THE BBC and ITV will share live coverage of the Six Nations from 2016 until 2021, the tournament's organisers have announced.

The deal will see Wales' home games shown on the BBC along with those of Scotland and France while England, Ireland and Italy's encounter's will be on World Cup broadcasters ITV.

The pair have joined forces to stave off interest from Sky Sports and BT Sport with the BBC, whose previous deal ran until 2017, moving early to protect their coverage of the tournament.

There are 15 games in each year of the Six Nations and the BBC will have eight and ITV seven in 2016, while that tally will be reversed the following year.

If the 2016 fixtures remain as scheduled then the BBC will screen both matches on the opening day, with France v Italy and Scotland v England set to be played on Saturday, 6 February.

ITV would host Ireland v Wales on Sunday, 7 February, while the BBC would screen the tournament's final game, France v England, on Saturday, 19 March.

The broadcaster that does not broadcast the last match of a Six Nations weekend will transmit a Sunday highlights show rounding up all the action from the weekend.