2008 Six Nations Championship

The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland

Royal Bank of Scotland

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is a British banking and insurance holding company in which the UK Government holds an 84% stake. This stake is held and managed through UK Financial Investments Limited, whose voting rights are limited to 75% in order for the bank to retain its listing on the...

, was the ninth series of the rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 Six Nations Championship

Six Nations Championship

The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....

. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Fifteen matches were played over five weekends from 2 February to 15 March, resulting in Wales

Wales national rugby union team

The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...

 winning the Grand Slam

Grand Slam (Rugby Union)

In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...

, their second in the last four championships and tenth overall. In winning the Grand Slam, Wales also won the Triple Crown

Triple Crown (Rugby Union)

In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...

 for beating each of the other Home Nations

Home Nations

Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...

 for the nineteenth time. Wales also conceded only two tries in the championship, beating England's previous record of four tries conceded. Wales' Shane Williams

Shane Williams

Shane Mark Williams is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays as a wing for the Ospreys and who can also play scrum-half. Williams is the record try scorer for the Wales national team and he is third on the international list of leading Rugby union Test try scorers behind Daisuke Ohata...

 was named as the RBS Player of the Championship.

Participants

The teams involved were:

Nation	Venue	City	Head coach	Captain
	Twickenham Twickenham Stadium Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...	London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...	Brian Ashton Brian Ashton (rugby player) William Brian Ashton MBE is a former rugby union player and the former Head Coach of the England and Ireland national rugby union teams.-Biography:...	Phil Vickery Phil Vickery (rugby player) Philip John Vickery MBE is a former English rugby union tighthead prop and member of the England squad. He was a member of England's World Cup winning squad in 2003, playing in all seven matches in the tournament, and is a former England captain. Vickery ended his club rugby career at Wasps,...
	Stade de France Stade de France The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...	Saint-Denis Saint-Denis Saint-Denis is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Saint-Denis is a sous-préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Denis....	Marc Lièvremont Marc Lièvremont Marc Lièvremont is a former rugby union footballer and was the head coach of the French national rugby union team. He played as a back-row forward for France, gaining 25 caps from 1995 to 1999, and was selected in France's 1999 Rugby World Cup squad...	Lionel Nallet Lionel Nallet Lionel Nallet is a French rugby union player who currently plays at lock for Racing Métro 92 in the French Top 14 club competition and is a former captain of the France national team. He began his professional career with CS Bourgoin-Jallieu, playing there from 1998 to 2003 before moving to...
	Croke Park Croke Park Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...	Dublin	Eddie O'Sullivan Eddie O'Sullivan Eddie O'Sullivan is an Irish rugby union coach and a former footballer. He is a former head coach of the United States national rugby union team and of the Ireland national rugby union team....	Brian O'Driscoll Brian O'Driscoll Brian O'Driscoll is an Irish professional rugby union player. He is the current captain of the Ireland Rugby team and captained Leinster Rugby until the start of 2008 season. He also captained the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand...
	Stadio Flaminio Stadio Flaminio The Stadio Flaminio is a stadium in Rome. It lies along the Via Flaminia, three kilometres northwest of the city centre, 300 metres away from the Parco di Villa Glori....	Rome Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...	Nick Mallett Nick Mallett Nicholas Vivian Howard Mallett is a former South African rugby union player who was until recently the head coach of the Italian national team, previously replacing Pierre Berbizier on 3 October 2007...	Sergio Parisse Sergio Parisse Sergio Parisse is an Italian Argentine rugby union rugby player. He was the first Italian rugby union player to be nominated for the IRB International player of the year...
	Murrayfield Murrayfield Stadium Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...	Edinburgh Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...	Frank Hadden Frank Hadden Frank Hadden is a Scottish rugby union coach. He is a former head coach of Scotland and Edinburgh Rugby.Hadden replaced Matt Williams and was appointed on 15 September 2005. Hadden coached the Merchiston Castle School 1st XV after being appointed Head of Physical Education at the school in 1983...	Jason White Jason White (rugby player) Jason Phillip Randall White is a Scottish rugby union footballer. He is a utility forward who can play any position in the second or back row of the scrum—lock, flanker, or number eight. White plays at club level for French Top 14 side ASM Clermont Auvergne and also plays for Scotland.He is...
	Millennium Stadium Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...	Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...	Warren Gatland Warren Gatland Warren David Gatland is a former New Zealand rugby footballer and the current head coach of the Wales national team.Gatland was born in Hamilton, New Zealand and educated at Hamilton Boys' High School and Waikato University...	Ryan Jones

