2019 Six Nations Championship
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The 2019 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 20th Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales, and the 125th edition of the competition (including all the tournament's previous versions as the Home Nations Championship and Five Nations Championship).
Wales won the championship for the first time since 2013, beating defending champions Ireland at the Millennium Stadium on the final day to claim their first Grand Slam since 2012.
Participants
| Nation | Stadium | Head coach | Captain | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home stadium | Capacity | Location | |||
| England | Twickenham Stadium | 82,000 | London | Australia Eddie Jones | Owen Farrell |
| France | Stade de France | 81,338 | Saint-Denis | France Jacques Brunel | Guilhem Guirado |
| Ireland | Aviva Stadium | 51,700 | Dublin | New Zealand Joe Schmidt | Rory Best |
| Italy | Stadio Olimpico | 73,261 | Rome | Ireland Conor O'Shea | Sergio Parisse |
| Scotland | Murrayfield Stadium | 67,144 | Edinburgh | Scotland Gregor Townsend | Greig Laidlaw |
| Wales | Millennium Stadium | 73,931 | Cardiff | New Zealand Warren Gatland | Alun Wyn Jones |
Squads
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | GS | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wales | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 114 | 65 | +49 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| 2 | England | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 184 | 101 | +83 | 24 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 18 |
| 3 | Ireland | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 101 | 100 | +1 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| 4 | France | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 93 | 118 | −25 | 12 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 5 | Scotland | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 105 | 125 | −20 | 14 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| 6 | Italy | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 79 | 167 | −88 | 10 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Table ranking rules
- Four points were awarded for a win.
- Two points were awarded for a draw.
- A bonus point was awarded to a team that scored four or more tries in a match or loses a match by seven points or fewer. If a team scored four tries in a match and loses by seven points or fewer, they were awarded both bonus points.
- Three bonus points were awarded to a team that wins all five of their matches (a Grand Slam). This ensured that a Grand Slam winning team would top the table with at least 23 points – a team could lose a match but still win two bonus points and win the other four matches with four try bonus points for a maximum of 22 points.
- Tiebreakers If two or more teams were tied on match points, the team with the better points difference (points scored less points conceded) were ranked higher. If the above tiebreaker failed to separate tied teams, the team that scored the higher number of total tries in their matches were ranked higher. If two or more teams remained tied for first place at the end of the championship after applying the above tiebreakers, the title would be shared between them.
Fixtures
The fixtures were announced on 16 May 2017. The first game of the championship was a Friday night game between France and Wales.
Round 1
| (1 BP) France | 19–24 | Wales |
| Try: Picamoles 6' m Huget 23' m Pen: Lopez (2/3) 34', 78 Drop: Lopez (1/2) 40' | Try: T. Williams 47' c North (2) 52' c, 72' c Con: Anscombe (2/2) 47', 53' Biggar (1/1) 73' Pen: Biggar (1/1) 63' |
| Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 60,000 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) |
| Man of the Match: George North (Wales)Touch judges: Andrew Brace (Ireland) Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand) Television match official: Rowan Kitt (England) |
Notes:
- Paul Willemse, Grégory Alldritt and Romain Ntamack (all France) made their international debuts.
- After trailing 16–0 at half time, Wales' win was the biggest comeback in Six Nations history as well as their biggest in any match.
| (1 BP) Scotland | 33–20 | Italy |
| Try: Kinghorn (3) 12' m, 21' c, 54' c Hogg 47' c Harris 62' c Con: Laidlaw (3/4) 23', 49', 55' Russell (1/1) 63' | Try: Palazzani 71' c Padovani 75' m Esposito 78' m Con: Allan (1/1) 71' Pen: Allan (1/1) 10' |
| Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,144 Referee: Luke Pearce (England) |
| Man of the Match: Blair Kinghorn (Scotland)Touch judges: Mathieu Raynal (France) Shuhei Kubo (Japan) Television match official: Simon McDowell (Ireland) |
Notes:
- Sam Johnson, Jake Kerr, Gary Graham (all Scotland) and Dave Sisi (Italy) made their international debuts.
