2010 Six Nations Championship

2010 Six Nations Championship
Date	6 February 2010 – 20 March 2010
Countries	England  France  Ireland  Italy  Scotland  Wales
Tournament statistics
Champions	France (17th title)
Grand Slam	France (9th title)
Millennium Trophy	Ireland
Centenary Quaich	Scotland
Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy	France
Matches played	15
Attendance	1,055,268 (70,351 per match)
Top point scorer(s)	Stephen Jones (63)
Top try scorer(s)	Keith Earls (3) Tommy Bowe (3) James Hook (3) Shane Williams (3)
Player of the tournament	Tommy Bowe
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The 2010 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2010 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 11th series of the Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition between the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams. The tournament was held between 6 February and 20 March 2010.

The tournament was the 11th in the Six Nations format, after the addition of Italy in 2000. Before then, the competition was known as the Home Nations Championship and the Five Nations. The 2010 Six Nations Championship was the 116th Northern Hemisphere rugby union championship.

The championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. France won the tournament, achieving a final 12–10 victory over England to win the Grand Slam, their first since 2004 and ninth overall (including six in the Five Nations).^[1][2] This was also their seventeenth outright victory, including twelve victories in the Five Nations, excluding eight titles shared with other countries. France also retained the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy by defeating Italy in the tournament, to whom they had (then) never lost within the Six Nations.

Ireland, 2009 Grand Slam winners, came second with three victories and two defeats. Despite defeating England and Wales, Ireland failed to win the Triple Crown after a 23–20 defeat to Scotland in their final match.^[3] England and Wales came third and fourth respectively with two victories each, while Scotland and Italy finished in fifth and sixth positions for the third tournament in a row. Both teams achieved just one victory each, with Scotland also recording a draw in the Calcutta Cup match against England to place ahead of Italy.

Summary

Scrum between Scotland, left, and France, right, 7 February 2010. France won the match 18–9.

Line-out between England, in white, and Italy, in blue, 14 February 2010. England won the match 17–12.

The reigning champions on entering the 2009 tournament were Ireland, who won the Grand Slam and Triple Crown in 2009.

Ireland did not win the Triple Crown in 2010 due to a surprise 23–20 loss to Scotland in the final Six Nations match at Croke Park on 20 March, with Scotland avoiding their third "wooden spoon" since 2004 in the process. Brian O'Driscoll had opened the scoring in the 11th minute and Ireland were level with Scotland in the 64th minute after Tommy Bowe scored a try, with substitute Ronan O'Gara converting. Scotland's Johnnie Beattie scored his team's first try since they played Wales in their second game and Dan Parks scored a penalty in the final minute to prevent Ireland winning the Triple Crown.^[4] Ireland coach Declan Kidney described it as "not our greatest day".^[5]

Ireland's previous match – a 27–12 victory over Wales on 13 March – had seen O'Driscoll achieve 100 caps for his country.^[6] Ireland's previous match against England had seen John Hayes achieve 100 caps for his country, the first player to do so for Ireland.^[7][8]

Ireland's loss to Scotland meant France had won the Championship but could still achieve the Grand Slam by beating England in their final game at the Stade de France on 20 March.^[9] The Grand Slam was achieved by France following a 12–10 victory in this game. It was France's first Grand Slam since 2004.^[10] England scored the only try of the game.^[11] Jonny Wilkinson was not included in the England starting team for only the third time in his career.^[12][13] Bryce Lawrence from New Zealand refereed the game.^[14]

The nominations for "Player of the Championship" were announced on 17 March; these were Tommy Bowe (Ireland), Mathieu Bastareaud, Morgan Parra, Thierry Dusautoir, Imanol Harinordoquy (all France) and Shane Williams (Wales). Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll, who had won the award in three of the four previous seasons, was not included this time.^[15] Tommy Bowe was named as the player of the championship on 25 March, having polled nearly 50% of the fan votes.^[16]

Participants

The teams involved were:

