Trophy burned, 111 tries, last-second finish, France on top

Antoine Dupont of France holds the trophy aloft after clinching the title after winning the Six Nations rugby union match between France and England in Saint-Denis [AP Photo]

The most unpredictable and captivating Six Nations wasn’t won until the last second of the last match.

Consider this: Wales beat Italy which beat Scotland which beat France which beat Ireland which beat England which beat Wales.

The silver trophy was even damaged beyond repair in a car fire in mid-tournament, leaving France captain Antoine Dupont to lift a replica into the fireworks-filled Paris night on Saturday.

There was a lighter touch from the TMO after the controversy-filled autumn series, and the teams scored a record number of tries (111), the final round springing 29, the most in a single Six Nations day.

Here’s how the teams shaped up:

France – Finished: 1st (1st last year)

The debrief: France’s title was its third in seven attempts under coach Fabien Galthié. They have always finished inside the top two. Entertaining and easy on the eye, their high-octane ability to conjure tries from anywhere has enhanced the reputations of Antoine Dupont, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Thomas Ramos and Matthieu Jalibert. No wonder they have attracted higher average French TV audiences than their soccer counterpart led by Kylian Mbappé. For decades, only the 2001 England side scored 200+ points in a single Six Nations. France has done it the last two years. But France also joined 2021 Wales as the only champions to concede more than 100 points, 96 in the last two weeks alone. Rugby World Cup champions aren’t built on leaky defenses. It can’t be a coincidence either that in the 30 years since rugby went professional, France has won the title after six of the eight British and Irish Lions tours. Galthié continued making the team younger and faster, heartened by an under-20s production line that won back-to-back Six Nations youth titles for the first time. He controversially ditched stars Damien Penaud, Grégory Alldritt and Gaël Fickou before the tournament and they were not missed.

Standout player: Louis Bielle-Biarrey. The 2025 player of the tournament scored nine tries, breaking his record of eight in 2025. Scored in a record-extending 10 consecutive Six Nations matches. Has 29 tries from 27 caps overall.

Who’s next: New Zealand in Christchurch, July 4

Ireland – Finished: 2nd (3rd)

The debrief: That Ireland was seconds away from the title was a symptom of how whacky the championship was. Ireland was smashed by France in the first game and coach Andy Farrell was angered by the lack of passion. The Irish rebounded with four wins; two stinkers against Italy and Wales and two magnificent performances that ended England’s title hopes and put Scotland back in its lane. A Triple Crown proved Ireland was still top of the home nations heap. But Ireland has still not beaten big guns France, South Africa or New Zealand in two years. Injuries, notably in the front row, allowed Farrell to find diamonds and Stuart McCloskey, Robert Baloucoune, Tommy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, and Tom O’Toole shone. Jack Crowley silenced the No. 10 debate by playing solid, attacking the line and defending well. Captain Caelan Doris also got a handle on the pre-tournament issue regarding referee chatter and discipline: Ireland received only two yellow cards. Farrell used 35 players and gave 11 their Six Nations debuts, upping the pace of transition.

Standout player: Stuart McCloskey. The center debuted 10 years ago but others’ injuries and suspension allowed him to finally establish himself at 33. He led the tournament in try assists (6), turnovers won (8), and dominant contact collisions (18).

Who’s next: Australia in Sydney, July 4.

Scotland – Finished: 3rd (4th)

The debrief: Enjoyed a breakthrough campaign that was more than a decade in the making. It came out of nowhere. After the opening loss to Italy in Rome, Scotland’s title odds dropped to 100-1 and already-embattled coach Gregor Townsend was under severe pressure. Then they blitzed England, survived Wales and out-France’d France with their high-risk mayhem. Their seven tries and 30 line breaks against Grand Slam-chasing France was one of the greatest performances in Scottish history. Dealing with in-game pressure was the biggest upside from a haunting autumn and the Scots reached the final round in serious title contention for the first time in 27 years. But their mental block for bogey team Ireland endured. Ireland beat them for a 12th straight time. Scotland’s inconsistency was still maddening but it was finally starting to live up to its potential thanks to the grunt up front from the likes of Jack Dempsey, Rory Darge, Scott Cummings and Gregor Brown.

