Skanska Amateur Four Nations
Encyclopedia
Skanaska Amateur Four Nations or Home Nations Championship is a rugby league
competition contested annually by Wales A, Ireland A, Scotland A and the England Lionhearts. While the teams from the Celtic nations are officially the countries' second string sides, the Lionhearts are England's representatives from the Rugby League Conference
and the student and armed forces' sides. The competition has previously been sponsored by Cheltenham Regency and Parkhouse Recruitment.
The success of these one-off friendly internationals saw the advent of the first Home Nations Championship in 2002.
Until the final match between Wales and England at Cheltenham
, the tournament was low-key and had little publicity, even in Wales where the Ireland match was played on a park pitch in Penarth on a Sunday morning. But the England v Wales match received unprecedented national coverage with highlights on Sky Sports
and resulted in a shock Wales win.
Wales would continue to "shock" for the next four years as they continued to win the title, only losing two matches in this period. It took the introduction of the Crusaders to weaken the Wales side and allow England to win the title for the first time in 2006. Even then Wales only lost by two penalties and travelled with a weakened injury-laden side.
The tournament has been successful in introducing new players to international rugby league with at least three players from the Celtic nations each year are invited to play for their full international sides.
15 June - Scotland 22 Wales 40 at Glasgow
16 June - Ireland 10 England 32
20 July - Scotland 8 England 58
21 July - Wales 52 Ireland 20 at Penarth
18 August - Ireland 70 Scotland 10
15 September - England 18 Wales 28 at Cheltenham
21 June - England 28 Scotland 20
28 June - Ireland 32 Wales 28 at Dublin
27 July - Wales 48 Scotland 22 at Brewery Field
, Bridgend
27 July - England 34 Ireland 14
9 August - Scotland 48 Ireland 20
14 September - Wales 28 England 18 at Aberavon RFC
15 May - Wales 56 Ireland 12 at Cardiff Athletics Stadium
13 June - Scotland 26 England 28
3 July - Scotland 26 Wales 34 at Glasgow
3 July - Ireland 28 England 24 at Clontarf RFC, Dublin
22 August - Ireland 16 Scotland 24
12 September - England 32 Wales 34 at Coventry Bears
12 June -
Wales 70 Scotland 8 at Brewery Field
, Crusaders
2 July -
England 8 Ireland 26 at Odsal, Bradford
16 July -
Ireland 10 Wales 18 at Terenure College, Dublin
23 July -
England 16 Scotland 17 at New River Stadium, London Skolars
14 August -
Scotland 44 Ireland 16 at Glasgow
11 September -
Wales 32 England 36 at Brewery Field
, Crusaders
Saturday 15 July -
Ireland 23 England 44 at Terenure College RFC, Dublin
Saturday 3 June -
Ireland 38 Scotland 30 at St Marys RFC, Limerick
Sunday 16 July -
Scotland 16 Wales 22 at Glasgow
Sunday 13 August -
Scotland 14 England 46 at Glasgow
Saturday 19 August -
Wales 10 Ireland 24 at Brewery Field
, Crusaders
Sunday 10 September
England 30 Wales 26 at Featherstone Rovers
Saturday 16 June -
Wales A 44 Scotland 30 at Cardiff Demons
Saturday 23 June -
England A 22 Ireland A 28 at Leigh Centurions
Saturday 30 June -
Wales A 22 France A 18 at Neath Port Talbot Steelers
(not part of Championship)
Saturday 14 July -
Ireland A 16 Wales 16 at Carlow
Saturday 14 July -
England A 42 Scotland A 40 at Gateshead Thunder
Saturday 11 August -
Scotland A 18 Ireland A 28 at Glasgow Hawks
Sunday 19 August -
Wales A 39 England A 18 at Blackwood Bulldogs
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
competition contested annually by Wales A, Ireland A, Scotland A and the England Lionhearts. While the teams from the Celtic nations are officially the countries' second string sides, the Lionhearts are England's representatives from the Rugby League Conference
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
and the student and armed forces' sides. The competition has previously been sponsored by Cheltenham Regency and Parkhouse Recruitment.
