Six Nations Championship heats up in 15 days

England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales are ready to team up against each other in a fight for the title of European Rugby Champions. Will you be there to see it at this year’s Six Nations Championship?

The Six Nations Championship starts in sixteen days, covering seven weekends in February and March. Each nation hosts, giving sports fanatics a very good chance at seeing their favourite rugby teams play around Europe.

Here’s what each team’s nation has to offer for travellers that live and breathe this great sport.

Wales

Millennium Stadium, located in Cardiff, is used to host teams for the Six Nations Championship, seating 74,500 spectators. This stadium which is right on the waterfront is used by both the national rugby team and the national football team. Locals are really passionate about the game, which has a history with the region since the 1800s. Come clad in red and white if you want to show your team spirit at a home game. The team wears blue and red when playing away games.

• Flights to Cardiff starting at £299 with British Airways (from London)

England

You’ll see British fans flocking to the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames to Twickenham Stadium, the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom with a seating capacity of a whopping 82,000, when the championship gets started. The stadium is often referred to as “the home of English rugby,” so make sure you arrive wearing the right colours. Fans can be spotted from a mile away in their white shirts with a red cross or chevron across the front. Don’t miss a trip to the World Rugby Museum, located at the stadium.

• Flights to London from departure cities all over Europe

Ireland

Dublin is the home to Ireland’s rugby team and Aviva Stadium is where the teams will be playing. Locals know it better as Lansdowne Road, the name of an older venue which once stood in the same place. It seats 51,700 spectators. This enthusiastic team made its first appearance in 1875 against England. They may have lost back then, but they’re considered one of the best today. With the luck of a nation of leprechauns, what have they got to lose? In true Irish fashion, you’ll see Ireland rugby fans dressed in green and white with shamrocks painted on their faces.

• Flights to Dublin starting at £19 with Ryanair

Scotland

Scotland’s fine team will play at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh’s west end. It seats 67,130 spectators and is one of the largest stadiums in the UK. This first stadium opened in 1925 and was used during the Second World War as a supply depot for the Royal Army Services. Today it’s the only place to see Scotland play home games during the Six Nations. The team first played in 1871. Fans will be seen in blue and white, many with flags draped over their shoulders.

• Flights to Edinburgh starting at £39 with easyJet

Italy

This country’s national stadium may be smaller than the others, but it sure hold a lot of team spirit. Seating 32,000 people, Stadio Flaminio will host the games this year. The stadium is located just north west of the city, near Parco di Villa Glori. Italians picked up this game in the 1920s and made their mark as one of Europe’s best since the beginning. The team, nicknamed the Azzurri (the Blues), have quite the following so make sure you’re wearing the right colours when you cheer, “Forza ragazzi!”

• Flights to Rome starting at £51 with Ryanair

France

With more than 80,000 seats to fill in the Stade de France, the only question remaining is if there are enough fans? Of course there are! This huge stadium in Paris in Saint-Denis is one of the biggest in Europe. Since the beginning of the 6 Nation Championship, France has one sixteen times and shared the win eight times. The team is currently ranked second highest for the strongest rugby team in the Northern Hemisphere, now that’s something! Do Les Tricolores have it in them for the win this year?

• Flights to Paris starting at £53 with easyJet

Who will take home the gilded trophy and who will take home the proverbial wooden spoon? Where do your loyalties lie?

For more official information, check out RBS 6 Nations Rugby.

Img: Thumb: ezioman / Wales: fabdany / England: digiarnie / Ireland: paddynapper / Scotland: wiki / Italy: trippiit / France:  paddynapper / Flickr cc.