1997 Five Nations Championship

1997 Five Nations Championship
Date 18 January 1997 – 15 March 1997
Countries  England
 France
 Ireland
 Scotland
 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
Top point scorer(s) England Paul Grayson (52 points)
Top try scorer(s) France David Venditti
France Laurent Leflamand (4 tries)
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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]

Participants

The teams involved were:

Nation Venue City Head coach
 England Twickenham London Jack Rowell
 France Parc des Princes Paris Jean-Claude Skrela
 Ireland Lansdowne Road Dublin Brian Ashton
 Scotland Murrayfield Edinburgh Jim Telfer
 Wales National Stadium Cardiff Kevin Bowring

Squads

For each nation's squad for the 1997 Five Nations Championship, see 1997 Five Nations Championship squads.

Table

Position Nation Games Points Table
points
Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Difference
1 France 440012977+528
2 England 430114155+866
3 Wales 410394106−122
4 Scotland 410390132−422
5 Ireland 410357141−842

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)
Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Attendance: 53,000
Referee: Andre Watson (South Africa)
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)
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Attendance: 67,500
Referee: Bertie Smith (Ireland)

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)
Twickenham, London
Attendance: 75,000
Referee: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand)
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)
National Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 53,000
Referee: Wayne Erickson (Australia)

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
Parc des Princes, Paris
Attendance: 46,000
Referee: Peter Marshall (Australia)
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)
Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Attendance: 51,898
Referee: Colin Hawke (New Zealand)

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
Twickenham, London
Attendance: 75,000
Referee: Jim Fleming (Scotland)
1 March 1997
15:00
Scotland  38 – 10  Ireland
Tries: Stanger
Tait
Townsend
Walton
Weir
Con: Shepherd (5)
Pen: Shepherd		 Report Try: Hickie
Con: Humphreys
Pen: Humphreys
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Attendance: 67,500
Referee: Gareth Simmonds (Wales)

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)
Parc des Princes, Paris
Attendance: 49,000
Referee: Ed Morrison (England)
15 March 1997
15:00
Wales  13 – 34  England
Try: Howley
Con: J. Davies
Pen: J. Davies (2)		 Report Tries: de Glanville
Hill
Stimpson
T. Underwood
Con: Catt (4)
Pen: Catt (2)
National Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 53,000
Referee: Joel Dume (France)

References

  1. ↑ Mick Cleary and John Griffiths, ed. (1997). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1997–98. London: Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 0 7472 7732 X.

External links