- Leonardo Ghiraldini earned his 100th cap for Italy.
- This was Sergio Parisse's 66th Six Nations appearance, the most by any player in the history of the competition.
- Blair Kinghorn's hat-trick was the first by a Scottish player in the Five/Six Nations since Iwan Tukalo managed the feat against Ireland in 1989.
- This was Scotland's fourth consecutive Six Nations win over Italy, the first time they have won four in a row against any team in the Six nations.
| Ireland | 20–32 | England (1 BP) |
| Try: Healy 25' c Cooney 80' c Con: Sexton (2/2) 26', 80' Pen: Sexton (2/2) 11', 55' | Try: May 2' c Daly 30' c Slade (2) 66' m, 76' c Con: Farrell (3/4) 3', 31', 77' Pen: Farrell (2/3) 40', 70' |
| Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,000 Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France) |
| Man of the Match: Mako Vunipola (England)Touch judges: Romain Poite (France) Alexandre Ruiz (France) Television match official: Glenn Newman (New Zealand) |
Notes:
- Jonny May's try after less than 90 seconds was England's first at the Aviva Stadium since Steve Thompson scored in 2011.
- This was Ireland's first home defeat since they lost to New Zealand during the 2016 end-of-year rugby union internationals, ending a 12-match home winning streak.
- This was Ireland's first home loss in the Six Nations with Joe Schmidt as coach.
- This was England's first win against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium since their 12–6 victory in 2013, which was also Ireland's last Six Nations loss there (a run of 14 games unbeaten).
- England won the Millennium Trophy for the first time since 2016.
Round 2
| Scotland | 13–22 | Ireland |
| Try: Johnson 29' c Con: Laidlaw (1/1) 30' Pen: Laidlaw (2/2) 7', 62' | Try: Murray 10' m Stockdale 17' c Earls 56' c Con: Murray (1/1) 17' Carbery (1/1) 57' Pen: Carbery (1/1) 69' |
| Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,144 Referee: Romain Poite (France) |
| Man of the Match: Peter O'Mahony (Ireland)Touch judges: Pascal Gaüzère (France) Alexandre Ruiz (France) Television match official: Rowan Kitt (England) |
Notes:
- D'Arcy Rae (Scotland) made his international debut.
- This was Scotland's first loss at Murrayfield in the Six Nations since the opening round of the 2016 tournament, bringing an end to a run of seven consecutive home wins in the championship, their longest run of home wins in the Six Nations era.
- The nine-point margin was Scotland's biggest defeat in any international at Murrayfield since Ireland won 40–10 on the final day of the 2015 Six Nations tournament.
- Ireland retained the Centenary Quaich.
| Italy | 15–26 | Wales |
| Try: Steyn 34' c Padovani 75' m Con: Allan (1/2) 36' Pen: Allan (1/2) 44' | Try: Adams 54' c Watkin 70' c Con: Biggar (1/1) 55' Anscombe (1/1) 71' Pen: Biggar (4/4) 2', 15', 19', 30' |
| Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 38,700 Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France) |
| Man of the Match: Josh Navidi (Wales)Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England) Shuhei Kubo (Japan) Television match official: David Grashoff (England) |
Notes:
- Jonathan Davies captained Wales for the first time.
- Alun Wyn Jones made his 50th Six Nations appearance, making him only the fourth Wales player to reach that mark.
- This was Wales' 11th consecutive win in international rugby, equalling their all-time record, set between 1907 and 1910.
| (1 BP) England | 44–8 | France |
| Try: May (3) 2' m, 24' m, 29' c Slade 40' c Penalty try 49' Farrell 55' c Con: Farrell (3/5) 31', 40', 56' Pen: Farrell (2/2) 7', 13' | Try: Penaud 35' m Pen: Parra (1/1) 10' |
| Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 82,000 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) |
| Man of the Match: Jonny May (England)Touch judges: Andrew Brace (Ireland) Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand) Television match official: Glenn Newman (New Zealand) |
Notes:
- Dan Robson (England), Dorian Aldegheri and Thomas Ramos (both France) made their international debuts.
