The Epstein Files: The stain of accountability

On February 23, 2026 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn People, Politics, Social MediaLeave a comment

Hi, and welcome back. After last week’s mammoth undertaking of writing six entries for We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1961, I thought I might take it easy and discuss something light, like the Epstein Files. My wife asked me what I was blogging about this week, so I told her. “That’s a can of worms, isn’t it?” she replied. It certainly is.

I know, it’s not the most positive and uplifting story, now is it? However, this blog has been rattling around in my mind for some time now, so I apologise because I needed to get it out.

As usual with the hard-hitting journalism you have come to expect from yours truly, today’s blog post will not cover Jeffery Epstein per se, as in his crimes. His convictions for sex trafficking and child sex offences have been thoroughly covered and documented by seasoned and professional writers and reporters, not some part-time blogger from the South Pacific.

No, I would like to discuss the obvious aspects of the Epstein Files, which I believe need attention. Clear? Great, let’s see how I go with this.

Redacted documents are shown in a photo illustration in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 19, after the Justice Department began releasing records from its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Even in New Zealand, the Epstein Files continue to garner attention. Case in point, with my ugly mug. Now, if you don’t know what the Epstein Files are, then you have been either living a lonely lifestyle or living with the bliss of ignorance, and I don’t know which is better.

The best way for me to explain the Epstein Files is, sadly, to go back to Epstein himself. In a nutshell, for decades, Epstein was a high roller investor who, among other things, operated a sex trafficking business, where he located underage boys and girls, as well as adult women, and transported them to his ultra-elite friends/associates for sex crimes. Epstein died of suicide in 2019, while awaiting trial.

As for the Epstein Files, here is another crash course. They are a collection of records, numbering over six million documents, that relate to Epstein’s activities and crimes. They contain videos, documents, images, and emails that connect Epstein to some of his ultra-elite club of mates. There is more to it, but these are the bare bones of the situation.

Recently, the United States Department of Justice released over three million documents from the Epstein Files, where some were heavily redacted, while others were not redacted enough. With me so far?

Some of the names in the files were not a surprise, because they have been linked to Epstein for decades. The media and the public have known about the connections, just not what those connections were exactly. Essentially, just what their relationship to Epstein actually involved.

In the public court, any person named in the Epstein Files is guilty of sex crimes. However, before people are lynched because their name appeared in the Epstein Files, it pays to remember two things: under the law, people are innocent until proven guilty; and just because someone’s name is mentioned in the files, it does not mean they are automatically guilty.

To my understanding, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and even Pikachu were mentioned in the Epstein Files. However, at least to me, there is a colossal difference between being mentioned in Epstein-related emails, like the three above, versus being connected to Epstein’s activities, or at the very least, being in some way associated with him.

Epstein survivors are seen holding photos of their younger selves, as some of them recite their ages when they met first met Jeffrey Epstein in a video from World Without Exploitation published on November 16, 2025. (World Without Exploitation)

Over the last two weeks, we have seen several people resign from their jobs because of internal and external pressure applied to them over their connection to Epstein, no matter how innocent, benign, or small that connection was. Just the fact that they were in some way linked to Jeffrey Epstein means they are trying to save their image by resigning. Fair enough.

Some of these people I feel quite bad for, as they may not have done anything wrong. You are welcome to disagree with me, but I haven’t finished my rant. There’s another group of people I feel sorry for, and that is the survivors. Which, of course, guides us to the other names in the files; the real names of the people we really should care about.

Like the difference between being mentioned in emails versus being involved with Epstein’s activities, there is also a difference between being mentioned three times in the files versus being mentioned 3,000, 30,000, or even 300,000 times. For me, it’s the number of times they are mentioned in the files, which is the concern.

Two people could be mentioned in the files, with one person being mentioned four times, while the other person’s name appears 38,000 times. In my opinion, out of the two, I would want to know why the second person is mentioned 38,000 times in the files connected to a children’s sex trafficking network.

Should the person whose name is mentioned five times in the files be investigated? Sure, by all means, yes. However, before we do that, we should talk to the person mentioned 38,000 times first.

This transition brings us to the bulk of my blog: Are any people ever going to be prosecuted, or at least investigated for possible sex crimes, related to the Epstein Files? I could be wrong about this, but Epstein’s operation lasted for decades, and in all of that time, only Epstein himself, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Jean-Luc Brunel have been prosecuted over the crimes. In saying that, over the new information release, Thorbjørn Jagland (Former Norwegian prime minister) and Peter Mandelson (British politician) are now facing charges.

Sources: Getty Images; Medium; US House Oversight Committee
Graphic: Alex Leeds Matthews, CNN

The sheer scale of the operation, and the famous and ultra-rich people involved in it, just boggles my mind that it went on for so long. It’s a stain of accountability that the perpetrators of these crimes have managed, potentially, to hide their crimes behind wealth, titles, and friends, believing that laws and rules do not apply to them.

That, because of their positions in the world, their belief that they can prey on the most vulnerable members of our society, children, and suffer no consequences or punishment, flies in the face of every adult trying to teach children about consequences.

The Epstein Files remind us of the worst of humanity, on what fame, money and power can bring to a person, to create a concept that they are untouchable; beyond the law, because laws don’t apply to them. They are like a real cabal of supervillains that Batman or Daredevil have finally unmasked to the world.

