Firs there were two, now there’s half a dozen.
The
Six Nations Championship has gone through some significant changes over the years since its inception, today the best sides in Europe come together to compete in the most prestigious rugby tournament in the world.
England, Wales, Ireland, France, Scotland and Italy lock horns annually for this prominent championship cup. Let’s take a look at the history of the Six Nations Championship.
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History
The Six Nations Championship did not always comprise of six nationals teams competing against each other, the first match was played between England and Scotland in 1871 in Edinburgh and the tournament was then known as the Home Nations Championship. Scotland won the match by a goal and a try.
Ireland came along in 1875, and then there were three. Wales was added to the growing numbers in 1881 and took on England shortly after. England smashed the Irish and unfortunately scores were not tallied back in the day. If it were, the score would have been 82-0.
In 1910, France joined in making it five. Italy was the last addition to the six at the turn of the century, even though they did not play every year since joining. This, coupled with a wretched run of form in the tournament has seen them suffer in comparison to their other five rivals.
Games are played across Europe with Twickenham, Stade de France, Millennium Stadium and the Stadio Olimpico – which is the home stadium of Italian soccer giants Roma and Lazio – plays host to some of the matches during the tournament.
Recent history
Since the dawn of the millennium, the Six Nations Championship has been a calendar event which both fans and players alike have relished. Overall, England have dominated the tournament however they’ve not won the title since 2003. Recent history has seen of a strong Welsh outfit emerge to dominate the tournament.
This was marked by back-to-back wins in 2012 and 2013, a real watershed moment in their Six Nations legacy.
Individual and team honors
England – 13 Grand Slams, 25 Triple Crowns
Wales, 11 Grand Slams, 20 Tripe Crowns
France – 9 Grand Slams
Ireland – 3 Grand Slams, 11 Triple Crown
Scotland – 3 Grand Slams, 10 triple Crowns
Italy – 0
England has the highest aggregate of points, 86 against Wales in 1998.
Most points in a season and a match – 89 and 35 points respectively, Jonny Wilkinson (England)
Most tries in a match: 5, George Lindsay, Scotland vs Wales, 1887
Most tries in a season: 8, Cyril Lowe (England), Ian Smith (Scotland)
Most tries in a career: 26, Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland
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