France might hand England the biggest embarrassment in the Six Nations if Wales beats Italy.
France will face England in the final game of the 2026 Six Nations championship. This comes after Wales ended a three-year winless run in the Six Nations by beating Italy, and Ireland secured the Triple Crown with a good win over Scotland.
Steve Tandy’s Wales put in a strong performance to beat Italy 31-17 in Cardiff. This result is a boost for fans after a tough time since the 2023 World Cup, during which Wales won only three of their last 27 matches.
Wales are currently at the bottom of the Six Nations table with just one game left. Although it’s very unlikely, they could still finish fifth. England is the only other team that could end up last this year, but for that to happen, they’d need a huge loss to France.
After Wales’ big win against Italy, England could finish with the Wooden Spoon for the first time in Six Nations history. Since Italy joined the tournament in 2000, only England and Ireland haven’t finished last, so Steve Borthwick will be eager to avoid this embarrassment.
Three years ago, France beat England by 43 points (53-10), but they’ll need to step up again if they want England to finish bottom this time.
England currently have an 86-point lead over Wales, so it seems unlikely they’d be overtaken. However, history shows they’ve had some big losses, like in June 1998 when they lost 78-0 to Australia under Sir Clive Woodward.
So, while it might seem out of the question, England could still suffer a heavy defeat that would see them finish last and take the Wooden Spoon.