What we learned from the 2026 Guinness Six Nations

France were crowned worthy champions when they retained their Guinness Six Nations title with a 48-46 victory over England, crowning a thrilling ‘Super Saturday’ that also produced wins for Ireland and Wales.

Here, the Press Association looks at five things learned from a tournament that produced a record number of tries.

The greatest Six Nations of them all delivered a fittingly enthralling ending as Thomas Ramos seized the title for France with the decisive penalty in the final act of the Championship.

Five weekends of glorious sporting theatre, which produced plot twists and wow moments across every round, came down to one kick.

Each team contributed to the drama in their own way, and as the celebrations began in Paris, no one was left in any doubt that the Six Nations is the crown jewel in the rugby calendar.

Everyone at the Stade de France late on Saturday night left with one question on their minds – where had this England been? It was the type of all-action performance they had promised as they swaggered into the tournament with an 11-Test winning run, only to crumble when the pressure came on against Scotland, Ireland and Italy.

Whether it was the players or coaches who instigated the tactical adjustment that replaced robotic kicking with a resolve to play with intent and ambition will emerge in time, but either way, the path ahead was illuminated in Paris. In the words of captain Maro Itoje, “the way we played is how we want to play going forward”.

England’s stirring six-try challenge to France may have provided head coach Steve Borthwick some ammunition when he fights for his future in next week’s Rugby Football Union inquiry, but the grim reality is that they have collapsed to four successive defeats with