The upcoming Six Nations rugby tournament is set to begin with a highly anticipated opening match between France and Ireland in Marseille. This encounter marks the third instance in the tournament's history where the two highest-ranked teams face off in the first round, following previous first-round matches between France and England in 2014, and Ireland and Wales in 2016. Ireland will start their bid for a historic back-to-back Six Nations Grand Slam when they take on France. The tournament, which will be broadcast live on Virgin Media One, has generated a sense of positivity in the Scottish camp, though acknowledging the challenges ahead for Gregor Townsend's men. With the last four championships having four different winners, speculation is rife about whether Scotland can seize the title this year. Meanwhile, France and Ireland, both former Six Nations Champions, are looking to overcome their Rugby World Cup disappointments, as teams like Wales and England are in the process of rebuilding, and Italy is seen as a potential dark horse capable of causing upsets.
The Six Nations starts this Friday! ๐ France v Ireland is live on Virgin Media One! #GuinnessSixNations https://t.co/sKfYs9oq6g
Ireland will start their bid for a historic back-to-back Six Nations Grand Slam when they take on France in Marseille in the tournamentโs mouth-watering opening match on Friday. https://t.co/llJRwHAXLj
๐ SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONS IT'S BACK!!! Four nations have won the title in each of the last four years. Could it finally be Scotland's year? France and Ireland will want to avenge their RWC misery. How will the Welsh and English rebuilds go? Can Italy spring a surprise? https://t.co/uVqBRWUfCF
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ Whilst there is a great sense of positivity in the camp it is still going to be a challenging campaign for Gregor Townsend's men. #GuinnessM6N ๐ We preview and predict Scotland's Six Nations campaign. ๐ https://t.co/hUvIX7kxKk
France v Ireland will be third time in Six Nations that the two highest ranked teams play each other in first round (France v England 2014, Ireland v Wales 2016)