New research from Kantar Media reveals which nation loves rugby the most

With the Six Nations Rugby tournament now in full flight, new research from Kantar Media reveals just how popular the sport is in each nation. Championship-holder France leads the way with a massive 50 per cent of the population interested in the game.

The Welsh are the strongest British supporters with 34.6 per cent of the population interested in rugby.   Ireland has the third most fanatical fan base with 21.4 per cent interested in the sport.
There isn't much between the sport's popularity in England and Scotland with the rivals respectively having 19.1 and 18 per cent of the population interested in the sport.
The Kantar Media Europa TGI survey also reveals that rugby is least popular in Italy with only 3.7 per cent of the population interested in the game.

Russ Budden, Marketing Manager, Kantar Media asked: "With many high profile international players such as Jonny Wilkinson now plying their trade in the French leagues and coupled by the fact that the French rugby team won the Six Nations last year, there's clearly a big wave of support for rugby in France."

"The TGI survey also highlights that more French adults have been to watch a game at a sports venue than any other nation proving there are really committed fans in the country. But interestingly, it is Ireland that has a larger proportion of the population playing rugby than any other nation."