The 2015 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2015 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 16th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union tournament. It was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Including the competition's previous incarnations as the Home Nations Championship and Five Nations Championship, it was the 121st edition of the tournament.
2015 Six Nations Championship | |||
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Date | 6 February – 21 March 2015 | ||
Countries | |||
Tournament statistics | |||
Champions | Ireland (13th title) | ||
Matches played | 15 | ||
Attendance | 1,040,680 (69,379 per match) | ||
Tries scored | 62 (4.13 per match) | ||
Top point scorer(s) | George Ford (75) | ||
Top try scorer(s) | Jonathan Joseph (4) | ||
Player of the tournament | Paul O'Connell[1] | ||
Official website | Six Nations Website | ||
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Ireland retained their title from the previous year, their 13th triumph in the competition.[2] This was the first time that Ireland had retained their title outright since 1949, having shared the 1983 championship with France after winning in 1982.[3] They were the first team to be awarded the redesigned Six Nations trophy introduced for 2015, which featured six sides as opposed to five.[4][5]
Participants
editNation | Stadium | Head coach | Captain | ||
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Home stadium | Capacity | City | |||
England | Twickenham Stadium | 82,000 | London | Stuart Lancaster | Chris Robshaw |
France | Stade de France | 81,338 | Saint-Denis | Philippe Saint-André | Thierry Dusautoir |
Ireland | Aviva Stadium | 51,700 | Dublin | Joe Schmidt | Paul O'Connell |
Italy | Stadio Olimpico | 73,261 | Rome | Jacques Brunel | Sergio Parisse* |
Scotland | Murrayfield Stadium | 67,144 | Edinburgh | Vern Cotter | Greig Laidlaw |
Wales | Millennium Stadium | 74,500 | Cardiff | Warren Gatland | Sam Warburton |
* Parisse did not play in Italy's final match at home against Wales after an injury sustained in their round four match against France. Leonardo Ghiraldini took his place as captain.[6]
Squads
editTable
editPos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ireland | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 119 | 56 | +63 | 8 | 8 |
2 | England | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 157 | 100 | +57 | 18 | 8 |
3 | Wales | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 146 | 93 | +53 | 13 | 8 |
4 | France | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 103 | 101 | +2 | 9 | 4 |
5 | Italy | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 62 | 182 | −120 | 8 | 2 |
6 | Scotland | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 73 | 128 | −55 | 6 | 0 |
Fixtures
editThe 2015 Six Nations Championship commenced with a Friday night fixture, once again held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, this time between Wales and England.[7][8]
Round 1
edit6 February 2015 20:05 GMT (UTC+0) |
Wales | 16–21 | England |
Try: Webb 7' c Con: Halfpenny (1/1) 8' Pen: Halfpenny (2/3) 1', 23' Drop: Biggar (1/1) 40' | Report | Try: Watson 14' m Joseph 43' c Con: Ford (1/2) 45' Pen: Ford (3/4) 31', 61', 78' |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 73,815 Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France) |
Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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Notes:
- Welsh captain Sam Warburton earned his 50th cap for Wales.[9]
7 February 2015 15:30 CET (UTC+1) |
Italy | 3–26 | Ireland |
Pen: Haimona (1/1) 40' | Report | Try: Murray 64' c O'Donnell 66' c Con: Keatley (1/1) 65' Madigan (1/1) 67' Pen: Keatley (4/4) 6', 20', 35', 57' |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 57,700 Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (France) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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Notes:
- Marco Barbini made his international debut for Italy.[10]
- Seán O'Brien was set to return to the Irish line-up after injury, but was replaced by Tommy O'Donnell in the starting XV following injury in the pre-game warm-up.[11]
7 February 2015 18:00 CET (UTC+1) |
France | 15–8 | Scotland |
Pen: Lopez (5/6) 2', 16', 37', 49', 78' | Report | Try: Fife 39' m Pen: Laidlaw (1/1) 13' |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 78,191 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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Notes:
- Loann Goujon made his international debut for France.[12]
- Sam Hidalgo-Clyne made his international debut for Scotland.[13]
Round 2
edit14 February 2015 14:30 GMT (UTC+0) |
England | 47–17 | Italy |
Try: B. Vunipola 23' m Joseph (2) 26' c, 60' c B. Youngs 54' c Cipriani 63' c Easter 68' m Con: Ford (3/4) 28', 55', 62' Cipriani (1/2) 63' Pen: Ford (3/3) 20', 45', 57' | Report | Try: Parisse 3' m Morisi (2) 49' m, 78' c Con: Allan (1/1) 79' |
Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 82,061 Referee: John Lacey (Ireland) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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Notes:
