Scrum down for the return of the rugby at these top-quality screenings
The Six Nations rugby tournament is back for 2025, taking over boozers, beer gardens and outdoor screens across London most weekends up until Saturday March 15.
Last year, Ireland claimed back-to-back titles for the third time since 1949, and will be looking to be triumphant for a third consecutive year. Games take place at venues including Paris’ Stade de France, Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, and London’s very own Twickenham Stadium as England, France, Italy, Scotland, Wales and Ireland compete to take home the championship trophy.
The penultimate week of action kicks off this Saturday with a huge match between top-of-the-table Ireland and second-placed team France, who stand the best chance of preventing a three-peat from the Wolfhounds. Scotland play Wales later on Saturday, before England take on Italy at Twickenham on Sunday afternoon.
And you could just watch on your telly at home, but if you’d prefer to catch every scrimmage, try and conversion in a lively atmosphere with a nice freshly-poured Guinness in hand, head to one of the rugby pubs, bars, beer halls, markets and social clubs listed here, where you’ll find free-flowing pints, special guest appearances and countless renditions of ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’.
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Here’s how the final fixtures for the Six Nations 2025 lineup this weekend:
Saturday March 15
2:15pm kickoff – Italy vs Ireland
4:45pm kickoff – Wales vs England
8pm kickoff – France vs Scotland
Going into the final round, the Six Nations trophy looks like France’s to lose, with the team sitting at the top of the table on 15 points. England and Ireland aren’t far behind, though, on 15 and 14 points, respectively, so it’s still all to play for.
France can retain their spot in pole position and be crowned this year’s champions in a variety of ways. First, if they beat Scotland at Stade de France with a bonus point, they’ll end the tournament victorious. If they win that match without a bonus point, they’re still likely to be handed the trophy given the mammoth gap in points difference between them and England – just a casual 86 points as it stands.
Anything less than a win for France will have our friends across the Channel relying on England and Ireland to slip up. If France draw with a bonus point, they’ll need their nearest competitors to fail to achieve the maximum amount of points available. Similarly, if France lose – and Scotland fail to claim a bonus point – and England and Ireland also lose without bonus points, they’ll also be going home happy.
The England camp will be aiming to beat Wales with a bonus point and manifesting a France defeat. Even without the bonus point, an English victory could still be enough to seal the title, as long as France fail to win with a bonus point. If France and Ireland both lose without bonus points and England draw or lose with two bonus points, they could also be named champions.
Meanwhile, Ireland are hoping to secure their third consecutive Six Nations title but will need both France and England to lose in every scenario to do so. If that happens and Ireland beat Italy with a bonus point, their mission will be accomplished. That will also be the case if Ireland win without a bonus point. If they draw with a bonus or lose with two bonuses and can get their points difference higher than France and England’s, they’ll keep the trophy in Dublin.
At 26,000 square feet, Walthamstow’s Big Penny Social is apparently the biggest beer hall in the UK, which makes it an excellent pick if you’re after a lively atmosphere – and ups your chances of getting a seat. It’ll be showing Six Nations matches on a huge HD screen, while there are 20 taps of beer and a menu of small plates, pizzas and burgers to keep your belly filled.
Big Penny Social. Free, £10pp holding deposit per person for parties of more than 11. Booking recommended.
Get to Finsbury Park’s beloved rugby pub The Faltering Fullback at least two hours early if you want to secure a table – if not, it’s standing room only, and things get real cosy. If you lose your mates in the nook-filled three-storey beer garden, just make new ones. Much easier.
Faltering Fullback. Free entry, arrive as early as possible.
Do you hail from the other side of the Severn Bridge? If Wales are playing, the beautiful London Welsh Centre in Bloomsbury is a great place to watch with fellow expats. Take in all the action on a 170-square-foot screen while snacking on tasty treats from Wales and sinking a few pints of Welsh beer. Just be sure to book in advance, as it often sells out. Iechyd da!
London Welsh Centre. £10 (or free with £40 annual membership). Find out more here.
London Bridge drinking and dining destination Flat Iron Square has had a big makeover just in time for the Six Nations, and is partnering with local craft beer maven Camden Town Brewery and rugby podcast Rugby Pod for the tournament this year. Book a seat for yourself or grab a table for eight – all bookings come with tokens for a pint of Camden, while tables get eight £10 food tokens too. There’ll also be live podcast events on January 29, February 19 and March 12, featuring some surprise special guests.
