1996 Five Nations Championship

1996 Five Nations Championship
Date 20 January 1996 - 16 March 1996
Countries  England
 Ireland
 France
 Scotland
 Wales
Tournament statistics
Champions  England (22nd title)
Triple Crown  England (19th title)
Calcutta Cup  England
Millennium Trophy  England
Centenary Quaich  Scotland
Matches played 10
Top point scorer(s) England Paul Grayson (64 points)
Top try scorer(s) Scotland Michael Dods
France Émile Ntamack (3 tries)
1995 (Previous) (Next) 1997

The 1996 Five Nations Championship was the sixty-seventh series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship, and the first in the sport's professional era, which officially began in August 1995. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-second series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played over five weekends from 20 January to 16 March. England were the winners, losing only the first game with France, thus missing the Grand Slam, but winning the Triple Crown. For the second year in a row, Scotland went into their final game chasing a Grand Slam but lost the deciding match to England. France went into the final week needing a victory to clinch the championship themselves thanks to superior points difference, but lost by a single point to Wales, who not only avoided a whitewash but climbed above Ireland on points difference in doing so.

Participants

The teams involved were:

Nation Venue City Head coach
 England Twickenham London Jack Rowell
 France Parc des Princes Paris Jean-Claude Skrela
 Ireland Lansdowne Road Dublin Murray Kidd
 Scotland Murrayfield Edinburgh Jim Telfer
 Wales National Stadium Cardiff Kevin Bowring

Squads

For each nation's squad for the 1996 Five Nations Championship, see 1996 Five Nations Championship squads.

Standings

Position Nation Games Points Table
points
Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Difference
1 England 43017954+256
2 Scotland 43016056+46
3 France 42028957+324
4 Wales 41036282202
5 Ireland 410365106412

Results

20 January 1996
15:00
France  15–12  England
Pen: Lacroix (3)
Drops:: Castaignède
Lacroix
Pen: Grayson (2)
Drops: Grayson (2)
Parc des Princes, Paris
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: David McHugh (Ireland)
20 January 1996
15:00
Ireland  10–16  Scotland
Tries: Clohessy
Con: Elwood
Pen: Elwood
Tries: Dods
McKenzie
Pen: Dods
Drops: Townsend
Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Referee: Brian Campsall (England)

3 February 1996
15:00
England  21–15  Wales
Tries: Guscott
R. Underwood
Con: Grayson
Pen: Grayson (3)
Tries: Howley
Taylor
Con: A. Thomas
Pen: A. Thomas
Twickenham, London
Referee: Ken McCartney (Scotland)
3 February 1996
15:00
Scotland  19–14  France
Tries: Dods (2)
Pen: Dods (3)
Tries: Benazzi
Pen: Castaignède
Lacroix (2)
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Attendance: 65,000
Referee: Clayton Thomas (Wales)

17 February 1996
15:00
France  45–10  Ireland
Tries: Accoceberry
Campan
Castel (2)
Ntamack (2)
Saint-André
Con: Castaignède (5)
Tries: Penalty try
Con: Humphreys
Pen: Humphreys
Parc des Princes, Paris
Referee: Ed Morrison (England)
17 February 1996
15:00
Wales  14–16  Scotland
Tries: Proctor
Pen: A. Thomas (3)
Tries: Townsend
Con: Dods
Pen: Dods (3)
National Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 47,000
Referee: Joel Dume (France)

2 March 1996
15:00
Ireland  30–17  Wales
Tries: Corkery
Fulcher
Geoghegan
Woods
Con: Mason (2)
Pen: Mason (2)
Tries: I. Evans (2)
Con: A. Thomas (2)
Pen: A. Thomas
Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Referee: Didier Mene (France)
2 March 1996
15:00
Scotland  9–18  England
Pen: Dods (3) Pen: Grayson (6)
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Attendance: 67,000
Referee: Derek Bevan (Wales)

16 March 1996
15:00
England  28–15  Ireland
Tries: Sleightholme
Con: Grayson
Pen: Grayson (6)
Drops: Grayson
Pen: Mason (4)
Drops: Humphreys
Twickenham, London
Attendance: 75,000
Referee: Edward Murray (Scotland)
16 March 1996
15:00
Wales  16–15  France
Tries: Howley
Con: Jenkins
Pen: Jenkins (3)
Tries: Castaignède
Ntamack
Con: Castaignède
Pen: Castaignède
National Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 52,000
Referee: Brian Stirling (Ireland)

External links

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