The 2016 RBS 6 Nations kicks off tomorrow (February 6), and your portable tech is being primed as your guide to the next six weeks of sporting action.
From ways to watch and games to play, to time-passers and rule-explainers, there's dozens of apps just waiting to guide you through the action. These eight aren't just any cauliflower-eared apps from the front row though, oh no. These are the Jonny Wilkinson drop goals of the rugby-themed app world.
1. Best for Complete Coverage: Official RBS 6 Nations app
With 15 games being held across a month and a half, it can be quite tricky to keep tabs on all the latest 6 Nations action – or at least it can without the tournament's official app. Constant news updates, complete fixtures lists and detailed squad breakdowns are all just a couple of clicks away.
It's not just about stat attacks and coach interviews either. Lining up alongside the match previews and game reports is the chance to win tickets to the event itself and Twitter integration for a lighter look on the tournament.
Available on: iOS, Android
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Price: Free
2. Best for Watching Games: BBC iPlayer
The BBC might have sacrificed its exclusive rights to the 6 Nations in 2016, but just because it's sharing live honours with ITV this year doesn't mean it's not still the place to go for premier rugby action.
The iPlayer app which, c'mon, should really already be on your phone, is free to download and not only offers live and catch-up rugby action on the move, but lets you fill the time between matches with all manner of free viewing. For the games the Beeb isn't showing live, they'll be highlights packages available later in the day and on a catch-up basis until the next week of fixture roll around - bonus.
Available on: iOS, Android
Price: Free
3. Best for Helping Explain Things: World Rugby Laws of Rugby
Rugby can be a tricky game to follow, especially if you're not completely au fait with the ins-and-outs of the rules. From messy mauls to raucous rucks, there's much to know about what's allowed and what's not in a game where you have to pass back to go forward and taking a guy's legs from under him is encouraged. The Laws of Rugby app has your back though, painting out the sport's finer points.
If you're still finding it hard to get your head around the nitty-gritty of the game, there's more than 80 embedded videos to breakdown the, well, breakdown. All the common referee signals are present too for when you can't see the infringements under the mound of bodies.
Available on: iOS, Android
Price: Free
4. Best for the Avid Fan: 6 Nations Quiz
OK, so you might not be able to get to the games yourself, but that doesn't mean you can't brag about your rugby knowledge - at least internally anyway. You can get your rugby-calloused mitts on a smartphone-based quiz to see if you know you Castrogiovanni from Courtney Lawes.
As well as testing your player recognition skills, the unofficial app puts your club knowledge under the microscope, seeing if you can match the international to their weekly team.
Available on: iOS
Price: Free (In-app purchases)
5. Best for Getting You Involved: SuperBru
Enjoying the 6 Nations doesn't need to be a passive experience. Think Fantasy Football with an oval ball and you're halfway to getting what SuperBru's all about. Having picked your tournament's perfect squad, you can enter mini leagues with friends, managing your men to top the fantasy points chart and taste 6 Nations glory.
There's also weekly game predictors in the mix, with prizes up for grabs if you can correctly predict the outcome of those narrow-margin games – Wales vs Ireland, anyone?
Available on: iOS, Android
Price: Free
6. Best for Smartwatch Owners: Ultimate Rugby
Following live sport has changed dramatically in recent years. From carrying a wireless radio to watching TV at home and now enjoying smartphone-based live streams, it's been getting easier and easier to keep tabs on the ball-based happy haps.
Now, thanks to Ultimate Rugby you can get live scores sent directly to your wrist too. You don't even need to go Siri-bothering either. Instead, the iOS app, which offers detailed stats on all the action, will send live feedback to your Apple-branded wrist wear – handy. Sadly, as the first whistle is blown, there's no Android Wear option.
Available on: iOS/Apple Watch
Price: Free
7. Best for Passing Time Between Games: Rugby Kicks 2
Sadly, the 6 Nations sticks to the weekends, with a couple of down weeks thrown in to aid ailing bodies too. As your insatiable need for live sports becomes less and less fulfilled, you're going to need something to pass the time. Enter Rugby Kicks 2.
The premise is simple - flick the screen to kick the ball towards desired targets - the possibilities are expansive. With a couple of game modes and dozens of challenges to choose from, the drab half-time chatter will never have passed so quickly.
Available on: iOS, Android
Price: Free (In-app purchases available)
8. Best for Turning You Into a Rugby Player: Rugby Training
If the tournament gives you a taste for all things oval-balls, you're going to want to lose that couch-bound gut and adopt a rugby ready body before hitting the pitch for yourself. You're not alone in this pursuit of a chiselled bod, though. Fitivity's Rugby Training app is there to help you every step of the way.
Helping you work on your speed and power – yes, you will need both if you want to be a half-decent player – there's dozens of fitness drills at your disposal. With video guides for each stretch, exercise and drill, there's no reason why we shouldn't be seeing your name on the team sheet come World Cup 2019.
Available on: iOS, Android
Price: Free
