1996 Five Nations Championship

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. 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.

1996 Five Nations Championship
Date20 January - 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 played10
Tries scored30 (3 per match)
Top point scorer(s) Paul Grayson (64 points)
Top try scorer(s) Michael Dods
Émile Ntamack (3 tries)
1995 (Previous) (Next) 1997

Scotland missed out on a fourth Grand Slam after losing to England at Murrayfield, this was the second successive season Scotland lost out on a Grand Slam.

Participants

The teams involved were:

Nation Venue City Head coach Captain
 England Twickenham London Jack Rowell Will Carling
 France Parc des Princes Paris Jean-Claude Skrela Philippe Saint-André
 Ireland Lansdowne Road Dublin Murray Kidd Jim Staples/Niall Hogan
 Scotland Murrayfield Edinburgh Jim Telfer Rob Wainwright
 Wales National Stadium Cardiff Kevin Bowring Jonathan Humphreys

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
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)
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