The 2024 Guinness Women’s Six Nations will see a range of new innovations in play, in what will be Championship firsts as well as a first in the women’s game.
The 2024 Championship will kick off on Saturday March 23rd, with France hosting Ireland in the opening fixture, followed by Wales versus Scotland later that afternoon. Defending Grand Slam Champions England will take on Italy on Sunday March 24th in their opening fixture.
The captains and coaches from all six unions will gather in London on Wednesday March 13th for the 2024 Guinness Women’s Six Nations launch event, a milestone moment to champion the upcoming action and celebrate Guinness’ title partnership of the Championship for the first time.
For the first time in a women’s rugby competition the bunker system will feature, providing an opportunity for referees, who remain the primary decision maker during games, the option to refer incidents of foul play for review when a potential red card is not clear and obvious.
Championship firsts will see shot clock, instrumented mouthguards (iMG) and names on shirts used and worn for the first time. The shot clock, which will be visible in stadia and on broadcast, will give players 60 seconds to take a penalty, and 90 seconds for a conversion. Instrumented mouthguards which have been introduced across the elite game and driven by the game wide commitment to prioritise player welfare will be worn for the first time in the Championship. In another Guinness Women’s Six Nations first, all six teams competing will have player names on their match shirts.
Julie Paterson, Director of Rugby at Six Nations Rugby said: “The range of new innovations being deployed in the 2024 Championship for the first time are another example of our commitment to drive player welfare standards and continue to innovate and improve the game for players and spectators alike.
“The Six Nations is proud to be at the forefront of these developments for our game.
“The upcoming Guinness Women’s Six Nations is set to be yet another enthralling Championship, with added intensity as the players, coaches and officials involved focus on the importance of a competitive lead in to of 2025 Rugby World Cup in England”
The Smart Ball statistics provided by Official Insights Partner Sage will continue to offer unique insight and analysis across the fifteen games.
The 2024 Championship will also debut a new title partner in Guinness as well as a new Official Hotel Partner, IHG Hotels and Resorts.
With thanks to Women’s 6 Nations
