# 2009 Six Nations Championship

The 2009 Six Nations Championship, known as the RBS 6 Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 10th Six Nations Championship, and the 115th international championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the six major European national teams: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The tournament was held between 7 February and 21 March 2009.
Ireland won the Grand Slam and Triple Crown, only their second Grand Slam, and first since 1948, and first Triple Crown since 2007.
England finished as runners-up, and also won the Calcutta Cup. The tournament featured the first Friday night game in its history, played between France and Wales at the Stade de France.

## Summary

The tournament began on 7 February 2009, when England hosted Italy in the earlier of the day's two matches. Ireland played France later that evening, with Scotland versus Wales the following day.
The reigning champions on entering the 2009 tournament were Wales, who won the Grand Slam and Triple Crown in 2008. The winners of both accolades in 2009 were Ireland, with Ronan O'Gara's dropped goal leaving the score in the final match against Wales in Cardiff on 21 March at 17–15. Wales's Stephen Jones then missed a late penalty from just inside the Ireland half to leave Wales in fourth position. Ireland's two tries in that match came when captain Brian O'Driscoll and Tommy Bowe scored in quick succession in the 44th and 46th minutes respectively. Paul O'Connell received the Triple Crown and Ireland's captain Brian O'Driscoll lifted the trophy. It was Ireland's first Grand Slam since 1948, 61 years earlier. This was achieved in the first Six Nations Championship since Declan Kidney was appointed as manager of the Ireland team, succeeding Eddie O'Sullivan who resigned after the previous tournament.
Twelve tries were scored by Ireland throughout the tournament, and five wins left the team on top of the table at the end of the Championship with ten points. They opened with a 30–21 win over France at home stadium Croke Park on 7 February. On 15 February, Ireland's second match was a 38–9 victory over Italy at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome. On 28 February, Ireland beat England 14–13 at Croke Park and on 14 March, Ireland beat Scotland 22–15 at Murrayfield Stadium. Then followed the Grand Slam against Wales on 21 March 2009. That game was attended by the President of Ireland Mary McAleese, who presented the trophy, and Taoiseach Brian Cowen. Following the game there were tributes from politicians. A civic reception for the team took place outside Dublin's Mansion House on 22 March at 16:30, with 18,000 fans attending alongside Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Dublin's Deputy Lord Mayor Emer Costelloe. 2,000 fans had earlier greeted the team upon their arrival at Dublin Airport. Brian O'Driscoll described 21 March as a "sweet, sweet day". The game was watched by 945,000 people in Ireland, the highest rating television programme in the country by that stage of 2009. Former coach Eddie O'Sullivan was said to be "delighted" for the team. Brian O'Driscoll was named player of the tournament, beating Italy's Sergio Parisse and Ireland teammate Paul O'Connell. O'Connell was later named captain of the British and Irish Lions team to tour South Africa and containing fourteen members of the Grand Slam winning Irish team on 21 April 2009, describing it as "a great honour".
Italy were the only side to not win a match in the tournament, suffering defeats by twenty points or more against, in addition to Ireland, France (50–8), England (36–11) and Scotland (26–6), while losing 20–15 to Wales. Scotland managed a solitary victory against Italy to finish on 2 points. England, France and Wales all managed to win three of their matches to finish level on six points but England's points difference of +54 granted them second place in the table. Their points tally was boosted by a 36–10 defeat of France and a 26–12 win against Scotland which sealed the Calcutta Cup. Wales' early loss to France and narrow loss to Ireland in the last game of the tournament denied them a second consecutive championship. Although Wales needed to beat Ireland by more than 13 points to win the championship, they could have won the game and the Triple Crown in the last minute of the tournament (as well as denying Ireland the Grand Slam) if Stephen Jones' 50-yard penalty kick had not fallen short.

## Participants

| Nation | Home stadium | City | Head coach | Captain |
| England | Twickenham | London | Martin Johnson | Steve Borthwick |
| France | Stade de France | Saint-Denis | Marc Lièvremont | Lionel Nallet |
| Ireland | Croke Park | Dublin | Declan Kidney | Brian O'Driscoll |
| Italy | Stadio Flaminio | Rome | Nick Mallett | Sergio Parisse |
| Scotland | Murrayfield | Edinburgh | Frank Hadden | Mike Blair |
| Wales | Millennium Stadium | Cardiff | Warren Gatland | Ryan Jones |

## Table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | Pts |
| 1 | Ireland | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 121 | 73 | +48 | 12 | 10 |
| 2 | England | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 124 | 70 | +54 | 16 | 6 |
| 3 | France | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 124 | 101 | +23 | 14 | 6 |
| 4 | Wales | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 100 | 81 | +19 | 8 | 6 |
| 5 | Scotland | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 79 | 102 | −23 | 4 | 2 |
| 6 | Italy | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 49 | 170 | −121 | 2 | 0 |

## Fixtures

The fixtures for the 2009 Six Nations were released on 17 April 2008. The France v Wales game on 27 February was the first Friday night game in the history of the championship, both under the Five and Six Nations format.