- Giulio Bisegni made his international debut for Italy.[14]
- Nick Easter, aged 36, became the oldest English player to score a try in a test match.[15]
14 February 2015 17:00 WET (UTC+0) |
Ireland | 18–11 | France |
Pen: Sexton (5/5) 13', 18', 32', 38', 67' Madigan (1/1) 50' | Report | Try: Taofifénua 70' m Pen: Lopez (2/3) 16', 35' |
Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,200 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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15 February 2015 15:00 GMT (UTC+0) |
Scotland | 23–26 | Wales |
Try: Hogg 9' c Welsh 79' c Con: Laidlaw (1/1) 10' Russell (1/1) 79' Pen: Laidlaw (3/3) 17', 44', 54' | Report | Try: Webb 33' c Davies 63' c Con: Halfpenny (2/2) 34', 64' Pen: Halfpenny (4/5) 6', 19', 31', 48' |
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,144 Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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Round 3
edit28 February 2015 14:30 GMT (UTC+0) |
Scotland | 19–22 | Italy |
Try: Bennett 7' c Con: Laidlaw (1/1) 8' Pen: Laidlaw (4/4) 1', 15', 26', 66' | Report | Try: Furno 9' m Venditti 36' c Penalty try 79' c Con: Haimona (1/2) 37' Allan (1/1) 80' Pen: Haimona (1/2) 17' |
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 62,188 Referee: George Clancy (Ireland) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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Notes:
- Enrico Bacchin and Michele Visentin made their international debuts for Italy.[16][17]
- Ben Toolis and Hamish Watson made their international debuts for Scotland.[18][19]
- Italy got its first Six Nations win since beating Ireland 22–15 in 2013, and its second away win since beating Scotland 37–17 in 2007.[20]
28 February 2015 18:00 CET (UTC+1) |
France | 13–20 | Wales |
Try: Dulin 67' c Con: Lopez (1/1) 68' Pen: Lopez (2/4) 17', 48' | Report | Try: Biggar 59' m Pen: Halfpenny (5/5) 7', 28', 51', 64', 73' |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 78,814 Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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Notes:
- Brice Dulin's try was France's first try against Wales since their 2011 Six Nations fixture.[21]
- Wales captain Sam Warburton equalled Ryan Jones' record of 33 Tests as captain.[22]
- George North became the youngest player to earn 50 international caps (47 for Wales, 3 for the British and Irish Lions) at the age of 22, surpassing Australia's Joe Roff, who was 24.[23]
1 March 2015 15:00 WET (UTC+0) |
Ireland | 19–9 | England |
Try: Henshaw 52' c Con: Sexton (1/1) 52' Pen: Sexton (4/5) 1', 8', 29', 47' | Report | Pen: Ford (2/3) 58', 67' Drop: Ford (1/1) 11' |
Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,200 Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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Notes:
- Nick Easter earned his 50th cap for England.[24]
- Ireland reclaim the Millennium Trophy for the first time since 2011.[citation needed]
Round 4
edit14 March 2015 14:30 GMT (UTC+0) |
Wales | 23–16 | Ireland |
Try: S. Williams 61' m Pen: Halfpenny (5/5) 2', 7', 11', 13', 74' Drop: Biggar (1/1) 33' | Report | Try: Penalty try 68' c Con: Sexton (1/1) 69' Pen: Sexton (3/4) 17', 29', 36' |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 73,950 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)[nb 1] |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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Notes:
- With this Welsh win, no team could win the Grand Slam or the Triple Crown.[26]
- Rob Evans made his international debut for Wales.[27]
- Wales captain Sam Warburton captained his country for a record 34th time, surpassing Ryan Jones' record of 33 Tests as captain.[28]
- Paul O'Connell became the fourth player to earn 100 test caps for Ireland.[29]
- Johnny Sexton and Cian Healy earned their 50th caps for Ireland.[29]
14 March 2015 17:00 GMT (UTC+0) |
England | 25–13 | Scotland |
Try: Joseph 4' c Ford 43' c Nowell 75' m Con: Ford (2/3) 5', 43' Pen: Ford (2/3) 25', 50' | Report | Try: Bennett 21' c Con: Laidlaw (1/1) 22' Pen: Laidlaw (2/2) 29', 38' |
Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 82,000 Referee: Romain Poite (France) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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Notes:
- England retained the Calcutta Cup.[30]
- With this win, and Wales' win against Ireland, Australia dropped to sixth in the World Rugby Rankings, their lowest ever position.[31]
15 March 2015 16:00 CET (UTC+1) |
Italy | 0–29 | France |
Report | Try: Maestri 45' c Bastareaud 80' c Con: Plisson (2/2) 46', 80' Pen: Lopez (2/2) 28', 34' Spedding (1/2) 40' Plisson (2/2) 41', 57' |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 67,127 Referee: JP Doyle (England) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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Notes:
- Sergio Parisse won his 112th cap for Italy, a new national record.[32]
- Noa Nakaitaci made his international debut for France.[33]
- This was the first time that Italy failed to score any points in the Six Nations since their 25–0 loss to France in 2004.[34]