History
Friendly matches between A sides were played between 1998 and 2001 with Scotland facing Wales twice and Ireland three times and Wales taking on the forerunner to the England Lionhearts once.The success of these one-off friendly internationals saw the advent of the first Home Nations Championship in 2002.
Until the final match between Wales and England at Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, the tournament was low-key and had little publicity, even in Wales where the Ireland match was played on a park pitch in Penarth on a Sunday morning. But the England v Wales match received unprecedented national coverage with highlights on Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
and resulted in a shock Wales win.
Wales would continue to "shock" for the next four years as they continued to win the title, only losing two matches in this period. It took the introduction of the Crusaders to weaken the Wales side and allow England to win the title for the first time in 2006. Even then Wales only lost by two penalties and travelled with a weakened injury-laden side.
The tournament has been successful in introducing new players to international rugby league with at least three players from the Celtic nations each year are invited to play for their full international sides.
2002
| Team | P | W | D | L | For | Agn | Pts | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Wales Wales |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 60 | 6 | 60 |
 England England |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 108 | 46 | 4 | 62 |
 Republic of Ireland Ireland |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 100 | 94 | 2 | 6 |
 Scotland Scotland |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 168 | 0 | -128 |
15 June - Scotland 22 Wales 40 at Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
16 June - Ireland 10 England 32
20 July - Scotland 8 England 58
21 July - Wales 52 Ireland 20 at Penarth
Penarth
Penarth is a town and seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan , Wales, 5.2 miles south west from the city centre of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay...
18 August - Ireland 70 Scotland 10
15 September - England 18 Wales 28 at Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
2003
| Team | P | W | D | L | For | Agn | Pts | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wales Wales |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 104 | 72 | 4 | 32 |
| England England |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 80 | 62 | 4 | 18 |
| Scotland Scotland |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 90 | 96 | 2 | -6 |
| Republic of Ireland Ireland |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 66 | 110 | 2 | -44 |
21 June - England 28 Scotland 20
28 June - Ireland 32 Wales 28 at Dublin
27 July - Wales 48 Scotland 22 at Brewery Field
Brewery Field
Brewery Field is a 8,000 capacity sports stadium in Bridgend, Wales 1,100 of which is seated capacity...
, Bridgend
Bridgend
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
27 July - England 34 Ireland 14
9 August - Scotland 48 Ireland 20
14 September - Wales 28 England 18 at Aberavon RFC
Aberavon RFC
Aberavon RFC is a rugby union club located in the Welsh town of Port Talbot, although the club's name refers to the older settlement of Aberavon which lies on the western side of the town...
2004
| Team | P | W | D | L | For | Agn | Pts | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wales Wales |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 124 | 70 | 6 | 54 |
| Scotland Scotland |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 76 | 78 | 2 | -2 |
| England England |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 63 | 88 | 2 | -25 |
| Republic of Ireland Ireland |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 56 | 83 | 2 | -27 |
15 May - Wales 56 Ireland 12 at Cardiff Athletics Stadium
Cardiff Athletics Stadium
The Cardiff Athletics Stadium was an athletics and football stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It opened in 1989 and was demolished in 2007, replaced by the Cardiff International Sports Stadium....
13 June - Scotland 26 England 28
3 July - Scotland 26 Wales 34 at Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
3 July - Ireland 28 England 24 at Clontarf RFC, Dublin
22 August - Ireland 16 Scotland 24
12 September - England 32 Wales 34 at Coventry Bears
Coventry Bears
Coventry Bears are a rugby league club, formed in 1998. They have a proud history pioneering rugby league in the Midlands, their major honours include winning the National League 3 title in 2004 and the Rugby League Conference in 2002...
2005
| Team | P | W | D | L | For | Agn | Pts | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wales Wales |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 120 | 54 | 4 | 66 |
| Scotland Scotland |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 69 | 102 | 4 | -33 |
| England England |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 60 | 75 | 2 | -15 |
| Republic of Ireland Ireland |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 52 | 70 | 2 | -18 |
12 June -
Wales 70 Scotland 8 at Brewery Field
Brewery Field
Brewery Field is a 8,000 capacity sports stadium in Bridgend, Wales 1,100 of which is seated capacity...
