Six Nations Rugby Venues

As of 2009, Six Nations matches were held in the following stadia:

England : Twickenham, London

France: Stade de France, Saint-Denis (nr. Paris)

Ireland: Croke Park, Dublin

Italy: Stadio Flaminio, Rome

Scotland: Murrayfield, Edinburgh

Wales: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Croke Park is not the normal home of Irish rugby; it is the flagship stadium of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).

Ireland's traditional home, Lansdowne Road, has been unavailable since the start of 2007 due to the construction of a completely new stadium on the site of what had become an increasingly run-down structure.

The all-Ireland governing body for rugby union, the Irish Rugby Football Union, reached an agreement with the GAA to allow Ireland to play their 6 Nations fixtures at Croke Park in 2007.

The agreement has continued throughout the construction of the new stadium at the Lansdowne Road site, which will be known as Aviva Stadium when it opens in April 2010.

Ireland will play their first Six Nations matches at their new ground in 2011.

Similarly, the Stadio Flaminio may no longer be big enough, since "palla ovale" is becoming more popular in Italy.

Rugby games may in future be held at football stadiums such as the Stadio Olimpico in Rome or in the North where rugby is most popular.

Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa (42,000 seats) or Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma (almost 28,000 seats) have been suggested as alternative grounds.

But recently, improvements for Flaminio have been announced increasing the likelihood that rugby will stay at Stadio Flamino, although still making it the smallest of the six nations grounds.