Just as you were getting yourself ready to withstand the tensions of another Six Nations, along comes news of next year’s fixtures.
Times really are changing. Till very recently we hardly knew when our favourite match was to take place before it actually kicked off. Do you already have a 2024 diary handy?
Now we see a regular pattern appearing. Rounds 1-4 will all have one match delayed to Sunday; the Saturday start times are the same; only the Sunday matches show variations. The single gap appears after Round Two.
That will help spectators to arrive on time and sofa-sitters to know when to switch on.
Next year the prime crowd pleaser, the France-England clash, is placed last of the triple-decker on Super Saturday. This year it’s more modestly positioned first of the three. You may or may not agree with the 2024 version. Publicity, sponsorship and TV requests (demands?) may well have played their part.
Round One
23 March 2024 France v Ireland kick-off 14.15, Wales v Scotland kick-off 16.45
24 March Italy v England kick-off 15.00
Round Two (Easter weekend)
30 March Scotland v France 14.15, England v Wales 16.45
31 March Ireland v Italy 15.00
Round Three
13 April Scotland v England 14.15, Ireland v Wales 16.45
14 April France v Italy 12.30
Round Four
20 April England v Ireland 14.15, Italy v Scotland 14.15
21 April Wales v France 15.15
Round Five (Super Saturday)
27 April Wales v Italy 12.15, Ireland v Scotland 14.30, France v England 16.45
