# 2008 Six Nations Championship squads
## England

Squad announced on 9 January 2008, accessed from BBC. Caps updated 10 January 2008 from RFU. On 19 January 2008, Peter Richards was injured playing in a match for London Irish and ruled out of the Six Nations. Due to more injuries in the squad London Irish scrum-half Paul Hodgson, Bath flanker Michael Lipman and Gloucester number eight Luke Narraway were all called up to the squad. On 2 February 2008, in England's opening match, Mike Tindall and Tom Rees were injured and ruled out of the rest of the tournament, while David Strettle is out for four to eight weeks. Because of this Newcastle scrum-half Lee Dickson, London Irish fly-half Shane Geraghty and Sale flanker Magnus Lund were added to the squad. Andrew Sheridan and Phil Vickery were forced to withdraw from England's game against Italy, Bristol's Jason Hobson was called up to the bench as a reserve.
Head Coach: Brian Ashton
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
| George Chuter | Hooker | 9 July 1976 | 19 | Leicester |
| Lee Mears | Hooker | 5 March 1979 | 18 | Bath |
| Mark Regan | Hooker | 28 January 1972 | 43 | Bristol |
| Jason Hobson | Prop | 10 February 1983 | 0 | Bristol |
| Tim Payne | Prop | 29 April 1979 | 5 | Wasps |
| Andrew Sheridan | Prop | 1 November 1979 | 20 | Sale |
| Matt Stevens | Prop | 1 October 1982 | 20 | Bath |
| Phil Vickery (c) | Prop | 14 March 1976 | 60 | Wasps |
| Steve Borthwick | Lock | 12 October 1979 | 32 | Bath |
| Louis Deacon | Lock | 7 October 1980 | 6 | Leicester |
| Ben Kay | Lock | 14 December 1975 | 53 | Leicester |
| Simon Shaw | Lock | 1 September 1973 | 43 | Wasps |
| Tom Croft | Flanker | 7 November 1985 | 0 | Leicester |
| James Haskell | Flanker | 2 April 1985 | 2 | Wasps |
| Michael Lipman | Flanker | 16 January 1980 | 3 | Bath |
| Magnus Lund | Flanker | 25 June 1983 | 10 | Sale |
| Lewis Moody | Flanker | 12 June 1978 | 52 | Leicester |
| Tom Rees | Flanker | 11 September 1984 | 8 | Wasps |
| Joe Worsley | Flanker | 14 June 1977 | 65 | Wasps |
| Nick Easter | Number 8 | 15 August 1978 | 12 | Harlequins |
| Luke Narraway | Number 8 | 7 September 1983 | 0 | Gloucester |
| Danny Care | Scrum-half | 2 January 1987 | 0 | Harlequins |
| Lee Dickson | Scrum-half | 29 March 1985 | 0 | Newcastle |
| Andy Gomarsall | Scrum-half | 24 July 1974 | 33 | Harlequins |
| Paul Hodgson | Scrum-half | 25 April 1982 | 0 | London Irish |
| Peter Richards | Scrum-half | 10 March 1978 | 12 | London Irish |
| Richard Wigglesworth | Scrum-half | 9 June 1983 | 0 | Sale |
| Danny Cipriani | Fly-half | 2 November 1987 | 0 | Wasps |
| Shane Geraghty | Fly-half | 12 August 1986 | 2 | London Irish |
| Charlie Hodgson | Fly-half | 12 November 1980 | 29 | Sale |
| Jonny Wilkinson | Fly-half | 25 May 1979 | 65 | Newcastle |
| Toby Flood | Centre | 8 August 1985 | 12 | Newcastle |
| Jamie Noon | Centre | 9 May 1979 | 27 | Newcastle |
| Mathew Tait | Centre | 6 February 1986 | 19 | Newcastle |
| Mike Tindall | Centre | 18 October 1978 | 54 | Gloucester |
| Paul Sackey | Wing | 8 November 1979 | 10 | Wasps |
| James Simpson-Daniel | Wing | 30 May 1982 | 10 | Gloucester |
| David Strettle | Wing | 23 July 1983 | 3 | Harlequins |
| Lesley Vainikolo | Wing | 4 May 1979 | 5 | Gloucester |
| Iain Balshaw | Fullback | 14 April 1979 | 30 | Gloucester |
| Mark Cueto | Fullback | 26 December 1979 | 24 | Sale |