It also reflects the best of humanity. This is taken in the form of the survivors, their families, and other people supporting them, and advocating for justice, regardless of who and what they are up against.

They are some of the new role models for the 21st century; they are unrelenting in their crusade for the truth, and they are bringing all of the people involved with Epstein’s sex trafficking activities to justice. Because if we can’t, then what’s the point of retelling stories of good triumphing over evil, if we can’t make it a reality?

Maybe I’ve read far too many comic books and watched far too many movies, but I still have hope for us as a society that these people will not be able to hide and cover up their crimes, no matter who they are. Even though a lot of things still amaze me in this world, it’s staggering that releasing survivors’ names and redacting possible abusers’ names, somehow, in the eyes of the DOJ, is bringing justice to the matter, and not the other way around.

Again, just because someone’s name has appeared in the files does not mean they are guilty of anything; it’s the number of times they are mentioned that is worth our attention. Because of this, at the very least, these people whose names appear thousands of times, whether they were abusers or enablers, need to be investigated.

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, younger brother of Britain’s King Charles, formerly known as Prince Andrew, leaves Aylsham Police Station on a vehicle, on the day he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, after the U.S. Justice Department released more records tied to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in Aylsham, Britain, February 19, 2026. Photo: Phil Noble/Reuters

This web of corruption needs to be untangled, and this poses an interesting question: What if someone you have admired for years, for whatever reason, is directly linked to Epstein’s criminal activities? A few months ago, I saw a video with a woman on a panel with two other people, and she explained the reality of the situation. I can’t remember her exact words because I couldn’t find the clip again, but I’m going to paraphrase what she said, mixed with some of my own.

It shouldn’t matter whether we admire the people in the files or not, but the names of the abusers and enablers need to be released. Whether they are Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, liberals, actors, politicians, models, CEOs, scientists, musicians, writers, professors, or sports stars, it doesn’t matter; burn the whole house down. Release the names, or at the very least, law enforcement agencies around the world need to start doing something with the information, and to show people that these crimes will not go unpunished.

With the recent arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (Former Duke of York), it pays to wonder if his investigation will bring about more charges levelled against him, but also, will other abusers and enablers be taken down as well?

These horrible threads need to be followed, regardless of where they lead, whether to a CEO’s office or the Oval Office; this needs to happen, for the sake of our own collective morality. The world will never move on from the Epstein Files until every single abuser and enabler has been found, investigated, and if need be, prosecuted and convicted. Nothing, absolutely nothing short of this will be any closure to survivors and their families.

And after that wonderful and positive thought, I shall take my leave of you, amazing people. Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, keep watching the T20 Men’s Cricket World Cup, and I’ll see you next week for some running. Cool bananas.

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1961

On February 16, 2026 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn History, Music, People, PoliticsLeave a comment

The historic project that skilled historians have written content about for decades has returned for 2026! Yeah, baby, Some Geek Told Me’s We Didn’t Start the Fire is back for its 14th entry. Sometimes I think about all of the various things I could have been doing, instead of writing about this, and I realise that it’s been totally worth it; much like not watching Melania.

If you’re new to this blog, then welcome! It’s always nice to have a new pair of eyes to gaze upon your weekly endeavour to make the world a better place, one badly written blog at a time. If you’re a veteran of this project, then be most welcome as well! You’ve been very patient with this project, but just in case you have skipped any of the previous entries, here they are:

We Didn’t Start the Fire: The Beginning

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1948-1949.

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1950

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1951

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1952

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1953

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1954

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1955

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1956

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1957

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1958

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1959

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1960

For the last entry, we discussed 1960, so you don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes or Batman to deduce that this blog post will be breaking down the 1961 historical references in Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire. Get ready, because we’re going back to 1961! And with that, away we go!

Vintage original 1961 Omaha, Nebraska Advertising Calendar for Motor Machine & Supply. A Division of The Bauer Corporation. Photo: Avid Vintage

Hemingway

I’m sure at some point in your life, you have heard of Ernest Hemingway at least once. Hemingway was a writer and journalist who penned novels, such as The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Across the River and into the Trees, and The Old Man and the Sea, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953.

Hemingway was also a correspondent and covered the Greco-Turkish War, Spanish Civil War, Sino-Japanese War, and World War II, as well as volunteering as an ambulance driver in World War I. Throughout the 20th century, Hemingway was lauded by critics and readers, and his cult status has only grown over the years.

Now, I would love to say that Hemingway was mentioned in the song because of some amazing literary work, but sadly, that’s not the case. On 2nd July 1961, aged 61 years old, Ernest Hemingway killed himself at his home in Ketchum, Idaho. His death sent shockwaves around the world, impacting various parts of society.

For a modern example, many celebrities have committed suicide over the last 20-30 years. Still, for a famous writer to have died by their own hand, the most relevant example is Hunter S. Thompson, author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Curse of Lono, and The Rum Diary, who killed himself on 20th February 2005.

LIFE Magazine Cover: 14th July 1961. Credit: LIFE Magazine

Eichmann

Given the rise of far-right parties and policies around the world, it is poignant to discuss Adolf Eichmann. Eichmann was a member of the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, or in English, the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. If those two names don’t register a response, you may know the party by its informal name: The Nazi Party.

