Women’s 6 Nations gets new format in April

THE delayed Women’s Six Nations will be played in a reduced format across four weekends in April.

Rather than play each of the other teams in a roundrobin, countries will be split into two pools and play two group games before a finals weekend.

“The fact the tournament is going ahead is a really positive thing,” said England captain Sarah Hunter. “In these strange times it could have been easy to say we just wouldn’t have it.”

The team that finishes first in pool A will face the side who finish top of pool B to decide the Six Nations champions, with other teams playing the side that finishes in the equivalent position in the other pool.

Ireland, Scotland and Italy are yet to qualify for the 2021 World Cup, which begins in September.

Six Nations organisers say those teams' matches are not currently due to double up as World Cup qualifiers, but this could change.

The tournament was originally scheduled to be played alongside the men's but was postponed because teams are mainly comprised of amateur players, causing complications with how to play safely during the pandemic.

Organisers say the women’s event may move permanently to a new window, with Six Nations chief executive Ben Morel adding this would place it “firmly in the limelight”.

Should the new format be made permanent, there may be concerns women’s teams woud play fewer Test matches every year.

But Hunter said separating the Women’s Six Nations from the men’s was a “brilliant opportunity”. “Do we get more people watching? It could be a real benefit to grow the women's game.”

Tournament organisers said fixture dates, kick-off times and venues would be announced in due course and confirmed the postponed men’s U20s Six Nations will move to June.