Nation	Home stadium	City	Head coach	Captain
England	Twickenham	London	Martin Johnson	Steve Borthwick/Lewis Moody
France	Stade de France	Saint-Denis	Marc Lièvremont	Thierry Dusautoir
Ireland	Croke Park[N 1]	Dublin	Declan Kidney	Brian O'Driscoll
Italy	Stadio Flaminio	Rome	Nick Mallett	Leonardo Ghiraldini[N 2]
Scotland	Murrayfield	Edinburgh	Andy Robinson	Mike Blair/Chris Cusiter
Wales	Millennium Stadium	Cardiff	Warren Gatland	Ryan Jones

1. The Aviva Stadium (replacing Lansdowne Road) did not open until May 2010, following the redevelopment of the site.
2. Italy's normal captain, Sergio Parisse, was ruled out of the 2010 Six Nations due to a torn ACL suffered in a training session during the November 2009 test series.^[17]

Squads

Table

Position	Nation	Games				Points				Table points
		Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Difference	Tries
1	France	5	5	0	0	135	69	+66	13	10
2	Ireland	5	3	0	2	106	95	+11	11	6
3	England	5	2	1	2	88	76	+12	6	5
4	Wales	5	2	0	3	113	117	−4	10	4
5	Scotland	5	1	1	3	83	100	−17	3	3
6	Italy	5	1	0	4	69	137	−68	5	2

Fixtures and results

The schedule for the 2010 Championship was released on 2 April 2009.^[18] Following the success of the tournament's first Friday night game, between France and Wales in the 2009 Championship, the organisers scheduled the reverse fixture to also be played on a Friday night.^[19]

'c' and 'm' following a try denote 'converted' and 'missed conversion' respectively.

Week 1

6 February 2010 14:30 GMT

Ireland	29–11	Italy
Try: Heaslip 15' c O'Leary 35' c Con: O'Gara (2/2) Pen: O'Gara (4/4) 9', 27', 32', 46' P. Wallace (1/1) 67'	Report	Try: Robertson 39' m Pen: Gower (1/1) 26' Mi. Bergamasco (1/1) 44'

Croke Park, Dublin Attendance: 77,686 Referee: Romain Poîte (France)

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6 February 2010 17:00 GMT

England	30–17	Wales
Try: Haskell (2) 40' c, 75' c Care 44' c Con: Wilkinson (3/3) Pen: Wilkinson (3/3) 11', 35', 79'	Report	Try: A. Jones 49' c Hook 71' c Con: S. Jones (2/2) Pen: S. Jones (1/2) 27'

Twickenham, London Attendance: 81,406 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)

• England wore a special kit to celebrate the centenary of the first international match – England v Wales – at Twickenham Stadium.^[20]
• Dan Cole (England) made his international debut.

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7 February 2010 15:00 GMT

Scotland	9–18	France
Pen: Paterson (3/3) 9', 30', 52'	Report	Try: Bastareaud (2) 14' m, 33' c Con: Parra (1/2) Pen: Parra (2/3) 28', 44'

Murrayfield, Edinburgh Attendance: 65,687 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

• Luc Ducalcon (France) made his international debut.

Week 2

13 February 2010 14:00 GMT

Wales	31–24	Scotland
Try: Byrne 56' m Halfpenny 77' c S. Williams 80+1' c Con: S. Jones (2/3) Pen: S. Jones (4/5) 15', 23', 39', 79'	Report	Try: Barclay 9' c M. Evans 20' m Con: Paterson (1/2) Pen: Parks (2/2) 26', 41' Drop: Parks (2/4) 18', 66'

Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 74,133 Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)

• Chris Paterson became the 13th player in history with at least 100 international appearances. His missed conversion ended a personal streak of 35 consecutive successful kicks at goal in the Six Nations, dating back to 2007.^[21]

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13 February 2010 16:30 GMT

France	33–10	Ireland
Try: Servat 27' c Jauzion 31' c Poitrenaud 59' c Con: Parra (3/3) Pen: Parra (2/3) 17', 68' Drop: Parra (1/1) 62' Michalak (1/1) 78'	Report	Try: D. Wallace 64' c Con: O'Gara (1/1) Pen: O'Gara (1/1) 29'

Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 79,289 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)

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14 February 2010 14:30 GMT

Italy	12–17	England
Pen: Mi. Bergamasco (4/5)	Report	Try: Tait 44' m Pen: Wilkinson (3/5) Drop: Wilkinson (1/1) 74'

Stadio Flaminio, Rome Attendance: 31,876 Referee: Christophe Berdos (France)

• Jonny Wilkinson's two missed penalties ended a personal streak of consecutive successful penalty kicks in any international which he has started, dating back to 2003.^[22]
• Matt Mullan (England) made his international debut.

