The 2016 Six Nations Championship began on the 6th of February with Italy taking on France. England kicked off their campaign against Scotland and have been invincible since.They are on the verge of completing something special this year. One more victory and they will complete the 'Grand Slam' this year.
History of Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations
Championship is one of the most prestigious international rugby
tournaments. It is an annual Rugby Union tournament played between six top
European nations: England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France and Italy. The Six
Nations competition started in the year of 2000, following the Five Nations
completion, which preceded it. The Five Nations Championship became the Six
Nations Championship with the inclusion of Italy as one of the participating
teams. England leads the all-time
Six Nations table in terms of the maximum number of victories. Ireland is
sitting in second place, trying to bridge the gap between first and
second.
Trophies & Accolades
There are a lot of personal battles and accolades within
this major tournament. The team which wins all its matches is deemed to have
won a ‘Grand Slam.’ Since the inception of the Six Nations Championship, England has achieved this milestone
only once, and that’s in 2003. France and Wales have achieved this crown three
times each, with Ireland “winning” it once. There is another such accolade
known as the ‘Triple Crown’ trophy.
This trophy can be won by only England,
Ireland, Wales or Scotland if one of these nations wins all three of their
matches against the others. The team which finishes at the bottom of the table
is deemed to have “won” the ‘Wooden
Spoon.’ A very traditional personal battle during this tournament takes
places when England faces their bitter
rivals, Scotland. This contest is called the ‘Calcutta Cup.’ This trophy is named the ‘Calcutta Cup’ as it was
made from Silver Indian Rupees which were melted down. The ‘Millennium Trophy’ is an award
contested by Ireland and England in the Six Nations Championship. This started
as a result of the millennial celebrations which took place in Dublin.
Rules & Regulations
This tournament is played once a year between the six
mentioned nations. Matches are held in each of the member nations, with the
home ground advantage shifting from one year to the next. The format of the
championship is simple: each team play the other teams once. Two points are
rewarded for a victory, one for a draw, and zero for a loss. Initially, if two
nations end the championship on the same number of match points, they would share
the trophy. However, since 1994, if any such scenario occurs, point difference
of the teams is taken into consideration. If there is a tie in both match
points and point difference, the number of tries scored by a team is used as a
measure to declare the winner.
2016 Championship
This year is the 17th edition of Six Nations Championship. This
was England’s first major tournament since the appointment of new head coach Eddie Jones. The Australian replaced Stuart Lancaster in November 2015, and
has rallied the troops and made them a serious force to play against, in the
rugby world. England was crowned
champions this year with a round of games left to play. England kicked off
their 2016 campaign against Scotland at the Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.
They came out victorious on that day and claimed the ‘Calcutta Cup.’ In the
second round, England thrashed the Italians 40-9 at the Olympic Stadium in
Rome. In the third round, England
hosted defending champions Ireland at Twickenham. They won this comfortably
too. In the much awaited clash against arch rivals Wales, England claimed
victory 25-21. This game experienced a crazy atmosphere at Twickenham, with England
claiming victory in a nail biting finish. With other results going their way, England
ended up at the right side of the points table and clinched the title on that
day. This was their first championship since they last won it in 2011. This
year’s Six Nations experienced a first since its start. It is the first time
that the team which would be crowned winners, and the team which would finish
at the bottom, were decided before the final day. Owen Farrell and James
Haskell have been instrumental in England’s 2016 campaign, with the former
being the top point scorer in the tournament.