- Jonny May's hat-trick was the first by an England player against France since Jake Jacob in 1924.
- This was France's biggest defeat to England since they lost 37–0 in 1911, as well as their biggest loss to any team in the Five/Six Nations since that date.
Round 3
| (1 BP) France | 27–10 | Scotland |
| Try: Ntamack 13' c Huget 41' m Alldritt (2) 75' m, 80+8' c Con: Ramos (1/2) 15' Serin (1/2) 80+9' Pen: Ramos (1/2) 18' | Try: Price 78' c Con: Hastings 78' Pen: Laidlaw (1/2) 26' |
| Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 80,000 Referee: Nic Berry (Australia) |
| Man of the Match: Demba Bamba (France)Touch judges: Nigel Owens (Wales) Andrew Brace (Ireland) Television match official: Rowan Kitt (England) |
Notes:
- Étienne Falgoux (France) made his international debut.
- France won the Auld Alliance Trophy for the first time.`
| Wales | 21–13 | England |
| Try: Hill 68' c Adams 78' m Con: Biggar (1/2) 69' Pen: Anscombe (3/3) 24', 52', 57' | Try: Curry 27' c Con: Farrell (1/1) 27' Pen: Farrell (2/2) 18', 63' |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 73,931 Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa) |
| Man of the Match: Liam Williams (Wales)Touch judges: Jérôme Garcès (France) Alexandre Ruiz (France) Television match official: Simon McDowell (Ireland) |
Notes:
- This was Wales' 12th consecutive win, their best run, beating the previous record of 11, set between 1907 and 1910.
- This was Wales' first victory against England since winning 28–25 at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and their first in the Six Nations since a 30–3 win in 2013.
| Italy | 16–26 | Ireland (1 BP) |
| Try: Padovani 33' m Morisi 39' m Pen: Allan (2/3) 20', 26' | Try: Roux 11' c Stockdale 21' m Earls 51' c Murray 67' c Con: Sexton (1/2) 12' Murray (2/2) 52', 68' |
| Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 49,720 Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand) |
| Man of the Match: Peter O'Mahony (Ireland)Touch judges: Wayne Barnes (England) Karl Dickson (England) Television match official: Graham Hughes (England) |
Notes:
- Jack Carty (Ireland) made his international debut.
Round 4
| (1 BP) Scotland | 11–18 | Wales |
| Try: D. Graham 58' m Pen: Russell (2/2) | Try: Adams 13' c J. Davies 30' m Con: Anscombe (1/2) 14' Pen: Anscombe (2/3) 24', 80' |
| Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,144 Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (France) |
| Man of the Match: Hadleigh Parkes (Wales)Touch judges: Luke Pearce (England) Federico Anselmi (Argentina) Television match official: Marius Jonker (South Africa) |
Notes
- Wales retained the Doddie Weir Cup.
- This 13th consecutive victory continued Wales' best winning run.
| (1 BP) England | 57–14 | Italy |
| Try: George 8' c May 15' c Tuilagi (2) 21' c, 47' m Shields (2) 32' c, 79' c Kruis 64' c Robson 68' c Con: Farrell (4/5) 9', 16', 22', 33' Ford (3/3) 65', 69', 80' Pen: Farrell (1/1) 26' | Try: Allan 12' c Morisi 54' c Con: Allan (2/2) 14', 56' |
| Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 82,022 Referee: Nic Berry (Australia) |
| Man of the Match: Joe Cokanasiga (England)Touch judges: Paul Williams (New Zealand) Andrew Brace (Ireland) Television match official: Simon McDowell (Ireland) |
Notes:
- This result meant Italy won the Wooden Spoon for the fourth consecutive year, and their 14th since joining the Six Nations.