### Round 1

* 7 February 2009 15:00 GMT
| England | 36–11 | Italy |
| Try: Goode 2' c Ellis (2) 18' m, 54' c Flutey 28' c Cueto 78' c Con: Goode (4/5) Pen: Goode (1/3) 36' | Report | Try: Mi. Bergamasco 72' m Pen: McLean (2/3) 34', 39' |
* Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 82,000 Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa)
| FB | 15 | Delon Armitage |
| RW | 14 | Paul Sackey |
| OC | 13 | Jamie Noon | | 73' |
| IC | 12 | Riki Flutey | | 60' |
| LW | 11 | Mark Cueto |
| FH | 10 | Andy Goode |
| SH | 9 | Harry Ellis | | 60' |
| N8 | 8 | Nick Easter |
| OF | 7 | Steffon Armitage | | 62' |
| BF | 6 | James Haskell | 34' |
| RL | 5 | Nick Kennedy | | 73' |
| LL | 4 | Steve Borthwick (c) |
| TP | 3 | Phil Vickery |
| HK | 2 | Lee Mears | | 55' |
| LP | 1 | Andrew Sheridan | | 60' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Dylan Hartley | | 55' |
| PR | 17 | Julian White | | 60' |
| LK | 18 | Tom Croft | | 73' |
| FL | 19 | Joe Worsley | | 62' |
| SH | 20 | Ben Foden | | 60' |
| CE | 21 | Shane Geraghty | 63' | 60' |
| CE | 22 | Mathew Tait | | 73' |
| Coach: ||
| Martin Johnson ||
| FB | 15 | Andrea Masi |
| RW | 14 | Kaine Robertson |
| OC | 13 | Gonzalo Canale |
| IC | 12 | Gonzalo García | 55' |
| LW | 11 | Mirco Bergamasco |
| FH | 10 | Andrea Marcato | 29' |
| SH | 9 | Mauro Bergamasco | 41' |
| N8 | 8 | Sergio Parisse (c) |
| OF | 7 | Alessandro Zanni |
| BF | 6 | Josh Sole |
| RL | 5 | Marco Bortolami | 55' |
| LL | 4 | Santiago Dellapè | 76' |
| TP | 3 | Martin Castrogiovanni |
| HK | 2 | Fabio Ongaro | 55' |
| LP | 1 | Salvatore Perugini | 60' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Carlo Festuccia | 55' |
| PR | 17 | Carlos Nieto | 60' |
| LK | 18 | Tommaso Reato | 55' |
| FL | 19 | Jean-François Montauriol | 76' |
| SH | 20 | Giulio Toniolatti | 41' |
| FH | 21 | Luke McLean | 29' |
| CE | 22 | Matteo Pratichetti | 55' |
| Coach: ||
| Nick Mallett ||
* 7 February 2009 17:00 GMT
| Ireland | 30–21 | France |
| Try: Heaslip 34' c O'Driscoll 43' c D'Arcy 66' c Con: O'Gara (3/3) Pen: O'Gara (3/5) 3', 17', 78' | Report | Try: Harinordoquy 15' c Médard 50' m Con: Beauxis (1/2) Pen: Beauxis (1/1) 76' Drop: Beauxis (2/2) 40+1', 53' |
* Croke Park, Dublin Attendance: 79,000 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
| FB | 15 | Rob Kearney | 80' |
| RW | 14 | Tommy Bowe |
| OC | 13 | Brian O'Driscoll (c) |
| IC | 12 | Paddy Wallace | 63' |
| LW | 11 | Luke Fitzgerald |
| FH | 10 | Ronan O'Gara |
| SH | 9 | Tomás O'Leary |
| N8 | 8 | Jamie Heaslip |
| OF | 7 | David Wallace |
| BF | 6 | Stephen Ferris | 76' |
| RL | 5 | Paul O'Connell |
| LL | 4 | Donncha O'Callaghan |
| TP | 3 | John Hayes |
| HK | 2 | Jerry Flannery | 49' |
| LP | 1 | Marcus Horan |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Rory Best | 49' |
| PR | 17 | Tom Court |
| LK | 18 | Malcolm O'Kelly |