## France

Initial squad announced on 22 January 2008, accessed from BBC. Changes since then are:
* Before the competition began, Florian Fritz was injured in training on 30 January 2008 and will miss the whole of the Six Nations. David Marty was called up to replace him. Prop Nicolas Mas was also called up to the squad to replace Jean-Baptiste Poux.
* After France's first match, Anthony Floch was called up to the squad because of an injury to Julien Malzieu and Louis Picamoles was also called up in place of Elvis Vermeulen, who was dropped from the squad completely due to a rib injury.
* After France's second match, locks Romain Millo-Chluski and Pascal Papé and fullback Clément Poitrenaud were called up to the squad, in place of Loïc Jacquet, Arnaud Méla and Anthony Floch on 13 February; Floch was re-called after Poitrenaud broke his ankle, and Jean-Baptiste Poux replaced the injured Julien Brugnaut. On 19 February, Millo-Chluski withdrew because of injury and Jérôme Thion was called up as a replacement. Dimitri Yachvili was also called up to the squad when Jean-Baptiste Élissalde was ruled out with a calf injury.
* After France's loss to England in Round 3, coach Marc Lièvremont dropped seven players from his squad—Cédric Heymans, Morgan Parra, Thierry Dusautoir, Lionel Faure, David Marty, David Skrela and William Servat. Five uncapped players were called up for the Italy match: Fabien Barcella, Yann David, Guilhem Guirado, Julien Tomas and Ibrahim Diarra. Julien Malzieu returned to the squad after recovering from his injury, and veteran Yannick Jauzion was recalled. Julien Bonnaire was initially dropped in favour of Imanol Harinordoquy, but returned to the squad after Harinordoquy was ruled out with a muscle tear in an ankle suffered on 23 February. Arnaud Méla was recalled after Papé suffered a knee injury on 1 March.
* For the championship decider against Wales, Lièvremont chose to recall several veterans. David, Diarra, Guirado, Picamoles, Aurélien Rougerie, and Tomas were dropped. Both Élissalde and Vermeulen returned to the squad after recovering from their injuries. Also returning to the squad were Dusautoir, Heymans, Servat, and Skrela.
Head Coach: Marc Lièvremont
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
| Guilhem Guirado | Hooker | 17 June 1986 | 1 | Perpignan |
| William Servat | Hooker | 9 December 1978 | 16 | Toulouse |
| Dimitri Szarzewski | Hooker | 26 January 1983 | 22 | Stade Français |
| Fabien Barcella | Prop | 27 October 1983 | 3 | Auch |
| Julien Brugnaut | Prop | 17 November 1981 | 0 | Dax |
| Lionel Faure | Prop | 26 November 1977 | 0 | Sale |
| Nicolas Mas | Prop | 25 May 1980 | 15 | Perpignan |
| Jean-Baptiste Poux | Prop | 26 September 1979 | 21 | Toulouse |
| Loic Jacquet | Lock | 31 March 1985 | 2 | Clermont |
| Arnaud Méla | Lock | 19 January 1980 | 0 | Brive |
| Romain Millo-Chluski | Lock | 20 April 1983 | 4 | Toulouse |
| Lionel Nallet (c) | Lock | 14 September 1976 | 32 | Castres |
| Pascal Papé | Lock | 5 December 1980 | 16 | Stade Français |
| Jérôme Thion | Lock | 2 December 1977 | 40 | Biarritz |
| Julien Bonnaire | Flanker | 20 September 1978 | 37 | Clermont |
| Ibrahim Diarra | Flanker | 25 May 1983 | 1 | Montauban |
| Thierry Dusautoir | Flanker | 18 November 1981 | 11 | Toulouse |
| Fulgence Ouedraogo | Flanker | 21 July 1986 | 1 | Montpellier |
| Imanol Harinordoquy | Number 8 | 20 February 1980 | 51 | Biarritz |
| Louis Picamoles | Number 8 | 5 February 1986 | 3 | Montpellier |
| Elvis Vermeulen | Number 8 | 5 April 1979 | 8 | Clermont |
| Jean-Baptiste Élissalde | Scrum-half | 23 November 1979 | 30 | Toulouse |
| Morgan Parra | Scrum-half | 15 November 1988 | 0 | Bourgoin |
| Julien Tomas | Scrum-half | 21 April 1985 | 2 | Montpellier |
| Dimitri Yachvili | Scrum-half | 19 September 1980 | 38 | Biarritz |
| David Skrela | Fly-half | 2 March 1979 | 11 | Stade Français |
| François Trinh-Duc | Fly-half | 11 November 1986 | 0 | Montpellier |
| Yann David | Centre | 15 April 1988 | 1 | Bourgoin |
| Florian Fritz | Centre | 17 January 1984 | 25 | Toulouse |
| Yannick Jauzion | Centre | 28 July 1978 | 55 | Toulouse |
| David Marty | Centre | 30 October 1982 | 19 | Perpignan |
| Damien Traille | Centre | 12 June 1979 | 58 | Biarritz |
| Vincent Clerc | Wing | 7 May 1981 | 28 | Toulouse |
| Julien Malzieu | Wing | 4 May 1983 | 0 | Clermont |
| Aurélien Rougerie | Wing | 26 September 1980 | 51 | Clermont |
| Anthony Floch | Fullback | 12 February 1983 | 3 | Clermont |
| Cédric Heymans | Fullback | 20 July 1978 | 37 | Toulouse |
| Clément Poitrenaud | Fullback | 20 May 1982 | 32 | Toulouse |

