Six Nations Announces 2018, 2019 Fixtures, Which Will Include Rest Weeks

On Tuesday, Six Nations organizers announced the fixtures for the '18 and '19 championships, "both of which will be seven weeks with the two fallow weekends remaining," according to Gerard Meagher of the London GUARDIAN. The proposal to condense it to six weeks, which was backed by the Rugby Football Union "but met with widespread criticism," was for '20 onward "in line with the new global season." A statement from Six Nations said that the '18 and '19 championships "will continue to see rest weeks after rounds two and three as in previous years" but gives "no mention to whether the tournament will subsequently be truncated." Next year's fixture list means that for the first time since '13, Wales will not host a Friday night match in Cardiff. For the next two championships, France -- which staged the first -- "will do so." The venue for next year's Friday fixture, which will be against Italy, is "yet to be determined but it will not be in Paris" (GUARDIAN, 5/16).