Return of the Six Nations

The 2023 Guinness Six Nations is getting closer and will kick off a huge year for rugby. The tournament will commence on February 4 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff when Wales will host Ireland.

The return of the Six Nations will provide an opportunity to gauge progress of six nation teams ahead of the World Cup which kicks off on September 8 in France.

As well as Wales playing Ireland, Round 1 of the Six Nations will see England play Scotland on February 4, and England play Italy. Round 5 finishes the tournament on March 18. A full list of the fixtures can be found here.

Optimism towards how England might perform in the upcoming Six Nations event was renewed when former England captain and forwards coach Steve Borthwick was announced as the squad’s head coach. Borthwick, who boasts a long and prestigious international coaching career having worked as forwards coach in two Rugby World Cup cycles alongside Eddie Jones for Japan from 2012 to 2015 and for England between 2015 and 2020, has signed a five-year contract as England head coach. On the appointment, Borthwick said: “I’m deeply honoured to be appointed England head coach, and I am very excited by the challenge.

“The English game is full of talent and I want to build a winning team which makes the most of our huge potential and inspires young people to fall in love with rugby union the way I did.  I want the whole country to be proud of us and to enjoy watching us play.

“The hard work starts now and planning for the Guinness Six Nations and Rugby World Cup begins today.  I will give it everything.”

Meanwhile, injury concerns blight the Wales squad. Owen Watkin, Dillon Lewis and Josh Navidi are battling to prove their fitness ahead of the team’s opening game against Ireland. Warren Gatland, Wales’ returning coach, has additional injury worries, with Dragons lock Will Rowlands and Ospreys fly-half Gareth Anscombe have been ruled out with shoulder injuries.

Scotland is also not without injury setbacks, with Adam Hastings being ruled out after a shoulder injury. The player sustained the injury during Gloucester’s defeat at Leicester on Christmas Eve.

With 2023 set to be an exciting year for the world of Rugby, stadiums and facilities should ensure they are suitably prepared for the surge in popularity for sports that often accompanies major sporting events.

Having the right insurance in place will mean that everything from facilities and equipment to players and spectators are protected should an incident occur.

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