## Ireland

Squad announced 15 January 2008, accessed from BBC. Cap totals updated 16 January 2008 from IRFU. On 24 January 2008, Jerry Flannery was handed an eight-week suspension for stamping on Julien Bonnaire in a match for Munster, therefore ruling him out of taking any part in the Six Nations. He later appealed against this decision and had his ban reduced to one month, making him available for Ireland's final three games. Gordon D'Arcy broke his right arm in the first half of Ireland's Six Nations opener against Italy on 2 February, ending his Six Nations campaign. On 19 February, Paul O'Connell was named on the bench for Ireland's game against Scotland after making a successful return from a back injury.
Head Coach: Eddie O'Sullivan
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
| Rory Best | Hooker | 15 August 1982 | 17 | Ulster |
| Jerry Flannery | Hooker | 17 October 1978 | 21 | Munster |
| Bernard Jackman | Hooker | 5 May 1976 | 4 | Leinster |
| Tony Buckley | Prop | 8 October 1980 | 2 | Munster |
| John Hayes | Prop | 2 November 1973 | 79 | Munster |
| Cian Healy | Prop | 7 October 1987 | 0 | Leinster |
| Marcus Horan | Prop | 7 September 1977 | 51 | Munster |
| Leo Cullen | Lock | 9 January 1978 | 19 | Leinster |
| Donncha O'Callaghan | Lock | 23 March 1979 | 40 | Munster |
| Paul O'Connell | Lock | 20 October 1979 | 52 | Munster |
| Mick O'Driscoll | Lock | 8 October 1978 | 11 | Munster |
| Malcolm O'Kelly | Lock | 19 July 1974 | 90 | Leinster |
| Neil Best | Flanker | 3 April 1979 | 18 | Ulster |
| Simon Easterby | Flanker | 21 July 1975 | 62 | Scarlets |
| Johnny O'Connor | Flanker | 9 February 1980 | 12 | Connacht |
| Alan Quinlan | Flanker | 13 July 1974 | 25 | Munster |
| David Wallace | Flanker | 8 July 1976 | 41 | Munster |
| Jamie Heaslip | Number 8 | 3 December 1983 | 3 | Leinster |
| Denis Leamy | Number 8 | 27 November 1981 | 27 | Munster |
| Eoin Reddan | Scrum-half | 20 November 1980 | 5 | Wasps |
| Peter Stringer | Scrum-half | 13 December 1977 | 79 | Munster |
| Ronan O'Gara | Fly-half | 7 March 1977 | 77 | Munster |
| Johnny Sexton | Fly-half | 11 July 1985 | 0 | Leinster |
| Paddy Wallace | Fly-half | 27 August 1979 | 9 | Ulster |
| Gordon D'Arcy | Centre | 10 February 1980 | 36 | Leinster |
| Gavin Duffy | Centre | 18 September 1981 | 9 | Connacht |
| Brian O'Driscoll (c) | Centre | 21 January 1979 | 79 | Leinster |
| Andrew Trimble | Centre | 20 October 1984 | 19 | Ulster |
| Tommy Bowe | Wing | 22 February 1984 | 10 | Ulster |
| Luke Fitzgerald | Wing | 13 September 1987 | 2 | Leinster |
| Shane Horgan | Wing | 18 July 1978 | 58 | Leinster |
| Rob Kearney | Wing | 26 March 1986 | 1 | Leinster |
| Girvan Dempsey | Fullback | 2 October 1975 | 78 | Leinster |
| Geordan Murphy | Fullback | 19 April 1978 | 53 | Leicester |

