All teams at this year’s men’s Six Nations are set to have their players’ names on the back of shirts for the first time.

The move, hoped to help attract casual fans, follows that of the women’s tournament last year.

Unlike football, rugby jerseys usually feature only numbers on the back.

While some countries have shown names on the backs of shirts in the past, it has not been adopted across the Six Nations before.

Unions have backed the move, which is expected to be rubber-stamped by the tournament.

Ireland wore players names on the back of their jerseys during World Cup warm-up games in August, while England and Scotland did so during the 2022 Autumn Nations Series and continued during the Six Nations together with Italy.

Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney said in 2022: “We think player names on shirts may have the potential to bring fans closer to the international stars of our game and we look forward to seeing the reaction to this initiative.”

The Six Nations begins on 2 February as Ireland begin their title defence against France having won their first championship since 2018 last year.