1988 Five Nations Championship

The 1988 Five Nations Championship was the 59th series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the ninety–fourth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played over five weekends between 16 January and 19 March. Wales and France were declared joint winners with six points each; it was the last time the Championship was shared between two or more nations as the rule was changed in 1994 to prevent this happening again.[1]

1988 Five Nations Championship
Date16 January – 19 March 1988
Countries England
 Ireland
 France
 Scotland
 Wales
Tournament statistics
Champions France and  Wales
Triple Crown Wales (17th title)
Calcutta Cup England
Matches played10
Tries scored31 (3.1 per match)
Top point scorer(s) Gavin Hastings (41 points)
Top try scorer(s) Chris Oti (3 tries)
1987 (Previous) (Next) 1989

The final match of the tournament, England's victory over Ireland, was notable for the crowd bursting into song with "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" as a response to the hat-trick of tries scored by England's Chris Oti (only the second black player, and the first for 80 years, to be capped by England). The song was subsequently to become the unofficial rugby anthem for England.[2]

Wales missed out on a ninth Grand Slam after losing to France at Cardiff Arms Park.

Participants

The teams involved were:

Nation Venue City Head coach Captain
 England Twickenham London Geoff Cooke Mike Harrison/Nigel Melville
 France Parc des Princes Paris Jacques Fouroux Daniel Dubroca
 Ireland Lansdowne Road Dublin Jim Davidson Donal Lenihan
 Scotland Murrayfield Edinburgh Jim Telfer Gary Callander
 Wales National Stadium Cardiff Tony Gray Bleddyn Bowen

Squads

Table

Position Nation Games Points Table
points
Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Difference
1 Wales 43015742+156
1 France 43015747+106
3 England 42025630+264
4 Scotland 41036768−12
4 Ireland 41034090−502

[3]

Results

Round 1

16 January 1988
Ireland  22–18  Scotland
Try: Kiernan
MacNeill
Mullin
Con: Kiernan (2)
Pen: Kiernan
Drop: Kiernan
Report Try: S. Hastings
Laidlaw
Con: G. Hastings (2)
Pen: G. Hastings (2)
Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Referee: Roger Quittenton (England)

16 January 1988
France  10–9  England
Try: Rodriguez
Pen: Bérot (2)
Report Pen: Webb (2)
Drop: Cusworth
Parc des Princes, Paris
Attendance: 45,071
Referee: Owen Doyle (Ireland)

Round 2

6 February 1988
Scotland  23–12  France
Try: G. Hastings
Tukalo
Pen: G. Hastings (4)
Drop: Cramb
Report Try: Lagisquet
Con: Bérot
Pen: Bérot
Drop: Lescarboura
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Attendance: 65,000
Referee: Fransie Muller (South Africa)

6 February 1988
England  3–11  Wales
Pen: Webb
Report Try: Hadley (2)
Drop: J. Davies

Round 3

20 February 1988
France  25–6  Ireland
Try: Blanco
Camberabero
Carminati
Lagisquet
Sella
Con: Bérot
Drop: Camberabero
Report Pen: Kiernan (2)
Parc des Princes, Paris
Attendance: 49,130
Referee: Fransie Muller (South Africa)

20 February 1988
Wales  25–20  Scotland
Try: J. Davies
I. Evans
Watkins
Con: Thorburn (2)
Pen: Thorburn
Drop: J. Davies (2)
Report Try: Calder
Duncan
Pen: G. Hastings (4)
National Stadium, Cardiff
Referee: Yves Bressy (France)

Round 4

5 March 1988
Ireland  9–12  Wales
Try: Kingston
Con: Kiernan
Pen: Kiernan
Report Try: Moriarty
Con: Thorburn
Pen: Thorburn
Drop: J. Davies
Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Referee: Ray Megson (Scotland)

5 March 1988
Scotland  6–9  England
Pen: G. Hastings (2)
Report Pen: Webb (2)
Drop: Andrew
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Referee: Winston Jones (Wales)

Round 5

19 March 1988
Wales  9–10  France
Try: I. Evans
Con: Thorburn
Pen: Thorburn
Report Try: Lescarboura
Pen: Lafond (2)
National Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 63,000
Referee: Fred Howard (England)

19 March 1988
England  35–3  Ireland
Try: Oti (3)
Rees
R. Underwood (2)
Con: Andrew (3)
Webb
Pen: Webb
Report Drop: Kiernan

References

  1. Murray, Scott (2011-02-18). "The Joy of Six: Five Nations memories". Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  2. "Oti the man to blame as 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' continues to roll". Irish Independent. 13 March 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  3. Stephen Jones, ed. (1988). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1988-89 (17th ed.). London: Queen Anne Press.
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