Ireland’s Women’s Rugby team have a new set of dates for their 2021 Six Nations Championships.
This year’s iteration of the Women’s Championship will now take place in April with the U20s championship taking place in June and July.
Today’s announcement by Six Nations Rugby comes following the recommendation of a working group specifically tasked to examine various rescheduling options after the decision was taken on January 12th to postpone both championships due to the ongoing challenges presented by COVID-19.
Opening Fixtures
Ireland’s opening fixture will be away to Wales on the weekend of 10/11 April.
Ireland are in pool B of the tournament alongside Wales and France, with England, Scotland and Italy making up pool A. There will be three rounds of fixtures for 2021 with the pool-toppers contesting the final, with second and third in both pools also playing each other in the final round of games on 24/25 April.
- Round One: England v Scotland, France v Wales (3/4 April)
- Round Two: Italy v England, Wales v Ireland (10/11 April)
- Round Three: Scotland v Italy, Ireland v France (17/18 April)
- Finals: Winner A v Winner B, 2nd A v 2nd B, 3rd A v 3rd B (24/25 April)
The format is similar to that used for the Autumn Nations Cup played out in late 2020.
Details fixture dates, venues and kick-off times are yet to be announced.
U20s bound for June and July
The U20s championship is also moving, taking place across June and July, in the same format as originally planned, albeit in a condensed three week period.
That tournament should kick off on 19 June and again, fixtures, venues and kick-off times will be announced in the coming weeks.
“Our priority has always been to deliver two outstanding tournaments but equally ensuring both competitions can be played safely, taking every consideration for player welfare”, says Ben Morel, CEO of Six Nations Rugby.
“A significant challenge we faced in rescheduling the Women’s tournament was the limited available window due to World Cup Qualifiers, domestic leagues, rest periods and World Cup preparations for qualified teams. Following consultation with our unions and federations as well as other key stakeholders, it was agreed that April would be the best window in which to stage the championship.”
“The U20 Six Nations Championship is also a hugely important competition in terms of player development and for those representing their country at this level it is a major milestone in any career. We look forward to announcing fixture details for the U20’s in due course.”