| FL | 19 | Denis Leamy | 76' |
| SH | 20 | Peter Stringer |
| CE | 21 | Gordon D'Arcy | 63' |
| FB | 22 | Geordan Murphy | 80' |
| Coach: ||
| Declan Kidney ||
| FB | 15 | Clément Poitrenaud | 79' |
| RW | 14 | Julien Malzieu |
| OC | 13 | Florian Fritz | 80' |
| IC | 12 | Yannick Jauzion |
| LW | 11 | Maxime Médard |
| FH | 10 | Lionel Beauxis |
| SH | 9 | Sébastien Tillous-Borde | 68' |
| N8 | 8 | Imanol Harinordoquy | 71' |
| OF | 7 | Fulgence Ouedraogo |
| BF | 6 | Thierry Dusautoir |
| RL | 5 | Sébastien Chabal | 62' |
| LL | 4 | Lionel Nallet (c) |
| TP | 3 | Benoît Lecouls | 40' |
| HK | 2 | Dimitri Szarzewski | 58' |
| LP | 1 | Lionel Faure |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Benjamin Kayser | 58' |
| PR | 17 | Nicolas Mas | 40' |
| LK | 18 | Romain Millo-Chluski | 62' |
| N8 | 19 | Louis Picamoles | 71' |
| SH | 20 | Morgan Parra | 68' |
| CE | 21 | Benoît Baby | 80' |
| WG | 22 | Cédric Heymans | 79' |
| Coach: ||
| Marc Lièvremont ||
* 8 February 2009 15:00 GMT
| Scotland | 13–26 | Wales |
| Try: M. Evans 69' c Con: Paterson (1/1) Pen: Paterson (2/2) 32', 51' | Report | Try: Shanklin 22' m A. W. Jones 29' m Halfpenny 41' m S. Williams 58' m Pen: S. Jones (2/3) 13', 40+1' |
* Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 63,000 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
| FB | 15 | Hugo Southwell |
| RW | 14 | Simon Webster | | 21' |
| OC | 13 | Ben Cairns | | 52' |
| IC | 12 | Graeme Morrison |
| LW | 11 | Sean Lamont |
| FH | 10 | Phil Godman |
| SH | 9 | Mike Blair (c) | | 62' |
| N8 | 8 | Simon Taylor |
| OF | 7 | John Barclay | | 56' |
| BF | 6 | Ally Hogg | | 73' |
| RL | 5 | Jim Hamilton |
| LL | 4 | Jason White |
| TP | 3 | Geoff Cross | 20' | 31' |
| HK | 2 | Ross Ford | | 62' |
| LP | 1 | Allan Jacobsen |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Dougie Hall | | 62' |
| PR | 17 | Alasdair Dickinson | | 31' |
| LK | 18 | Kelly Brown | | 73' |
| FL | 19 | Scott Gray | | 56' |
| SH | 20 | Chris Cusiter | | 62' |
| WG | 21 | Chris Paterson | | 21' |
| CE | 22 | Max Evans | | 52' |
| Coach: ||
| Frank Hadden ||
| FB | 15 | Lee Byrne |
| RW | 14 | Leigh Halfpenny |
| OC | 13 | Tom Shanklin |
| IC | 12 | Jamie Roberts | | 60' |
| LW | 11 | Shane Williams | | 72' |
| FH | 10 | Stephen Jones | | 63' |
| SH | 9 | Mike Phillips | | 60' |
| N8 | 8 | Andy Powell |
| OF | 7 | Martyn Williams (c) | 66' |
| BF | 6 | Dafydd Jones |
| RL | 5 | Alun Wyn Jones |
| LL | 4 | Ian Gough | | 63' |
| TP | 3 | Adam Jones |
| HK | 2 | Matthew Rees | | 63' |
| LP | 1 | Gethin Jenkins | | 63' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Huw Bennett | | 63' |
| PR | 17 | John Yapp | | 63' |
| LK | 18 | Luke Charteris | | 63' |
| FL | 19 | Bradley Davies | | 72' |
| SH | 20 | Dwayne Peel | | 60' |
| FH | 21 | James Hook | | 63' |
| CE | 22 | Andrew Bishop | | 60' |
| Coach: ||
| Warren Gatland ||