Yes, Eichmann was not only a Nazi, but he was an SS (Schutzstaffel) officer and one of the architects of the Holocaust. After the end of the Second World War, Eichmann fled to Argentina in 1950, since he was implicated during the Nuremberg trials. Because of Argentina’s history of rejecting extradition, Mossad agents captured Eichmann in 1960, and he was taken to Israel to stand trial.

His trial, which became known as the Eichmann Trial, lasted from 11th April to 15th August 1961, where Eichmann faced 15 charges under Israel’s Nazis and Nazi Collaborators (Punishment) Law. He was convicted of 12 charges, but he was only partially convicted of the other three. Eichmann was sentenced to death via hanging, which was carried out on 1st June 1962.

You can be the judge whether it’s a positive or negative thing, but for a contemporary equivalent, we have a large selection of war criminals to choose from. This includes Slobodan Milosevic, Saddam Hussein, Charles Taylor, Radovan Karadžić, Nuon Chea, Théoneste Bagosora, and so many more.

Adolf Eichmann at his trial in Jerusalem (1961).
Credit: Public Domain

Stranger in a Strange Land

This is the first and last book reference for 1961s time in the sunshine. Written by Robert A. Heinlein and released in, surprise, surprise, 1961, Stranger in a Strange Land was famous throughout the United States and around the world. This science fiction book was about a human who was discovered on Mars and was taken back to Earth, along with the implications.

Stranger in a Strange Land divided critics and fans because of the taboo topics like religion, culture, free love, misogyny, rape, and other topics. Heinlein later explained that the book aimed to expose hypocrisy and to challenge societal norms. The book was very controversial at the time, but it also introduced terms like grok and waterbed into the lexicon.

The legacy of Stranger in a Strange Land can be seen in various media like The Ministry for the Future, The Sparrow, and The Expanse, though maybe you could think of better examples.

Dust jacket of the first edition of *Stranger in a Strange Land* by Robert A. Heinlein. Credit: Wikipedia

Dylan

Dylan refers to Bob Dylan, the great American singer-songwriter. A few events happened to Dylan in 1961, with the first being that he had already been performing for a couple of years before he moved from Minnesota to New York in January 1961 to pursue his musical career.

Dylan managed to meet Woody Guthrie, his musical idol, as well as playing at venues around Greenwich Village, which helped him make a name for himself. This led him to feature on one of Carolyn Hester’s albums, and as the story goes, his work on the album attracted the attention of John Hammond.

Hammond was the album’s producer, and on 26th October 1961, he signed the 20-year-old Dylan to Columbia Records. This was Dylan’s first contract, and his debut album, Bob Dylan, was produced for about $400. The album sold about 5,000 copies, with Dylan on his way to stardom and a long-time relationship with Columbia Records.

For a modern example of Bob Dylan’s historical signing, I don’t have an answer. I mean, do I present someone like Bob Dylan, who signed their first contract 30-40 years ago, and they are now a household name? Or could it be someone signed their first contract only five years ago, and they are on their way to stardom? You be the judge, unless you can provide some examples of your own.

Bob Dylan performs at New York City’s the Bitter End, 1961. Credit: Sigmund Goode/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

Berlin

Back in 1961, Germany was divided into two countries after World War II: West Germany and East Germany. At the time, the Cold War was also in effect, with Western Europe and NATO on one side, and the Soviet Union and the Chinese bloc on the other side. West vs East, Blue vs Red, Capitalism vs Communism, with West Germany and East Germany as a site for that proxy war.

Berlin was in East Germany, but the city was split into three Western sectors (American, British, French) and one Eastern sector (Soviet). Thus, we had West Berlin and East Berlin. The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was backed by Western countries, while the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was backed by the Eastern (Communist) bloc.¹

And for me personally, there was no other symbol that represented the Cold War more than the real Iron Curtain, the Berlin Wall.

East Germany started construction on the Berlin Wall on 13th August 1961, and it was infamous. It was a 155 km concrete barrier that surrounded West Berlin, which was lined with anti-vehicle trenches, bunkers, watch towers, and guards. It also served as a de facto border between the two countries, covering 111.9 km along the border.

The function of the Berlin Wall was to stem the flow of people from the East to the West. Records show about 140 people were killed crossing or attempting to cross the wall, though this number is not a true reflection of the human cost. The legacy of the Berlin Wall was that it lasted for 28 years, until after communism in Central and Eastern Europe fell.

During the Peaceful Revolution, on 9th November 1989, sections of the Berlin Wall fell, allowing unimpeded migration from East Germany to West Germany, and vice versa. The Fall of the Berlin Wall was a watershed for world history and paved the way for the reunification of Germany on 3rd October 1990.

Building the Berlin Wall on 13 August 1961. Overnight families and friends were divided.
Photo: Bundesregierung/Lehnartz

Bay of Pigs Invasion

And speaking of the Cold War, let’s discuss Cuba. Do you remember the Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, from the 1959 blog post? Well, I gave a spoiler that he would return, and he’s back! Castro and his mates had transformed Cuba into the first communist country in the Western Hemisphere, but more importantly, Cuba was only a stone’s throw from the United States.

