SPORTS ON TAP!

As the Six Nations rugby kicks off, Anne Shooter and David Thomas continue their guide to apps with six for sports fans

1. OFFICIAL RBS SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP Cost Free.

What it does Offers a one-stop shop for all things Six Nations-related. Why we love it It’s the perfect place for rugby addicts to get their fix of information on the Six Nations, which starts today. There are sections for each of the games, with news, line-ups and stats on every player. There’s also a live Twitter feed, covering all the action.

2. SKY SPORTS TV

Cost Free-£4.99 a month.

What it does Gives you all six Sky Sports channels live when you’re on the move. Why we love it It allows you to drag your man round the shops even if he wants to watch the big game – with this app on his phone he’ll happily survive that hellish trek through girly retail outlets by watching his favourite sport all the way. Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the channels they’re already paying for without extra charge. Newcomers have to pay £4.99 a month.

3. BBC SPORT Cost Free.

What it does Offers all the latest sports news as well as live audio streams of sport on BBC radio. Why we love it If you’re out and about and want to keep in touch with the latest scores, match reports, insider gossip and live commentaries, this is the best and simplest way of doing it. The sport section of the BBC’s website is unmatched in its breadth and depth of coverage and the minute-by-minute text updates are particularly good. Now it’s been transformed into this app, complete with access to Radio 5 Live and 5 Live Sports Extra.

4. FOUR FOUR TWO STATS ZONE

Cost Free.

What it does Analyses football matches in mind-boggling detail. Why we love it Stats Zone is paradise for football anoraks. Using the same Opta statistics available to managers, every pass, shot, tackle, foul and goal in every Premier League game is shown as written data and in dazzling pitch diagrams, covered in multicoloured arrows and symbols. You can make insanely detailed comparisons between players – and then bore everyone silly with them all evening.

5. MATCH PINT Cost Free.

What it does Directs men to that crucial combination of sport and beer.

Why we love it Pubs are essentially crèches for men. And these days no man-crèche is complete without live widescreen sport. This brilliant app finds out where you are, registers your favourite teams, lists all the upcoming sports events on TV and then directs you to the nearest pub showing the match you want to see. Only when there’s an app to locate cheap, perfectly fitting Louboutins will women know this kind of happiness.

6. iCRICKET Cost Free.

What it does Gives every score and fact a cricket lover could want.

Why we love it iCricket has been around for over three years and is a lot less slick looking than some newer apps. But it makes up for its lack of technological sophistication with exhaustive coverage of the game. If you want live scores from around the world, team profiles and player rankings, look no further than iCricket.

NEXT WEEK: The best apps for budding masterchefs