### Round 2

* 14 February 2009 16:00 CET
| France | 22–13 | Scotland |
| Try: Ouedraogo 46' c Con: Beauxis (1/1) Pen: Beauxis (5/7) 23', 38', 53', 60', 73' | Report | Try: T. Evans 69' c Con: Paterson (1/1) Pen: Godman (2/3) 35', 49' |
* Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 79,600 Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
| FB | 15 | Clément Poitrenaud |
| RW | 14 | Maxime Médard |
| OC | 13 | Benoît Baby | 59' |
| IC | 12 | Yannick Jauzion |
| LW | 11 | Cédric Heymans |
| FH | 10 | Lionel Beauxis |
| SH | 9 | Sébastien Tillous-Borde | 67' |
| N8 | 8 | Imanol Harinordoquy | 70' |
| OF | 7 | Fulgence Ouedraogo |
| BF | 6 | Thierry Dusautoir |
| RL | 5 | Lionel Nallet (c) |
| LL | 4 | Romain Millo-Chluski | 59' |
| TP | 3 | Nicolas Mas | 41' |
| HK | 2 | Dimitri Szarzewski | 55' |
| LP | 1 | Fabien Barcella |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Benjamin Kayser | 55' |
| PR | 17 | Renaud Boyoud | 41' |
| LK | 18 | Sébastien Chabal | 59' |
| N8 | 19 | Louis Picamoles | 70' |
| SH | 20 | Morgan Parra | 67' |
| CE | 21 | Maxime Mermoz | 59' |
| WG | 22 | Julien Malzieu |
| Coach: ||
| Marc Lièvremont ||
| FB | 15 | Hugo Southwell |
| RW | 14 | Simon Danielli | 66' |
| OC | 13 | Max Evans |
| IC | 12 | Graeme Morrison | 73' |
| LW | 11 | Thom Evans |
| FH | 10 | Phil Godman |
| SH | 9 | Mike Blair (c) | 73' |
| N8 | 8 | Simon Taylor |
| OF | 7 | John Barclay |
| BF | 6 | Alasdair Strokosch |
| RL | 5 | Jim Hamilton | 18' |
| LL | 4 | Jason White |
| TP | 3 | Alasdair Dickinson | 46' |
| HK | 2 | Ross Ford | 66' |
| LP | 1 | Allan Jacobsen |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Dougie Hall | 66' |
| PR | 17 | Moray Low | 46' |
| LK | 18 | Kelly Brown | 18' |
| FL | 19 | Scott Gray |
| SH | 20 | Chris Cusiter | 73' |
| WG | 21 | Chris Paterson | 66' |
| CE | 22 | Nick De Luca | 73' |
| Coach: ||
| Frank Hadden ||
* 14 February 2009 17:30 GMT
| Wales | 23–15 | England |
| Try: Halfpenny 44' m Pen: S. Jones (5/5) 4', 16', 43', 54', 72' Halfpenny 22' (1/2) | Report | Try: Sackey 24' m D. Armitage 57' c Con: Flood (1/1) Drop: Goode (1/1) 30' |
* Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 73,000 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
| FB | 15 | Lee Byrne |
| RW | 14 | Leigh Halfpenny |
| OC | 13 | Tom Shanklin |
| IC | 12 | Jamie Roberts |
| LW | 11 | Mark Jones |
| FH | 10 | Stephen Jones |
| SH | 9 | Mike Phillips | 73' |
| N8 | 8 | Andy Powell | 60' |
| OF | 7 | Martyn Williams |
| BF | 6 | Ryan Jones (c) |
| RL | 5 | Alun Wyn Jones |
| LL | 4 | Ian Gough |
| TP | 3 | Adam Jones |
| HK | 2 | Matthew Rees | 66' |
| LP | 1 | Gethin Jenkins |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Huw Bennett | 66' |
| PR | 17 | John Yapp |
| LK | 18 | Luke Charteris |
| FL | 19 | Dafydd Jones | 60' |
| SH | 20 | Dwayne Peel | 73' |
| FH | 21 | James Hook |
| CE | 22 | Andrew Bishop |
| Coach: ||
| Warren Gatland ||
| FB | 15 | Delon Armitage |
| RW | 14 | Paul Sackey | | 65' |
| OC | 13 | Mike Tindall | 14' |
| IC | 12 | Riki Flutey |
| LW | 11 | Mark Cueto |
| FH | 10 | Andy Goode | 41' | 53' |
| SH | 9 | Harry Ellis |
| N8 | 8 | Nick Easter |
| OF | 7 | Joe Worsley |
| BF | 6 | James Haskell | | 54' |
| RL | 5 | Nick Kennedy | | 55' |
| LL | 4 | Steve Borthwick (c) |
| TP | 3 | Phil Vickery | | 65' |
| HK | 2 | Lee Mears | | 65' |
| LP | 1 | Andrew Sheridan |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Dylan Hartley | | 65' |
| PR | 17 | Julian White | | 65' |
| LK | 18 | Tom Croft | | 55' |
| FL | 19 | Luke Narraway | | 54' |
| SH | 20 | Paul Hodgson |
| FH | 21 | Toby Flood | | 53' |
| CE | 22 | Mathew Tait | | 65' |
| Coach: ||
| Martin Johnson ||
* 15 February 2009 15:30 CET
| Italy | 9–38 | Ireland |
| Pen: McLean (3/4) 5', 16', 24' | Report | Try: Bowe 19' c Fitzgerald (2) 40' c, 76' c D. Wallace 48' c O'Driscoll 78' c Con: O'Gara (4/4) Kearney (1/1) Pen: O'Gara (1/1) 50' |
* Stadio Flaminio, Rome Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Chris White (England)
| FB | 15 | Andrea Masi | 1' |
| RW | 14 | Kaine Robertson | | 20' |
| OC | 13 | Gonzalo Canale | | 48' |
| IC | 12 | Mirco Bergamasco |
| LW | 11 | Matteo Pratichetti |
| FH | 10 | Luke McLean | | 72' |
| SH | 9 | Paul Griffen |
| N8 | 8 | Sergio Parisse (c) |
| OF | 7 | Mauro Bergamasco |
| BF | 6 | Alessandro Zanni |
| RL | 5 | Tommaso Reato | | 48' |
| LL | 4 | Santiago Dellapè | | 48' |
| TP | 3 | Martin Castrogiovanni | | 33' |
| HK | 2 | Fabio Ongaro | | 41' |
| LP | 1 | Salvatore Perugini | 36' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Carlo Festuccia | | 41' |
| PR | 17 | Carlos Nieto | | 33' |
| LK | 18 | Carlo Del Fava | | 48' |
| FL | 19 | Josh Sole | | 48' |
| SH | 20 | Giulio Toniolatti | | 72' |
| FH | 21 | Gonzalo García | | 48' |
| CE | 22 | Andrea Bacchetti | | 20' |
| Coach: ||
| Nick Mallett ||
| FB | 15 | Rob Kearney |
| RW | 14 | Tommy Bowe |
| OC | 13 | Brian O'Driscoll (c) |
| IC | 12 | Paddy Wallace | | 41' |
| LW | 11 | Luke Fitzgerald |
| FH | 10 | Ronan O'Gara | 32' |
| SH | 9 | Tomás O'Leary | | 72' |
| N8 | 8 | Jamie Heaslip |
| OF | 7 | David Wallace |
| BF | 6 | Stephen Ferris | | 62' |
| RL | 5 | Paul O'Connell | | 77' |
| LL | 4 | Donncha O'Callaghan |
| TP | 3 | John Hayes |
| HK | 2 | Jerry Flannery | | 60' |
| LP | 1 | Marcus Horan | | 55' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Rory Best | | 60' |
| PR | 17 | Tom Court | | 55' |
| LK | 18 | Malcolm O'Kelly | | 77' |
| FL | 19 | Denis Leamy | | 62' |
| SH | 20 | Peter Stringer | | 72' |
| CE | 21 | Gordon D'Arcy | | 41' |
| FB | 22 | Geordan Murphy |
| Coach: ||
| Declan Kidney ||