Week 3

26 February 2010 20:00 GMT

Wales	20 – 26	France
Try: Halfpenny 62' c S. Williams 79' c Con: S. Jones (2/2) Pen: S. Jones (2/2) 45', 49'	Report	Try: Palisson 6' c Trinh-Duc 40' c Con: Parra (2/2) Pen: Parra (3/3) 19', 26', 78' Michalak (1/1) 71'

Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 73,767 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)

• Marc Andreu (France) made his international debut.

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27 February 2010 13:30 GMT

Italy	16 – 12	Scotland
Try: Canavosio 64' c Con: Mi. Bergamasco (1/1) Pen: Mi. Bergamasco (3/3) 10', 14', 43'	Report	Pen: Parks (3/4) 22', 33', 64' Drop: Parks 49'

Stadio Flaminio, Rome Attendance: 32,000 Referee: Dave Pearson (England)

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27 February 2010 16:00 GMT

England	16 – 20	Ireland
Try: Cole 61' c Con: Wilkinson (1/1) Pen: Wilkinson (2/5) 15', 36' Drop: Wilkinson (1/3) 70'	Report	Try: Bowe (2) 4' m, 75' c Earls 56' m Con: O'Gara (1/1) Pen: Sexton (1/3) 29'

Twickenham, London Attendance: 81,554 Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa)

• John Hayes became the first Irish player to earn 100 international caps for his country.^[23]

Week 4

13 March 2010 14:30 GMT

Ireland	27–12	Wales
Try: Earls (2) 27' m, 60' m O'Leary 31' m Pen: Sexton (3/4) 16', 21', 50' Drop: Sexton (1/1) 76'	Report	Pen: S. Jones (4/5) 9', 38', 54', 63'

Croke Park, Dublin Attendance: 81,340 Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)

• Brian O'Driscoll became the second Irishman to reach 100 caps for his country.^[24]

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13 March 2010 17:00 GMT

Scotland	15–15	England
Pen: Parks (4/6) 6', 18', 50', 68' Drop: Parks (1/2) 39'	Report	Pen: Wilkinson (3/3) 14', 30', 41' Flood (2/4) 49', 64'

Murrayfield, Edinburgh Attendance: 66,891 Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)

• Ben Youngs (England) made his international debut.

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14 March 2010 14:30 GMT

France	46–20	Italy
Try: Harinordoquy 5' c Marty (2) 17' c, 25' m Andreu 51' c Jauzion 56' c Lapandry 65' c Con: Parra (5/6) Pen: Parra (2/3) 10', 41'	Report	Try: Del Fava 68' c Canavosio 72' c Con: Mi. Bergamasco (2/2) Pen: Mi. Bergamasco (2/2) 35', 44'

Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 78,712 Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland)

Week 5

20 March 2010 14:30 GMT

Wales	33–10	Italy
Try: Hook (2) 52' c, 57' c S. Williams 68' c Con: S. Jones (3/3) Pen: S. Jones (4/4) 8', 22', 33', 36'	Report	Try: McLean 75' c Con: Mi. Bergamasco (1/1) 75' Pen: Mi. Bergamasco (1/2) 65'

Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 70,548 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)

• Tom Prydie became the youngest Test cap in Welsh rugby history, at the age of 18 years, 25 days.^[25]

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20 March 2010 17:00 GMT

Ireland	20–23	Scotland
Try: O'Driscoll 11' c Bowe 64' c Con: Sexton (1/1) O'Gara (1/1) Pen: Sexton (1/3) 51' O'Gara (1/1) 76'	Report	Try: Beattie 15' m Pen: Parks (5/6) 5', 37', 46', 73', 78' Drop: Parks (1/2) 40'+1'

Croke Park, Dublin Attendance: 80,313 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)

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20 March 2010 19:45 GMT

France	12–10	England
Pen: Parra (3/4) 19', 25', 35' Drop: Trinh-Duc (1/1) 3'	Report	Try: Foden 6' c Con: Flood (1/1) Pen: Wilkinson (1/1) 67'

Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 80,066 Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)

• Chris Ashton (England) made his international debut.

