BBC to screen finale of England's Women's Six Nations campaign next month
The women’s Six Nations championship is set to kick off next week without a title sponsor but England’s final game of the tournament next month is poised to be broadcast to a live free-to-air audience on the BBC.
With Covid-19 having forced this year’s fixtures to be postponed from their usual February/March slot, each nation will now participate in three games next month, with England, the reigning champions, kicking off their campaign against Scotland at Castle Park in Doncaster on Saturday week.
Six Nations organisers have been criticised for not confirming the venues and kick-off times until less than a fortnight before the opening games and the chief executive, Ben Morel, has previously declared it a priority to find a title sponsor to help boost the tournament’s profile.
Sky has broadcast England’s Six Nations games since 2017 but, with participation in women’s rugby increasing, free-to-air coverage will allow games to be seen by a wider audience.
The competition, which comprises two pools of three nations followed by a final weekend of play-offs, will conclude on 24 April with England’s final match on BBC Two.
The England head coach, Simon Middleton, said: “The Six Nations is always a special competition and we’re all looking forward to getting under way. We’ve had wonderful support in our previous visits to Castle Park. It’s great that the games will once again be shown on the BBC and this time, we want to make sure everyone can enjoy watching from home.”
Tournament schedule
3 April Pool A England v Scotland (Castle Park, Doncaster, 3pm), B France v Wales (Stade de la Rabine, Vannes, 8pm); 10 April A Italy v England (Stadio Plebiscito, Padova, 2pm), B Wales v Ireland (Cardiff Arms Park, 5pm); 17 April A Scotland v Italy (Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow, 5pm), B Ireland v France (Energia Park, Donnybrook, 2.15pm); 24 April Finals Winner A v Winner B, 2nd A v 3rd B, 3rd A v 3rd B