As the Six Nations turns 25, we take a look back at the first tournament of the 21st century when the addition of Italy turned the Five Nations into the Six Nations. Steven Bloor. Fri 31 Jan 2025 17.23 GMT. Photograph: Stuart Macfarlane/Shutterstock. Photograph: Matthew Fearn/PA. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images. Photograph: Getty Images. Photograph: Sportsfile/Corbis/Getty Images. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA. Photograph: Andrew Cowie/Shutterstock.
![[The first 6 nations tournament is launched at the V&A Museum in January 2000 by Matt Dawson (England vice-captain) Keith Wood (Ireland captain) Matt Dawson (England vice-captain) Keith Wood (Ireland captain) Fabian Pelouse (France captain) Glenn Metcalf (Scotland) Chris Wyatt (Wales) & Alessandro Troncon (Italian captain).]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/18d39210922181586e1cd4423015084c03faca72/0_0_2048_1476/master/2048.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=bb59654c54ca3d7af6a3b4fef6b3b98f)
Photograph: Matthew Impey/Shutterstock. Photograph: Mirrorpix/Getty Images. Photograph: David Rogers/Allsport/Getty Images. Photograph: Michael Cooper/Allsport/Getty Images. Photograph: Jamie McDonald/Allsport/Getty Images. Photograph: Toby Melville/PA. Photograph: Michael Cooper/Getty Images. Photograph: Eric Vandeville/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images. Photograph: David Jones/PA. Photograph: Chris Ison/PA. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images.
![[Silversmith Gareth Harris make the necessary modifications to include the Italian emblem to rugby union’s Six Nations trophy (formerly Five Nations) at the workshop of Smith and Harris in Hatton Garden, London.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/dff088c93b24e5975039c2bf805c818ddaa06f09/0_0_1926_1246/master/1926.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=39c19c9e97040796604dec01cedea2ac)