Squads

Table

82

25

10

Position	Nation	Games				Points				Table points
		Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Difference	Tries
1		5	5	0	0	148	66
13	10
2		5	3	0	2	108	83
8	6
3		5	3	0	2	103	93
11	6
4		5	2	0	3	93	99	−6	9	4
5		5	1	0	4	69	123	−54	3	2
6		5	1	0	4	74	131	−57	6	2

Week 1

• Although Italy's try was credited to Sergio Parisse during the game, he later stated that it had in fact been scored by Martin Castrogiovanni
  Martin Castrogiovanni
  Martín Leandro Castrogiovanni is an Italian Argentine rugby union footballer. He played for Ghial Calvisano, with whom he won the Italian championship in 2005. He has since signed a new contract with Leicester Tigers, and after a successful 2006/07 season with them was named Guinness Premiership...
  
  .

----

• This win was Wales
  Wales national rugby union team
  The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
  
  ' first over England
  England national rugby union team
  The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
  
   at Twickenham
  Twickenham Stadium
  Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
  
   for twenty years.

----

Week 2

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• This is currently England's narrowest ever win over Italy.

Week 3

----

• Ireland win the Centenary Quaich
  Centenary Quaich
  The Centenary Quaich is an international rugby union award contested annually by Ireland and Scotland as part of the Six Nations Championship.In total, the two countries have played each other on 122 occasions with Scotland winning on sixty-four occasions, Ireland on fifty-five, and five draws...
  
  .

----

• Jonny Wilkinson
  Jonny Wilkinson
  Jonathan Peter "Jonny" Wilkinson OBE is an English rugby union player and member of the England national team. Wilkinson rose to acclaim from 2001 to 2003, before and during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and was acknowledged as one of the world’s best rugby players...
  
   drew level with Wales' Neil Jenkins
  Neil Jenkins
  Neil Jenkins MBE is a former rugby union football player and current coach. He played fly-half, centre, or full back for Pontypridd, Cardiff, Celtic Warriors, Wales and the British and Irish Lions. Jenkins is Wales' highest ever points-scorer and is the third highest on the List of leading Rugby...
  
   as the all-time leading point scorer in international rugby history. Including both men's points for the British and Irish Lions
  British and Irish Lions
  The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
  
  , the two have scored 1,090 career points.
• This result left Wales as the only remaining team that could win the Grand Slam
  Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
  In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
  
  .
• This was England's first Six Nations away win over France since their 15–9 win in 2000
  2000 Six Nations Championship
  The 2000 Six Nations Championship was the first series of the Six Nations Championship, following the inclusion of Italy into the Five Nations championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-sixth series of the northern hemisphere...
  
  .

Week 4

• Shane Williams
  Shane Williams
  Shane Mark Williams is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays as a wing for the Ospreys and who can also play scrum-half. Williams is the record try scorer for the Wales national team and he is third on the international list of leading Rugby union Test try scorers behind Daisuke Ohata...
  
   draws level with Gareth Thomas
  Gareth Thomas (rugby player)
  Gareth Thomas , known as Alfie, is a retired Welsh professional rugby footballer who played rugby league for the Crusaders RL in the Super League. He also previously played rugby union for the Cardiff Blues and as a fullback, wing or centre.On 26 May 2007, Thomas surpassed Gareth Llewellyn as the...
  
   as the all-time try leader for Wales with his 40th try.
• Wales win the Triple Crown
  Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
  In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
  
  .

