2008 Six Nations Championship
Encyclopedia
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

Position Nation Games Points Table
points
Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Difference Tries
1 5 5 0 0 148 66
82
13 10
2 5 3 0 2 108 83
25
8 6
3 5 3 0 2 103 93
10
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....

    .

----

  • 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

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