Top scorers

Try scorers Tries Name Pld Team 3 Keith Earls 5  Ireland Tommy Bowe 5  Ireland James Hook 5  Wales Shane Williams 5  Wales 2 James Haskell 5  England Mathieu Bastareaud 5  France Yannick Jauzion 5  France David Marty 5  France Pablo Canavosio 4  Italy Leigh Halfpenny 4  Wales Tomás O'Leary 5  Ireland

Points scorers Points Name Pld Team 63 Stephen Jones 5  Wales 61 Morgan Parra 5  France 57 Dan Parks 4  Scotland 50 Jonny Wilkinson 5  England 41 Mirco Bergamasco 5  Italy 28 Ronan O'Gara 5  Ireland 20 Jonathan Sexton 4  Ireland 15 Keith Earls 5  Ireland Tommy Bowe 5  Ireland Shane Williams 5  Wales James Hook 5  Wales

References

1. Ackford, Paul (20 March 2010). "France 12 England 10: match report". Telegraph (London). Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
2. Jones, Stephen (20 March 2010). "France 12 England 10". The Times (London). Retrieved 20 March 2010.
3. O'Reilly, Peter (20 March 2010). "Ireland 20 Scotland 23". The Times (London). Retrieved 20 March 2010.
4. "Scots dash Ireland's Triple Crown dream". RTÉ Sport. 20 March 2010. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
5. "'Not our greatest day' – Declan Kidney". RTÉ Sport. 20 March 2010. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
6. "Ireland 27–12 Wales". RTÉ Sport. 13 March 2010. Archived from the original on 17 March 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
7. "John Hayes expects huge English challenge". RTÉ Sport. 25 February 2010. Archived from the original on 8 April 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
8. Mairs, Gavin (25 February 2010). "Six Nations 2010: John Hayes looks beyond century of Ireland caps to World Cup". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 20 March 2010.
9. Bolton, Paul (21 March 2010). "Six Nations 2010: England's Martin Johnson questions referee after defeat to France". The Daily Telegraph (London). Archived from the original on 24 March 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
10. "France crowned Six Nations champions". RTÉ Sport. 20 March 2010. Archived from the original on 24 March 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
11. Jones, Stephen (21 March 2010). "Pressure grows on Rob Andrew despite improved display". The Sunday Times (London). Retrieved 21 March 2010.
12. "Jonny Wilkinson dropped by England". RTÉ Sport. 17 March 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
13. Kitson, Robert (18 March 2010). "Martin Johnson drops Jonny Wilkinson from England team to play France". The Guardian (London). Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
14. Davis, Toby (20 March 2010). "UPDATE 1-Rugby-Nations-France 12 England 10 – result". Reuters. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
15. "Tommy Bowe nominated for player of 6 Nations". RTÉ Sport. 17 March 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
16. "Ireland's Tommy Bowe is named player of Six Nations". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 25 March 2010. Archived from the original on 26 March 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
17. "Sergio Parisse ruled out of Italy's Six Nations campaign after injury". guardian.co.uk (London: Guardian News and Media). 27 November 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
18. "RBS Six Nations Fixtures and Results". rbs6nations.com. Six Nations Rugby. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
19. "Wales host France in Friday clash". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 2 April 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
20. Evans, Jonathan (3 February 2010). "England strip back to good old days (when they won)". Western Mail (Media Wales). Archived from the original on 9 February 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
21. Scrum.com
22. "Six Nations – Italy v England as it happened". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 14 February 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
23. "Ireland players and coaches dedicate win to John Hayes". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 27 February 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
24. "O'Leary inspires Ireland victory over Wales". RBS 6 Nations. 13 March 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
25. "Tom Prydie to become Wales' youngest Test player". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 16 March 2010. Archived from the original on 17 March 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2010.

External links

• Official site
• 2010 Six Nations Championship Coverage at the Guardian