### Round 3

* 27 February 2009 21:00 CET
| France | 21–16 | Wales |
| Try: Dusautoir 40' c Heymans 53' m Con: Parra (1/2) Pen: Parra (3/5) 6', 35', 70' | Report | Try: Byrne 24' c Con: S. Jones (1/1) Pen: S. Jones (2/2) 3', 9' Hook (1/1) 73' |
* Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 80,000 Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa)
| FB | 15 | Maxime Médard |
| RW | 14 | Julien Malzieu |
| OC | 13 | Mathieu Bastareaud |
| IC | 12 | Yannick Jauzion |
| LW | 11 | Cédric Heymans |
| FH | 10 | Benoît Baby | 37' |
| SH | 9 | Morgan Parra | 72' |
| N8 | 8 | Imanol Harinordoquy |
| OF | 7 | Fulgence Ouedraogo |
| BF | 6 | Thierry Dusautoir |
| RL | 5 | Sébastien Chabal | 57' |
| LL | 4 | Lionel Nallet (c) |
| TP | 3 | Sylvain Marconnet | 57' |
| HK | 2 | Dimitri Szarzewski | 65' |
| LP | 1 | Fabien Barcella |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Benjamin Kayser | 65' |
| PR | 17 | Thomas Domingo | 57' |
| LK | 18 | Romain Millo-Chluski | 57' |
| N8 | 19 | Louis Picamoles |
| SH | 20 | Sébastien Tillous-Borde | 72' |
| FH | 21 | François Trinh-Duc | 37' |
| FB | 22 | Clément Poitrenaud |
| Coach: ||
| Marc Lièvremont ||
| FB | 15 | Lee Byrne |
| RW | 14 | Leigh Halfpenny |
| OC | 13 | Tom Shanklin |
| IC | 12 | Jamie Roberts | 55' |
| LW | 11 | Shane Williams |
| FH | 10 | Stephen Jones | 70' |
| SH | 9 | Mike Phillips | 55' |
| N8 | 8 | Andy Powell | 62' |
| OF | 7 | Martyn Williams |
| BF | 6 | Ryan Jones (c) |
| RL | 5 | Alun Wyn Jones |
| LL | 4 | Ian Gough | 71' |
| TP | 3 | Adam Jones |
| HK | 2 | Matthew Rees | 55' |
| LP | 1 | Gethin Jenkins |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Huw Bennett | 55' |
| PR | 17 | John Yapp |
| LK | 18 | Luke Charteris | 71' |
| FL | 19 | Dafydd Jones | 62' |
| SH | 20 | Dwayne Peel | 55' |
| FH | 21 | James Hook | 70' |
| CE | 22 | Gavin Henson | 55' |
| Coach: ||
| Warren Gatland ||
* 28 February 2009 15:00 GMT
| Scotland | 26–6 | Italy |
| Try: Danielli 35' c Gray 64' c Con: Godman (1/1) Paterson (1/1) Pen: Paterson (3/3) 5', 13', 68' Godman (1/2) 31' | Report | Pen: McLean (1/1) 55' Drop: Parisse (1/1) 22' |
* Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 65,000 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
| FB | 15 | Hugo Southwell | 47' |
| RW | 14 | Simon Danielli |
| OC | 13 | Max Evans |
| IC | 12 | Graeme Morrison | 67' |
| LW | 11 | Thom Evans |
| FH | 10 | Phil Godman |
| SH | 9 | Mike Blair (c) | 55' |
| N8 | 8 | Simon Taylor |
| OF | 7 | John Barclay | 56' |
| BF | 6 | Alasdair Strokosch |
| RL | 5 | Alastair Kellock |
| LL | 4 | Jason White |
| TP | 3 | Euan Murray | 67' |
| HK | 2 | Ross Ford | 53' |
| LP | 1 | Allan Jacobsen | 68' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Dougie Hall | 53' |
| PR | 17 | Alasdair Dickinson | 67' |
| LK | 18 | Kelly Brown | 68' |
