Grand Slam (rugby union) explained

In rugby union, a Grand Slam[1] occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship (or its Five Nations predecessor) beats all the others during one year's competition. This has been achieved 42 times in total, for the first time by Wales in 1908, and most recently by the Irish team in 2023. The team with the most Grand Slams is England with 13.It can also apply to the U20 and Women's Six Nations Championships.

In another context, a Grand Slam tour refers to a touring side – South Africa, Australia or New Zealand – which plays fixtures against all four home nations (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) during their tour. If the tourists win all of those matches, they are said to have achieved a Grand Slam. This has been done nine times, first by South Africa in 1912–13, and most recently by New Zealand in 2010.

Five and Six Nations Grand Slams

In the annual Six Nations Championship (among England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy), and its predecessor the Five Nations Championship (before Italy joined in 2000), a Grand Slam occurs when one team beats all of the others during one year's competition.[2] The Grand Slam winners are awarded the Six Nations trophy (as tournament winners), but there is no special grand slam trophy  - the Grand Slam is an informal honour recognising a Championship-winning team which has won all their games.

A Grand Slam was therefore available in a total of 97 seasons to date. Grand Slams have been achieved 42 times  - 13 by England, 12 by Wales, 10 by France, 4 by Ireland and 3 by Scotland. (Italy, involved in the tournament since 2000, have yet to win a Grand Slam.)

Two consecutive Grand Slams have been won by Wales in 1908–1909, by England in 1913–1914, 1923–1924 and 1991–1992, and by France in 1997–1998. No team has yet achieved three consecutive Grand Slams.

Prior to 2000, each team played four matches, two at home and two away from home. Following the inclusion of Italy in 2000, each team plays five matches, two at home and three away in one year, and the opposite in the following season. When Wales won the Grand Slam in 2005, it was the first time that the feat had been achieved by a team that had played more matches away than at home. This was repeated by Ireland in 2009 and 2023, by England in 2016, and by Wales in 2019.

Since 2017, the Six Nations Championship has used bonus points. A team that wins the Grand Slam will get three bonus points.[3] This eliminates the possibility of a Grand Slam winner losing the championship on bonus points.

The introduction of bonus points has also led to the possibility of a team achieving a Super Grand Slam or Perfect Grand Slam of five bonus point wins. To date, no team has achieved this feat. A related concept is the Simple Grand Slam or Boring Grand Slam, where a team wins all five of their games without achieving a four try bonus in any of them. Wales achieved this feat in 2019.

Table of Grand Slam winners

width=100Nationwidth=30 align=centerGrand SlamsGrand Slam winning seasons
131913, 1914, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1928, 1957, 1980, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2003, 2016
121908, 1909, 1911, 1950, 1952, 1971, 1976, 1978, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2019
101968, 1977, 1981, 1987, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2010, 2022
41948, 2009, 2018, 2023
31925, 1984, 1990
0

Chronological list of Grand Slam winners

Year Team Notes
Home Nations Championship
1908
  • see note above
1909
  • see note above
Five Nations Championship
1911Also with the Triple Crown.
1913Also with the Triple Crown.
1914Already won the Triple Crown.
1915–19No tournament due to World War I
1921Already won the Triple Crown.
1923Already won the Triple Crown.
1924Also won the Triple Crown.
1925Also won the Triple Crown.
1928Also won the Triple Crown.
1932–39France was suspended from the Five Nations Championship
1940–46No tournament due to World War II
1948Also won the Triple Crown.
1950Already won the Triple Crown.
1952Already won the Triple Crown.
1957Already won the Triple Crown.
1968
1971Already won the Triple Crown.
1976Already won the Triple Crown.
1977
1978Already won the Triple Crown.
1980Also won the Triple Crown.
1981
1984Already won the Triple Crown.
1987
1990Also won the Triple Crown.
1991Already won the Triple Crown.
1992Also won the Triple Crown.
1995Also won the Triple Crown.
1997
1998
Six Nations Championship
2002
2003Also won the Triple Crown.
2004
2005Also won the Triple Crown.
2008Already won the Triple Crown.
2009Also won the Triple Crown.
2010
2012Already won the Triple Crown.
2016Already won the Triple Crown.
2018Also won the Triple Crown.
2019Also won the Triple Crown.
2022
2023Also won the Triple Crown.

Grand Slam tours

A Grand Slam tour is one in which a touring national team from,, or plays Test matches against all four home nations (and). If the tourists win all four of these games, they are said to have achieved a Grand Slam.

Some Grand Slam tours also include a Test match against ; South Africa achieved a "Five Nations Grand Slam" in 1912–13 and 1951–52.

Grand Slams by touring teams have been achieved nine times: four times each by South Africa and New Zealand, and once by Australia.