| (1 BP) Ireland | 26–14 | France |
| Try: Best 3' c Sexton 30' c Conan 36' m Earls 56' c Con: Sexton (3/4) 4', 31', 58' | Try: Huget 77' c Chat 80+1' c Con: Serin (2/2) 77', 80+4' |
| Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,000 Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand) |
| Man of the Match: James Ryan (Ireland)Touch judges: Angus Gardner (Australia) Karl Dickson (England) Television match official: Ben Skeen (New Zealand) |
Notes
- Rob Kearney was originally named at fullback for Ireland, but withdrew due to a calf injury and was replaced by Jordan Larmour; Andrew Conway replaced Larmour on the bench.
- Ireland's half-time lead of 19–0 is their largest against France.
Round 5
| Italy | 14–25 | France |
| Try: Tebaldi 55' m Pen: Allan (3/3) 6', 12', 43' | Try: Dupont 16' c Huget 46' c Penaud 79' m Con: Ntamack (2/3) 17', 48' Pen: Ntamack (1/1) 21' Drop: Ntamack (1/1) 63' |
| Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 48,820 Referee: Matthew Carley (England) |
| Man of the Match: Sergio Parisse (Italy)Touch judges: Nigel Owens (Wales) Andrew Brace (Ireland) Television match official: Graham Hughes (England) |
Notes:
- Marco Zanon (Italy) made his international debut.
- Italy were whitewashed for the fourth consecutive year.
- France retained the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy.
| Wales | 25–7 | Ireland |
| Try: Parkes 2' c Con: Anscombe (1/1) 3' Pen: Anscombe (6/6) 18', 36', 40+2', 49', 54', 70' | Try: Larmour 80+3' c Con: Carty (1/1) 80+4' |
| Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 74,500 Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia) |
| Man of the Match: Gareth Anscombe (Wales)Touch judges: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand) Karl Dickson (England) Television match official: Marius Jonker (South Africa) |
Notes:
- Hadleigh Parkes' try was Wales' fastest against Ireland.[citation needed]
- This was Wales' biggest margin of victory over Ireland since 1976.[citation needed]
- Wales won their 12th Grand Slam, their fourth since the expansion of the tournament in 2000 (a record) and also their third under Warren Gatland, a record for a coach.
- This was the last Six Nations match for Gatland and Joe Schmidt as coaches of Wales and Ireland, respectively, having both announced prior to the tournament their resignations following the 2019 Rugby World Cup; however, Gatland returned to coach Wales in the 2023 tournament.
| (1 BP) England | 38–38 | Scotland (1 BP) |
| Try: Nowell 2' c Curry 9' c Launchbury 13' c May 29' c Ford 80+3' c Con: Farrell (4/4) 3', 10', 15', 31' Ford (1/1) 80+4' Pen: Farrell 25' | Try: McInally 35' c Graham (2) 47' m, 57' m Bradbury 50' c Russell 60' c Johnson 76' c Con: Russell (2/3) 36', 51' Laidlaw (2/3) 60', 77' |
| Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 82,000 Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand) |
| Man of the Match: Finn Russell (Scotland)Touch judges: Jérôme Garcès (France) Federico Anselmi (Argentina) Television match official: Ben Skeen (New Zealand) |
Notes:
- This was the highest-scoring draw in international rugby history at 76 total points scored.
- This was the first time England had conceded a try bonus point in the Six Nations; they became the final team to do so since bonus points were introduced in 2017.
- Scotland retained the Calcutta Cup; this was the first time since 1984 they had done so, and the first time since 1989 they had not lost to England at Twickenham (the 1989 match was also a draw).
- The 24-point half-time deficit (and 31-point deficit after 30 minutes) Scotland turned around, was the largest comeback for a draw in international rugby history, beating their own previous record against Wales in 2001.
- With Jonny May's try in the 31st minute, England earned the fastest bonus point try in the Six Nations, beating the previous record they set against Italy the previous week.
- Scotland's six tries were the most they had scored in a match at Twickenham.