1997 Five Nations Championship

Date

18 January 1997 – 15 March 1997

Countries

England

France

Ireland

Scotland

Wales

Tournament statistics

France (11th title)

France (5th title)

England (20th title)

England

England

Matches played

Tries scored

50 (5 per match)

Top point scorer(s)

Paul Grayson (52 points)

Top try scorer(s)

David Venditti

Laurent Leflamand (4 tries)

← 1996 (Previous)

(Next) 1998 →

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
Position	Nation	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Difference	Table points
1	France	4	4	0	0	129	77	+52	8
2	England	4	3	0	1	141	55	+86	6
3	Wales	4	1	0	3	94	106	−12	2
4	Scotland	4	1	0	3	90	132	−42	2
5	Ireland	4	1	0	3	57	141	−84	2

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

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

External links

1997 Five Nations Championship at ESPN

Six Nations Championship

Teams

Stadiums

Tournaments

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Honours

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