## Italy

Squad announced 9 January 2008, accessed from BBC. Nick Mallett decided to drop Denis Dallan, Enrico Patrizio, Ludovico Nitoglia, Ramiro Pez, Robert Barbieri and Antonio Pavanello from the original squad, while former captain Marco Bortolami is out for the first half of the tournament with an eye injury. Carlos Nieto missed the game against Ireland because of the death of his father, meaning Lorenzo Cittadini took his place on the bench. He then returned for their match against England. On the announcement of Italy's squad for their game against Wales, Matteo Pratichetti, Kaine Robertson and Pablo Canavosio were ruled out with minor injuries, Enrico Patrizio and Ludovico Nitoglia were recalled due to this. Meanwhile, David Bortolussi was injured in training and ruled out for the rest of the tournament, Paolo Buso took his place in the squad. Also with the return of Marco Bortolami to full fitness, Tommaso Reato lost his place in the squad. But then Ludovico Nitoglia once again lost his place in squad, this time to Alessio Galante
On 27 February, Mauro Bergamasco was handed a 13-week ban for gouging Wales' Lee Byrne during the teams' match.
Head Coach: Nick Mallett
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
| Carlo Festuccia | Hooker | 20 June 1980 | 39 | Métro Racing |
| Leonardo Ghiraldini | Hooker | 26 December 1984 | 5 | Calvisano |
| Fabio Ongaro | Hooker | 23 September 1977 | 18 | Saracens |
| Martin Castrogiovanni | Prop | 21 October 1981 | 45 | Leicester |
| Lorenzo Cittadini | Prop | 17 December 1982 | 0 | Calvisano |
| Andrea Lo Cicero | Prop | 7 May 1976 | 67 | Métro Racing |
| Carlos Nieto | Prop | 25 June 1976 | 21 | Gloucester |
| Salvatore Perugini | Prop | 6 March 1978 | 44 | Toulouse |
| Marco Bortolami | Lock | 12 June 1980 | 67 | Gloucester |
| Carlo Del Fava | Lock | 1 July 1981 | 21 | Ulster |
| Santiago Dellapè | Lock | 9 May 1978 | 44 | Biarritz |
| Antonio Pavanello | Lock | 13 October 1982 | 0 | Treviso |
| Tommaso Reato | Lock | 12 May 1984 | 0 | Rugby Rovigo |
| Robert Barbieri | Flanker | 5 June 1984 | 0 | Treviso |
| Mauro Bergamasco | Flanker | 1 May 1979 | 58 | Stade Français |
| Josh Sole | Flanker | 15 February 1980 | 21 | Viadana |
| Alessandro Zanni | Flanker | 31 January 1984 | 16 | Calvisano |
| Jaco Erasmus | Number 8 | 31 July 1979 | 2 | Viadana |
| Sergio Parisse (c) | Number 8 | 13 September 1983 | 42 | Stade Français |
| Simon Picone | Scrum-half | 26 September 1982 | 10 | Treviso |
| Pietro Travagli | Scrum-half | 28 April 1981 | 2 | Rugby Parma |
| Paolo Buso | Fly-half | 28 July 1986 | 1 | Calvisano |
| Andrea Masi | Fly-half | 30 March 1981 | 31 | Biarritz |
| Ramiro Pez | Fly-half | 6 December 1978 | 40 | Venezia Mestre |
| Mirco Bergamasco | Centre | 23 February 1983 | 44 | Stade Français |
| Gonzalo Canale | Centre | 11 November 1982 | 33 | Clermont |
| Pablo Canavosio | Centre | 26 December 1981 | 16 | Castres |
| Denis Dallan | Centre | 4 March 1978 | 40 | Stade Français |
| Enrico Patrizio | Centre | 15 January 1985 | 1 | Petrarca Rugby |
| Alessio Galante | Wing | 24 October 1983 | 0 | Gran Parma |
| Ezio Galon | Wing | 22 July 1977 | 11 | Rugby Parma |
| Ludovico Nitoglia | Wing | 27 October 1983 | 10 | Calvisano |
| Matteo Pratichetti | Wing | 27 July 1985 | 7 | Calvisano |
| Kaine Robertson | Wing | 29 October 1980 | 23 | Viadana |
| Alberto Sgarbi | Wing | 26 November 1986 | 0 | Treviso |
| David Bortolussi | Fullback | 21 July 1981 | 10 | Montpellier |
| Andrea Marcato | Fullback | 13 April 1983 | 2 | Treviso |