Standout player: Kyle Steyn. The only player in the tournament to receive two man-of-the-match awards, against England and France.

Who’s next: Argentina in Cordoba, July 4.

Italy – Finished: 4th (5th)

The debrief: The “world champions of dreams,” as coach Gonzalo Quesada described Italy in January, enjoyed an historic campaign. They equaled their highest finish from 2007 and 2013. They beat England for the first time and Scotland, led Ireland in Dublin at halftime for the first time, and gave France and Wales head starts too big to overcome. Simone Ferrari stiffened Italy’s scrum and the backs made line breaks but couldn’t finish most. Italy scored only 79 points and nine tries, both competition lows. But both home games were won and attracted 68,000 each. Toppling England was the highlight, naturally. Following Italy’s introduction in 2000, it beat everyone bar England by 2013. Without playing well and minus the likes of Ange Capuozzo, Tommaso Allan and Sebastian Negri, Italy still had the nous to exploit late England errors and prevail 23-18. That prompted former Wales and Lions captain Sam Warburton to apologize for comments in 2021 — amid Italy’s seven-year losing run — that Italy shouldn’t be in the Six Nations. “I am genuinely delighted Italy are now a genuinely good team,” Warburton said.

Standout player: Tommaso Menoncello. Still the best No. 12 in the competition.

Who’s next? Japan in Tokyo, July 4.

England – Finished: 5th (2nd)

The debrief: Mid tournament, recent captain Jamie George said England had not become a bad team overnight. The evidence said otherwise. Following round one and a 12-test winning streak, England imploded. It kicked too much, invited pressure on itself, was unable to refocus, and wasn’t clinical or composed, ultimately conceding 55 penalties, eight yellow cards and a red. Rock bottom was the historic first loss to Italy from a commanding 18-10 up. Coach Steve Borthwick believed the players were not adhering to his game plan and the rugby union backed him. England was the only team not improving until the final round against champion-elect France in Paris. Faced with few expectations, England boldly ran at the French, scored seven tries and was seconds away from victory. England has a blueprint now but at the embarrassing cost of four defeats in a championship for the first time in 50 years, and a fifth placing, tying a record-low in the era from 2018 and 2021. After four Six Nations, Borthwick has yet to travel to Scotland, Ireland or France in the tournament and win.

Standout player: Ben Earl. Literally carried England. Had 95 carries, 29 more than anyone else in the tournament and was the top carrying forward for a third straight year.

Who’s next? South Africa in Johannesburg, July 4.

Wales – Finished: 6th (6th)

The debrief: Wales is waking up from a nightmare three years. The longest losing streak in tier one history (18 tests) was ended last July but the Six Nations losing streak (15) persisted and the worst was feared when Wales was crushed by England 48-7 at Twickenham in round one. Then the smallest Cardiff crowd in the Six Nations era watched a record 54-12 defeat to France. But after that Wales grew a spine; the tight five got physical — rumbling Rhys Carre’s solo try against Ireland was a tournament highlight — the back-rowers were tackling demons and a center combination emerged in Joe Hawkins and Eddie James. Wales was stubborn and competitive, and brewing improvement was finally rewarded when a confident Italy was blown away in the last round. Wales still finished with a third straight wooden spoon but more help is coming. A full-time defense coach starts in June and Jac Morgan, Wales’ best player, is back training after dislocating his shoulder in November. Coach Steve Tandy, in the job since September, was proud and heartened but also pragmatic about their baby steps: “We have a long way to go to be consistent.”

Standout player: Aaron Wainwright. The senior No. 8 with the bandaged head and thighs carried hard and broke tackles with a banged-up hip.

Who’s next? Fiji in Cardiff, July 4. FOSTER NIUMATA, LONDON, MDT/AP