The annual 6 nations rugby championship was previously known as the 5 nations championship and prior to that it was known as the home championship.
It is an international round robin rugby union tournament where each team plays each other once, the champion being the team who accumulates the most points (2 points for a win, 1 for a draw).
The first tournament was played in 1883 between England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, in 1910 France joined the tournament but was removed in 1930 because of player violence.
France was invited back after the war in 1947. In 2000 Italy also joined the tournament and so it was renamed the 6 Nations Championship.
If a team beats all other teams and so scores maximum points it is known as a grand slam. If one of the 4 originally competing countries - England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales - beats each other then they win the Triple Crown. Up until 1994 if at the end of the tournament some teams had equal points then the honours were shared, since then equal point scoring teams are separated by try scoring difference.
Listed below are the winners of the 6 nations rugby championship since the war, including points scored and the winner of the triple crown.
Year | Winner | Points Scored | Triple Crown Winner |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | France | 8 | Ireland |
2005 | Wales | Grand Slam | Wales |
2004 | France | Grand Slam | Ireland |
2003 | England | Grand Slam | England |
2002 | France | Grand Slam | England |
2001 | England | 8 | |
2000 | England | 8 | |
(Italy joins tournament - 5 nations becomes 6 nations) | |||
1999 | Scotland | 6 | |
1998 | France | Grand Slam | England |
1997 | France | Grand Slam | England |
1996 | England | 6 | England |
1995 | England | Grand Slam | England |
1994 | Wales | 6 | |
1993 | France | 6 | |
1992 | England | Grand Slam | England |
1991 | England | Grand Slam | England |
1990 | Scotland | Grand Slam | Scotland |
1989 | France | 6 | |
1988 | Wales & France | 6 | Wales |
1987 | France | Grand Slam | |
1986 | France & Scotland | 6 | |
1985 | Ireland | 7 | Ireland |
1984 | Scotland | Grand Slam | Scotland |
1983 | France & Ireland | 6 | |
1982 | Ireland | 6 | Ireland |
1981 | France | Grand Slam | |
1980 | England | Grand Slam | England |
1979 | Wales | 6 | Wales |
1978 | Wales | Grand Slam | Wales |
1977 | France | Grand Slam | Wales |
1976 | Wales | Grand Slam | Wales |
1975 | Wales | 6 | |
1974 | Ireland | 5 | |
1973 | Five way tie | 4 | |
1972 | Incomplete - security concerns | ||
1971 | Wales | Grand Slam | Wales |
1970 | Wales & France | 6 | |
1969 | Wales | 7 | Wales |
1968 | France | Grand Slam | |
1967 | France | 6 | |
1966 | Wales | 7 | |
1965 | Wales | 5 | Wales |
1964 | Scotland & Wales | 6 | |
1963 | England | 7 | |
1962 | France | 6 | |
1961 | France | 7 | |
1960 | France & England | 7 | England |
1959 | France | 5 | |
1958 | England | 6 | |
1957 | England | Grand Slam | England |
1956 | Wales | 6 | |
1955 | France & Wales | 6 | |
1954 | England, France & Wales | 6 | England |
1953 | England | 7 | |
1952 | Wales | Grand Slam | Wales |
1951 | Ireland | 6 | |
1950 | Wales | Grand Slam | Wales |
1949 | Ireland | 6 | Ireland |
1948 | Ireland | Grand Slam | Ireland |
1947 | Wales & England | 6 |