1997 Five Nations Championship
The 1997 Five Nations Championship was the sixty-eighth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-third series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played over five weekends from 18 January to 15 March, the crucial match being in Weekend 4 where England inexplicably threw away a 20–6 lead at Twickenham with quarter of the match to go and were pipped by France. France went on to win their first Grand Slam in ten years; England defeated the other Home Nations by large margins to win the Triple Crown. It was the last time that France played at the Parc des Princes, in Paris. Since then, the French team has been playing in the Stade de France, also in Paris.[1]
| 1997 Five Nations Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 18 January – 15 March 1997 | ||
| Countries |  England France Ireland Scotland.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Wales | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Champions | France (11th title) | ||
| Grand Slam | France (5th title) | ||
| Triple Crown | England (20th title) | ||
| Calcutta Cup | England | ||
| Millennium Trophy | England | ||
| Centenary Quaich | Scotland | ||
| Matches played | 10 | ||
| Tries scored | 50 (5 per match) | ||
| Top point scorer(s) | Paul Grayson (52 points) | ||
| Top try scorer(s) | David Venditti Laurent Leflamand (4 tries) | ||
| |||
Participants
The teams involved were:
Squads
Table
| Position | Nation | Games | Points | Table points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Difference | |||
| 1 | France |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 129 | 77 | +52 | 8 |
| 2 | England |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 141 | 55 | +86 | 6 |
| 3 | Wales |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 94 | 106 | −12 | 2 |
| 4 | Scotland |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 90 | 132 | −42 | 2 |
| 5 | Ireland |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 57 | 141 | −84 | 2 |
Results
Week 1
18 January 1997 15:00 |
| Ireland |
15 – 32 | France |
|---|---|---|
| Pen: Elwood (5) | Report | Tries: Galthié Venditti (3) Con: Castaignède (3) Pen: Castaignède (2) |
18 January 1997 15:00 |
| Scotland |
19 – 34 | Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Try: S. Hastings Con: Shepherd Pen: Shepherd (3) Drop: Chalmers |
Report | Tries: Evans N. Jenkins S. Quinnell A. Thomas Con: N. Jenkins (4) Pen: N. Jenkins (2) |
Week 2
1 February 1997 15:00 |
| England |
41 – 13 | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Penalty try Carling de Glanville Gomarsall Con: Grayson (3) Pen: Grayson (5) |
Report | Try: Eriksson Con: Shepherd Pen: Shepherd (2) |
1 February 1997 15:00 |
| Wales |
25 – 26 | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Evans (2) S. Quinnell Con: N. Jenkins (2) Pen: N. Jenkins (2) |
Report | Tries: Bell Hickie Miller Con: Elwood (1) Pen: Elwood (3) |
Week 3
15 February 1997 15:00 |
| France |
27 – 22 | Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Leflamand (2) Merle Venditti Con: Aucagne (1) Dourthe (1) Pen: Aucagne |
Report | Tries: Bateman Howley G. Thomas Con: N. Jenkins (2) Pen: N. Jenkins |
15 February 1997 15:00 |
| Ireland |
6 – 46 | England |
|---|---|---|
| Pen: Elwood (2) | Report | Tries: Gomarsall Hill Sleightholme (2) T. Underwood (2) Con: Grayson (2) Pen: Grayson (4) |
Week 4
1 March 1997 15:00 |
| England |
20 – 23 | France |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Dallaglio Pen: Grayson (4) Drop: Grayson |
Report | Tries: Lamaison Leflamand Con: Lamaison (2) Pen: Lamaison (2) Drop: Lamaison |
Week 5
15 March 1997 15:00 |
| France |
47 – 20 | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Benazzi Leflamand Magne Tournaire Con: Lamaison (3) Pen: Lamaison (6) Drop: Sadourny |
Report | Tries: Tait (2) Con: Shepherd (2) Pen: Shepherd (2) |
References
- Mick Cleary and John Griffiths, ed. (1997). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1997–98. London: Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 0 7472 7732 X.
External links
- 1997 Five Nations Championship at ESPN