| FL | 19 | Scott Gray | 56' |
| SH | 20 | Chris Cusiter | 55' |
| WG | 21 | Chris Paterson | 47' |
| CE | 22 | Nick De Luca | 67' |
| Coach: ||
| Frank Hadden ||
| FB | 15 | Andrea Marcato | 47' |
| RW | 14 | Mirco Bergamasco |
| OC | 13 | Gonzalo Canale |
| IC | 12 | Gonzalo García | 3' |
| LW | 11 | Matteo Pratichetti |
| FH | 10 | Luke McLean |
| SH | 9 | Paul Griffen | 55' |
| N8 | 8 | Sergio Parisse (c) |
| OF | 7 | Mauro Bergamasco |
| BF | 6 | Alessandro Zanni |
| RL | 5 | Marco Bortolami | 77' |
| LL | 4 | Santiago Dellapè | 57' |
| TP | 3 | Martin Castrogiovanni | 58' |
| HK | 2 | Leonardo Ghiraldini | 58' |
| LP | 1 | Salvatore Perugini |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Franco Sbaraglini | 58' |
| PR | 17 | Carlos Nieto | 58' |
| LK | 18 | Carlo Del Fava | 57' |
| FL | 19 | Josh Sole | 77' |
| SH | 20 | Pablo Canavosio | 55' |
| CE | 21 | Andrea Bacchetti | 3' |
| WG | 22 | Giulio Rubini | 47' |
| Coach: ||
| Nick Mallett ||
* 28 February 2009 17:30 GMT
| Ireland | 14–13 | England |
| Try: O'Driscoll 57' m Pen: O'Gara (2/5) 27', 71' Drop: O'Driscoll (1/2) 46' | Report | Try: D. Armitage 78' c Con: Goode (1/1) Pen: Flood (1/1) 38' D. Armitage (1/1) 64' |
* Croke Park, Dublin Attendance: 82,000 Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
| FB | 15 | Rob Kearney |
| RW | 14 | Tommy Bowe |
| OC | 13 | Brian O'Driscoll (c) |
| IC | 12 | Paddy Wallace |
| LW | 11 | Luke Fitzgerald |
| FH | 10 | Ronan O'Gara |
| SH | 9 | Tomás O'Leary | 65' |
| N8 | 8 | Jamie Heaslip | 68' |
| OF | 7 | David Wallace |
| BF | 6 | Stephen Ferris |
| RL | 5 | Paul O'Connell |
| LL | 4 | Donncha O'Callaghan |
| TP | 3 | John Hayes |
| HK | 2 | Jerry Flannery | 68' |
| LP | 1 | Marcus Horan |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Rory Best | 68' |
| PR | 17 | Tom Court |
| LK | 18 | Mick O'Driscoll |
| FL | 19 | Denis Leamy | 68' |
| SH | 20 | Peter Stringer | 65' |
| CE | 21 | Gordon D'Arcy |
| FB | 22 | Geordan Murphy |
| Coach: ||
| Declan Kidney ||
| FB | 15 | Delon Armitage |
| RW | 14 | Paul Sackey | | 57' |
| OC | 13 | Mike Tindall |
| IC | 12 | Riki Flutey |
| LW | 11 | Mark Cueto |
| FH | 10 | Toby Flood | | 66' |
| SH | 9 | Harry Ellis | | 58' |
| N8 | 8 | Nick Easter | | 76' |
| OF | 7 | Joe Worsley |
| BF | 6 | James Haskell |
| RL | 5 | Nick Kennedy | | 69' |
| LL | 4 | Steve Borthwick (c) |
| TP | 3 | Phil Vickery | 55' |
| HK | 2 | Lee Mears | | 66' |
| LP | 1 | Andrew Sheridan | | 77' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Dylan Hartley | | 66' |
| PR | 17 | Julian White | | 77' |
| LK | 18 | Tom Croft | | 69' |
| FL | 19 | Luke Narraway | | 76' |
| SH | 20 | Danny Care | 69' | 58' |
| FH | 21 | Andy Goode | | 66' |
| CE | 22 | Mathew Tait | | 57' |
| Coach: ||
| Martin Johnson ||
Notes:
* Ireland won the Millennium Trophy.

