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The opening three rounds of matches will be played in successive weeks, with the weekend of 28 February and 1 March left free.<\/p>\n
The final two rounds will follow on successive weekends, ending in a ‘Super Saturday’ of back-to-back fixtures with France hosting England in the final match. <\/p>\n
It is hoped the shorter length of the tournament will allow it to gather more momentum, with narratives holding the public attention more easily.<\/p>\n
Previously, the third round of fixtures would have been sandwiched between two rest weekends.<\/p>\n
After France take on Ireland, the rest of the opening round of fixtures sees Scotland travel to Italy on Saturday, 7 February (14:10 GMT) and England host Wales on the same day (16:40 GMT).<\/p>\n
France are still to confirm the venues for their games.<\/p>\n
The French Rugby Federation said in December it had not yet received a satisfactory proposal to stay at the Stade de France, their usual Paris home.<\/p>\n
It added it was considering “the various opportunities available” elsewhere.<\/p>\n
France played in Marseille, Lille and Lyon in the 2024 Six Nations while preparations for the Olympics in Paris meant the Stade de France was off limits.<\/p>\n
All three venues can hold more than 50,000, but none can match the 80,000 capacity and revenue generated by the Stade de France. <\/p>\n
Six Nations organisers have also confirmed that the 2026 women’s tournament will kick off three weeks later than the 2025 edition, pushing it to an April start and May finish. <\/p>\n
The change is part of new and separate global calendar for the women’s game. <\/p>\n
It means England’s PWR season will conclude after mid-summer with the top flight having a rest weekend followed by two regular-season rounds, semi-finals and a 27 June final after the conclusion of the Women’s Six Nations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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