Since the Cold War was trending at the time, the United States did not like having a communist country so close to its shores. Relations with Castro had soured, and with Cuba building stronger ties with the Soviet Union, but also the injustices that were happening in the country, the U.S. government decided to overthrow Castro.

This, of course, led to the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Backed by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and the C.I.A, ex-Cuban exiles (mainly the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front, and Brigade 2506) were trained to invade Cuba and oust Castro from power. On 17th April 1961, after bombing some Cuban airbases, the invasion was launched at several sites.

The main invading site was the Bay of Pigs, or Bahía de Cochinos, which is located on the south-central coast. The invasion lasted for a few days before they needed to retreat and evacuate. The American-backed Cubans were under-resourced and ill-prepared, as well as being outnumbered and outmanoeuvred by Castro’s forces. It was a humiliating and humbling experience for the U.S. government, as the invasion failed spectacularly in front of the international community.

Operation Gideon in 2020 (the Failed Coup in Venezuela) and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022 were the two best/worst examples of a failed invasion in the 21st century, where the objective was to overthrow a foreign government, or at least, to capture the leader of another country. Yes, technically Russia have not lost, but it’s been nearly four years, and they are no closer to winning.

U.S.-backed Cuban exiles captured during the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, Cuba, 1961.
Credit: Sovfoto/Universal Images Group/Shutterstock.com

So for 1961, we covered a writer’s death, a war criminal’s trial, a book, a musician, a wall, and a failed invasion. Like all of the years discussed in the song, their events and legacies are still with us today in 2026. Will 1962 be busier or crazier? Tune in next month, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.

That brings another wonderful blog post to a close. Wait, I don’t think anybody has described this blog as wonderful! Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. If you’re looking for new social media to follow, then I would recommend my Twitter and Mastodon accounts, pretty please.

Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, go and talk to a five-year-old, and if you ever repeat any of the information I write about, and someone asks you where you discovered it, just say, ‘Some Geek Told Me.‘ I’ll see you next week, and look after yourself.

¹We have briefly discussed the “Communist Bloc” in East Germany, with the We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1953 blog post, featuring that historical reference. Please read it for more details, I dare you!

The Six Nations Rugby Championship: The Trophies

On February 9, 2026 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Sports

So, you’ve returned for the sequel? Can’t say that I blame you, because this blog is as addictive as a tub of Cookies and Cream ice cream on a hot day. Seriously, I’m glad you have popped in for the full story. Imagine watching only Kill Bill Vol. 1 and not Kill Bill Vol. 2?

Let’s recap: last week on Some Geek Told Me, Raúl was confronted with the reality that his identical twin brother Carlos had been secretly taking over his life. This included his job, children, and his wife, Isabel. Heartbroken, yet also full of rage… wait. This is the wrong story, sorry.

Last week, we discussed the history of the Six Nations Rugby Championship, which, as you will recall, comes in three different versions: Men’s, Women’s and Under-20s. It also falls to me to remind you that the Six Nations Championship is made up of not three, four, or even five different countries.

No, believe it or not, but the Six Nations Championship has six different countries competing in three different tournaments. These countries, once again, are England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, and Italy.

I know you can’t wait for the second part of the blog, which is going to discuss the different trophies involved in the Six Nations Championships. The excitement for this is genuine for me, dear reader. Therefore, I shall delay you no longer! Let us begin with The Six Nations Rugby Championship: The Trophies!

For this rant, we are going to start in reverse order, which means we will begin with the Six Nations U-20s Championship. I know I’m delaying the transfer of this exciting information, and I’m sorry, but there are three terms that are going to come up across the tournaments that I need to explain.

Triple Crown: This trophy/title is played for between the Home Nations of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. It is only awarded to the team that defeats all three of the other Home Nation teams.

Grand Slam: This title is awarded to the team that beats all of the other five teams; basically, it goes to the team that is undefeated at the end of the tournament.

Wooden Spoon: This honour is given to the team that finishes last on the table. It’s an award you don’t want to win.

The Six Nations Under 20s Championship Trophies

The Six Nations Under-20s Championship Trophy

This trophy is awarded to the team that has the greatest total of points on the table by the end of the fifth and final round of the tournament; effectively, the winners of the championship. France won this trophy in 2025.

The Six Nations Under-20s Championship Triple Crown

To my best understanding, the Six Nations Under-20s Championship Triple Crown is not a physical trophy, but rather a title. It’s played for every year, but it’s not always given out. The last time the Triple Crown was awarded was in 2023 to Ireland, for defeating the other Home Nations of England, Wales, and Scotland.

The Six Nations Under-20s Championship Grand Slam

Like the previous entry, and as far as I can tell, the Six Nations Under-20s Championship Grand Slam is not a physical trophy, but a title. The Grand Slam was last won in 2023, when Ireland defeated all of the other five teams.

I have researched this, but it appears there are no rivalry trophies in this tournament. If I’m wrong, please let me know.

The Women’s Six Nations Championship Trophies

The Women’s Six Nations Championship Trophy

In 2023, a new Women’s Six Nations Championship trophy was unveiled, replacing the old one. This silver trophy is 63.5 cm tall and has a 24-carat gold plate. The winner of the tournament, the team with the most points on the table, at the end of the fifth and final round, is awarded this trophy. It also has the engraved logos of the six competing teams. The defending champions are England, having won the trophy for the last seven years.

