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It’s the oldest international rugby tournament in the world.

The 2024 men’s Six Nations gets underway on 2 February – with holders Ireland, France, England, Wales, Scotland and Italy competing to win the 130th edition of the competition.

It originally began in 1883 as the Home Nations Championship, before France joined in 1910 to make it the Five Nations. Italy completed the Six Nations line-up when they joined in 2000.

����ý Bitesize tells you all you need to know ahead of this year’s Six Nations.

• The 2024 men’s Six Nations Championship takes place over five weekends in February and March with favourites France hosting holders Ireland in a huge opening match.
• Teams can score points in lots of different ways – through tries (five points), conversion kicks (two points), penalty kicks and drop goals (three points each). Winners of matches get four points, with two points each for a draw. Big wins or close defeats can also earn bonus points.
• The team with the most points at the end of the Six Nations wins the championship. If you’re one of the home nations (England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales) and you beat all of the other home nations, you get the Triple Crown. Beat all five teams, and you earn the Grand Slam.
• With almost 150 years of history, there’s plenty of tradition in the Six Nations. Teams have their songs and age-old rivalries are played out – but there’s still time for fun if you feel like a bit of fancy dress too.
• There are a lot of rules in rugby – but the main thing to remember is that passes have to go backwards and while everyone likes a good tackle, anything over the top will see a player sent off.

This article was published in February 2024