We take a look at the teams to have earned the most "Wooden Spoons" in Six Nations history.
Awarded to the side who finish bottom of the table, the dreaded "Wooden Spoon" is a figurative trophy which all sides want to avoid.
The Wooden Spoon was only officially introduced in 2000, following the expansion to the current Six Nations format, however it is easy to track back in time to see who has achieved it the most times.
Most overall wooden spoons
Ireland - 25
Scotland - 24
Wales - 19
Italy - 18
England - 17
France - 13
Most Six Nations era wooden spoons (2000-Present)
Italy - 18
Scotland - 4
Wales - 3
France - 1
England & Ireland - 0
(*Stats were correct as of January 28th 2026).
Unsurprisingly, Italy have earned by far the most wooden spoons since their introduction to the competition, finishing bottom of the table in 18 of their 26 attempts.
Ireland lead the way in the overall standings, one ahead of Scotland, although both sides have been in the competition from the very beginning.
Impressively, Ireland and England are the only two nations who are yet to finish bottom in a Six Nations tournament, with France's sixth place finish in 2013, the only blotch on their almost perfect Six Nations record.
It seems unlikely that any side will overtake Italy in the standings in the near future but, with the resurgence of the Azzurri in recent years, we could start to see other nations earn a larger share of the unwanted record.