Australia is the only country to have lost against all four home nations during a Grand Slam tour, on their 1957–58 tour. Australia also lost to France on that tour.

After 1984, Southern Hemisphere sides started to tour the British Isles more frequently, but to play fewer Tests on each tour, and thus there were no Grand Slam tours between 1984 and 1998. However, since 1998 Grand Slam tours have again become quite common, as the number of Tests on each tour has increased. The All Blacks' tours of 2005 and 2008 were originally planned to include only three Test matches; the late inclusion of matches against Wales and England respectively turned these into Grand Slam tours.

Grand Slams achieved by touring sides

1912–13, 1931–32, 1951–52, 1960–61
1984

Grand Slam tours

YearTeamAchievedW–D–LScores
3–0–1align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc15–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc15–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc12–7align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc0–3
1906–072–1–1align=center bgcolor=#ffffcc3–3align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc15–12align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc0–6align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc11–0
1912–134–0–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc9–3align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc38–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc16–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc3–0
1927–282–0–2align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc11–18align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc5–3align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc8–10align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc18–8
1931–324–0–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc7–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc8–3align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc6–3align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc8–3
1935–362–0–2align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc0–13align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc17–9align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc18–8align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc12–13
1939–40align=center colspan=6Cancelled due to World War II
1947–483–0–1align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc11–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc16–3align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc16–7align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc0–6
1951–524–0–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc8–3align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc17–5align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc44–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc6–3
1953–543–0–1align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc5–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc14–3align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc3–0align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc8–13
1957–580–0–4align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc6–9align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc6–9align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc8–12align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc3–9
1960–614–0–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc5–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc8–3align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc12–5align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc3–0
1963–643–1–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc14–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc6–5align=center bgcolor=#ffffcc0–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc6–0
1966–672–0–2align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc23–11align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc8–15align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc5–11align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc14–11
1969–700–2–2align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc8–11align=center bgcolor=#ffffcc8–8align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc3–6align=center bgcolor=#ffffcc6–6
1972–733–1–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc9–0align=center bgcolor=#ffffcc10–10align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc14–9align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc19–16
1975–761–0–3align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc6–23align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc20–10align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc3–10align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc3–28
19784–0–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc16–6align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc10–6align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc18–9align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc13–12
1981–821–0–3align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc11–15align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc16–12align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc15–24align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc13–18
19844–0–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc19–3align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc16–9align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc37–12align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc28–9
19983–0–1align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc7–13align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc27–13align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc35–10align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc28–20
20042–0–2align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc16–32align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc12–17align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc45–10align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc38–36
20054–0–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc23–19align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc45–7align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc29–10align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc41–3
20084–0–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc32–6align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc22–3align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc32–6align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc29–9
20092–1–1align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc18–9align=center bgcolor=#ffffcc20–20align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc8–9align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc33–12
align=center rowspan=220104–0–0align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc26–16align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc38–18align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc49–3align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc37–25
3–0–1align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc21–11align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc23–21align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc17–21align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc29–25
20133–0–1align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc13–20align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc32–15align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc21–15align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc30–26
20162–0–2align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc21–37align=center bgcolor=#ffcccc24–27align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc23–22align=center bgcolor=#ccffcc32–8
2024colspan=6
TotalYes 9–76–6–3017–1–1021–3–418–1–920–1–7

The Rugby Championship

Year Team Notes
Tri Nations Series
1996
1997
1998
2003
2010
The Rugby Championship
2012
2013
2015Only played three games due to the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
2016
2017
2023Only played three games due to the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Rugby Europe Championship

Year Team Notes
FIRA Tournament
1938
FIRA Nations Cup
1965–66
1966–67
1967–68
1968–69
1969–70
1970–71
1971–72
1972–73
FIRA Trophy
1973–74
1975–76
1976–77
1977–78
1978–79
1979–80
1980–81
1982–83
1983–84
1984–85
As two-year cycled championship
1986–87France won in 1986.
1988–89France won in 1989.
1991–92France won in 1991 and 1992.
European Nations Cup First Division
2001
2002
As two-year cycled championship
2003–04Portugal won in 2003.
2007–08Georgia won in 2008.
2011–12Georgia won in 2011.
2013–14Georgia won in 2014.
2015–16Georgia won in 2015 and 2016.
Rugby Europe Championship
2018
2019
2020
2021

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. (Irish: Caithréim Mhór. Welsh: Y Gamp Lawn. French: Grand Chelem)
  2. Web site: History. sixnationsrugby.com. 2017-08-09. 2019-10-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20191009133714/https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/championship/history.php. dead.
  3. News: Bonus points system to be trialled in Six Nations. 30 November 2016. BreakingNews.ie. 30 November 2016.

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