----

• England's Jonny Wilkinson
  Jonny Wilkinson
  Jonathan Peter "Jonny" Wilkinson OBE is an English rugby union player and member of the England national team. Wilkinson rose to acclaim from 2001 to 2003, before and during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and was acknowledged as one of the world’s best rugby players...
  
   becomes the all-time scoring leader in international rugby history, surpassing Wales' Neil Jenkins
  Neil Jenkins
  Neil Jenkins MBE is a former rugby union football player and current coach. He played fly-half, centre, or full back for Pontypridd, Cardiff, Celtic Warriors, Wales and the British and Irish Lions. Jenkins is Wales' highest ever points-scorer and is the third highest on the List of leading Rugby...
  
  . Wilkinson's new record now stands at 1,099 points. This figure was reached due to a decision by the IRB to count the Lions' match against Argentina in 2005 as a Test match.
• Scotland win the Calcutta Cup
  Calcutta Cup
  The Calcutta Cup is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between England and Scotland. It is currently England's since the 2009 Six Nations Championship....
  
  .

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• France win their second consecutive Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy
  Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy
  The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between France and Italy....
  
  .

Week 5

• Despite victory over the Scots, Italy win the "wooden spoon
  Wooden spoon (award)
  A wooden spoon is a mock or real award, usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition, but sometimes also to runners-up. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous events...
  
  ", having failed to win by the necessary five point margin required to avoid finishing at the bottom of the table.

----

• England win the Millennium Trophy
  Millennium Trophy
  The Millennium Trophy is a rugby union award contested annually by Ireland and England as part of the Six Nations Championship. It was initiated in 1988 as part of Dublin's millennial celebrations...
  
   for the first time in 5 years.

----

• Shane Williams
  Shane Williams
  Shane Mark Williams is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays as a wing for the Ospreys and who can also play scrum-half. Williams is the record try scorer for the Wales national team and he is third on the international list of leading Rugby union Test try scorers behind Daisuke Ohata...
  
   takes sole possession of the all-time try scoring lead for Wales with his 41st try.
• Wales win the Grand Slam
  Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
  In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
  
   for the second time in four championships.
• By virtue of Wales beating France by more than three points, England finished second in the table – their best Six Nations finish since 2003.
• Wales conceded just two tries all championship: the tightest ever defence in the Six Nations.