Round 5
edit21 March 2015 13:30 CET (UTC+1) |
Italy | 20–61 | Wales |
Try: Venditti 24' c Sarto 79' c Con: Orquera (2/2) 26', 80' Pen: Haimona (1/1) 1' Orquera (1/1) 10' | Report | Try: Roberts 18' m L. Williams 47' c North (3) 49' c, 54' c, 59' c Webb 66' m Warburton 68' c S. Williams 73' c Con: Biggar (6/7) 47', 50', 55', 59', 69', 73' Pen: Halfpenny (2/2) 7', 12' Biggar (1/1) 40' |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 65,827 Referee: Chris Pollock (New Zealand) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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Notes:
- Wales' 41-point margin of victory was their biggest winning margin over Italy, surpassing the previous record of 39 they set in 1999.[35]
21 March 2015 14:30 GMT (UTC+0) |
Scotland | 10–40 | Ireland |
Try: Russell 29' c Con: Laidlaw (1/1) 30' Pen: Laidlaw (1/1) 17' | Report | Try: O'Connell 4' c O'Brien (2) 24' c, 71' c Payne 49' c Con: Sexton (3/3) 5', 25', 50' Madigan (1/1) 72' Pen: Sexton (4/6) 9', 33', 44', 61' |
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,144 Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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Notes:
- Euan Murray earned his 66th test cap to become Scotland's most-capped prop, surpassing Allan Jacobsen's previous record of 65.[36]
- Ireland required a win of at least 21 points in order to remain capable of winning the championship.
- Ireland retain the Centenary Quaich.[37]
- With this loss, Scotland were whitewashed and finished bottom of the table, receiving the wooden spoon for the fourth time in the Six Nations era, and the first time since 2012.[38]
21 March 2015 17:00 GMT (UTC+0) |
England | 55–35 | France |
Try: B. Youngs (2) 1' c, 35' c Watson 30' c Ford 46' c Nowell (2) 53' c, 74' c B. Vunipola 63' c Con: Ford (7/7) 3', 30', 36', 46', 54', 63', 75' Pen: Ford (2/3) 26', 40' | Report | Try: Tillous-Borde 13' m Nakaitaci 17' c Mermoz 42' c Debaty 59' m Kayser 65' m Con: Plisson (2/3) 18', 42' Kockott (0/2) Pen: Plisson (1/3) 10' Kockott (1/1) 51' |
Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 82,319 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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Notes:
Statistics
edit
Points scorersedit
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Try scorersedit
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Broadcasting
editIn the United Kingdom, BBC One televised all the matches live, although for viewers in Scotland the week 4 match between Italy and France was shown on BBC Two Scotland. BBC Two also televised live the buildup of the opening match between Wales and England and after the match, an extra between the two sides on BBC Two but only for viewers in Wales. There was also a special Six Nations special looking ahead to the final week match on BBC Two but only for viewers in Northern Ireland. On the morning of the final week of matches, BBC Two televised classic Five Nations matches including Scotland vs Ireland in 1991 and France vs England in 1992. The final match of the tournament between England and France was watched live on BBC One by 9.63 million people, beating the previous record for that fixture of 9.56 million, set in 2011.[41] This followed audiences of 4.1 million for the match between Italy and Wales and 5.1 million for the match between Scotland and Ireland earlier in the day.[41] The BBC website also received 8.22 million unique browser hits during the day, breaking the previous record of 8.03 million set during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[41] S4C simulcasted Wales matches in the Welsh language.[42]
Notes
edit- ^ a b c Referee Wayne Barnes replaced referee Steve Walsh for the match between Wales and Ireland after Walsh withdrew due to "business commitments". Barnes was due to be a touch judge for the match between Italy and France; he was replaced by referee Nigel Owens. Referee Chris Pollock was due to be a touch judge for the match between Wales and Ireland, but he was replaced by referee Jérôme Garcès.[25]
References
edit- ^ "Ireland captain Paul O'Connell named 2015 Six Nations player of the tournament". skysports.com. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ Averis, Mike (21 March 2015). "Ireland hammer Scotland and retain their title after a nervous wait". The Observer. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ "Determined Ireland batter Scots". ESPN Scrum. ESPN Sports Media. 21 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ "Will Ireland be getting their hands on this? New trophy for the RBS Six Nations unveiled". independent.ie. Irish Independent. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ Reid, Alasdair (21 March 2015). "Scotland 10 Ireland 40, match report: Irish delight as they blitz their way to Six Nations title with victory at Murrayfield". Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ "Sergio Parisse ruled out of Italy-Wales clash". ESPN Scrum. ESPN Sports Media. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
- ^ "RBS 6 Nations Fixtures & Results". rbs6nations.com.
