GRAND SLAM (RUGBY UNION)

(Redirected from Grand Slam (Rugby Union))
A 'Grand Slam' can be completed in two ways in rugby union.

Contents

Six Nations Championship

Grand Slam Tour

See also

External links

Six Nations Championship

In the Six Nations Championship and its predecessors, a grand slam is where one team beats all their opponents during one year's competition. There is no official trophy for this achievement.
The term was probably first used in 1957 when ''The Times'' used the expression ‘Grand Slam’ to describe England's four wins in the (then) Five Nations Tournament.
No team has ever won three consecutive Grand Slams. Three teams, Wales in 1908/1909, England in 1913/1914, 1923/1924 and 1991/1992 and France in 1997/1998 have won two consecutive Grand Slams. In 2005, Wales became the first team ever to win the Grand Slam while playing more matches away than at home.
There have been 23 Grand Slam titles since the end of the second world war. France winning 8, followed by 6 each from England and Wales. Scotland have won the Grand Slam two times and Ireland once.
In France it is called ''Le Grand Chelem''.

Grand Slams
Team	Competitions
align=left	1913, 1914, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1928, 1957, 1980, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2003 (12 times)
align=left	1908, 1909, 1911, 1950, 1952, 1971, 1976, 1978, 2005 (9 times)
align=left	1968, 1977, 1981, 1987, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004 (8 times)
align=left	1925, 1984, 1990 (3 times)
align=left	1948 (1 time)
align=left

1882-1907	Not possible due to France not taking part in the championship
1908
1909
1910	Not achieved
1911
1912	Not achieved
1913
1914
1915-19	Not held due to World War I
1920	Not achieved
1921
1922	Not achieved
1923
1924
1925
1926-27	Not achieved
1928
1929-31	Not achieved
1932-39	Not possible due to French suspension from the championship
1940–46	Not held due to World War II
1947	Not achieved
1948
1949	Not achieved
1950
1951	Not achieved
1952
1953-56	Not achieved
1957
1958-67	Not achieved
1968
1969-70	Not achieved
1971
1972-75	Not achieved
1976
1977
1978
1979	Not achieved
1980
1981
1982-83	Not achieved
1984
1985-86	Not achieved
1987
1988-89	Not achieved
1990
1991
1992
1993-94	Not achieved
1995
1996	Not achieved
1997
1998
1999-2001	Not achieved
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006-07	Not achieved

A similar concept is the Triple Crown. If one of the Home Nations (England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland) manages to beat the other three, they win the Triple Crown. This was achieved in 2007 by .

Grand Slam Tour

A grand slam tour is one that takes in test matches against each of the four Home nations
(England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland).
If the touring side manage to win all four games they are said to have won the grand slam. This feat has been achieved once by Australia, twice by New Zealand and four times by South Africa.

align=left	1912/13, 1931/32, 1951/52, 1960/61
align=left	1978, 2005
align=left	1984

See also

★ Six Nations Championship

★ Triple Crown

★ Wooden Spoon

External links

★ BBC News article on past Grand Slam tours

★ The Official Six Nations Site