## Scotland

Squad announced 8 January 2008, accessed from BBC. Caps updated 17 January 2008 from SRU. After originally being dropped from the squad, hooker Dougie Hall, props Bruce Douglas and Craig Smith and lock Scott Murray were all called up to the squad due to injuries in the main squad.
Head coach: Frank Hadden
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
| Ross Ford | Hooker | 23 April 1984 | 16 | Edinburgh |
| Dougie Hall | Hooker | 24 September 1980 | 19 | Glasgow |
| Scott Lawson | Hooker | 28 September 1981 | 15 | Sale |
| Fergus Thomson | Hooker | 18 September 1983 | 3 | Glasgow |
| Alasdair Dickinson | Prop | 11 September 1983 | 1 | Gloucester |
| Bruce Douglas | Prop | 10 February 1980 | 43 | Scarlets |
| Allan Jacobsen | Prop | 22 September 1978 | 22 | Edinburgh |
| Gavin Kerr | Prop | 3 April 1977 | 47 | Glasgow |
| Moray Low | Prop | 28 November 1984 | 0 | Glasgow |
| Euan Murray | Prop | 7 August 1980 | 15 | Northampton |
| Craig Smith | Prop | 30 August 1978 | 23 | Edinburgh |
| James Hamilton | Lock | 17 November 1982 | 13 | Leicester |
| Nathan Hines | Lock | 29 November 1976 | 48 | Perpignan |
| Alastair Kellock | Lock | 14 June 1981 | 7 | Glasgow |
| Scott MacLeod | Lock | 3 March 1979 | 14 | Scarlets |
| Scott Murray | Lock | 15 January 1976 | 87 | Montauban |
| John Barclay | Flanker | 24 September 1986 | 1 | Glasgow |
| Kelly Brown | Flanker | 8 June 1982 | 19 | Glasgow |
| Ally Hogg | Flanker | 20 July 1983 | 39 | Edinburgh |
| Ross Rennie | Flanker | 29 March 1986 | 0 | Edinburgh |
| Alasdair Strokosch | Flanker | 21 February 1983 | 1 | Gloucester |
| Jason White (c) | Flanker | 17 April 1978 | 63 | Sale |
| Johnnie Beattie | Number 8 | 21 November 1985 | 3 | Glasgow |
| David Callam | Number 8 | 15 February 1983 | 10 | Edinburgh |
| Simon Taylor | Number 8 | 17 August 1979 | 58 | Stade Français |
| Mike Blair | Scrum-half | 20 April 1981 | 43 | Edinburgh |
| Chris Cusiter | Scrum-half | 13 June 1982 | 36 | Perpignan |
| Rory Lawson | Scrum-half | 12 March 1981 | 9 | Gloucester |
| Phil Godman | Fly-half | 20 May 1982 | 8 | Edinburgh |
| Calum MacRae | Fly-half | 26 January 1980 | 0 | Edinburgh |
| Dan Parks | Fly-half | 26 May 1978 | 37 | Glasgow |
| Ben Cairns | Centre | 29 October 1985 | 0 | Edinburgh |
| Nick De Luca | Centre | 1 February 1984 | 0 | Edinburgh |
| Rob Dewey | Centre | 19 October 1983 | 13 | Ulster |
| Andrew Henderson | Centre | 3 February 1980 | 49 | Glasgow |
| Graeme Morrison | Centre | 17 October 1982 | 6 | Glasgow |
| Simon Danielli | Wing | 8 September 1979 | 13 | Ulster |
| Thom Evans | Wing | 2 April 1985 | 0 | Glasgow |
| Chris Paterson | Wing | 30 March 1978 | 81 | Gloucester |
| Nikki Walker | Wing | 5 March 1982 | 10 | Ospreys |
| Simon Webster | Wing | 8 March 1981 | 29 | Edinburgh |
| Rory Lamont | Fullback | 10 March 1982 | 14 | Sale |
| Hugo Southwell | Fullback | 14 May 1980 | 36 | Edinburgh |

