England the biggest losers in most dramatic Six Nations yet

OPINION: England and France failed to live up to expectations in the recent Six Nations – albeit for different reasons.

The 2026 Six Nations has been universally hailed as the most dramatic northern-hemisphere showpiece in history – due to the quality of rugby on display as well as the unpredictable nature of the results.

It’s tempting to declare that the game in the north is in rude health and that Test rugby as a whole has never been better.

When assessing the respective teams’ performances, however, it’s clear how some have exceeded expectations while others have failed to deliver on their pre-tournament promise.

Ireland have been rebuilding for some time, and may view a four-from-five return as a step in the right direction, especially after the 14-36 defeat in Paris on the opening night of the tournament.

Scotland’s three-from-five record is burnished by the fact that it includes a 50-point showing against eventual title-winners France.

Italy made history when they beat England in Rome, and it says something for the current standards in Gonzalo Quesada’s group that they were so disappointed with the flat finish against Wales in Cardiff.

That said, Wales have been improving steadily over the past few months, and the recent victory against the Azzurri marked their first Six Nations win since 2023.

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How about England and France, the pre-tournament favourites?

To be fair, England shouldn’t have been mentioned in the same breath as France heading into the 2026 campaign, just as they shouldn’t have been compared to the all-conquering Springboks.

Comparisons between England and South Africa were all the rage at the end of the 2025 Test season, after Steve Borthwick’s side won 11 games in a row.

Statistically speaking, there were some similarities between how England and the Boks played the game in 2025, and in terms of selection, Borthwick’s six-two bench split was borrowed from the Rassie Erasmus playbook.

But while Erasmus’s Boks had won back-to-back World Cups, a series against the British & Irish Lions, and two consecutive Rugby Championships, Borthwick’s charges had no significant trophies to show for their efforts.

Some of the more measured commentators in the north pointed this out, as well as the fact that England banked most of the wins during that 11-game streak at home.

The 2026 Six Nations was viewed as the ideal opportunity for England to legitimise their claim to the No.1 ranking.

And boy did they blow it.

There were a lot of positives to take out of the 46-48 defeat to France in Paris this past Saturday, in the sense that England played with an intensity and accuracy that was missing in previous rounds.

But there’s no getting away from a record that reads one win and four losses – their worst in Six Nations history.

England’s next assignment is against the Boks in Johannesburg on July 4, and based on what we’ve seen in the Six Nations, there’s a good chance they’ll lose at Ellis Park and stretch their current streak of defeats to five matches.

There’s a lot of talk about whether Borthwick is the right man to take England forward, but regardless of who spearheads the group this July, there’s a good chance that England will lose the big matches to South Africa and Argentina.

England should never have been compared to this group of Boks, and in a sense, shouldn’t have been put in the same bracket as Fabien Galthié’s France.

France won in Paris this past Saturday to clinch their third Six Nations title in five years. Meanwhile, England haven’t won the northern hemisphere’s biggest prize since 2020.

France have impressed in recent months, in terms of their gainline supremacy, their offloading intent and the way they have varied their kicking game.

Galthie has rotated his squad throughout the Six Nations in an attempt to bolster the nation’s depth with a view to the 2027 World Cup.

Goal-kicking ace Thomas Ramos showed his composure on Saturday night when he slotted a last-gasp penalty to clinch the game and the title.

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He has done it again! Another new record for LBB!#GuinnessM6N #Since1883 #TryZoneIQ pic.twitter.com/cPDQEsB3M0

— Guinness Men’s Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 15, 2026

It takes a special team to go back-to-back – but France may have had bigger ambitions at the start of the tournament.

Looking back, they will regret the loss to Scotland in Edinburgh that cost them a Grand Slam – as well as the defensive lapses that cost them 96 points in their last two matches of the tournament.

At the end of round three, France appeared to be on course for a Grand Slam, and at that stage didn’t appear to have many weaknesses.

The disappointing loss in Edinburgh, as well as the erratic display against England in Paris, certainly highlighted some vulnerabilities.

Erasmus, as well as new All Blacks boss Dave Rennie, will have taken note. New Zealand will host France in Christchurch on July 4.

With the Six Nations done and dusted, the focus in France will shift to the Champions Cup, and then to the business end of the Top 14.

Players involved in the latter stages of the Top 14 play-offs are unlikely to be involved in that one-off against the All Blacks this July, and as was the case last year, France may forgo the opportunity to make a statement against one of the best teams in the world.

Indeed, we may have to wait until the clash between France and South Africa in Paris on November 14 to see how much a full-strength Les Bleus have improved.

It will be interesting to see how Galthie manages his charges in the coming months, and whether he takes any lessons from the 2025 campaign, which included a 17-32 defeat to the Boks in the French capital.

Will a Six Nations title victory represent the peak of France’s Test season – as was the case in 2025 – or will they claim the big southern-hemisphere scalp that marks 2026 as an outlier?

The next clash between Les Bleus and the Boks could be a monumental moment in Galthie’s tenure, as both contenders wrestle for the No.1 ranking and build towards the 2027 World Cup.

Limbs 💙 pic.twitter.com/7lMQul0Nmj

— Guinness Men’s Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 15, 2026