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Six Nations fixtures 2020: Rugby dates, TV coverage, tickets, venues, odds and calendar | London Evening Standard

Three months after the conclusion of a thrilling Rugby World Cup in Japan, it is time for the Six Nations to take centre stage once again.

George Flood17 March 2020

Six Nations fixtures 2020: Rugby dates, TV coverage, tickets, venues, odds and calendar

Three months after the conclusion of a thrilling Rugby World Cup in Japan, it is time for the Six Nations to take centre stage once again.

England's preparations for this year's tournament have been hampered by the domestic scandal involving Saracens, whose key stars - the likes of captain Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje and Mako Vunipola - will once again be pivotal to any chance of success.

Eddie Jones has also lost the services of key no8 Billy Vunipola to another broken arm as his side - runners-up last year - look to banish painful memories of their World Cup Final defeat to South Africa and win a first Six Nations title since 2017.

Wales are the defending Grand Slam champions and are now coached by former Scarlets stalwart Wayne Pivac after Warren Gatland ended his hugely successful 12-year stint in charge in Japan, where his team were fourth-place finishers.

Ireland are also under new management in the form of ex-England defence coach - and father of Owen - Andy Farrell, who succeeds Joe Schmidt and will want to bring back the highs of 2018 after a difficult year that included a bruising home defeat by England and World Cup humbling by the All Blacks.

Meanwhile, Gregor Townsend remains in charge of Scotland despite a failure to progress to the World Cup knockout stages, with the absence of star fly-half Finn Russell for at least the first fixture in Dublin after a "breach of team protocol" will be a huge concern.

New France boss Fabien Galthie is attempting to restore some flair to proceedings as he places his faith in a younger crop, while Italy - without a Six Nations win since 2015 - will simply be looking to quiet accusations that they no longer justify their place at the top table.

The Six Nations is back, with Wales looking to defend their Grand Slam titleAFP via Getty Images

Standard Sport provides you with everything you need to know about the 2020 Six Nations...

Fixtures & results (all times GMT)

Round one

Wales 42-0 Italy Principality Stadium Saturday 1 February Report Ireland 19-12 Scotland Aviva Stadium Saturday 1 February Report France 24-17 England Stade de France Sunday 2 February Report

Round two

Ireland 24-14 Wales Aviva Stadium Saturday 8 February Report Scotland 6-13 England BT Murrayfield Saturday 8 February Report France 35-22 Italy Stade de France Sunday 9 February Report

Round three

Italy v Scotland Stadio Olimpico Saturday 22 February 2:15pm, ITV Wales vs France Principality Stadium Saturday 22 February 4:45pm, BBC England vs Ireland Twickenham Sunday 23 February 3pm, ITV

Round four

Ireland vs Italy Aviva Stadium Saturday 7 March 2:15pm, ITV England vs Wales Twickenham Saturday 7 March 4:45pm, ITV Scotland vs France BT Murrayfield Sunday 8 March 3pm, BBC

Round five

Wales vs Scotland Principality Stadium Saturday 14 March 2:15pm, BBC Italy vs England Stadio Olimpico Saturday 14 March 4:45pm, ITV France vs Ireland Stade de France Saturday 14 March 8pm, BBC