The Early Years

With 125 years of history, what is now the 6 Nations tournament is the oldest rugby Championship in the world and one of the highlights of the sporting calendar.  Each season, it sees some of the game’s oldest rivalries rekindled.

The first rugby union international was played in 1871 between England and Scotland and 12 years later, the first Championship was held.  It began as a 4 nations tournament, known in the early days as the International Championship, with only England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland participating.  The event was far less organised than the modern tournament we have today, for example, there was no points system. Instead, the teams were simply judged on whether they won or lost.  This often caused a great deal of controversy amongst teams, with spectators frequently invading the pitch and hurling insults at the referee.

The Home International Championships began in the 1880s.  During the early days, England and Scotland were the most successful teams, with England winning the first series.  By the mid 1890s, however, Wales had developed a strong side and in 1893 they won their first title.  Ireland's victory the following season ensured all participating nations had won at least one tournament.

It wasn’t until 1910 that France joined the tournament, coining the phrase, the “5 Nations” Tournament.  The French achieved very little in the early years, winning just one game in their first four years - a one point victory over Scotland in 1911.

Between 1914 and 1920, the tournament was suspended as a result of World War I.  During the inter-war years, England achieved many victories but the French continued to struggle and in 1931 they were ejected from the tournament amid allegations of professionalism, the inadequacies of the French administration and concerns over on-field violence.  And so, between 1932 and 1939, the tournament reverted to being the “Home Nations” until it was once again suspended between 1939 and 1945, due to the war.

The 5 Nations resumed in 1947 with France back in the competition and in 1954, things began to look up for the French who shared the title and then won it outright five years later, with the aid of players such as lock forward Lucien Mias, fullback Pierre Lacaze and flanker Francois Moncla.

By the early 1970s, the 5 Nations Championship had become the pre-eminent series in Northern hemisphere rugby union; however, this was to be a trying time for the tournament.  In 1972, Scotland and Wales refused to play in Dublin because of the growing political unsettlement and so the tournament could not be completed.  The following year produced an unusual five-way tie, with each country wining and losing two games!

In contrast, the 1970s was a great period for the Welsh who finished the decade with three Grand Slams and one Triple Crown, thanks to celebrated players such as fullback, JPR Williams, and scrum-half, Gareth Edwards.

The 1970s and 1980s were not such a successful time for England who struggled along, only winning the Grand Slam in 1980 and throughout the 1980s, it was France who dominated, winning the title three times, including two Grand Slams in 1981 and 1987.  Scotland won their first Grand Slam for 59 years in 1984 and the following year it was Ireland’s turn to come out on top. 

It wasn’t until 1993 that a reward was given for winning the 5 Nations Championship.  That year, a Trophy was presented to France, followed by Wales the next season and then England.  Scotland's first success came in the 1998-99 season but Ireland has yet to win it.

Five become Six

During the 1990s, England and France’s dominance brought criticism that the Championship did not offer a high enough standard of competition and so Italy’s arrival in the Championship in 2000 was warmly welcomed, thereby creating the current RBS 6 Nations tournament.

Ironically, since then, the Celts have stepped up their game, with Scotland winning the championship in 1999 and Wales finishing third, after defeating both England and France.  In 2000 and 2001, England won the tournament but this was only after losing their final games to Scotland and Ireland. 

The 2001 tournament was disrupted by an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Britain and Ireland’s matches against Wales, Scotland and England were all postponed until the autumn.

The Championship in Recent Years

In 2006, France won the competition on points difference over Ireland, however, Ireland received the consolation prize of the Triple Crown Trophy which was presented for the first time that year. It was Italy who once more collected the Wooden Spoon, despite showing significant improvement over the past few years - earning a first-ever competition point away from home in a draw against Wales.

France came out on top once more in 2007, again winning on points difference.  Also in 2007, Italy earned their first away win of the tournament, beating Scotland in Edinburgh.  This was the first time they won two of their matches, as they then went on to beat Wales in Rome.  Scotland was the unfortunate team who won the Wooden Spoon and Ireland won the Triple Crown for the second year in a row and the third time in just four years.

Also in 2007, Argentina, who are currently ranked third in the world but are marginalised by a lack of inclusion in a major annual tournament, formally applied to join the RBS 6 Nations; thereby creating the 7 Nations.  However, in November of that year it was announced that they would not be joining the Championship and that their future lay within the Southern Hemisphere. 

