Six Nations: Why does this year’s tournament start on a Thursday?

Although the first match of the Six Nations era, the Stade de France clash is not the only time a Championship match has been played on a Thursday.

The last time the Five Nations was contested came in 1948, and Irish fans hoping for a good omen will note that this is the year their team won the first of four major championships.

At the time, Ireland v France back in Paris was being played on a Thursday, although at that stage the competition had begun in January and the match had been played on New Year’s Day.

Although the beginning of February and the middle of March are now well established, this period has been the norm since 2005. Before that, the beginning of January and the end of April were common.

Ireland played on a Thursday more recently than 1948, beating Russia 35-0 in Kobe during the 2019 World Cup.

France, where second-tier Pro D2 matches are regularly played on the day for television purposes, played twice on Thursdays in their own World Cup in 2023, beating Uruguay 27-12 and Namibia 96-0 in the pool stages.

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