Flat Iron Square. General admission (with guaranteed seat and one Camden Town token) £11.25, register in advance. Find out more here.
Walthamstow’s Pillars Brewery might look like the kind of place where you’d be paying north of £7.50 per pint, but an afternoon of rugger here is surprisingly wallet-friendly. Pints here during Six Nations matches are just over a fiver. And if ‘the lads’ are losing, you could always just pop into God’s Own Junkyard next door. If that cavern of neon lights can’t lift your mood, nothing will.
Pillars Brewery. Free entry, or reserve a seat for a £6 deposit (or pre-order pints).
Cheer on reigning champions Ireland with fellow fans from the Emerald Isle at the London Irish Centre. The centre will be showing the team's first match in this year's tournament, in which they'll face England. There'll also be post-match entertainment in the form of live music from Cailíní Lua and Lorraine O'Reilly, plus food from Happy Plates.
London Irish Centre. £17.50 standing ticket. Find more info here.
If you prefer cider over beer and you’re a big fan of scrums and tries, get down to Against The Grain Taproom and Cidery this Six Nations. The brewery will be hosting screenings of all the matches in this year’s tournament while serving up their range of delicious craft ciders (plus beer, wine and cocktails) and woodfired pizza. Book a table starting from £11.55 for two people and you’ll get one free welcome drink per person. Scrum-ptious!
Against The Grain Taproom and Cidery. Table bookings from £11.55, including one free drink per person. Find more info here.
Being a sports fan can be tough going, but one thing can help you get through those nail-biting moments in matches – lovely alcohol. Juju’s Bar & Stage can’t help your chosen team do better this Six Nations, but they are serving up a bottomless drinks offer. You’ll get 70 minutes of unlimited drinks (including lager, stout, cider, wine, prosecco and soft drinks), beginning 30 minutes before kick-off and running until the end of the first half. Tickets also include a guaranteed seat and a main meal courtesy of BBQ specialists Cue Point (vegetarian and vegan options are also available). All the action will be shown on a huge projector screen and, after some matches, there’ll also be a post-game party. If you just want to go along, watch the match and soak up the atmosphere, you can do so for free.
Juju's Bar & Stage. £48.25 for 70 minutes of bottomless drinks, a main meal and a guaranteed seat. Find more info here.
For those tired of cramming themselves into poky pubs, try Boxpark Shoreditch, Croydon or Wembley. Each venue is set up with large HD screens and a solid choice of street-food vendors for the Six Nations. The crowds will be huge, but the indoor-outdoor set-up allows for some space to breathe, which means you’re much less likely to spend the game in the armpit of a stranger’s England jersey.
Various Boxpark venues. General admission (with guaranteed seat and one drinks token) from £8.30, register in advance. Find out more here.
Enjoy the Six Nations in style at Mayfair’s The Audley Public House. Before the Ireland v England match on February 1, they’ll be hosting England’s top-scoring player Andy Goode and Bath flanker Sam Underhill for a special conversation. Tickets include a free pint of Guinness or a non-alcoholic drink. Those who just want to watch the match can join in the festivities for free from 3pm.
The Audley Public House. £10 per person for the panel talk, free entry from 3pm. Find more info here.
It’s the final weekend so you might as well go big. BLOODsports, Covent Garden’s new sports bar, is the place for that – it’s got over 30 massive screens and stays open until 2am, not to mention tons of activities to keep you occupied pre and post-match (or in the middle if things are going horribly for your team). There’s karaoke, arcade games, pool and a photobooth inspired by the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’. Make the most of the, erm, unique food and drinks menu, too, where you can choose from the likes of the Dead Hippie burger, Monkey Fingers, and a deep-fried, bacon-wrapped ‘Ripper’ hot dog, and wash it all down with Bloodless Mary martinis, slushies, frozen margs and more.
BLOODsports. Free entry, but booking advised. Find more info here.
With the last few Six Nations face-offs upon us, you’re going to want to make the most of the last day of matches. To do that, you’ll need to find a venue that, as well as showing all the matches, has plenty to keep you entertained in between. Look no further than Bat & Ball, where you can take in every scrum, try and tackle on the state-of-the-art HD screens and then partake in a little beer pong, darts or pool until its time to get focused once more.
Bat & Ball. Free entry, but booking advised. Find more info here.
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