This is the third year in a row that the tournament’s opening game has been at the Millennium Stadium, and only the second time the tournament has kicked-off on a Friday night. The only previous occasion was four years ago when England also visited Wales, winning 26-19.
Round one continues with two games on Saturday, the first of which features defending RBS 6 Nations champions Ireland’s trip to Rome to face Italy. Only two title holders have ever lost in the first round of their defence: Wales to England in 2006 and Wales again, to Ireland, in 2013.
The final game sees France entertain Scotland with the visitors hoping to gain their first win in Paris in the history of the 6 Nations.
There have only been three later starting dates in the history of the RBS 6 Nations: on 15 February 2003 (Italy v Wales), 14 February 2004 (France v Ireland), and 7 February 2009 (England v Italy).
Round 1: Match Preview
Wales v England
Where: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
When: Friday 6 February 2015, kick-off 8:05 pm
Referee: Jerome Garces (FFR, 6th RBS 6 Nations game)
Assistants: Romain Poite & Mathieu Raynal (FFR)
TMO: Simon McDowell (IRFU)
Stats and facts
— This is Wales’s 4th RBS 6 Nations game to be played on a Friday evening, having lost the first two to France in 2010 and England in 2011, but beating France 27-6 in round three last year.
— The Welshmen have begun with an opening weekend victory in the tournament only twice in the last five years: in 2012 when they went on to take a grand slam, and last season when they finished third.
— Wales have won two of their last three matches, against Fiji and South Africa, whilst the last time they failed to score a try in a test match came against England at Twickenham in round four last season.
— Wales’s record at Millennium Stadium in 2014 was: five won, two lost.
— The Welshmen have lost just one of their last nine RBS 6 Nations matches at Millennium Stadium: 22-30 to Ireland in the opening round 2013.
— England have won their last two matches, against Samoa and Australia, putting an end to a five game losing streak.
— England’s two most recent away victories both came in this tournament last season, against Scotland and Italy, whilst their record on the road in the tournament since 2011 is an impressive six won, two lost.
— England were defeated 24-26 in Paris in round one last season and have not lost successive opening encounters in the Five/Six Nations since 1987-1988.
— England have played only five previous test matches on a Friday in their history, the first four during Rugby World Cups and the most recent being in this equivalent fixture with Wales in the opening round of the 2011 RBS 6 Nations
– England have lost just one of these encounters: 0-36 to South Africa in Paris in a pool game during the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
— England have won on just one of their last six visits to Millennium Stadium since 2003.
Italy v Ireland
Where: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
When: Saturday 7 February 2015, kick-off 3:30 pm (local time)
Referee: Pascal Gauzere (FFR, 2nd RBS 6 Nations game)
Assistants: Wayne Barnes (RFU), Stuart Berry (SARU)
TMO: Graham Hughes (RFU)
Stats and facts
— Italy’s only victory in their last twelve test matches since mid-November 2013 was 24-13 over Samoa at Ascoli in the first round of the recent autumn internationals.
— Since they beat Ireland in Rome in round five of the 2013 RBS 6 Nations, Italy have recorded only two test victories — against Fiji and Samoa.
— Perhaps surprisingly, during Italy’s last nine RBS 6 Nations encounters, where their record is one won, eight lost, they have only failed to score a try in one match, against Wales in 2013, but prevented their opponents scoring a try twice: against England and Ireland in successive games in 2013.
— Italy’s record in round one since they joined the RBS 6 Nations in 2000 is three won – against Scotland in 2000, Wales in 2003 and France in 2013 – and twelve lost.
— Ireland have won their last seven test matches since their 10-13 reversal to England at Twickenham in round three of last season’s championship. This represents Ireland’s best winning run since eight victories in a row in 2008-2009.
— Since 2001 Ireland have only been defeated in round one of the RBS 6 Nations on two occasions, against France in Paris in 2004 and at home to Wales 2012.
— Italy have won just one of their last 19 encounters with Ireland – in Rome in 2013 – and are going for successive home wins over the Irishmen for only the second time after doing so on their visits to Treviso in 1995 and Bologna in 1997.
France v Scotland
Where: Stade de France, Paris
When: Saturday 7 February 2015, kick-off 6:00 pm (local time)
Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU, 14th RBS 6 Nations game)
Assistants: Glen Jackson, Mike Fraser (NZRU)
TMO: George Ayoub (ARU)
Stats and facts
— France have recorded just two victories from their last seven encounters, at home to Fiji and Australia in the autumn internationals.
— France, who have taken the RBS 6 Nations crown only once in the last seven seasons, albeit with a grand slam in 2010, have won in round one in all but two of those seven campaigns, against Ireland in Dublin in 2009 and against Italy in Rome in 2013.
— France were defeated 20-22 by Ireland at Stade de France in round five last season to end a three game home winning run at the venue.
— Scotland’s record since the end of last season’s RBS 6 Nations is five won, two lost, with the two defeats being to South Africa and New Zealand.
— Scotland’s only victory in their last seven RBS 6 Nations encounters was 21-20 over Italy in Rome in round three last season.
— Since the RBS 6 Nations began in 2000, Scotland have managed to get off to a winning start in round one just once, beating France 20-16 at Murrayfield in 2006. They have not won away from home in their opening fixture since the days of the old Five Nations on a trip to Dublin in 1998.
— France have won their last eight fixtures with the Scots, and lost just one of their last 16.
— Scotland’s only previous victory at the Stade de France came on their first ever visit in April 1999.
Photo by RBS 6 Nations