### Round 4

* 14 March 2009 16:00 CET
| Italy | 15–20 | Wales |
| Pen: Marcato (5/5) 5', 31', 34', 57', 70' | Report | Try: S. Williams 25' c Shanklin 71' c Con: Hook (2/2) Pen: Hook (2/3) 59', 63' |
* Stadio Flaminio, Rome Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland)
| FB | 15 | Andrea Marcato | 75' |
| RW | 14 | Giulio Rubini |
| OC | 13 | Gonzalo Canale |
| IC | 12 | Mirco Bergamasco |
| LW | 11 | Matteo Pratichetti |
| FH | 10 | Luke McLean |
| SH | 9 | Paul Griffen | 66' |
| N8 | 8 | Sergio Parisse (c) |
| OF | 7 | Mauro Bergamasco |
| BF | 6 | Alessandro Zanni |
| RL | 5 | Marco Bortolami | 64' |
| LL | 4 | Santiago Dellapè | 50' |
| TP | 3 | Carlos Nieto | 50' |
| HK | 2 | Leonardo Ghiraldini |
| LP | 1 | Salvatore Perugini |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Franco Sbaraglini |
| PR | 17 | Martin Castrogiovanni | 50' |
| LK | 18 | Carlo Del Fava | 50' |
| FL | 19 | Josh Sole | 64' |
| SH | 20 | Pablo Canavosio | 66' |
| FH | 21 | Luciano Orquera | 75' |
| CE | 22 | Roberto Quartaroli |
| Coach: ||
| Nick Mallett ||
| FB | 15 | Lee Byrne | 68' |
| RW | 14 | Mark Jones |
| OC | 13 | Jamie Roberts |
| IC | 12 | Gavin Henson |
| LW | 11 | Shane Williams |
| FH | 10 | James Hook | 75' |
| SH | 9 | Mike Phillips |
| N8 | 8 | Andy Powell |
| OF | 7 | Dafydd Jones |
| BF | 6 | Jonathan Thomas | 57' |
| RL | 5 | Alun Wyn Jones (c) |
| LL | 4 | Luke Charteris | 66' |
| TP | 3 | Rhys M. Thomas | 57' |
| HK | 2 | Huw Bennett | 57' |
| LP | 1 | John Yapp |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Matthew Rees | 57' |
| PR | 17 | Gethin Jenkins | 57' |
| LK | 18 | Bradley Davies | 66' |
| FL | 19 | Ryan Jones | 57' |
| SH | 20 | Warren Fury |
| FH | 21 | Stephen Jones | 75' |
| CE | 22 | Tom Shanklin | 68' |
| Coach: ||
| Warren Gatland ||
* 14 March 2009 17:00 GMT
| Scotland | 15–22 | Ireland |
| Pen: Paterson (5/5) 5', 13', 21', 31', 60' | Report | Try: Heaslip 51' c Con: O'Gara (1/1) Pen: O'Gara (4/5) 11', 27', 33', 70' Drop: O'Gara (1/1) 57' |
* Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
| FB | 15 | Chris Paterson |
| RW | 14 | Simon Danielli |
| OC | 13 | Max Evans |
| IC | 12 | Graeme Morrison | 70' |
| LW | 11 | Thom Evans |
| FH | 10 | Phil Godman |
| SH | 9 | Mike Blair (c) | 51' |
| N8 | 8 | Simon Taylor |
| OF | 7 | John Barclay | 67' |
| BF | 6 | Alasdair Strokosch |
| RL | 5 | Jim Hamilton |
| LL | 4 | Jason White | 50' |
| TP | 3 | Euan Murray |
| HK | 2 | Ross Ford | 57' |
| LP | 1 | Alasdair Dickinson |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Dougie Hall | 57' |
| PR | 17 | Moray Low |
| LK | 18 | Nathan Hines | 50' |
| FL | 19 | Scott Gray | 67' |
| SH | 20 | Chris Cusiter | 51' |
| CE | 21 | Nick De Luca | 70' |
| FB | 22 | Hugo Southwell |
| Coach: ||
| Frank Hadden ||
| FB | 15 | Rob Kearney | 75' |
| RW | 14 | Tommy Bowe |
| OC | 13 | Brian O'Driscoll (c) |
| IC | 12 | Gordon D'Arcy |
| LW | 11 | Luke Fitzgerald |
| FH | 10 | Ronan O'Gara |
| SH | 9 | Peter Stringer | 65' |
| N8 | 8 | Denis Leamy | 30' |
| OF | 7 | David Wallace |
| BF | 6 | Stephen Ferris |
| RL | 5 | Paul O'Connell |
| LL | 4 | Donncha O'Callaghan |
| TP | 3 | John Hayes |
| HK | 2 | Rory Best | 61' |
| LP | 1 | Marcus Horan |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Jerry Flannery | 61' |
| PR | 17 | Tom Court |
| LK | 18 | Mick O'Driscoll |
| FL | 19 | Jamie Heaslip | 30' |
| SH | 20 | Tomás O'Leary | 65' |
| CE | 21 | Paddy Wallace |
| FB | 22 | Geordan Murphy | 75' |
| Coach: ||
| Declan Kidney ||
Notes:
* Ireland won their eighth successive Centenary Quaich.
* 15 March 2009 15:00 GMT
| England | 34–10 | France |
| Try: Cueto 1' c Flutey (2) 22' c, 41' m D. Armitage 37' c Worsley 39' m Con: Flood (3/3) Pen: Flood (1/1) 18' | Report | Try: Szarzewski 56' m Malzieu 64' m |
* Twickenham Stadium, London Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
| FB | 15 | Delon Armitage |
| RW | 14 | Mark Cueto |
| OC | 13 | Mike Tindall |
| IC | 12 | Riki Flutey |
| LW | 11 | Ugo Monye | 72' |
| FH | 10 | Toby Flood | 40' |
| SH | 9 | Harry Ellis | 55' |
| N8 | 8 | Nick Easter |
| OF | 7 | Joe Worsley | 68' |
| BF | 6 | Tom Croft |
| RL | 5 | Simon Shaw | 57' |
| LL | 4 | Steve Borthwick (c) |
| TP | 3 | Phil Vickery |
| HK | 2 | Lee Mears | 57' |
| LP | 1 | Andrew Sheridan | 66' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Dylan Hartley | 57' |
| PR | 17 | Julian White | 66' |
| LK | 18 | Nick Kennedy | 68' |
| FL | 19 | James Haskell | 57' |
| SH | 20 | Danny Care | 55' |
| FH | 21 | Andy Goode | 40' |
| CE | 22 | Mathew Tait | 72' |
| Coach: ||
| Martin Johnson ||
| FB | 15 | Maxime Médard |
| RW | 14 | Julien Malzieu |
| OC | 13 | Mathieu Bastareaud | 46' |
| IC | 12 | Yannick Jauzion |
| LW | 11 | Cédric Heymans |
| FH | 10 | François Trinh-Duc | 46' |
| SH | 9 | Morgan Parra | 59' |
| N8 | 8 | Imanol Harinordoquy | 68' |
| OF | 7 | Sébastien Chabal |
| BF | 6 | Thierry Dusautoir |
| RL | 5 | Jérôme Thion | 46' |
| LL | 4 | Lionel Nallet (c) |
| TP | 3 | Sylvain Marconnet |
| HK | 2 | Dimitri Szarzewski | 59' |
| LP | 1 | Lionel Faure | 51' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Benjamin Kayser | 59' |
| PR | 17 | Thomas Domingo | 51' |
| N8 | 18 | Louis Picamoles | 68' |
| FL | 19 | Julien Bonnaire | 46' |
| SH | 20 | Sébastien Tillous-Borde | 59' |
| CE | 21 | Florian Fritz | 46' |
| CE | 22 | Damien Traille | 46' |
| Coach: ||
| Marc Lièvremont ||

