2012 Six Nations Championship
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The 2012 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2012 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 13th series of the Six Nations Championship. The annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
Including the competition's previous incarnations as the Home Nations Championship and Five Nations Championship, it was the 118th tournament of the annual European championship.
For the first time since 2008, there were no Friday night fixtures.
Whilst Italy continued to play their home matches in Rome, they used the Stadio Olimpico instead of the Stadio Flaminio, which Italy had used for their home Championship fixtures since entering the competition in 2000. The Championship was won by Wales, who achieved their third Grand Slam in eight tournaments.
Participants
Squads
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wales | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 109 | 58 | +51 | 10 | 10 |
| 2 | England | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 98 | 71 | +27 | 7 | 8 |
| 3 | Ireland | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 121 | 94 | +27 | 13 | 5 |
| 4 | France | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 101 | 86 | +15 | 8 | 5 |
| 5 | Italy | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 53 | 121 | −68 | 4 | 2 |
| 6 | Scotland | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 56 | 108 | −52 | 4 | 0 |
Results
Round 1
| France | 30–12 | Italy |
| Try: Rougerie 20' c Malzieu 34' m Clerc 53' c Fofana 71' m Con: Yachvili (2/3) 21', 54' Pen: Yachvili (2/3) 11', 51' | Pen: Burton (2/3) 29', 46' Botes (1/1) 60' Drop: Burton (1/2) 17' |
| Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 79,563 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) |
| Man of the Match: Julien Malzieu (France) Touch judges: Andrew Small (England) John Lacey (Ireland) Television match official: Graham Hughes (England) |
- Nicolas Mas and Thierry Dusautoir (both France) earned their 50th caps.
- Wesley Fofana, Yoann Maestri (both France), Tobias Botes and Giovanbattista Venditti (both Italy) made their international debuts in this match.
- Vincent Clerc's try was the 32nd of his international career, placing him joint second with his coach Philippe Saint-André on the French try scoring list. (To this date, Serge Blanco remains the top French try scorer with 38.)
| Scotland | 6–13 | England |
| Pen: Parks (2/2) 25', 32' | Try: Hodgson 40' c Con: Farrell (1/1) 41' Pen: Farrell (2/4) 22', 74' |
| Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,144 Referee: George Clancy (Ireland) |
| Man of the Match: David Denton (Scotland) Touch judges: Romain Poite (France) Leighton Hodges (Wales) Television match official: Tony Redmond (Ireland) |
- Brad Barritt, Lee Dickson, Phil Dowson, Owen Farrell, Ben Morgan, Geoff Parling, Jordan Turner-Hall (all England) and Lee Jones (Scotland) made their international debuts.
- Chris Robshaw of England captained his team earning only his second cap in this match.
- This match turned out to be Dan Parks's last appearance with the Scotland jersey as he announced his retirement from international rugby a few days after the game.
| Ireland | 21–23 | Wales |
| Try: Best 36' c Bowe 67' m Con: Sexton (1/2) 38' Pen: Sexton (3/5) 3', 43', 59' | Try: J. Davies (2) 13' m, 54' c North 75' m Con: Halfpenny (1/2) 55' Pen: Halfpenny (2/2) 53', 79' |
| Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,000 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) |
| Man of the Match: Mike Phillips (Wales) Touch judges: Dave Pearson (England) Stuart Terheege (England) Television match official: Geoff Warren (England) |
- Huw Bennett (Wales) earned his 50th cap.
- Coming off the bench in the 76th minute to replace Johnny Sexton, Ronan O'Gara became the most capped Irish player with 117 caps, jointly with Brian O'Driscoll. O'Gara also took sole possession of the all-time lead for appearances in the Championship, with 57. He had previously been level with his countryman Mike Gibson, who made 56 appearances in the Five Nations between 1964 and 1979.
