The teams came dressed in different colored jerseys emblazoned with national badges, a style of team sports uniform universally adopted after.

In 1872, England and Scotland played association football in Glasgow. The two foundational contests of rugby and football laid the groundwork for the rise of popular national sports' rivalries, resulting, eventually, in the reemergence of the Olympic games in Greece in 1896, and, Rugby and FIFA Football World Cups in the 20th and 21st Centuries. 

Four Nations (1883-1909) - The Home Countries

The model for multi-nation tournaments can be traced to the Home Countries or Four Nations Rugby Championships, first played in 1883, always with amateurs. From the beginning, the tournament was an independently run commercial enterprise. The participants were England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. By the 1880s, these countries had established wide rugby networks of clubs, universities, and public schools. Playing each other annually, generated the highest level of rugby competition. The aspiration of every rugger was selection to the national team.

The nations established unions to govern rugby play in their countries. England 1880. Wales 1881. Scotland 1882. Ireland 1883.  That year 1883 witnessed the first attempt to compete in an official tournament’s championship.  England was victorious in its three matches. Ireland and Wales played two games (both losses) but not against each other.  Tournament results follow that demonstrate the archaic scoring system of goals and tries:

Wales 0 - England 2 - Swansea

Scotland 3 - Wales 1 - Edinburgh

England 1 - Ireland 0 - Manchester

Ireland 0 - Scotland 1 - Belfast

Scotland 0 - England 0 - Edinburgh (England won with two tries to none.)

Attendance varied between 3,000 and 4,00 spectators.

Awarding Caps and The Term "Test Match"

Rugby caps, the distinctive small beanies, were first issued at Rugby School in 1839. They appeared at the England vs. Scotland match in 1871. The caps were constructed of velvet and braided with tinseled peaks. And by 1885, caps had become the standard award to indicate a player's participation for the national team. The cap noun eventually morphed into a verb as in "... capped for his country." 

The initial use of the word "Test" in international sports competition occurred in the British press in 1871 to describe England's away cricket series with Australia. 

Five Nations (1910-2000) - France Added

The first rugby played in France occurred in 1872 at the Le Havre Athletic Club. The sport grew in acceptance in Paris after beginnings at Racing Club de France and the Stade Francais, which competed against each other in 1881. The initial test match was against the All Blacks in 1906. And, as a country, France participated in rugby at the 1900 Olympics in Paris. 

The Four Nations organization perceived that adding a fifth country would increase both. interest and revenue. L'Equipe Francais made its debut in the Tournament in 1910. The uniform featured the rooster (le coq). which emerged as the national sports symbol. In the decade of the 1920s, rugby clubs in France increased to 784 from 173 as the sport's popularity grew, mainly, among the towns and cities of the southwest.

The French XV (Les Bleus) won its first tournament Test against Ireland in 1920 and an initial win against traditional rival England in 1927.  But it did not generate a Five Nation's crown until 1954.  By this time, France developed a flashy, attacking style of play called Champagne Rugby.  

Six Nations (2000 - Present Day) - Italy Added

The Tournament realized that if it offered a third weekend match, instead of two, it would generate greater television revenue from adding a sixth nation. The only choice was Italy, a late comer to the rugby game whose union was founded in 1928. Yet, Italy was a major sports nation, competing in European football, basketball, winter sports, and track and field,. Rugby had narrow appeal in Italy, limited in popularity to the northern Po Valley.

In its rugby history, the "Azzurri" (Blues), have been ranked as high as eighth in the World Rugby rankings. However, in the Six Nations it has not fared well, finishing last eighteen seasons. In 2026, it defeated England for the first time in 26-years. The Red Roses represented he last of the other nations that Italy had not beaten since its admission in 2000. 

Tournament Titles History