1999 Five Nations Championship

The 1999 Five Nations Championship (sponsored by Lloyds TSB) was the seventieth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-fifth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played over five weekends from 6 February to 11 April. The tournament was won by Scotland, who beat England on points difference. Scotland scored sixteen tries in the tournament, to England's eight.

1999 Five Nations Championship
Date6 February – 11 April 1999
Countries England
 Ireland
 France
 Scotland
 Wales
Tournament statistics
Champions Scotland (15th title)
Calcutta Cup England
Millennium Trophy England
Centenary Quaich Scotland
Matches played10
Tries scored45 (4.5 per match)
Top point scorer(s) Neil Jenkins (64 points)
Top try scorer(s) Émile Ntamack
Alan Tait (5 tries)
1998 (Previous) (Next) 2000

It was notable for the dramatic climax to the tournament, which was decided in the dying minutes of the final match. England were heavy favourites to beat Wales and claim both the tournament title and Grand Slam. With England leading the match by six points as the game entered injury time, Wales centre Scott Gibbs evaded a number of tackles to score a try from approximately 20 metres. Neil Jenkins successfully converted to claim victory for Wales by a single point and hand the Championship to Scotland in one of the most memorable matches in the tournament's history. Scotland had staged their own remarkable upset the previous day, scoring five first-half tries to beat France in Paris for only the second time in thirty years.

Scotland's Gregor Townsend became only the fifth player in history to score a try against each other country in the five nations tournament. He also became the second Scotsman to do so, following on from Johnnie Wallace in 1925. The other men to achieve the feat were Carston Catcheside (England 1924), Patrick Estève (France 1983) and Phillipe Sella (France 1986). After him, French Philippe Bernat-Salles scored a try in the 5 games of the new '6 Nations' in 2001.

This was the last Five Nations Championship; in 2000, Italy joined the tournament, which became the Six Nations Championship. Indeed, Italy played all the Five Nations sides during the 1998/99 season, partly in preparation for joining the tournament the following year, albeit that the game against England (at Huddersfield) was a World Cup qualifier. Italy lost all five of these games.

England missed out on a twelfth Grand Slam after losing to Wales at Wembley Stadium.

Participants

The teams involved were:

Nation Venue City Head coach Captain
 England Twickenham London Clive Woodward Lawrence Dallaglio
 France Stade de France Saint-Denis Jean-Claude Skrela Raphaël Ibañez
 Ireland Lansdowne Road Dublin Warren Gatland Keith Wood
 Scotland Murrayfield Edinburgh Jim Telfer Gary Armstrong
 Wales Wembley Stadium[1] London Graham Henry Rob Howley

Squads

Table

Position Nation Games Points Table
points
Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Difference Tries
1 Scotland 430112079+41166
2 England 430110378+2586
3 Wales 4202109126−1794
4 Ireland 41036690−2432
5 France 4103751002592

Results

Week 1

6 February 1999
14:15
Ireland  9 10  France
Pen: Humphreys (3) Report Try: Dourthe
Con: Castaignède
Pen: Castaignède
Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Attendance: 49,000
Referee: P Marshall (Australia)

6 February 1999
16:15
Scotland  33 20  Wales
Tries: Townsend
Leslie
S. Murray
Tait
Con: Logan (2)
Pen: Logan (2)
Hodge
report Tries: James
Gibbs
Con: Jenkins (2)
Pen: Jenkins (2)
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Attendance: 67,500
Referee: E Morrison (England)

Week 2

20 February 1999
15:00
England  24 21  Scotland
Tries: Beal
Luger
Rodber
Con: Wilkinson (3)
Pen: Wilkinson
Report Tries: Tait (2)
Townsend
Con: Logan (3)
Twickenham Stadium, London
Attendance: 75,000
Referee: D. T. M. McHugh (Ireland)

20 February 1999
15:00
Wales  23 29  Ireland
Tries: Howarth
C. Quinnell
Con: Jenkins (2)
Pen: Jenkins (3)
Report Tries: Maggs
Wood
Con: Humphreys (2)
Pen: Humphreys (3)
Drop: Humphreys (2)
Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 76,000
Referee: S. M. Young (Australia)

Week 3

6 March 1999
14:00
France  33 34  Wales
Tries: Ntamack (3)
Castaignède
Con: Castaignède (2)
Pen: Castaignède (3)
Report Tries: James
C. Quinnell
Charvis
Con: Jenkins (2)
Pen: Jenkins (5)
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 78,724
Referee: J. M. Fleming (Scotland)

6 March 1999
16:00
Ireland  15 27  England
Pen: Humphreys (4)
Dempsey
Report Tries: Perry
Rodber
Con: Wilkinson
Pen: Wilkinson (4)
Drop: Grayson
Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Attendance: 49,000
Referee: P. D. O'Brien (New Zealand)

Week 4

20 March 1999
15:00
England  21 10  France
Pen: Wilkinson (7) Report Try: Comba
Con: Castaignède
Pen: Castaignède
Twickenham Stadium, London
Attendance: 75,000
Referee: C. J. Hawke (Scotland), Jim Fleming (Scotland), after extra-time

20 March 1999
15:00
Scotland  30 13  Ireland
Tries: C. Murray (2)
Townsend
Grimes
Con: Logan (2)
Pen: Logan (2)
Report Try: David Humphreys
Con: Humphreys
Pen: Humphreys (2)
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Attendance: 67,500
Referee: W. D. Bevan (Wales)

Week 5

10 April 1999
14:00
France  22 36  Scotland
Tries: Ntamack
Dominici
Juillet
Con: Aucagne (2)
Pen: Aucagne
Report Tries: Tait (2)
Townsend
Leslie (2)
Con: Logan (4)
Pen: Logan
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 78,500
Referee: C. Thomas (Wales)

11 April 1999
16:00
Wales  32 31  England
Tries: Howarth
Gibbs
Con: Jenkins (2)
Pen: Jenkins (6)
Tries: Luger
Hanley
Hill
Con: Wilkinson (2)
Pen: Wilkinson (4)
Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 76,000
Referee: André Watson (South Africa)

References

  1. Wales home matches were played at Wembley due to the ongoing construction of the Millennium Stadium

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