England looks to defend its 2017 Six Nations Championship title in one of the first major rugby tournaments of the new year. The team won't have it easy though, as it will have to overcome injury issues and stiff competition from five other nations over two months of competition.
The 2018 edition will kick off on Feb. 3 with a match between Scotland and Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
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Here's everything you need to know about the 2018 Six Nations Championship:
Which teams are competing
The Six Nations Championship is contested annually by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
How to watch the 2018 Six Nations Championship
You can stream the 2018 Six Nations Championship live on DAZN.
Locations and fixture schedule
The tournament is played all throughout each of the six competing countries over the span of six weeks. Below is the full fixture list for this year's event:
| Round | Date | Time (GMT) | Home | Away | Venue |
| 1 | Feb. 3 | 2:15 p.m. | Wales | Scotland | Principality Stadium |
| 1 | Feb. 3 | 4:45 p.m. | France | Ireland | Stade de France |
| 1 | Feb. 4 | 3:00 p.m. | Italy | England | Stadio Olimpico |
| 2 | Feb. 10 | 2:15 p.m. | Ireland | Italy | Aviva Stadium |
| 2 | Feb. 10 | 4:45 p.m. | England | Wales | Twickenham Stadium |
| 2 | Feb. 11 | 3:00 p.m. | Scotland | France | BT Murrayfield |
| 3 | Feb. 23 | 8:00 p.m. | France | Italy | Orange Velodrome |
| 3 | Feb. 24 | 2:15 p.m. | Ireland | Wales | Aviva Stadium |
| 3 | Feb. 24 | 4:45 p.m. | Scotland | England | BT Murrayfield |
| 4 | March 10 | 2:15 p.m. | Ireland | Scotland | Aviva Stadium |
| 4 | March 10 | 4:45 p.m. | France | England | Stade de France |
| 4 | March 11 | 3:00 p.m. | Wales | Italy | Principality Stadium |
| 5 | March 17 | 12:30 p.m. | Italy | Scotland | Stadio Olimpico |
| 5 | March 17 | 2:45 p.m. | England | Ireland | Twickenham Stadium |
| 5 | March 17 | 5:00 p.m. | Wales | France | Principality Stadium |
Results from the 2017 Six Nations Championship
England topped the table to win the 2017 title by earning victories in each of its first four matches, before falling to Ireland in the final round.
| Position | Team | Wins | Draws | Losses | For | Against | Points |
| 1 | England | 4 | 0 | 1 | 146 | 81 | 19 |
| 2 | Ireland | 3 | 0 | 2 | 126 | 77 | 14 |
| 3 | France | 3 | 0 | 2 | 107 | 90 | 14 |
| 4 | Scotland | 3 | 0 | 2 | 122 | 118 | 14 |
| 5 | Wales | 2 | 0 | 3 | 102 | 86 | 10 |
| 6 | Italy | 0 | 0 | 5 | 50 | 201 | 0 |
Here is a complete list of the results from the 2017 Six Nations Championship:
| Round | Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue |
| 1 | Feb. 4, 2017 | Scotland | 27-22 | Ireland | BT Murrayfield |
| 1 | Feb. 4, 2017 | England | 19-16 | France | Twickenham Stadium |
| 1 | Feb. 5, 2017 | Italy | 7-33 | Wales | Stadio Olimpico |
| 2 | Feb. 11, 2017 | Italy | 10-63 | Ireland | Stadio Olimpico |
| 2 | Feb. 11, 2017 | Wales | 16-21 | England | Principality Stadium |
| 2 | Feb. 12, 2017 | France | 22-16 | Scotland | Stade de France |
| 3 | Feb. 25, 2017 | Scotland | 29-13 | Wales | BT Murrayfield |
| 3 | Feb. 25, 2017 | Ireland | 19-9 | France | Aviva Stadium |
| 3 | Feb. 26, 2017 | England | 36-15 | Italy | Twickenham Stadium |
| 4 | March 10, 2017 | Wales | 22-9 | Ireland | Principality Stadium |
| 4 | March 11, 2017 | Italy | 18-40 | France | Stadio Olimpico |
| 4 | March 11, 2017 | England | 61-21 | Scotland | Twickenham Stadium |
| 5 | March 18, 2017 | Scotland | 29-0 | Italy | BT Murrayfield |
| 5 | March 18, 2017 | France | 20-18 | Wales | Stade de France |
| 5 | March 18, 2017 | Ireland | 13-9 | England | Aviva Stadium |
Contenders for the 2018 Six Nations Championship
England and Ireland look set to battle it out for the 2018 title as both teams enter the competition on a good run of form. The reigning champions won nine of their 10 matches in 2017, while Ireland won nine of 11 and narrowly outscored their rivals by one point per contest.