Six Nations: Top 13 coaches with the most titles and Grand Slams in the history of the Championship

Planet Rugby takes a look at the most successful Six Nations coaches in the Championship's history.
Ahead of the 2025 Six Nations, we take a look back at the greatest coaches in the tournament’s history, with Andy Farrell becoming the 13th coach to lift the trophy and the 10th to claim a Grand Slam.
Farrell claimed that honour for the first time in 2023 when he led Ireland to their third Grand Slam since Italy were added to the competition in 2000.
Dubbed ‘rugby’s greatest championship’, the Six Nations is a notoriously difficult competition to win, with a Grand Slam – winning all five of your fixtures – even more so. The likes of Bernard Laporte and Warren Gatland have worked out the formula to do just that and are legends of the Championship for having done so.
Let’s look at the top 13 coaches with the most Six Nations titles in the competition’s history since Italy joined in 2000.
1 title: Mike Ruddock, Declan Kidney, Marc Lievremont, Martin Johnson, Rob Howley, Wayne Pivac, Fabien Galthie
Seven coaches have managed to win the Six Nations on just one occasion with France head coach Fabien Galthie in with a chance of making it two in 2025.
The 53-year-old is also one of nine coaches who have also completed the Grand Slam. However, the French head coach will hope that he does not fall into the same category as Declan Kidney, Marc Lievremont and Mike Ruddock, who secured the Grand Slam along with their first title, then never won the competition again.
Ruddock guided Wales to a Grand Slam title in 2005, his first-ever Championship and Wales’ first since the 1978 Five Nations. He resigned from his role in 2006, with Gatland replacing him.
Kidney was Ireland’s head coach between 2008 and 2013, leading the side to a Grand Slam in 2009, ending a 61-year wait. He was named IRB Coach of the Year for his efforts.
After guiding France to a Grand Slam triumph in 2010, Lievremont helped the side reach the 2011 Rugby World Cup Final – infamously falling out with the playing squad during the tournament.
After winning five Six Nations titles, including two Grand Slams with England as a player, Martin Johnson coached the Red Rose to Six Nations glory in 2011. His side lost 24-8 on the final day, denying them a Grand Slam.
Rob Howley is currently involved with Wales’ coaching team as an assistant coach to Gatland but in 2013, he took charge of the team as caretaker head coach as the Gatland prepared for the Lions tour to Australia. While Wales lost their opening game to Ireland, they bounced back to win their remaining four fixtures and clinch the title.
Finally, Wayne Pivac won his first Six Nations with Wales in his second attempt in 2021, but poor results in 2022 meant he would not have a fourth go this year.
2 titles: Andy Farrell
After falling short in his first three years as Ireland’s head coach after replacing Joe Schmidt, Farrell found the winning formula in emphatic style as they marched to a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2023.
It was a statement of intent from Ireland ahead of the Rugby World Cup as they headed into the tournament as one of the favourites along with France. They would ultimately come undone in the quarter-finals yet again and in 2024, hit the ground running with a convincing victory over France in their opening Six Nations match.
Farrell and his charges looked on course for back-to-back Grand Slams, a feat never achieved in the Six Nations era, but came undone against England in round four via a late Marcus Smith drop goal. Ireland would still go on to claim the title as Farrell became the sixth coach to win multiple titles.
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3 titles: Sir Clive Woodward, Joe Schmidt, Eddie Jones
Just six coaches have managed to win the Six Nations on more than one occasion, and four of them have successfully lifted the title three times.
Sir Clive Woodward was the first to do it when he led England to back-to-back titles in the first two Six Nations tournaments in 2000 and 2001, falling short of the Grand Slam on the final weekend on both occasions, first to Scotland and then Ireland. In 2003, he went one better as his side won all five games and went on to win the Rugby World Cup in Australia later that year.
Similarly, Schmidt won back-to-back titles in his first two campaigns in charge of Ireland (2014 and 2015) and secured the Grand Slam in 2018.
After Schmidt’s two years of dominance, it was Eddie Jones’ turn to replicate the Ireland coach, but he went one better, securing a Grand Slam in his first tournament in charge of England but lost on the last day of the 2017 tournament to fall short of back-to-back Grand Slams, a feat yet to be achieved in the tournament.
3 titles – Warren Gatland
The second most successful coach in Six Nations history, Gatland has won three titles with Wales but what separates him from the aforementioned trio is his three Grand Slams.
Gatland has an outside shot to match Bernard Laporte in 2025 after collecting his first-ever Wooden Spoon in 2024.
In his debut Wales campaign in 2008, his charges won all five matches on their way to lifting the trophy. A feat they replicated four years later in 2012.
The New Zealander became the first coach to complete the Grand Slam three times in 2019.
4 titles: Bernard Laporte
During his eight-year stint as France head coach, Laporte won an impressive four titles for a 50% success rate.
Les Bleus finished in fifth place in his first tournament but bounced back in 2001 to finish runners-up. They claimed their first Six Nations Grand Slam in 2002, ending the Championship stylishly with a comprehensive 44-5 win over Ireland.
France started the 2006 tournament slowly, losing 20-16 to Scotland at Murrayfield, but finished on top of the pile, winning their remaining four games to seal Laporte’s third title. He claimed his fourth and final trophy in 2007, missing out on a Grand Slam after losing 26-18 to England on the penultimate weekend.
Most Six Nations titles
4 – Bernard Laporte (France): 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007
3 – Warren Gatland (Wales): 2008, 2012, 2019
3 – Sir Clive Woodward (England): 2000, 2001, 2003
3 – Joe Schmidt (Ireland): 2014, 2015, 2018
3 – Eddie Jones (England): 2016, 2017, 2020
2 – Andy Farrell (Ireland): 2023, 2024
1 – Mike Ruddock (Wales): 2005
1 – Declan Kidney (Ireland): 2009
1 – Marc Lievremont (France): 2010
1 – Martin Johnson (England): 2011
1 – Rob Howley (Wales): 2013
1 – Wayne Pivac (Wales): 2021
1 – Fabien Galthie (France): 2022
Most Six Nations Grand Slams
3 – Warren Gatland (Wales): 2008, 2012, 2019
2 – Bernard Laporte (France): 2002, 2004
1 – Sir Clive Woodward (England): 2003
1 – Mike Ruddock (Wales): 2005
1 – Declan Kidney (Ireland): 2009
1 – Marc Lievremont (France): 2010
1 – Eddie Jones (England): 2016
1 – Joe Schmidt (Ireland): 2018
1 – Fabien Galthie (France): 2022
1 – Andy Farrell (Ireland): 2023
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