The Women’s Six Nations Championship Triple Crown

Similar to what I’ve previously said, I believe that the Women’s Six Nations Championship Triple Crown is a title, rather than a physical trophy. However, England has won this title for the last nine out of ten years, the last being in 2025. The 2021 tournament was altered because of COVID-19 restrictions.

The Women’s Six Nations Championship Grand Slam

It’s important to note that England are the reigning world champions, and it will come as no surprise that this team has also won the Grand Slam title in 2025, as well as in 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020, and 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented them from achieving the Grand Slam in 2021.

The Women’s Six Nations Championship Wooden Spoon

This is the first Wooden Spoon we have discussed, as it’s a non-award, and not an actual wooden spoon; though that would be amazing! Currently, Wales has been awarded the Wooden Spoon for finishing last in 2024 and 2025.

The Solidarity/Solidarité Trophy: Ireland vs France

Information surrounding this is very sparse, but to my understanding, there is only one rivalry trophy in the Women’s Six Nations Championship, but again, I could be wrong.

The Solidarity Trophy is brand new for the Women’s Six Nations Championship, as it was introduced in 2026; so it has not been played for in the women’s tournament. The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and the French Federation of Rugby (FFR) only revealed this trophy to the public last week.

There are two identical trophies, one for the women’s tournament and one for the men’s, to be competed for between Ireland and France. The trophies,” affirms equal status for both competitions and strengthens the symbolic impact of this joint initiative,” but also highlight the unique relationship and mutual respect between the two countries. The women’s game between Ireland and France is set for 25th April 2026 at Stade Marcel-Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand, France.

The Solidarity Trophy: Six Nations Rugby

The Men’s Six Nations Championship Trophies

The Men’s Six Nations Championship Trophy

The current Men’s Six Nations Championship Trophy was introduced in 2015, after the older one was retired. The trophy is made of sterling silver, weighs 7 kg, is 75 cm in height, and has 24-carat gold plating. This trophy also has six sides, representing the six countries that compete in the tournament.

As you would expect, the trophy is awarded to the team with the highest amount of points on the table, after the fifth and final round. France is the current holder of this trophy, having won it in 2025.

The Men’s Six Nations Championship Trophy. Credit: Guinness Six Nations.

The Men’s Six Nations Championship Triple Crown

Winning the Men’s Six Nations Championship Triple Crown comes with a title, but also a trophy. The Home Nations have been fighting for this honour since its inception in 1883, but it wasn’t until 2006 that a trophy was introduced. The trophy is more like a plate or a shield, which is made of sterling silver, has a width of 42 cm, a depth of 5 cm, and weighs 3 kg.

The Triple Crown Trophy has four different symbols that represent the four Home Nations of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland: a rose, the Prince of Wales feathers, a thistle, and a shamrock. In 2025, the Triple Crown was won by Ireland, who had previously won it in 2023 and 2022. No team won the Triple Crown in 2024.

The Men’s Six Nations Championship Triple Crown. Credit: Getty Images

The Men’s Six Nations Championship Grand Slam

Like the U-20s and the Women’s tournaments, the Grand Slam in the Men’s Six Nations Championship is an honorary title. Achieving the Grand Slam is extremely difficult because you need to defeat the five other teams, which is why nobody has done so since Ireland in 2023.

The Men’s Six Nations Championship Wooden Spoon

The Wooden Spoon award was first introduced during the Home Nations Championship, but since the start of the Six Nations Championship, which was renamed in 2000, four of the six teams have claimed it. Sadly, like the Welsh Women’s team, the Men’s Welsh team have been awarded the Wooden Spoon for 2024 and 2025.

The Men’s Six Nation Championship Rivalry Trophies

Apart from the Championship Trophy and the Triple Crown, and not including the honorary titles of the Grand Slam and the Wooden Spoon, there are an additional eight trophies that are competed for during the Men’s Six Nations Championship. However, not every team can compete for every trophy, because they are known as rivalry trophies. In the case of a draw, the holders of the trophy retain it.

The Calcutta Cup: England vs Scotland

Let’s start with the oldest and most famous of the rivalry trophies, the Calcutta Cup. This trophy was first introduced in 1879, making it the planet’s oldest international rugby trophy. If I understand the story correctly, the Calcutta Rugby Football Club was formed in Calcutta, at the time, in British India.

This was after a rugby game was played in Calcutta in 1872, involving 40 players, which equals 20 players per side, whereas today, it’s only 15 players per side, not counting the reserves. One team represented Scotland, while the other represented England.

A few years later, the club’s membership was decreasing, so the members did something radical. They withdrew the club’s funds, melted the money down, and formed a trophy. This trophy was presented to the English Rugby Football Union and was named the Calcutta Cup. Because of this, only England and Scotland compete for this trophy, and the winner of the fixture is awarded it. The 2025 winners of the Calcutta Cup were England.

The Calcutta Cup. Credit: Raeburn Foundation.

The Millennium Trophy: England vs Ireland

The Millennium Trophy has the shape of a horned Viking helmet, though historical evidence suggests that Viking warriors did not wear horned helmets in battle. The trophy was introduced in 1988 to commemorate two key events, which were to mark Dublin’s millennial celebrations, as well as the 100th game between England and Ireland.

