The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Victory by any Home Nation over the other three Home Nations is a 'Triple Crown'. The oldest such regular competition is for the Calcutta Cup, contested annually between England and Scotland since 1879.

• Scotland
• Italy

The Tri Nations is an international rugby union competition that is contested annually by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. These three teams have dominated international rankings in recent years and some consider the Tri Nations to be the toughest competition in international rugby.

No better rivalry exists between Australia and New Zealand than the Bledisloe Cup. Once played irregularly every few years, Bledisloe Cup matches now happen annually, and include Tri Nations fixtures between the two sides.

Rugby World Cup 2011 will be hosted by New Zealand and is set to be one of the most spectacular and memorable events in the history of the tournament. Over 60,000 Rugby World Cup fans are expected to head for New Zealand to watch 20 teams compete for the ultimate prize in Rugby Union.

• Rugby World Cup 2011