In 2008, Wales won the Grand Slam, with a 29-12 win against France in Cardiff, having only conceded two tries in the championship, beating England's previous record of four tries conceded.

Overall England has won the most Home Nations, 5 Nations, and 6 Nations tournaments with 25 wins (excluding 10 shared victories). Next is Wales with 24 (excluding 11 shared). The only country not to have won the competition is Italy, with no wins from its nine tournaments.

The format of the Championship

The format of the Championship, which is played annually, is simple: each team plays every other team once, with home field advantage alternating from one year to the next.  Each win earns a team two points, a draw is one point and no points for a loss.  Up until 1994, teams who were on equal points shared the Championship but this changed in 1995 when the points difference of the teams was taken into consideration.

A ‘Grand Slam’ occurs when a team is victorious in every game they play.  England currently holds the record for the most Grand Slams with 12, followed by Wales with 9, France with 8, Scotland with 3 and Ireland with 1.  Back to back Grand Slams have only occurred on five occasions: Wales in 1908/1909, England in 1913/1914, 1923/1924 and 1991/1992 and France in 1997/1998.  The last Grand Slam to date was won by Wales in 2005.  They became the first team ever to win a Grand Slam playing more games away than at home.

A ‘Triple Crown’ occurs when any Home Nations team is victorious over the other three Home Nations.  Like the Grand Slam, England holds the record for the highest number of Triple Crowns won with 23.  They are followed by Wales with 18, Scotland with 10 and Ireland with 9.  It was not until 2006 that a physical trophy was awarded for the Triple Crown.

Each year, the nation in last place is said to have won the Wooden Spoon although this is purely figurative. 

Trophies

The Championship Trophy

The Championship Trophy is presented to the overall winners of the 6 Nations tournament.  The first trophy was presented in 1993 to France, that year’s champions.  It is a sterling silver trophy which was designed by James Brent-Ward and made by eight silversmiths from the London-based company, William Comyns.  It is currently valued at £55,000.

Triple Crown Trophy

It wasn’t until 2006 that the Royal Bank of Scotland, the competition’s main sponsor, commissioned a trophy to be awarded to the winners of the Triple Crown.  The award, a silver dish, was claimed by Ireland’s captain, Brian O’Driscoll, at Twickenham on March 18, 2006, after Ireland beat England 28-24. 

Wales are the current holders of the Triple Crown, after beating Ireland, 16-12, at Croke Park on March 8, 2008.

Other Trophies

There are several smaller competitions which take place under the umbrella of the 6 Nations tournament, mostly as long-standing fixtures between pairs of teams.  The oldest of these is the Calcutta Cup, an annual contest which has taken place between England and Scotland since 1879. 

The Centenary Quaich (a quaich is a Celtic drinking vessel) is contested between the Celts, Scotland and Ireland.  It was first contested in 1989 and the two teams play for it annually.

A much newer competition is the Millennium Trophy which has been awarded to the winner of the England v Ireland game since Dublin’s millennium in 1988. 

In 2007, France and Italy also created their own trophy; the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy in memory of Giuseppe Garibaldi.

RBS 6 Nations Records

Johnny Wilkinson holds the record for individual points in one match, with 35 points scored against Italy in 2001.  He is also the record holder for both career points, with 429 points in one season, and points in one season, with 89 in 2001.  England has scored the most points in one match, with 80 points against Italy in 2001.  They also scored the most points in one season in 2001 with 229, and the most tries in a season with 28.  Scotsman, George Lindsay, holds the record for tries in a match, for scoring 5 tries against Wales in 1887. Irishman, Mike Gibson, played in a record 56 Five Nations matches between 1964 and 1979.

Hospitality during the 6 Nations

Keith Prowse and Twickenham Experience are proud to offer you official hospitality inside Twickenham Stadium during the 6 Nations. Together we provide a high quality selection of facilities, ranging from individual tables, to private suites; all within the Stadium. Enjoy all the luxury of our hospitality before watching the biggest games of the rugby season from RFU official seating. We also provide fantastic hospitality packages at Murrayfield, Croke Park, Millennium Stadium, Stade de France and Flaminio Stadium. 

For more information, please call 0845 125 4880 or click here to email us