vintage Six nations rugby shirts

The Story Behind the Six Nations

The Six Nations is one of the oldest and most celebrated international rugby championships in the world.

Its history stretches back to the first international rugby union match in 1871, when England played Scotland at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh. Scotland won that historic encounter, establishing a rivalry that would become part of the foundation of international rugby.

Twelve years later, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales came together for the first Home International Championship in 1883. The competition would subsequently evolve into the Five Nations and eventually the Six Nations Championship we know today.

Our vintage Six Nations rugby shirts celebrate that remarkable history.

The First International Rugby Match

The story begins on 27 March 1871.

England and Scotland met in Edinburgh in what is recognised as the world’s first international rugby union match. Scotland won the match, but the significance of the occasion went far beyond the result.

International rugby had begun.

The match established an enduring sporting rivalry between England and Scotland and helped create the international dimension of rugby union.

The England 1871 shirt in our collection takes its inspiration from this formative moment in the history of international rugby.

The Home Nations Championship

For the first twelve years of international rugby, England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales played occasional matches against one another.

In 1883 the fixtures were brought together into the first Home International Championship.

England won the inaugural championship, which also brought the first Triple Crown to the competition. The tournament established the format and rivalries that would become central to northern hemisphere rugby.

The four Home Nations — England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales — would dominate the championship for much of its early history.

England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales

The four original Home Nations each developed their own distinctive rugby identity.

England had already played the first international match in 1871 and became one of the central powers in the developing championship.

Ireland played its first international against England in 1875, a date represented by our Ireland 1875 designs.

Wales joined the international game during the same formative period and played their first international against England in 1881, represented by our Wales 1881 rugby shirts.

Scotland, meanwhile, had already established its place in rugby history by defeating England in the first international in 1871.

Together, these four nations created the foundations of what would become one of rugby’s greatest annual competitions.

The Birth of the Five Nations

France became involved in the championship during the early twentieth century.

After appearing in four tournament editions, France officially joined the competition in 1910. The Home Nations Championship therefore became the Five Nations.

Our France 1906 designs reflect the period immediately surrounding France’s entry into the championship.

The arrival of France transformed the competition into a genuinely wider European championship and introduced a new dimension to the established Home Nations rivalries.

The Grand Slam and Triple Crown

Some of the most famous terms in rugby developed from the history of the championship.

A Grand Slam is achieved when one team defeats all of the other nations in the competition.

The Triple Crown, meanwhile, is traditionally associated with one of the four original Home Nations defeating each of the other three Home Nations in the same championship.

Wales recorded the first Grand Slams in 1908 and 1909, although these came during the Home Nations era and included victories over France in the relevant seasons.

These achievements became some of the most coveted accomplishments in northern hemisphere rugby.

The Five Nations Era

The championship continued as the Five Nations for much of the twentieth century.

After the interruptions caused by the First and Second World Wars, the competition became an increasingly important part of the rugby calendar.

France won their first shared championship in 1954 and their first outright title in 1959. By the 1970s the Five Nations had become one of the most important competitions in northern hemisphere rugby, attracting large crowds and television audiences.

The 1970s in particular became associated with a golden period for Welsh rugby, with Wales winning three Grand Slams during the decade.

The Six Nations Era

The modern Six Nations began in 2000.

Italy joined the championship following Scotland’s 1999 Five Nations campaign, creating the six-team competition that continues today.

The addition of Italy transformed the tournament once again, bringing a sixth national rugby tradition into one of the sport’s most historic annual championships.

The modern Six Nations therefore brings together England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.

Historic Rugby Rivalries

The enduring appeal of the Six Nations comes from the rivalries as much as the championship itself.

England and Scotland contest the Calcutta Cup, one of international rugby’s oldest trophies.

England and Wales have one of the game’s most closely followed rivalries, while Ireland and Wales, France and England, Scotland and France and the other combinations have developed their own traditions and memorable encounters.

For supporters, the Six Nations is therefore much more than a league table. It is an annual collection of historic rivalries, familiar grounds, national colours and traditions built over generations.

Vintage Six Nations Rugby Shirts

Our Six Nations collection draws directly from this history.

The England 1871 designs represent the beginnings of international rugby, while Ireland 1875 and Wales 1881 connect with the early history of the Home Nations.

The France 1906 designs represent the emergence of France as an important part of the championship during the early twentieth century.

Alongside the historical significance of the dates, the shirts use vintage-inspired colours, heavyweight slub cotton and a distressed wash to create an old-school rugby aesthetic.

Rugby Shirts Inspired by the Six Nations

A Six Nations rugby shirt can represent many different things.

For some, it is a connection with a national team. For others, it recalls a particular generation of players, a famous championship or simply the atmosphere of watching international rugby.

Our collection is designed around the history and visual identity of the teams themselves rather than attempting to reproduce a single modern playing jersey.

That makes the shirts suitable for rugby supporters, collectors and anyone who appreciates traditional rugby clothing.

The History Behind the Shirts

The dates featured on our international rugby shirts are an important part of their story.

1871 marks the first England–Scotland international.

1875 represents Ireland’s first international.

1881 marks Wales’ first international.

1906 represents an important period in the early history of French international rugby, shortly before France formally joined the championship in 1910.

Together, these dates show how quickly international rugby developed during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Discover the Six Nations Collection

From the first international in 1871 to the modern six-team championship, the history of the Six Nations is inseparable from the history of international rugby itself.

Explore our collection of vintage Six Nations rugby shirts inspired by England, Ireland, Wales and France, and discover the stories behind the colours, dates and traditions that have made this championship one of rugby’s enduring institutions.

Some shirts are embroidered to order and so may take a little longer to deliver. Please get in touch with us if your order is urgent – via email: [email protected]

The Black&Blue 1871 vintage six nations rugby shirt is made with a heavyweight slub cotton which gives the shirt a hard wearing yet soft and comfortable finish.

This heritage ‘old school’ shirt combines vintage colour dyes with a distressed wash to produce a nicely worn-in look and feel.

Care instructions:

Wash / Care instructions for number patches 

Our number patches are individually embroidered on to the shirts, so to ensure they are stable during the process to keep puckering or stretching from occurring we have to use a backing fabric. This backing fabric is trimmed but left covering the patch (on the inside of the garment). As the backing fabric degrades in the washing machine we recommend that you let the backing degrade with washing and recommend that you do not rip it or cut it out as this can cause damage to the stitching.