Round 2
| Italy | 15–19 | England |
| Try: Venditti 37' m Benvenuti 40' c Con: Burton (1/2) 40' Pen: Burton (1/1) 47' | Try: Hodgson 50' c Con: Farrell (1/1) 50' Pen: Farrell (4/4) 26', 35', 54', 65' |
| Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 53,700 Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France) |
| Man of the Match: Sergio Parisse (Italy) Touch judges: George Clancy (Ireland) Neil Paterson (Scotland) Television match official: Tony Redmond (Ireland) |
- Luca Morisi (Italy) and Rob Webber (England) made their international debuts.
- The four-point margin in this match is the joint-closest Italy have ever come to beating England.
| Stade de France, Saint-Denis Referee: Dave Pearson (England) |
This match was postponed due to an unplayable pitch. It was the first weather-related postponement of a Five/Six Nations game since 1985. The match was rescheduled for 4 March.
| Wales | 27–13 | Scotland |
| Try: Cuthbert 41' c Halfpenny (2) 50' c, 55' c Con: Halfpenny (3/3) 43', 52', 56' Pen: Halfpenny (2/3) 29', 45' | Try: Laidlaw 63' c Con: Laidlaw (1/1) 64' Pen: Laidlaw (2/3) 22', 48' |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 73,189 Referee: Romain Poite (France) |
| Man of the Match: Dan Lydiate (Wales) Touch judges: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland) Simon McDowell (Ireland) Television match official: Giulio De Santis (Italy) |
- Lou Reed, Aaron Shingler (both Wales), Stuart Hogg and Ed Kalman (both Scotland) made their international debuts.
Round 3
| Ireland | 42–10 | Italy |
| Try: Earls 15' c Bowe (2) 38' c, 61' c Court 76' c Trimble 80' m Con: Sexton (4/5) 17', 39', 61', 78' Pen: Sexton (3/3) 10', 48', 57' | Try: Parisse 34' c Con: Botes (1/1) 35' Pen: Botes (1/4) 7' |
| Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,000 Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa) |
| Man of the Match: Johnny Sexton (Ireland) Touch judges: Nigel Owens (Wales) David Changleng (Scotland) Television match official: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales) |
- Peter O'Mahony (Ireland) made his international debut.
- Coming off the bench in the 69th minute to replace Gordon D'Arcy, Ronan O'Gara overtook Brian O'Driscoll as the most-capped Irish player with 118 caps.
| England | 12–19 | Wales |
| Pen: Farrell (4/5) 23', 29', 38', 45' | Try: S. Williams 75' c Con: Halfpenny (1/1) 76' Pen: Halfpenny (4/5) 25', 34', 53', 71' |
| Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 80,764 Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia) |
| Man of the Match: Sam Warburton (Wales) Touch judges: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland) Pascal Gaüzère (France) Television match official: Iain Ramage (Scotland) |
- Wales won their 20th Triple Crown.
| Scotland | 17–23 | France |
| Try: Hogg 7' c Jones 55' c Con: Laidlaw (1/1) 9' Weir (1/1) 56' Pen: Laidlaw (1/2) 25' | Try: Fofana 28' c Médard 58' c Con: Parra (2/2) 29', 59' Pen: Parra (2/3) 39', 47' Drop: Beauxis (1/1) 68' |
| Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,200 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) |
| Man of the Match: Ross Rennie (Scotland) Touch judges: Alain Rolland (Ireland) Simon McDowell (Ireland) Television match official: Geoff Warren (England) |
- Duncan Weir (Scotland) made his international debut.