The winner of the 100th fixture between the two nations, England, was presented with the trophy, which was intended to be a one-off prize, but soon became an annual trophy for the winner of the English and Irish game. Ireland is currently the defending champion of the Millennium Trophy, having won it in 2025.

The Millennium Trophy. Credit: Six Nations Rugby/Getty Images.

The Centenary Quaich: Ireland vs Scotland

Let’s start with what a quaich actually is. Pronounced as “kway-kh“, a quaich is a Gaelic drinking vessel which has two handles, so you can share the drink with someone. In 1989, the Centenary Quaich was introduced to mark the 100th anniversary of the International Rugby Football Board (now World Rugby), but also, if my research is accurate, it was also to mark the 100th fixture between Ireland and Scotland.

Additionally, the Centenary Quaich represents the cultural bond between Ireland and Scotland. This trophy is competed for annually between Ireland and Scotland during the Men’s Six Nations Championship, with Ireland being the current holders of the Centenary Quaich since 2018.

The Centenary Quaich. Credit: Guinness Six Nations

The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy: France vs Italy

France and Italy slug it out for a separate trophy, called the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy. It was introduced in 2007 to commemorate the bicentenary of the birth of Giuseppe Garibaldi. He was a figure in both Italian politics and French military history, so the French and Italian Rugby Unions commissioned a trophy to acknowledge Garibaldi’s contributions to both countries, as well as the rugby bond between them.

The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy is awarded to the winner of the French and Italian game during the Men’s Six Nations Championship, with France being the defending champion, having held the trophy since 2014. In 2024, the game resulted in a 13-all draw, so France retained the trophy.

The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy. Credit: Six Nations Rugby.

The Auld Alliance Trophy: France vs Scotland

The Auld Alliance Trophy was first awarded in 2018, and it is played for annually during the Men’s Six Nations Championship between France and Scotland. The trophy is named after the 1295 alliance between France and Scotland, which at the time were both kingdoms.

The term “Auld Alliance” means “Old Alliance” in Scots. In addition to this, the trophy represents two things: the first is to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, and the second is dedicated to the memory of the war dead from the rugby communities of France and Scotland.

The trophy especially highlights the memories of Eric Milroy from Scotland and Marcel Burgun from France, as they were the two captains of both teams involved in the last game between Scotland and France, before the outbreak of the First World War. Sadly, both Milroy and Burgun were killed in France in 1916, 46 days apart from each other. France has held the Auld Alliance Trophy since 2022.

The Auld Alliance Trophy. Credit: Six Nations Rugby.

The Doddie Weir Cup: Scotland vs Wales

Presently, the Doddie Weir Cup is the only rivalry trophy available for Wales to play for. Named after George “Doddie” Weir, who had played for Scotland and the British Lions. He was 1.98 m tall, so naturally he was a lock and had a long rugby career. He retired from rugby in 2005, but in 2016, Weir was diagnosed with motor neuron disease (MND).

Because of this, Weir spearheaded fundraising for his foundation called “My Name’5 Doddie” and raised £8 million for research into MND, as well as funding treatments. He did this by campaigning for greater public awareness of the disease. Weir died in 2022 from the disease.

In 2018, the Scottish Rugby Union and the Welsh Rugby Union introduced the Doddie Weir Cup to support Weir’s foundation. Scotland and Wales compete for this trophy during the championship, and the winner of that encounter takes the trophy home. Scotland has won the Doddie Weir Cup for the last three years.

The Doddie Weir Cup. Credit: Guinness Six Nations.

The Cuttitta Cup: Scotland vs Italy

This is the third rivalry trophy that’s named after a person. Massimo Cuttitta was a former Italian rugby player who was involved in Italy’s inaugural entry in the newly minted Six Nations in 2000. He captained Italy 22 times, and after retiring, Cuttitta moved into coaching, taking on several jobs.

Eventually, Cuttitta went to Scotland and worked for Edinburgh Rugby as a scrum coach, but also for the Scottish national team from 2009 to 2015 as their scrum coach. Cuttitta died in 2021 from COVID-19.

In 2022, the Cuttitta Cup was introduced to honour Cuttitta’s contributions to rugby in Italy and Scotland. The winner of the annual game between Scotland and Italy during the Men’s Six Nations Championship is awarded the Cuttitta Cup. In 2025, Scotland won the trophy back from Italy, however on 7th February 2026, Italy defeated Scotland in Rome, 18-15, to win the Cuttitta Cup for the third time.

The Solidarity/Solidarité Trophy: Ireland vs France

As I mentioned previously, the Solidarity Trophy was only unveiled last week, so it’s freshly minted. All of the information for the women’s entry is the same for the men’s; both Women’s and Men’s Solidarity Trophies are identical, they are brand new, and the winner of each Irish and French game in each annual tournament, both female and male, will win the trophy.

The only difference is that the women’s game has not yet been played, but the men’s has. On Thursday, 5th February 2026, the opening night of the Men’s Six Nations Championship, which was a first for a Thursday night, Ireland played France at the Stade de France, with France defeating Ireland, 36-14, thus becoming the inaugural winners of the Men’s Solidarity Trophy.

