Six Nations 2026 at Work: The 14-Day Emergency Plan (No Excel)

D-14. You haven't planned anything for  Six Nations 2026. You can feel the excitement building at the coffee machine, but over in HR or Internal Comms, it's radio silence. The problem is, launching a "project" now seems impossible: too many validations, too much logistics, not enough time.

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The enemy is the Excel spreadsheet.Two weeks before kick-off, your objective is tactical: launch an event that runs itself. If you start with an Excel file, you are going to spend your Monday mornings managing formula errors and conflicting versions.

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Here is your roadmap to avoid dropping the ball.

⚡ Express Audit: The Vital Checklist

❌ DO NOT DO (Waste of time)

• Set up a "Steering Committee" to validate the concept.
• Create a manual Excel file for predictions.
• Create a "Rugby Culture" Quiz (This excludes 80% of people).
• Aim for a complex budget.

✅ DO (Time saver)

• Take the lead alone or as a duo (HR + Comms).
• Use a SaaS platform (Scorecast Business).
• Launch simple "Win-Draw-Win" predictions (Everyone has a gut feeling).
• Aim for symbolic prizes (Jersey, Team Lunch, Gift Card).

📅 The "Commando" Timeline

• D-14 (30 min): Decision & Scoping. Choose the format ("Site vs. Site" or "Department vs. Department") and the prize.
• D-13 (45 min): Tool Setup. Add your logo, colors, and email restriction (@yourcompany.com).
• D-12 (1h00): Comms Plan. Choose your tone (see templates below) and prepare the 3 visuals.
• D-10 (5 min): Launch. Send global email + Intranet Post. (Tip: Aim for Tuesday at 11 AM).
• D-3 (2 min): Follow-up. Targeted Teams/Slack post on the "General" or "Water Cooler" channel.
• D-0 (2 min): Final Call. Reminder at 4 PM on the day of the opening match.

🎯 Message Templates (Copy-Paste)

Don't reinvent the wheel. Choose the tone that fits your company culture.

Option 1: "Start-up / Cool" Tone

Subject: 🏉 Who’s going to beat the Tech team at predictions?

Hello team,

The Six Nations is coming. We are launching an internal prediction contest (free). No need to be an expert: luck often beats strategy.

🎁 To win: [YOUR PRIZE]

👉 Link to play: [REGISTRATION LINK]

Let's see who has the best instincts.

Option 2: "Corporate / Sobriety" Tone

Subject: Internal Event: Six Nations Tournament

Hello everyone,

To celebrate the Six Nations Tournament, we are proposing a friendly prediction contest. The objective: bring teams together (Departments or Sites) in a fun setting.

👉 Registration (Voluntary participation): [REGISTRATION LINK]

Good luck to all.

Option 3: "Direct / Efficient" Tone

Subject: Six Nations Predictions (D-10)

The tournament starts in 10 days.We have opened a platform to play among colleagues.

Simple rule: guess the scores, earn points.

👉 It happens here: [REGISTRATION LINK]

No rugby knowledge required.

💬 Follow-up Message (D-3)

On Teams or Slack:

"🚨 Red Alert. Only 3 days left to register for the Six Nations predictions. Already [NUMBER] registered. If you don't play, you won't be able to join the banter on Monday morning. 👉 [LINK]"

⚔️ Managing Complex Cases

This is often where things get stuck. Here is how to defuse the situation.

Case 1: "Teams/Slack is saturated, nobody reads the General channel"

The Problem: Your employees are drowning in notifications.

‍The Hack: Identify 5 "Ambassadors" (one per major department: Sales, Tech, Admin...) and send them this DM:

"Hey, we are launching the Six Nations predictions. Could you share the link on your team channel? It would be great to create a bit of friendly competition. The link: [LINK]. Thanks!"

A message coming from a close colleague has 10x more impact than one from HR.

Case 2: "Legal / Compliance / DPO is worried about Gambling or GDPR"

The Problem: Fear of illegality.

‍The Answer (Script to send to reassure them):

"To reassure you on the scope:

1. This is not gambling (No monetary stake): there is no financial buy-in from employees, it is 100% free.
2. Regarding GDPR: The tool (Scorecast Business) minimizes data collection (Professional email only) and we have set up automatic data deletion 30 days after the tournament ends. It is purely an internal communication animation."

🛡️ Quick FAQ (For water cooler questions)

"I know nothing about rugby..."

‍Answer: "That's perfect. In the last few tournaments, a novice often won. Experts overthink it; novices play on instinct.

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"Is it individual or team-based?"

‍Answer: "Both! You have your personal ranking (for glory) and you earn points for your department/site (for the collective)."

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At D-14, time is working against you. The mistake would be to look for perfection. Look for efficiency. A reliable platform, three well-calibrated messages, and you have your start-of-year event.