, Crusaders
2 July -
England 8 Ireland 26 at Odsal, Bradford
16 July -
Ireland 10 Wales 18 at Terenure College, Dublin
23 July -
England 16 Scotland 17 at New River Stadium, London Skolars
London Skolars
London Skolars are a rugby league club based at the New River Stadium, Wood Green, Haringey in North London. They were founded in 1995 and have been semi-professional since 2003, operating in Championship One...
14 August -
Scotland 44 Ireland 16 at Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
11 September -
Wales 32 England 36 at Brewery Field
Brewery Field
Brewery Field is a 8,000 capacity sports stadium in Bridgend, Wales 1,100 of which is seated capacity...
, Crusaders
2006
| Team | P | W | D | L | For | Agn | Pts | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England England |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 63 | 6 | 57 |
| Republic of Ireland Ireland |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 85 | 84 | 4 | 1 |
| Wales Wales |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 58 | 70 | 2 | -12 |
| Scotland Scotland |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 60 | 106 | 0 | -46 |
Saturday 15 July -
Ireland 23 England 44 at Terenure College RFC, Dublin
Saturday 3 June -
Ireland 38 Scotland 30 at St Marys RFC, Limerick
Sunday 16 July -
Scotland 16 Wales 22 at Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
Sunday 13 August -
Scotland 14 England 46 at Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
Saturday 19 August -
Wales 10 Ireland 24 at Brewery Field
Brewery Field
Brewery Field is a 8,000 capacity sports stadium in Bridgend, Wales 1,100 of which is seated capacity...
, Crusaders
Sunday 10 September
England 30 Wales 26 at Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers
Featherstone Rovers are a semi-professional rugby league club, based in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England. They currently play in the Championship. The Rovers are one of the last vestiges of "small town teams" that were once common in rugby league during the early twentieth century...
2007
| Team | P | W | D | L | For | Agn | Pts | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wales Wales |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 99 | 64 | 5 | 35 |
| Republic of Ireland Ireland |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 72 | 56 | 5 | 16 |
| England England |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 81 | 107 | 2 | -26 |
| Scotland Scotland |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 88 | 114 | 0 | -26 |
Saturday 16 June -
Wales A 44 Scotland 30 at Cardiff Demons
Cardiff Demons
Cardiff Demons RLFC are a rugby league side who play out of St. Albans RFC in the east of Cardiff, Wales. They play in the Welsh Premier of the Rugby League Conference.-History:...
Saturday 23 June -
England A 22 Ireland A 28 at Leigh Centurions
Leigh Centurions
Leigh Centurions is an English professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester who play in the Co-operative Championship.The club was founded in 1878 as Leigh Rugby Football Club and is one of the original twenty-two clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in...
Saturday 30 June -
Wales A 22 France A 18 at Neath Port Talbot Steelers
Neath Port Talbot Steelers
Neath Port Talbot Steelers are a rugby league team based in Port Talbot, West Glamorgan. They play in the Welsh Premier division of the Rugby League Conference.-History:...
(not part of Championship)
Saturday 14 July -
Ireland A 16 Wales 16 at Carlow
Carlow
Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...
Saturday 14 July -
England A 42 Scotland A 40 at Gateshead Thunder
Gateshead Thunder
Gateshead Thunder is a professional rugby league club based in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear in England. They currently play in the Championship 1 competition, the third tier of rugby league in the United Kingdom...
Saturday 11 August -
Scotland A 18 Ireland A 28 at Glasgow Hawks
Glasgow Hawks
Glasgow Hawks are an amateur rugby union team in Glasgow, Scotland. They were Premiership Division One champions for 3 consecutive seasons from 2003/04 to 2005/06.-The short history of Glasgow Hawks RFC:...
Sunday 19 August -
Wales A 39 England A 18 at Blackwood Bulldogs
Blackwood Bulldogs
Blackwood Bulldogs are a rugby league team based in Blackwood, Caerphilly, Wales. They play in the Welsh Championship of the Rugby League Conference.-History:...