Victorious French captain, Antoine Dupont holds the Solidarity Trophy, after France defeated Ireland, 36-14, 5th February 2026. Credit: Guinness Six Nations

If the information is to be believed, in addition to the Solidarity Trophy having been introduced this year, two more trophies will be announced this year or next year. Apparently, there will be a trophy to be contested for Wales vs England, and Wales vs Ireland. That should give Welsh supporters something to smile about.

Another interesting point is that Scotland is the only team in the Men’s Six Nations Championship to have a rivalry trophy with every other team. This means that if Scotland ever won all five games in the championship, they would win seven trophies: The Championship Trophy, the Triple Crown, the Calcutta Cup, the Centenary Quaich, the Auld Alliance Trophy, the Doddie Weir Cup, and the Cuttitta Cup, along with the Grand Slam title. Perhaps 2026 will be their year; who knows? ¹

Well, that’s it for another week. The first round of the Men’s Six Nations Championship has been and gone, with France beating Ireland (36-14), Italy defeating Scotland (18-15), and England victorious over Wales (48-7). I know it’s not for everybody, but the Six Nations Championship is fantastic, and like I said last week, if you ever get the chance to watch a game, do yourself a favour and watch one.

Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch some ICC Men’s T20 World Cup matches, and I’ll see you next week for some time travel. You know what that means; 1961, here we come!

¹Even though Scotland did just lose the Cuttitta Cup to Italy on Saturday.

The Six Nations Rugby Championship: The History

On February 2, 2026February 7, 2026 By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Sports

Before I conjure up some more literary magic, I would like to take a fraction of your time to acknowledge some deaths.

1.) Over 30,000 Iranian civilians and anti-government demonstrators have been killed by the Iranian Republic Security Forces since December 2025, in what can only be described as massacres.

2.) Legendary comic book artist, Sal Buscema, died on 23rd January 2026, aged 89. He worked for multiple companies across his long career, having created fantastic characters like Rebecca and Brian Banner, Lady Deathstrike, Grandmaster, The Invaders, Hyperion, Helmut Zemo, U-Foes, Time Variance Authority, Rom the Space Knight, and the Wrecking Crew, among many others.

3.) The recent storm that hit the North Island of New Zealand has resulted in the deaths of nine people, through flash flooding and two landslides.

4.) The beloved actress and comedian Catherine O’Hara passed away on January 30, 2026. Among her many famous roles, my personal favourite was Cookie Fleck in Best In Show. O’Hara had the knack of making any character, especially the unlikable ones, very likeable.

I don’t have any inspiring things to say, other than my family and I are very sorry to hear of their deaths, and to send our condolences and deepest sympathies to their loved ones.

In New Zealand, both national and regional governments have numerous questions that require answers from the media, the public, and grieving families.

My thanks and apologies for bringing this up.

Moving on, I wrote another non-award-winning blog post last week regarding rugby, American football’s older and hotter sibling. I mentioned that I was going to discuss the greatest rugby tournament outside of the World Cup: The Six Nations Championship. I aim to provide my followers with things they didn’t request, except for the three followers this is written for. They know who they are.

So, like Fozzie and Kermit, we need to keep movin’ right along into The Six Nations Rugby Championship: The History. For all my non-rugby supporters, I’m sorry/not sorry. Prepare thyself!

Credit: Guinness Six Nations/Love Belfast

Every year, a fantastic rugby tournament begins that runs from February to April. It’s called the Six Nations Championship, or the Guinness Six Nations Championship, and it comes in three different flavours, Men’s, Women’s and Under-20s.

The Six Nations, as the tournament is commonly known, involves, get ready for it, six nations that are England, Wales, Scotland, France, Italy, and Ireland¹. It’s one of the world’s oldest international tournaments.

Once again, I need to interject myself into something that I am actually writing. Since I’m an All Blacks supporter, it may have crossed your wonderful mind as to why I’m writing about the Six Nations. That is another superb question from you, you’re getting so good at this! I’ll do my best to give an over-complicated answer; nothing but the best on Some Geek Told Me.

The All Blacks compete in an annual tournament with three other countries (The Rugby Championship), but before that, it was with only two other countries (The Tri-Nations), which first started in 1996. I love watching and supporting the Rugby Championship, but it pales in comparison to the Six Nations.

For me, the Six Nations is the greatest rugby tournament outside of a World Cup, and this is coming from a New Zealander! As a kid, I was enthralled by learning about the tournament, which was called the Five Nations. Obviously, watching delayed coverage, or at the very least, highlights of the games from the other side of the planet, gave me a taste of how other countries played and managed rugby.

It was always interesting to see rugby from a different perspective, which included the size of the stadiums, the singing, respecting the kicker, the age and tradition of the tournament, as well as the rivalries. I soon discovered my love of the All Blacks also transferred into being curious about what our opponents were doing.

As time marched on, my fascination with the tournament became more defined, because as an All Blacks and Black Ferns supporter, following the Six Nations was logical; if your rivals smashed each other up in an annual competition, wouldn’t it be prudent to gauge how they are performing and to see what they’re up to?

Even now, as a fully-grown man-child, watching the Six Nations makes me ask two questions: Who do I want to win? or Who do I want to lose? It also poses more questions if one particular team is performing well: Could the All Blacks beat them in their current form? but also, If the Black Ferns played them next week, who would win? I love the Six Nations.

I’ve finished my interjection, so we’ll return to the spot where we left off. Thanks.

