The Women's Six Nations is rescheduled for April and the under-20s championship is pencilled in for June and July.
The new dates follow the recommendation of a working group after the decision was taken on January 12 to postpone both championships due to COVID-19.
Kicking off on the weekend of 3rd/4th April and finishing on 24th April, this year’s Women’s championship will see a new and condensed format similar to that of the recent Autumn Nations Cup, culminating in a 'grand final weekend' to crown the champions.
The format will comprise two pools of three teams with each team playing one home and one away fixture. Ireland are in Pool B with France and Wales.
Ireland will travel to face Wales on the weekend of April 10/11 and then host France on the weekend of April 17/18.
Once the pool round matches are complete, teams will face off against the opposing ranked team from the other pool in the play-offs matches, i.e. 1st place Pool A v 1st place Pool B.
The detailed fixture dates, venues and kick off times are still to be announced.
Meanwhile, the under-20s championship will take place through a condensed three-week period and is expected to start on June 19.
Further planning work is required to finalise details on fixtures, venues and kick off times.
Ben Morel, CEO of Six Nations Rugby, commented: “We are delighted to make this announcement today and confirm new plans for our Women’s and U20s championships.
"The promotion and development of rugby at all levels is a key strategic priority for Six Nations.
"We see huge opportunity for growth in the women’s game in particular and feel it will benefit hugely from having its own specific window and being firmly placed in the limelight.
“Our priority has always been to deliver two outstanding tournaments but equally ensuring both competitions can be played safely, taking every consideration for player welfare.
"A significant challenge we faced in rescheduling the Women’s tournament was the limited available window due to World Cup Qualifiers, domestic leagues, rest periods and World Cup preparations for qualified teams.
"Following consultation with our unions and federations as well as other key stakeholders, it was agreed that April would be the best window in which to stage the championship.
“The under-20 Six Nations Championship is also a hugely important competition in terms of player development and for those representing their country at this level it is a major milestone in any career. We look forward to announcing fixture details for the under-20’s in due course.”
2021 Women’s Six Nations
Pool A : England - Italy - Scotland
Pool B : France - Ireland - Wales
