2012 Women's Six Nations Championship

2012 Women's Six Nations Championship
Countries	England  France  Ireland  Italy  Scotland  Wales
Tournament statistics
Champions	England (13th title)
Grand Slam	England
Triple Crown	England
Matches played	15
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The 2012 Women's Six Nations Championship, also known as the 2012 RBS Women's Six Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was be the 11th series of the Women's Six Nations Championship, an annual women's rugby union competition between six European rugby union national teams. Matches were held in February and March 2012, on the same weekends as the men's tournament, if not always the same day.

The championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. England were favourites to win the tournament, and did so - their victory being be their seventh title in a row, winning without conceding a try - the first time this had been achieved in the Six Nations.

The tournament marked a significant step-forward in the broadcasting of matches. Three of England's five games were available to the armchair viewer - their home matches against Wales (broadcast live in the UK by the BBC), their game against Ireland (webcast by the RFU), and their away game against France (broadcast in France by France4 and in the UK by Sky – the first time any women's international had been shown on French national TV). Ireland v Scotland was also webcast by the IRFU - the first Irish women's home game ever broadcast. In addition Wales played at the Millennium Stadium for the first time, following the men's game between Wales and Italy, though this was not broadcast.

Table

Position	Nation	Games				Points				Table points
		Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Difference	Tries
1	England	5	5	0	0	161	12	149	26	10
2	France	5	4	0	1	97	22	75	13	8
3	Ireland	5	3	0	2	109	41	68	16	6
4	Wales	5	2	0	3	50	113	−63	8	4
5	Italy	5	1	0	4	55	157	−102	6	2
6	Scotland	5	0	0	5	12	149	−137	2	0

Fixtures and results

Week 1

Test no. - 2012-02-03	Ireland	Match abandoned (10–3)[1]	Wales	Ashbourne RFC
	Try: Miller Conv: Briggs Pen: Briggs		Pen: Prosser

Test no. 920 2012-02-05	France	32–0[2]	Italy	Stade Emile Pons, Riom Referee: Claire Hodnett (England)
	Tries: Ba 8' Tremouliere 21' Hebel 29' Ladagnous 32' Pelle 80' Conv: Bailon 8', 29' Pen: Bailon 19'

Test no. 921 2012-02-05	Scotland	0–47[3]	England	Lasswade Referee: Sherry Trumbull
			Tries: Packer Staniford (2) Burnfield Merchant (2) Hunt Scarratt Noel-Smith Conv: McLean

Week 2

Test no. 922 2012-02-11	France	8–7[4]	Ireland	Stade de Hameau, Pau Referee: Sherry Trumbull (Canada)
	Try: Caroline Ladagnous 20' Pen: Sandrine Agricole 38'		Try: Claire Molloy 78' Conv: Niamh Briggs 78'

Test no. 923 2012-02-12	Italy	3–43[5]	England	Recco, Genoa
	Pen: Tondinelli		Tries: Clark Scarratt Roberts Large Penalty Try Staniford Burford Convs: Scarratt (4)

Test no. 924 2012-02-12	Wales	20–0[6]	Scotland	Cross Keys
	Tries: Amy Day (2) Jamie Kift Rachel Taylor

Week 3

Test no. 925 2012-02-24	Ireland	40–10[7]	Italy	Ashbourne RFC Referee: Joyce Henry (Canada)
	Tries: Niamh Kavanagh (2) Amy Davis Marie Louise Reilly Joy Neville Jennifer Murphy Cons: Niamh Briggs (4) Grace Davitt		Try: Cristina Molic Con: Veronica Schiavon Drop: Michela Tondinelli

Test no. 926 2012-02-25	England	33–0[8]	Wales	Twickenham stadium Referee: Sylvie Bros (France)
	Tries: Michaela Staniford (2) Emily Scarratt Rowena Burnfield Kay Wilson Sarah Hunter Pen:Katy McLean

Test no. 927 2012-02-25	Scotland	0–23[9]	France	Stirling County Referee: Federica Guerzoni (Italy)
			Tries: Ba 20' Bouisset 38' Mignot 43' De Nadai 60' Pen: Bailon 33'

Rearranged fixture

Test no. 928 2012-03-03	Ireland	36–0[10]	Wales	Ashbourne RFC
	Tries: Joy Neville Sophie Spence Niamh Kavanagh Alison Miller Gillian Bourke Ashleigh Baxter Cons: Niamh Briggs (3)

Week 4

Test no. 929 2012-03-09	Ireland	20–0[11]	Scotland	Ashbourne RFC Referee: Sylvie Bros (FRA)
	Tries: Sophie Spence 5' Ashleigh Baxter Alison Miller Conv: Niamh Briggs 5' Pen: Niamh Briggs

Test no. 930 2012-03-10	Wales	30–13[12]	Italy	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
	Tries: Elen Evans Clare Flowers Naomi Thomas (2) Cons: Laura Prosser (2) Pens: Prosser (2)		Try: Michaela Esta Con: Michela Tondinelli Pens: Tondinelli (2)

Test no. 931 2012-03-11	France	3–15[13]	England	Stade Charlety, Paris
	Pen: Bailon		Tries: Scarratt Wilson Conv: McLean Pen: Scarratt

Week 5

Test no. 932 2012-03-17	England	23–6	Ireland	Esher RFC
	Tries: McLean Turner Convs: McLean (2) Pens: McLean (2) Scarratt		Pens: Briggs (2)

Test no. 933 2012-03-18	Italy	29–12	Scotland	Pagani Stadium, Rovato, near Brescia
	Tries: Furlan 8' Gaudino 22' Chindamo 38' Castellarin 40+4' Gai 78' Conv Schiavon 38', 44'		Tries: Harris 55' Dixon 72' Conv: Ritchie 55'

Test no. 934 2012-03-18	Wales	0–31	France	Cross Keys
			Tries: Mignot (2) Forlani Ladagnous Portaries Cons: Bailon Tremouliere (2)

Leading scorers

Point scorers

Points	Name	Team	Notes
34	Emily Scarratt	England	4 tries, 4 cons, 2 pens
27	Niamh Briggs	Ireland	9 cons, 3 pens
25	Michaela Staniford	England	5 tries
22	Katy McLean	England	1 try, 4 cons, 3 pens
15	Aurelie Bailon	France	3 conv, 3 pen
15	Caroline Ladagnous	France	3 tries
15	Niamh Kavanagh	Ireland	3 tries
13	Aurelie Bailon	France	2 cons, 3 pens
11	Michela Tondinelli	Italy	1 con, 2 pen, 1 drop

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Notes

1. After 40 minutes due to a frozen pitch, Ireland leading 10–3
2. Official Six Nations website match report
3. Official Six Nations website match report
4. Official Six Nations website match report
5. Official Six Nations website match report
6. Official Six Nations website match report
7. Ireland's highest ever points total in the Six Nations
8. Official Six Nations website match report
9. Official Six Nations website match report
10. Ireland's largest ever margin of victory in the Six Nations
11. Match report
12. Match report
13. Match report

External links

• The official RBS Six Nations Site