When we get to the end of the Six Nations, you can often hear people asking: What Is The Wooden Spoon? Here is everything you need to know
You’ll surely have heard the phrase Wooden Spoon – which in the Six Nations is a metaphorical prize for the team who finishes last in the competition.
It is much like the fabled Lanterne Rouge in cycling’s Tour de France, where the rider who finishes last but still completes the tour is honoured. Or maybe it’s like Mr Irrelevant in American Football, which is the moniker given to the last player taken in the NFL Draft.
However, unlike the examples from those world famous competitions, there is no physical prize handed over to the dead-last side in the Six Nations. And not a huge sense of honour that comes from it either.
As legend would have it, the original practice of handing out ‘Wooden Spoons’ comes from Cambridge University where they were awarded to the student with the lowest mark in the mathematics tripos, during the 19th century. According to the tales, the spoons would vary in size over time. It is uncertain how the tradition was adopted in rugby.
Stadio showdown: In 2016, Italy and Scotland played to see who would lift the Wooden Spoon
Since 2000, when Italy joined the tournament to up it from the Five Nations to Six, only England and Ireland have avoided last place. Italy have collected the most Wooden Spoons since 2000, with 18.
Wales last took the Wooden Spoon back in 2003.
France had it in 2013, and Scotland last had the Spoon in 2015.
Who will have it in 2024?
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