Â鶹ԼÅÄ

The Six Nations Championship is one of the oldest tournaments in rugby, with a version of it having been played for more than 138 years.

What was initially a men's international tournament featuring England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, has grown to include France and Italy, while there has been a women's competition since 1996.

The 2021 Women's Six Nations will be delayed and played in a reduced format across four weekends in April.

Meanwhile the men's championship starts on 6 February as planned.

The coronavirus pandemic meant the men's and women's tournaments in 2020 were still being played in October and November.

Fans will be hoping for less disruption this year when the men's championship begins on Saturday 6 February.

The opening matches are really important and a good result can put teams in a good place for the rest of the tournament.

Italy host France in Rome and Scotland face England at Twickenham in London.

Wales are scheduled to play Ireland at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff 24 hours later.

England won the Six Nations Championship in 2020 even after losing against France on the opening weekend last year.

They recovered to win their next four matches and ended the Six Nations 2020 level with France on 18 points, winning the Championship thanks to a better points difference.

England and France are the two sides who are favourites to win the tournament this year and they will face each other at Twickenham on 13 March - which could be a crucial match to decide the championship.

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has said his side has what it takes to win the Six Nations, despite losing four games and finishing fifth in 2020.

Scotland will be hoping the return of star-player Finn Russell - who left the squad for breaking team rules - will inspire them to a successful tournament.

Points win prizes and bonus points are important too!

Teams are awarded four points for a win, two for a draw and nothing for a defeat. In addition, teams are able to earn bonus points.

Any team that scores four tries or more in a match is awarded an extra point, while a team that loses by seven or less also earns a bonus point.

If a team scores four tries or more while losing by less than seven, they are awarded both bonus points.

If a team wins all five of their matches, meanwhile, they are automatically awarded three 'Grand Slam' bonus points to ensure that team wins the Championship.

With a British and Irish Lions tour due to begin in five months - the home nations will have plenty to play for.

The Lions is a team made up of players from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland and competing for positions always adds a bit of extra spice to the Six Nations.

The tournament is the last chance for players from those four nations to prove they're good enough to earn a place in the squad.

One to watch will be England v Scotland at Twickenham on Saturday 6 February as star-players on both sides, Owen Farrell and Finn Russell look to to secure a place in the same position for the Lions team at fly-half.

The Calcutta Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of the rugby match between England and Scotland who play each other on the opening weekend. It is the oldest of several trophies awarded during the Six Nations tournament and the trophy was first awarded in 1879.

The first unofficial contest happened on Christmas Day 1872, when a game of rugby football, between 20 players representing England on one side and 20 representing Scotland on the other, was played in Calcutta in India.

England have won the contest 71 times, Scotland have won 40 times.

For nearly a year coronavirus has changed all of our lives and it has changed the way sport can be played too.

The championship will begin in empty stadiums with all countries under some form of coronavirus restrictions.

There was uncertainty about the disruption to this year's tournament and organisers were waiting to see whether France would be able to take part with quarantine rules in the country.

France's sports minister has said quarantine restrictions will be relaxed for the Championship, allowing players to travel to the country without isolating for seven days.

With the tournament due to finish in March any announcement on whether fans will be allowed to attend matches has not yet been made, that will depend on the latest government guidance and the situation with coronavirus in each of the competing nations.

Hard-fought wins may not be rewarded by roaring crowds but the tournament is sure to be exciting with loads to play for.

Will you be watching the Six Nations? Who do you want to win? Let us know in the comments.