1977 Five Nations Championship
The 1977 Five Nations Championship was the forty-eighth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the eighty-third series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between 15 January and 19 March.
| 1977 Five Nations Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 15 January - 19 March 1977 | ||
| Countries |  England Ireland France Scotland.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Wales | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Champions | France (6th title) | ||
| Grand Slam | France (2nd title) | ||
| Triple Crown | Wales (14th title) | ||
| Calcutta Cup | England | ||
| Matches played | 10 | ||
| Tries scored | 25 (2.5 per match) | ||
| Top point scorer(s) | Phil Bennett (33) | ||
| Top try scorer(s) | Bill Gammell (2) J.P.R. Williams (2) | ||
| |||
France won the championship for the sixth time outright. Including shared titles this was France's tenth championship overall. France won the Grand Slam for the second time and did so with the same fifteen players in all four matches (a unique feat for a Grand Slam winner) and without conceding a try.[1][2] England, in 1913, are the only other Grand Slam winners not to concede a try.[3] France also registered the lowest points total, 58, of any Grand Slam winner in the four point-try era (1972–92).[2] Wales won the Triple Crown for the second consecutive season and the fourteenth time overall, equalling England's record of Triple Crown wins. They were the first Triple Crown winners to finish as runners-up in the championship.[1]
The third game of the tournament — France v. Wales in Paris — was the subject of the 1978 film Grand Slam; the ending had to be rewritten when Wales unexpectedly lost.[4]
Participants
The teams involved were:
| Nation | Venue | City | Head coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England |
Twickenham | London | Peter Colston | Roger Uttley |
| France |
Parc des Princes | Paris | Jean Desclaux | Jacques Fouroux |
| Ireland |
Lansdowne Road | Dublin | Roly Meates | Tom Grace |
| Scotland |
Murrayfield | Edinburgh | Bill Dickinson | Ian McGeechan |
| Wales |
National Stadium | Cardiff | John Dawes | Phil Bennett |
Table
| Position | Nation | Games | Points | Table points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Difference | |||
| 1 | France |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 21 | +37 | 8 |
| 2 | Wales |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 66 | 43 | +23 | 6 |
| 3 | England |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 42 | 24 | +18 | 4 |
| 4 | Scotland |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 39 | 85 | −46 | 2 |
| 5 | Ireland |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 33 | 65 | −32 | 0 |
Squads
Results
1977-01-15 |
| Wales |
25–9 | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Burgess Davies J.P.R. Williams Con.: Bennett (2) Pen.: Bennett (2) Drops: Fenwick |
Pen.: Gibson (3) |
1977-01-15 |
| England |
26–6 | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Kent Slemen Uttley Young Con.: Hignell (2) Pen.: Hignell (2) |
Pen.: Irvine (2) |
1977-02-19 |
| Scotland |
21–18 | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Gammell (2) Madsen Pen.: Irvine (2) Drops: Morgan |
Tries: Gibson Con.: Gibson Pen.: Gibson (2) Quinn Drops: Quinn |
1977-03-05 |
| France |
23–3 | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Bertranne Harize Paco Paparemborde Con.: Romeu (2) Pen.: Romeu |
Pen.: Irvine (3) |
References
- (Jenkins, p57)
- Seeckts, Richard. "A frugal French victory". espnscrum.com. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- Griffiths, John. "A watertight defence". espn.co.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
- Owen, Roger (15 September 2013). Gwenlyn Parry. University of Wales Press. ISBN 9780708326633 – via Google Books.
- Jenkins, Vivian (1977). Rothmans Rugby Yearbook 1977-78. Macdonald and Jane's. pp. 57–68. ISBN 0-354-09020-8.
External links
| Preceded by 1976 Five Nations |
Five Nations Championship 1977 |
Succeeded by 1978 Five Nations |