will be in France in September and the Women’s Six Nations has seen a stadium increase of 69%! Let’s have a look at the Six Nations competing:

Wales

The two words that Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham repeatedly returns to while talking about his life in rugby are unity and belief. In the midst of a lot of turmoil, he joined the women’s setup in 2021. Since then, he has brought the squad together. Helped them finish third in the 2022 TikTok Women’s Six Nations, and advanced them to the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals. So what will Wales do in the Women’s Six Nations 2023? They are still early in their professional journey. However we look forward to seeing what they will achieve in the next few years.

England

Even with the young Sadia Kabeya nipping at her heels, Marlie Packer, one of the most seasoned players in the game, has established herself as a pillar in England’s back row. The Red Roses won the championship for the fourth consecutive year in 2022. And the 33-year-old was chosen as an openside flanker on the Women’s Six Nations Team of the Championship the previous year. Simon Middleton guided England to a record breaking run of 30 wins. The England Coach will be stepping down after the 2023 Championships. During his tenure he has worked with incredible players and staff who have all made a massive impact on women’s rugby. Can England walk away with another Six Nations title in 2023?

Italy

Giovanni Raineri, the newly appointed women’s coach for Italy, could not have asked for a greater group of mentors to assist him in his early post-playing career. The former Azzurri centre, who was a member of Italy’s Six Nations team from 2001 to 2003, retired from playing and relocated to South Africa to work with his last coach, John Dobson, who is currently in charge at the Stormers. This is Raineri’s first experience with women’s rugby, and he acknowledges that it has been an absolutely new setting. Le Azzurre advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time ever in New Zealand last year. However they now enter this new era having lost four key senior figures.

But with so many young players up an coming they may surprise us. Furthermore, it will take some time to get the experience but it is a start. Although Raineri is enthusiastic about the team he has at his disposal, he acknowledges that it is probably too early to estimate what they can accomplish in such a short period of time.

France

Between 13 and 17 February, Les Bleues trained under joint head coaches David Ortiz and Gaelle Mignot for the first time. Furthermore some of the new names among the squad include sevens star Lilou Graciet. She was named Breakthrough Player of the Tournament at the Rugby World Cup Sevens last year. Preparations will take another step forward at the beginning of March. This is when the 36 players selected for the 2023 Women’s Six Nations meet in Montpellier between 6 & 8 March. In order to win their sixth championship, France must first defeat Italy and Ireland at home. And before hosting Scotland and Wales in Vannes and Grenoble, respectively.

Scotland

Martin Haag, a new assistant coach for Scotland, is looking forward to the challenge of facing TikTok Women’s Six Nations champion England in the first game this month. Before to their 2023 season, the former Bath and England player has joined the Scottish team together with new physiotherapist Flo Laing. As part of a larger initiative within rugby to professionalise the women’s game, Scottish Rugby gave the squad 28 contracts in December. And Haig is thrilled to be a part of the revolution. So let’s see what the Scotland Women’s Team will bring to the forefront. And lastly the 2023 Tiktok Women’s Six Nations officiating squads will include four Scottish rugby match referees.

Ireland

For the 2023 TikTok Women’s Six Nations, Ireland’s 32-player roster will be led by Nichola Fryday, with eight uncapped players chosen by head coach Greg McWilliams. Fryday, who has kept the leadership after guiding Ireland to fourth place in 2022, is the most seasoned player on the team and will start the Championship away match against Wales on Saturday, March 25. Up front, though, there is a mix of youth and experience, with the Celtic Challenge-winning quintet of Niamh O’Dowd, Sadhbh McGrath, Fiona Tuite, and Molly Boyne all earning their first calls to the national team.

Fixtures for Women’s Six Nations

The opening weekend of the 2023 Women’s Six Nations is on Saturday 25 March with Wales v Ireland and England v Scotland before Italy v France on Sunday 26 March. There tournament concludes on Saturday 29 April, with England hosting France in their final game.

25 March:

Wales v Ireland, 2.15pm, at Cardiff Arms Park (Cardiff)
England v Scotland, 4.45pm, at Kingston Park (Newcastle)

26 March:

Italy v France, 3pm, at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi (Parma)

1 April:

Ireland v France, 3.15pm, at Musgrave Park (Cork)
Scotland v Wales, 5.30pm, at Edinburgh Rugby Stadium (Edinburgh)

2 April:

England v Italy, 3pm, at Franklin’s Gardens (Northampton)

15 April:

Wales v England, 2.15pm, at Cardiff Arms Park (Cardiff)
Italy v Ireland, 4.45pm, at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi (Parma)

16 April:

France v Scotland, 3.15pm, at Stade de la Rabine (Vannes)

22 April:

Ireland v England, 2.15pm, at Musgrave Park (Cork)
Scotland v Italy, 4.45pm, at Edinburgh Rugby Stadium (Edinburgh)

23 April:

France v Wales, 3.15pm, at Stade des Alpes (Grenoble)

29 April:

England v France, 1pm, at Twickenham Stadium (London)
Italy v Wales, 3.30pm, at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi (Parma)
Scotland v Ireland, 7.30pm, at Edinburgh Rugby Stadium (Edinburgh)

Tik Tok Women’s Six Nations 2023 – Final Conclusion

The Six Nations Championship was first played in 1883 and expanded to include six teams in 2000, making it the oldest international rugby competition in history. It comprises of three fiercely competitive rugby competitions each year for men, women, and U20s.

Following a “seminal” year for the women’s game, TikTok was announced as the first-ever title partner of the Women’s Six Nations. The stadium attendance for the 2022 Women’s Six Nations increased by 69%, and viewers from 137 different nations watched on television. On the TikTok channel “@TikTokW6N,” there were also more than 100 million video views and 110,000 new followers.

The basic principles of courage, solidarity, inclusivity, honesty, and creativity serve as the foundation for Six Nations Rugby’s daily operations. Follow Supersports campaign, Here For Her, and dont miss out on any Womens sport action in 2023. If you follow the Mens Six Nations have a look at our Guinness Six Nations 2023 article. And for all other sports to look our for in our March Sport Preview 2023.

In conclusion, we are very excited to see what this year Women’s Six Nations has in store. For some great rugby promotions have a look at some of the best betting sites in SA namely Betway, Fafabet, Supabets, Gbets and bet.co.za.