Everything about Grand Slam Rugby Union totally explained
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 or when a touring side from one of the
Southern Hemisphere nations plays and defeats all four
Home Nations sides in a single tour. The last team to have won the
Grand Slam was
Wales, in
2008.
Six Nations Championship
In the
Six Nations Championship and its predecessors, a grand slam is where one team beats all its opponents during one year's competition.
(External Link
) The grand slam winners are awarded the six nations trophy (as tournament winners), but there's no special grand slam trophy. The grand slam is just a matter of pride over glory
Although the term
grand slam had long been in use in the game of
Contract bridge, the first time that the expression is known to have been applied to
rugby union was in 1957, in a preview of a match between England and :
Three teams— in 1908–09, in 1913–14, 1923–24 and 1991–92, and in 1997–98—have won two consecutive Grand Slams; no team is yet to have achieved three consecutive Grand Slams.
Prior to
2000, each team played four matches, two at home and two away from home. Following the inclusion of in
2000, each team plays five matches, two at home and three away in one year, and the opposite in the following season. When
Wales won the Grand Slam in 2005, it was the first time that the feat had been achieved by a team that had played more matches away than at home. The Welsh Grand Slam in 2008 saw them become the second team to win two Grand Slams in the Six Nations, but the first to do so with both three away games and two away games.
The Grand Slam has been achieved 34 times—
England leads, with 12 wins, followed by
Wales (10),
France (8), (3) and Ireland (1).
Italy has yet to win a Grand Slam.
In Welsh, the Grand Slam is called
Y Gamp Lawn, in French
Le Grand Chelem.
| Nation |
W |
Grand Slam Season |
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1913, 1914, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1928, 1957, 1980, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2003 |
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1908, 1909, 1911, 1950, 1952, 1971, 1976, 1978, 2005, 2008 |
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1968, 1977, 1981, 1987, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004 |
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|
1925, 1984, 1990 |
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|
1948 |
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|
|
| 1882–1907 |
France didn't take part in the championship |
| 1908 |
|
| 1909 |
|
| 1910 |
Not achieved |
| 1911 |
|
| 1912 |
Not achieved |
| 1913 |
|
| 1914 |
|
| 1915–19 |
No tournament during World War I |
| 1920 |
Not achieved |
| 1921 |
|
| 1922 |
Not achieved |
| 1923 |
|
| 1924 |
|
| 1925 |
|
| 1926–27 |
Not achieved |
| 1928 |
|
| 1929–31 |
Not achieved |
| 1932–39 |
France was suspended from the championship |
| 1940–46 |
No tournament during World War II |
| 1947 |
Not achieved |
| 1948 |
|
| 1949 |
Not achieved |
| 1950 |
|
| 1951 |
Not achieved |
| 1952 |
|
| 1953–56 |
Not achieved |
| 1957 |
|
| 1958–67 |
Not achieved |
| 1968 |
|
| 1969–70 |
Not achieved |
| 1971 |
|
| 1972–75 |
Not achieved |
| 1976 |
|
| 1977 |
|
| 1978 |
|
| 1979 |
Not achieved |
| 1980 |
|
| 1981 |
|
| 1982–83 |
Not achieved |
| 1984 |
|
| 1985–86 |
Not achieved |
| 1987 |
|
| 1988–89 |
Not achieved |
| 1990 |
|
| 1991 |
|
| 1992 |
|
| 1993–94 |
Not achieved |
| 1995 |
|
| 1996 |
Not achieved |
| 1997 |
|
| 1998 |
|
| 1999–2001 |
Not achieved |
| 2002 |
|
| 2003 |
|
| 2004 |
|
| 2005 |
|
| 2006–07 |
Not achieved |
| 2008 |
|
Similar in concept to the Grand Slam is the
Triple Crown, which is won if a team from one of the
Home Nations (
England,
Scotland,
Wales and
Ireland) manages to beat the other three teams. The Triple Crown was won most recently by
Wales, in
2008.
Grand Slam Tour
A Grand Slam tour is one in which the touring side plays Test matches against each of the four Home Nations. If the tourists win all four games, they're said to have achieved the grand slam.
This feat has been achieved four times by, twice by
New Zealand and once by, who have the unenviable record of being the only Southern Hemisphere team to suffer a grand slam of defeats against the Home Nations, in 1957–58.
South Africa have the distinction of being the only team to have achieved the grand slam against the Five Nations: in the grand slam tours of 1912–13 and 1951–52 they also played, and defeated, France.
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Because of the congested schedule in international rugby, grand slam tours may become less common. The last grand slam tour was in 2005, when New Zealand achieved their second ever grand slam, but the original programme for the tour envisaged only three Test matches; only the late inclusion of the game against Wales made it possible for New Zealand even to contemplate winning the grand slam. In addition, New Zealand played only test matches, as opposed to midweek and weekend tour games against provincial sides which categorised other Grand Slam tours.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Grand Slam Rugby Union'.
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