RUGBY SIX NATIONS INFORMATION:
Every year the powerhouses of European rugby - Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy, and England - battle one another in a competition called the Six Nations Championship. Founded in 1883, the Championship has been played nearly every year since its inception. Each team plays every other team once on the home pitch (or field). There are competitions within the competition of the Championship: some matches are designated with special titles.
The Calcutta Cup is the oldest of the rivalries within the Six Nations. Named after a match that was played on Christmas day in 1873 in India, the competition between England and Scotland is always fierce and well worth watching. The record for points scored by a single player in this match has been held by Jonny Wilkinson (27) and Rob Andrew (24).
England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland play for the Triple Crown. A win by a hosting nation over any of the three other hosting nations results in the honor of obtaining the Triple Crown. For many years the competition was also called The Invisible Cup as there was no actual physical trophy given to the winning teams. But in 2006 the Royal Bank of Scotland commissioned the making of a silver dish as the Triple Crown trophy. Ireland has won the most Triple Crown victories since 2000 but England has won the honor the most frequently in the 100 year plus history of the competition.
Other titles with in the Championship include the Guiseppi Garibaldi Trophy - played between Italy and France; the Millennium Trophy - Ireland and England; and the Centenary Quaich - Scotland and Ireland. The European Championship - the unofficial name of the Six Nations - is always a fantastic spectacle. The team that wins all of the games against the 5 others is considered to have won the Grand Slam.
Once controversial (fans in South Wales in the early 1900s would habitually threaten to hang the referee) now it has become the pride of European “rugga” devotees. In February 2008 the Six Nations Championship begins. Buy your Six Nations tickets today and see this century old rugby tradition in-person!