The tournament has a long, rich and proud history, so I’ll do my best to explain it properly. When discussing the Men’s tournament, it first began in 1883, when it was known as the Home Nations Championship²; which included England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. A few years later, an argument about whether a try should have been awarded resulted in the nations establishing the International Rugby Football Board, now known as World Rugby.

From what I understand, England was not happy that Wales, Scotland, and Ireland had formed a new club, and they refused to join. This hilarious incident meant that England was excluded from the tournament from 1888 to 1889, which in turn meant the tournament did not take place. However, by 1890, everything was worked out, and the tournament had restarted.

The format for the Hone Nations continued until 1910, when France was allowed to join the tournament. As you can guess, with an extra nation in the mix, management decided to change the name of the competition to the Five Nations Championship, because, you know, five nations were playing.

The First and Second World Wars meant that fielding international-level rugby players was a little difficult, along with the country being at war, so from 1915-1919 and 1940-1946, the tournament was not played. It’s worth noting that in 1932, France was banned from the competition because of rumours and allegations of various misconduct³and they were only allowed to rejoin in 1939, but the Second World War prevented them from physically returning until 1947.

From 1947, the Five Nations Championship marched on until 1999, because Italy was now asking to join the tournament. They were accepted, so in 2000, the Five Nations Championship was renamed again, thus becoming the Six Nations Championship, with the addition of Italy. France is the defending champion.

The 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations launch in London. Credit: Guinness Six Nations

The Women’s tournament followed the same trajectory as the Men’s, but the time period is smaller. The tournament started in 1996, which was named the Women’s Home Nations Championship, which included exactly the teams as you would imagine: England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.

In its format, the tournament lasted three years, until in 1999, you guessed it, France was added to the tournament, changing the name to the Women’s Five Nations Championship. And because history likes to repeat things, this version of the competition lasted only three years, before Italy was introduced into the tournament in 2002, turning the Women’s Five Nations Championship into the Women’s Six Nations Championship. Bet you all of Trump’s orange makeup that you didn’t see that one coming. England won the tournament in 2025.

It is also interesting to note, that Spain played in the Five Nations and Six Nations tournaments from 2000 to 2006.

As for the Under-20s tournament, they started in 2004, but it was called the Six Nations Under 21s Championship, and this lasted until 2008, when they changed the age restriction, which allowed another tournament to have yet another name change. So, the Six Nations Under 21s Championship became the Six Nations Under 20s Championship. Nothing to see here, move along, move along. However, like the Men’s competition, France is the current holder of the title.

In the tournament, each team plays five games, alternating between home and away matches. The following year, the home advantage is reversed for each matchup. For example, the Men’s game between England and Scotland in 2025 took place in England, but in 2026, the England vs. Scotland game will be held in Scotland.

Just because I can, I’m going to list the stadiums that are used in the competition⁴:

England: Twickenham, London, seats 82,000

Wales: Principality Stadium, Cardiff seats 73,930

Scotland: Murrayfield, Edinburgh, seats 67,140

Ireland: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, seats 51,700

France: Stade de France, Paris, seats 81,330

Italy: Stadio Olimpico, Rome, seats 72,690

The points system for the Six Nations is standard, but with a few quirks:

A win gives a team 4 points. (Yay!)
A draw gives a team 2 points. (Oh, stink!)
A loss gives a team 0 points. (Oh, the shame!)

There are also bonus points to be awarded, which come in handy if teams have the same win/loss records.

Scoring four or more tries in a match, gives a team 1 extra point. (Yay again!)
Losing by 7 points or fewer, gives a team 1 extra point. (Sweet!)
If a team wins all of their games, which is called the Grand Slam, they are automatically given 3 extra points.

At the end of the fifth round, the team with the highest total on the points table wins the championship.

Many trophies are competed for during the different tournaments, which, ironically, is exactly what we will be discussing next week with The Six Nations Rugby Championship: Part 2. Cool bananas!

In my humble opinion, the Six Nations Championship is arguably one of the greatest annual sporting events on the planet, and if you ever get the chance to watch a game, do yourself a favour and do it.

Well, that’s it for another week. Do you follow the Six Nations? What’s your favourite moment? Who will win in 2026? As always, please let me know.

Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, remember where you put your keys, and I’ll see you next week for the second and final blog post about the Six Nations Rugby Championship. The excitement is building!

¹ When discussing Ireland, I am not referring to the Republic of Ireland, but the actual island of Ireland, which consists of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. At the international level, rugby is one of the few sports that represents all of Ireland, unlike football, which has Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland teams. This is reinforced with the cross-border flag for the Irish Rugby Football Union, which incorporates both countries, the Republic of Ireland (controlled by the Republic of Ireland) and Northern Ireland (controlled by the United Kingdom).

²When discussing the Home Nations in rugby, it is in reference to England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, collectively known as the Home Nations.

³France was accused of many things, but the main offence was fielding professional players, when at the time, rugby was an amateur sport. Rugby finally went professional in 1995.

⁴France also has a second stadium that they sometimes use for the tournament. It’s the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d’Ascq, in Northern France. Its capacity is 50,180.

SOME GEEK TOLD ME

Month: February 2026

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1961

The Six Nations Rugby Championship: The Trophies

The Six Nations Rugby Championship: The History