Scorers

Leading try scorers

Tries	Name	Pld	Team
6	Shane Williams Shane Williams Shane Mark Williams is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays as a wing for the Ospreys and who can also play scrum-half. Williams is the record try scorer for the Wales national team and he is third on the international list of leading Rugby union Test try scorers behind Daisuke Ohata...	5
5	Vincent Clerc Vincent Clerc Vincent Clerc is a French rugby union player who plays on the wing.-Biography:Born in the city of Échirolles, suburb of the south of Grenoble , Clerc first played rugby at FC Grenoble, helping them reach the Top 16 before moving to Toulouse in 2002, where he has been playing ever since...	5
3	Lee Byrne Lee Byrne Lee Martin Byrne is a Welsh international rugby union rugby player, who plays for ASM Clermont Auvergne in the Top 14 and Heineken Cup...	5
	Martin Castrogiovanni Martin Castrogiovanni Martín Leandro Castrogiovanni is an Italian Argentine rugby union footballer. He played for Ghial Calvisano, with whom he won the Italian championship in 2005. He has since signed a new contract with Leicester Tigers, and after a successful 2006/07 season with them was named Guinness Premiership...	5
	Paul Sackey Paul Sackey Paul Henry Sackey is an English rugby union footballer who currently plays at wing for Stade Français in the Top 14.As of 28 February 2009 he has 22 full England caps...	5
2	Tommy Bowe Tommy Bowe Thomas John "Tommy" Bowe is an Irish rugby union footballer from County Monaghan, Ireland...	3
	Toby Flood Toby Flood Tobias Gerald Albert Lieven "Toby" Flood is an English rugby union player. He currently plays at fly half or inside centre for Leicester Tigers, having signed from Newcastle Falcons, and England.-Background:...	5
	Robert Kearney	5
	David Wallace David Wallace (rugby player) David P. Wallace is an Irish rugby union player for Munster and Ireland. He grew up in Limerick on the Ennis Road. He did not leave Limerick until the age of 17, when he started playing for Munster. He normally plays as an Openside Flanker, but has also played Blindside and Number 8...	5
1	Girvan Dempsey Girvan Dempsey Girvan Dempsey is a retired rugby union footballer who played at full back for Leinster and Ireland.- Rugby career :...	2
	Julien Malzieu Julien Malzieu Julien Malzieu born 4 May 1983 in Le Puy-en-Velay, Auvergne, France is a rugby union and sevens player for ASM Clermont Auvergne in the Top 14 competition.-Career:...	3
	Mike Blair Mike Blair Michael Robert Leighton Blair is a Scottish rugby union footballer.He plays professional rugby union as scrum-half for Edinburgh Rugby and represents Scotland.He attended the Edinburgh Academy....	4
	Cédric Heymans Cédric Heymans Cédric Heymans is a French rugby union footballer. He currently plays for Aviron Bayonnais after signing from Stade Toulousain in 2011. He started his club career with CA Brive before moving to SU Agen, where he stayed until the late 1990s, before signing with Toulouse...	4
	Allister Hogg Allister Hogg Allister Hogg is a Scottish Rugby Union player who plays rugby union at either flanker or number eight for Newcastle Falcons and formely for Scotland.-Career:...	4
	Simon Picone Simon Picone Simon Picone is an Italian rugby union player for Benetton Treviso in the RaboDirect Pro12 competition. He was born in Viterbo.A Scrum-half, Picone was called up to the Italy squad for the 2008 Six Nations Championship...	4
	Simon Webster Simon Webster (rugby player) Simon Webster plays rugby for Edinburgh and Scotland on the wing. He is a quick and creative player.-Club career:Webster attended Yarm School in Stockton-on-Tees where he captained the schools 1st XV side. Webster turned professional in 2000 and went on to make his debut for Northampton Saints...	4
	Richard Wigglesworth Richard Wigglesworth (rugby player) Richard Eric Peter Wigglesworth is an English rugby union player for Saracens in the Aviva Premiership.Born in Blackpool, England, Wigglesworth's position of choice is as a scrum-half and can also operate as a fly-half or as a winger....	4
	Gonzalo Canale Gonzalo Canale Gonzalo Canale is an Italian Argentine rugby union footballer. His usual position is in the centre or at full back. He plays for French club ASM Clermont Auvergne...	5
	James Hook James Hook (rugby player) James William Hook is a Welsh rugby union player for USA Perpignan. Hook is widely regarded as one of the most talented players in world rugby....	5
	Mike Phillips Mike Phillips (rugby player) William Michael "Mike" Phillips is a Welsh international rugby union rugby player who plays at scrum-half for Bayonne.-Personal life:...	5
	Tom Shanklin Tom Shanklin Tomos George L. Shanklin is a former Welsh rugby union player who played Outside Centre for Cardiff Blues and Wales. He is Wales' most-capped centre...	5
	Martyn Williams Martyn Williams Martyn Elwyn Williams is a Welsh international rugby union player. A flanker, he plays for Cardiff Blues and the Wales national rugby union team as an open-side flanker...	5

Leading point scorers

Points	Name	Pld	Team
50	Jonny Wilkinson Jonny Wilkinson Jonathan Peter "Jonny" Wilkinson OBE is an English rugby union player and member of the England national team. Wilkinson rose to acclaim from 2001 to 2003, before and during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and was acknowledged as one of the world’s best rugby players...	5
48	Ronan O'Gara Ronan O'Gara Ronan John Ross O'Gara is an Irish rugby union player, playing at fly-half for both Munster and Ireland. He is the all time highest point scorer for both Munster and Ireland. In addition to his prolific point-scoring, he has captained Munster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions...	5
44	Stephen Jones Stephen Jones (rugby player) Stephen Michael Jones is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays primarily at fly-half for Wales, the British and Irish Lions and Scarlets....	4
	James Hook James Hook (rugby player) James William Hook is a Welsh rugby union player for USA Perpignan. Hook is widely regarded as one of the most talented players in world rugby....	5

External links

• The official RBS 6 Nations website