## Wales

Squad announced 14 January 2008, accessed from BBC. Caps updated 14 January 2008 from WRU. In Wales' opening game of the Six Nations, Alun Wyn Jones was left with an injury to his ankle. For their next game, Warren Gatland called up Cardiff lock Deiniol Jones to cover for him.
Head Coach: Warren Gatland
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
| Huw Bennett | Hooker | 11 June 1983 | 14 | Ospreys |
| Matthew Rees | Hooker | 9 December 1980 | 16 | Scarlets |
| Gareth Williams | Hooker | 19 December 1978 | 5 | Blues |
| Gethin Jenkins | Prop | 17 November 1980 | 53 | Blues |
| Adam Jones | Prop | 8 March 1981 | 55 | Ospreys |
| Duncan Jones | Prop | 18 September 1978 | 45 | Ospreys |
| Rhys M. Thomas | Prop | 31 July 1982 | 3 | Dragons |
| Ian Evans | Lock | 4 October 1984 | 8 | Ospreys |
| Ian Gough | Lock | 10 November 1976 | 45 | Ospreys |
| Alun Wyn Jones | Lock | 19 September 1985 | 18 | Ospreys |
| Deiniol Jones | Lock | 18 November 1977 | 4 | Blues |
| Robin Sowden-Taylor | Flanker | 9 June 1982 | 5 | Blues |
| Jonathan Thomas | Flanker | 27 December 1982 | 39 | Ospreys |
| Martyn Williams | Flanker | 1 September 1975 | 76 | Blues |
| Gareth Delve | Number 8 | 30 September 1982 | 4 | Gloucester |
| Ryan Jones (c) | Number 8 | 13 March 1981 | 16 | Ospreys |
| Alix Popham | Number 8 | 17 October 1979 | 32 | Scarlets |
| Gareth Cooper | Scrum-half | 7 May 1979 | 35 | Gloucester |
| Dwayne Peel | Scrum-half | 31 August 1981 | 59 | Scarlets |
| Mike Phillips | Scrum-half | 29 August 1982 | 28 | Ospreys |
| James Hook | Fly-half | 27 June 1985 | 20 | Ospreys |
| Stephen Jones | Fly-half | 8 December 1977 | 62 | Scarlets |
| Gavin Henson | Centre | 1 February 1982 | 23 | Ospreys |
| Sonny Parker | Centre | 27 August 1977 | 27 | Ospreys |
| Tom Shanklin | Centre | 24 November 1979 | 47 | Blues |
| Tom James | Wing | 11 April 1987 | 2 | Blues |
| Mark Jones | Wing | 7 November 1979 | 35 | Scarlets |
| Shane Williams | Wing | 26 February 1977 | 51 | Ospreys |
| Lee Byrne | Fullback | 1 June 1980 | 14 | Ospreys |
| Jamie Roberts | Fullback | 8 November 1986 | 0 | Blues |