Women's Six Nations 2021: Reduced-format tournament will be played in April
- Published
England were crowned Grand Slam champions at the end of the delayed 2020 Women's Six Nations in November
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 round-robin, countries will be split into two pools and play two group games before a finals weekend.
"The fact that 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.
"While you may think we're missing out on games, we're still playing a Six Nations which culminates in a final which might add a bit more excitement to it."
2021 Women's Six Nations pools | |
|---|---|
Pool A | Pool B |
England | France |
Italy | Ireland |
Scotland | Wales |
Each team will play two pool games, one home and one away, before matches to decide placings on the final weekend.
The team that finishes first in pool A will face the side who finishes 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.
Move a 'brilliant opportunity' for women's game
Sarah Hunter has led England to Grand Slams at the last two Women's Six Nations
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 also be made permanent, there may be concerns that this would mean women's teams player fewer Test matches every year.
In 2020 Scotland, Wales and Ireland played fewer Six Nations games than expected after three fixtures were cancelled.
But Hunter said England had "contingencies" to make up for missed games and described separating the Women's Six Nations from the men's tournament as a "brilliant opportunity".
"The pandemic has given us a chance to see whether it will work in that time," she added.
"Do we get more people watching when it's separate to the men's? It could be a real benefit to grow the women's game."
'Having a title sponsor would be massive'
Morel said in January the Six Nations had had "several positive discussions" with potential title sponsors for the women's tournament, but that organisers were still looking for the "right partner".
Hunter hopes moving the women's tournament away from the men's could encourage more interest.
"Having a title sponsor would be massive," she said. "I'm sure and I hope that people at the Six Nations are really driving that to try and find something because the tournament deserves it.
"I think every major women's sporting competition now has a title sponsor behind it and you've seen just how far that can progress those sports so it would be brilliant to get a title sponsor on board."
Tournament organisers said fixture dates, kick-off times and venues would be announced "in due course" and confirmed that the postponed men's Under-20s Six Nations will move to June.
2021 Women's Six Nations fixtures
Weekend of 3 April 2021: England v Scotland and France v Wales
Weekend of 10 April 2021: Italy v England and Wales v Ireland
Weekend of 17 April 2021: Scotland v Italy and Ireland v France
Weekend of 24 April 2021: Finals weekend (Pool A teams will host the play-off match)