Everything you need to know about Six Nations Grand Slams and why they’re so special
Put simply, a Six Nations Grand Slam is what happens when a team wins all five of their matches in a single championship. It’s arguably the greatest achievement in northern hemisphere rugby – after all, if you’re going to win the competition, you might as well do it in style.
The Grand Slam should not be confused with the Triple Crown, which is awarded to England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales if they manage to record victories over all three of the other home nations – though teams who claim a Triple Crown often complete a Six Nations Grand Slam by beating France and Italy as well.
Read more: Who has won the Six Nations Championship?
The term goes back much further in the history of the tournament than the formation of the Six Nations in 2000. In the old Five Nations, teams needed four victories to claim a Grand Slam.
Before bonus points were introduced in 2017, the mathematics were such that any team who claimed five straight victories would automatically top the Six Nations table. Under the new system, however, there is an outside chance that a miserly team of invincibles could be pipped at the post by a free-scoring rival who’d picked up four more bonus points than they did. So, in order to ensure that achieving a clean sweep remains the ultimate Six Nations achievement, the competition organisers award three extra points to any team that claims a Grand Slam, guaranteeing they’ll also win the championship.
France were the last team to win a Grand Slam in the Five Nations era, doing so in 1998. Since Italy joined the competition in 2000, England, France, Ireland and Wales have all achieved multiple clean sweeps – France and Wales have both managed the feat on four occasions, with three for Ireland and two for England. Although winning a Grand Slam is historically difficult, more than half of the Six Nations era champions have done so with a 100% record.
Will any of the teams go five from five in 2025? Can Scotland or Italy claim a first-ever Six Nations Grand Slam? Check out our guides to Six Nations 2025 fixtures and watching the Six Nations in 2025 to make sure you don’t miss a second of the action. Scroll down to see which teams have won a Six Nations Grand Slam.
Six Nations Grand Slam winners
Wales claimed their fourth Six Nations Grand Slam in 2019. No side has won more (Getty Images)
2002 – France
2003 – England
2004 – France
2005 – Wales
2008 – Wales
2009 – Ireland
2010 – France
2012 – Wales
2016 – England
2018 – Ireland
2019 – Wales
2022 – France
2023 – Ireland
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