Six Nations news: Ranking each country’s supporters and stadium

As the premier international rugby tournament in Europe, the Six Nations involves some of the game’s most passionate fans and most sophisticated arenas.

It goes without saying that every fanbase has the potential to get extremely loud when things are on the up, but some – whisper it – can get pretty quiet when the chips are down.

In addition, each of the world-class national stadiums brings a unique history, character, and atmosphere to the competition.

Sports News Blitz writer Charlie Elliott unveils his ranking of the six sets of supporters and stadiums.

6. France

The main hindrance for a good atmosphere at the Stade de France is that the pitch is so far from the stands. A big gap between spectator and action typically means that much of the sound – from either side – is lost, thus making it hard to create a genuine atmosphere.

Parisian support is also decidedly fair-weather in nature, with the crowds energised when France are winning but prone to being rather silent when they are behind.

That said, the Stade de France certainly has the potential to be loud on its day and, should the French team give their fans something to cheer about, it is sure to be a noisy fortress.

5. Italy

With Italy usually the whipping boys of the Six Nations, fans at the Stadio Olimpico can often struggle to get behind their team with any real sense of enthusiasm. However, now that Italian rugby is unquestionably on the up, we may see an upturn in the famous stadium’s atmosphere.

Rome, it must be said, is not exactly a rugby-mad place either, galvanised as it is by one of the world’s fiercest football rivalries. As a result, in future, it might be better to move rugby internationals to an area that truly loves the sport or even just to a smaller arena.

Italian fans can also quite rightly be accused of only turning up for the Six Nations and not caring much about the less-hyped games throughout the year.

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4. England

Twickenham has a lot of atmospheric potential thanks to it being such a large and well-designed stadium. Yet, although it could contain the noise in theory, there are regular and deserved accusations that the crowd there is too ‘posh’ and not exactly partisan.

All the same, Twickenham can get loud and boisterous when it wants, especially if England are challenging.

Unfortunately, considering all the negativity and pessimism surrounding the national team at the moment, support is likely to stay a muted affair for now.

3. Ireland

Ireland experienced noticeably poor support during the Autumn Internationals, which was a far cry from what has been seen in recent years. Indeed, when the Aviva gets going, it can genuinely rock while still being a welcoming place for away fans.

Things are, of course, helped somewhat in that department by the fact that Ireland fans have had a lot to cheer about after winning the last two Six Nations.

And with Ireland now aiming for a historic third consecutive title, there will almost certainly be scenes when they host France on the penultimate matchday.

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2. Scotland

Located in Edinburgh and capable of holding up to 67,000 supporters, Murrayfield stands as the iconic home of Scottish rugby. It can get absolutely electric during big games while still managing a good atmosphere for the so-called smaller ones, which is no small feat.

That has also remained the case despite Scotland not having had much success on the pitch over the last few years.

In particular, to witness a rendition of “Flower of Scotland” at the storied ground is nothing short of a spine-tingling experience.

1. Wales

When the roof is closed at the Millennium Stadium, the atmosphere is simply incredible. Every Six Nations game there feels like a true occasion, with the singing of the Welsh (unofficial) national anthem a reliably outstanding display of passion from players and fans alike.

And even though Wales find themselves plumbing the depths in terms of rugby quality, at both domestic and international level, supporters continue to turn out in vast numbers with desire etched on their faces.

The current atmosphere may not quite be what it was during Welsh rugby’s heyday in the early 2010s, but the Millenium Stadium retains an unmatched aura.

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