- ^ James, Steve (2 February 2015). "Wales v England: Six Nations opener in Cardiff will be 127th match between the two countries – and rivals". Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ^ "Six Nations 2015: Sam Warburton not motivated by records". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 27 February 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Italy / Players & Officials / Marco Barbini". ESPN Scrum. ESPN Sports Media. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Purewal, Nick (7 February 2015). "Italy vs Ireland match report: Conor Murray and Tommy O'Donnell trigger lacklustre defending Six Nations champions into life". The Independent. Independent Print. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Six Nations 2015 / Players & Officials / Loan Goujon". ESPN Scrum. ESPN Sports Media. Archived from the original on 9 April 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Six Nations 2015 / Players & Officials / Sam Hidalgo-Clyne". ESPN Scrum. ESPN Sports Media. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Italy / Players & Officials / Giulio Bisegni". ESPN Scrum. ESPN Sports Media. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Fordyce, Tom (14 February 2015). "Six Nations 2015: England 47-17 Italy". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ^ "Six Nations 2015 / Players & Officials / Enrico Bacchin". ESPN Scrum. ESPN Sports Media. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Six Nations 2015 / Players & Officials / Michele Visentin". ESPN Scrum. ESPN Sports Media. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Six Nations 2015 / Players & Officials / Ben Toolis". ESPN Scrum. ESPN Sports Media. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Six Nations 2015 / Players & Officials / Hamish Watson". ESPN Scrum. ESPN Sports Media. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Burke, Andy (28 February 2015). "Scotland 19-22 Italy". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Pritchard, Dafydd (28 February 2015). "Six Nations 2015: France 13-20 Wales". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Warburton, Sam (26 February 2015). "Sam Warburton: Equalling Ryan Jones' record of 33 Tests as captain will be special, I realise now I can just be myself". Telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Southcombe, Matthew (25 February 2015). "George North reaches 50 caps: The story of one man's meteoric rise to sporting stardom". Wales Online. Media Wales. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Six Nations: Nick Easter targets England starting place". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 9 March 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Wayne Barnes replaces Steve Walsh as Wales v Ireland referee". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 5 March 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ^ Pritchard, Dafydd (14 March 2015). "Six Nations 2015: Wales 23-16 Ireland". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Six Nations 2015 / Players & Officials / Rob Evans". ESPN Scrum. ESPN Sports Media. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Six Nations 2015: Wales captain Sam Warburton 'grown into role'". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 13 March 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Six Nations 2015: Ireland's Joe Schmidt lauds Paul O'Connell". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 12 March 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Fordyce, Tom (14 March 2015). "Six Nations 2015: England beat Scotland and eye title". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Australia's Wallabies fall to lowest rugby union world ranking of sixth". theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Standley, James (15 March 2015). "Six Nations 2015: France too good for Italy in Rome". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ^ "Six Nations 2015 / Players & Officials / Noa Nakaitaci". ESPN Scrum. ESPN Sports Media. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "List of Italy v France matches". ESPN Scrum. ESPN Sports Media. Archived from the original on 9 April 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Williams, Richard (21 March 2015). "Six Nations 2015: Italy 20-61 Wales". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ "Six Nations: Euan Murray to be most-capped Scotland prop". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Whooley, Declan (21 March 2015). "Paul O'Connell: 'God, it was tough to watch the French game'". indepependent.ie. Irish Independent. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ Burke, Andy (21 March 2015). "Six Nations 2015: Scotland 10-40 Ireland". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ "Cole at 50: pressure win would be massive". englandrugby.com. Rugby Football Union. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- ^ Fordyce, Tom (21 March 2015). "Six Nations 2015: England 55-35 France". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ a b c "Six Nations draws record-breaking TV audience for BBC". BBC Sport (British Broadcasting Corporation). 23 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ Barry, Sion (3 February 2015). "Welsh language channel S4C calls for Six Nations television coverage review". Wales Online. Media Wales. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
External links
edit- Official site Archived 2017-06-13 at the Wayback Machine