How many more defeats before Wales start troubling the record books?
Wales welcome Italy to the Principality Stadium for this weekend’s Six Nations Super Saturday looking for the win that will end one of the longest losing streaks in the history of the championship.
Languishing at 12th in the world rankings and with back-to-back Wooden Spoons behind them, you now have to go back to 2023 for the last time the Welsh tasted victory in the Men’s championship.
That’s 15 consecutive losses – a figure that could well increase when an impressive Azzurri team land in Cardiff.
But are the Welsh staring down the barrel of an unwanted record? Or do they have a few more games to rediscover winning ways before they find themselves in the history books for all the wrong reasons? We check out the stats below…
What is the longest losing streak in Six Nations history?
Good news is in short supply in Welsh rugby at the moment, but we can offer one tiny glimmer of hope – Wales literally have years to pick up a win before they even come close to breaking the record for the longest losing streak in Six Nations history.
The worst ever run of defeats is the 36 matches Italy endured without a win from 2015-2022. Ironically, the sequence ended against Wales, when a last-minute Edoardo Padovani try gave the Azzurri a famous win at the Principality Stadium.
Related: What is the record defeat in Six Nations history?
Wales need 22 more matches – more than four seasons – to surpass that Italian run of defeats, which means they can’t possibly break the record until the start of the 2031 championship. This may be enough time for even the beleaguered Welsh Rugby Union to get its house in order.
It’s not all good news for Wales, however. Following their defeat to Ireland in the fourth round of this year’s Six Nations, their current losing streak is now undisputedly the second longest since the Six Nations began in 2000. And that’s a silver medal nobody wants.
The five longest losing streaks in Six Nations history
1. Italy (36 matches, 2015-2022)
2. Wales* (15 matches, 2023- )
3. Italy (14 matches, 2000-2002)
4. Italy (10 matches, 2004-2006)
5. Scotland (9 matches, 2014-2016)
*Ongoing (as of Ireland v Wales, 6 March 2026)
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