Frustrated fans are all saying the same thing after confirmation of dates for the 2026 Six Nations
France's Damian Penaud races away from Ireland's Sam Prendergast in March
Rugby fans have quickly slammed the decision to open the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations with a Thursday night match.
Tournament officials have opted to stage the France versus Ireland clash on February 5 next year to avoid a clash with the following night’s Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Milan.
France playing Test rugby at home on a Thursday night isn’t new. During World Cup 2023, they took on Uruguay in Lille and Namibia in Marseille on consecutive Thursday nights and enjoyed healthy TV audiences, but playing a Six Nations game on a Thursday is a new development for the tournament that expanded to six teams in 2000.
According to OptaJonny, the last time a match in the championship took place on a Thursday was the 1948 Five Nations meeting between France and Ireland, an opening round fixture that the Irish won en route to securing Grand Slam glory.
Irish fans will hope that playing again on a Thursday night in the championship 78 years later will be an omen that Andy Farrell, who will be back in charge of the side following his British and Irish Lions coaching sabbatical, can steer them to another Grand Slam.
Good omens aside, though, the online reaction to Ireland having to play away on a Thursday night in the 2026 Six Nations at a French venue to be decided hasn’t been favourably received on social media.
“Terrible planning…”
Scheduling a fixture for a Thursday isn’t the only major change to the championship. The two-week break between rounds two and three has been erased with teams now playing rounds one, two and three on consecutive weekends.
Meanwhile, Ireland have also been pencilled in for a first home Friday night game in the Six Nations as their round four clash versus Wales is listed for March 6, another tweak that generated an online riposte. Here are some of the immediate reactions on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to the 2026 schedule:
Darragh Morrissey: “Six Nations organisers just absolutely love putting the best match-ups at non-peak times.”
Steven Brown: “I liked a Friday start to the Six Nations, after work and a few drinkey poos to get you warmed up, but a Thursday?”
David@David5234249775: “The Friday night games were bad enough. Thursday night games are a travesty! Especially one to start the tournament. What are the organisers thinking?! Also with it being potentially the match that will go a long way towards deciding the tournament too. Terrible planning.”
The Friday night games were bad enough – Thursday night games are a travesty! Especially one to start the tournament – what are the organisers thinking?! 👎
Also with it being potentially the match that will go a long way towards deciding the tournament too. Terrible planning
— David (@David5234249775) May 19, 2025
Chris@Therealchris100: “These fixtures look like if they want it to come down to France and England just like the women’s six nations. It’s getting too obvious now always ending with England and France. Just move the France-Ireland game to a Saturday… No one wants a Thursday Six Nations game.”
Reece Smith: “Friday night games are unpopular with fans. Cool, let’s do a Thursday game as well.”
Andrew Donohoe: “Thursday? What is wrong with you?”
Wonderland_Zoo: “THURSDAY??? What madness is this.”
Gavin Doyle: “Thursday? Is that a typo?!”
WTF? Thursday in Paris. This is wrong on so many levels
— Daithi (@tedreff) May 19, 2025
Slimfastdai: “Moved to midweek games in the tournament. Great. Splendid. Thanks for that… Muppets.”
Daithi@tedreff: “WTF? Thursday in Paris. This is wrong on so many levels.”
Siixers@ICantSplel: “Change that [#teamofus] hashtag, lads. Your Friday night, 8 o’clock kick-offs clearly give 0 fucks to the rest of the country. Be hard to finish work at 5 in Cork and then make that kick-off.”