Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
A
Grand Slam can completed in two ways in
rugby union.
In the
Six Nations Championship, a grand slam is where one team beats all their opponents during one year's competition.
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. 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 twice and
Ireland Once.
In France it is called
Le Grand Chelem.
| 1913, 1914, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1928, 1957, 1980, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2003 |
| 1968, 1977, 1981, 1987, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004 |
| 1911, 1950, 1952, 1971, 1976, 1978, 2005 |
| 1925, 1984, 1990 |
| 1948 |
| |
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.
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.
*
Six Nations Championship*
Triple Crown*
Wooden Spoon*
BBC News article on past Grand Slam tours*
The Official Six Nations Site 