Rescheduled match
| France | 17–17 | Ireland |
| Try: Fofana 50' m Pen: Parra (4/5) 22', 29', 46', 57' | Try: Bowe (2) 12' c, 37' c Con: Sexton (2/2) 13', 38' Pen: Sexton (1/2) 25' |
| Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 80,000 Referee: Dave Pearson (England) |
| Man of the Match: Yoann Maestri (France) Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England) Andrew Small (England) Television match official: Geoff Warren (England) |
Round 4
| Wales | 24–3 | Italy |
| Try: Roberts 59' c Cuthbert 77' m Con: Halfpenny (1/2) 50' Pen: Halfpenny (3/3) 9', 19', 36' Priestland (1/1) 69' | Pen: Bergamasco (1/1) 12' |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 73,892 Referee: George Clancy (Ireland) |
| Man of the Match: Alex Cuthbert (Wales) Touch judges: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland) Peter Gauzere (Scotland) Television match official: Geoff Hughes (England) |
- Rhys Webb (Wales) and Fabio Staibano (Italy) made their international debuts.
| Ireland | 32–14 | Scotland |
| Try: Best 13' c Reddan 33' c Trimble 40' m McFadden 76' c Con: Sexton (3/4) 14', 34', 77' Pen: Sexton (2/2) 25', 71' | Try: Gray 36' m Pen: Laidlaw (3/3) 3', 9', 31' |
| Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,000 Referee: Chris Pollock (New Zealand) |
| Man of the Match: Donncha O'Callaghan (Ireland) Touch judges: Romain Poite (France) Greg Garner (England) Television match official: Giulio De Santis (Italy) |
- Matt Scott (Scotland) made his international debut.
| France | 22–24 | England |
| Try: Fofana 74' c Con: Parra (1/1) 75' Pen: Beauxis (3/4) 16', 39', 68' Dupuy (1/2) 32' Parra (1/1) 64' | Try: Tuilagi 12' c Foden 17' c Croft 70' c Con: Farrell (3/3) 14', 18', 71' Pen: Farrell (1/2) 49' |
| Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 80,895 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland) |
| Man of the Match: Imanol Harinordoquy (France) Touch judges: Nigel Owens (Wales) John Lacey (Ireland) Television match official: Jim Yuille (Scotland) |
Round 5
| Italy | 13–6 | Scotland |
| Try: Venditti 42' c Con: Burton (1/1) 43' Pen: Bergamasco (1/3) 10' Drop: Burton (1/2) 76' | Pen: Laidlaw (2/3) 35', 59' |
| Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 72,354 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland) |
| Man of the Match: Martín Castrogiovanni (Italy) Touch judges: George Clancy (Ireland) Pascal Gaüzère (France) Television match official: Tony Redmond (Ireland) |
- Scotland were whitewashed. This was the first time since 2007 that Italy avoided the wooden spoon.
- Italy's starting pack in this match was the most capped ever to play an international match.
| Wales | 16–9 | France |
| Try: Cuthbert 20' c Con: Halfpenny (1/1) 21', Pen: Halfpenny (3/4) 32', 52', 75' | Pen: Yachvili (2/2) 10', 72' Beauxis (1/1) 44' |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 72,658 Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa) |
| Man of the Match: Dan Lydiate (Wales) Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England) Stuart Terheege (England) Television match official: Iain Ramage (Scotland) |
- Matthew Rees (Wales) earned his 50th cap.
- Jean-Marcellin Buttin (France) made his international debut.
- William Servat and Julien Bonnaire (both France) played their final matches.
- Wales won the Grand Slam.
| England | 30–9 | Ireland |
| Try: Penalty try 58' c Youngs 73' m Con: Farrell (1/2) 58' Pen: Farrell (6/6) 2', 23', 34', 48', 64', 77' | Pen: Sexton (3/3) 15', 40', 51' |
| Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 80,567 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) |
| Man of the Match: Ben Morgan (England) Touch judges: Jérôme Garces (France) Neil Paterson (Scotland) Television match official: Jim Yuille (Scotland) |
Media coverage
In the United Kingdom, all the matches were televised on BBC channels. In Ireland, RTÉ Two and RTÉ Two HD televised all the matches live. S4C televised Wales matches while French international channel TV5Monde televised only France matches and was available internationally (including the United States, where BBC America and BBC America HD also televised some matches).[citation needed]