### Round 5

* 21 March 2009 14:15 CET
| Italy | 8–50 | France |
| Try: Parisse 57' m Pen: Marcato (1/2) 23' | Report | Try: Chabal 25' c Trinh-Duc 29' m Médard (2) 31' c, 70' m Heymans 42' c Domingo 55' m Malzieu 76' m Con: Parra (3/4) Pen: Parra (3/3) 7', 15', 48' |
* Stadio Flaminio, Rome Attendance: 27,650 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
| FB | 15 | Andrea Marcato |
| RW | 14 | Giulio Rubini |
| OC | 13 | Gonzalo Canale |
| IC | 12 | Mirco Bergamasco |
| LW | 11 | Matteo Pratichetti | 48' |
| FH | 10 | Luke McLean | 72' |
| SH | 9 | Paul Griffen | 66' |
| N8 | 8 | Sergio Parisse (c) |
| OF | 7 | Mauro Bergamasco |
| BF | 6 | Alessandro Zanni |
| RL | 5 | Marco Bortolami | 68' |
| LL | 4 | Santiago Dellapè | 54' |
| TP | 3 | Carlos Nieto | 58' |
| HK | 2 | Leonardo Ghiraldini |
| LP | 1 | Salvatore Perugini |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Franco Sbaraglini |
| PR | 17 | Martin Castrogiovanni | 58' |
| LK | 18 | Carlo Del Fava | 54' |
| FL | 19 | Josh Sole | 68' |
| SH | 20 | Pablo Canavosio | 66' |
| FH | 21 | Luciano Orquera | 72' |
| CE | 22 | Roberto Quartaroli | 48' |
| Coach: ||
| Nick Mallett ||
| FB | 15 | Damien Traille |
| RW | 14 | Maxime Médard |
| OC | 13 | Florian Fritz | 60' |
| IC | 12 | Yannick Jauzion |
| LW | 11 | Cédric Heymans | 71' |
| FH | 10 | François Trinh-Duc |
| SH | 9 | Morgan Parra | 52' |
| N8 | 8 | Imanol Harinordoquy | 63' |
| OF | 7 | Julien Bonnaire |
| BF | 6 | Thierry Dusautoir |
| RL | 5 | Sébastien Chabal |
| LL | 4 | Lionel Nallet (c) | 71' |
| TP | 3 | Sylvain Marconnet | 50' |
| HK | 2 | Dimitri Szarzewski | 52' |
| LP | 1 | Fabien Barcella |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | William Servat | 52' |
| PR | 17 | Thomas Domingo | 50' |
| LK | 18 | Jérôme Thion | 71' |
| N8 | 19 | Louis Picamoles | 63' |
| FH | 20 | Frédéric Michalak | 52' |
| CE | 21 | Mathieu Bastareaud | 60' |
| WG | 22 | Julien Malzieu | 71' |
| Coach: ||
| Marc Lièvremont ||
Notes:
* France won their third consecutive Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy.
* 21 March 2009 15:30 GMT
| England | 26–12 | Scotland |
| Try: Monye 22' m Flutey 28' c Tait 77' m Con: Flood (1/2) Pen: Flood (2/2) 40', 41' Drop: Care 72' | Report | Pen: Paterson (3/3) 9', 44', 66' Godman (1/2) 51' |
* Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 80,688 Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
| FB | 15 | Delon Armitage |
| RW | 14 | Mark Cueto |
| OC | 13 | Mike Tindall |
| IC | 12 | Riki Flutey |
| LW | 11 | Ugo Monye | 48' |
| FH | 10 | Toby Flood | 73' |
| SH | 9 | Harry Ellis | 16' |
| N8 | 8 | Nick Easter |
| OF | 7 | Joe Worsley |
| BF | 6 | Tom Croft | 73' |
| RL | 5 | Simon Shaw | 57' |
| LL | 4 | Steve Borthwick (c) |
| TP | 3 | Phil Vickery | 14' |
| HK | 2 | Lee Mears | 73' |
| LP | 1 | Andrew Sheridan |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Dylan Hartley | 73' |
| PR | 17 | Julian White | 14' |
| LK | 18 | Nick Kennedy | 57' |
| FL | 19 | James Haskell | 73' |
| SH | 20 | Danny Care | 16' |
| FH | 21 | Andy Goode | 73' |
| CE | 22 | Mathew Tait | 48' |
| Coach: ||
| Martin Johnson ||
| FB | 15 | Chris Paterson |
| RW | 14 | Simon Danielli | 75' |
| OC | 13 | Max Evans |
| IC | 12 | Graeme Morrison |
| LW | 11 | Thom Evans | 44' |
| FH | 10 | Phil Godman |
| SH | 9 | Mike Blair (c) | 68' |
| N8 | 8 | Simon Taylor | 41' |
| OF | 7 | Scott Gray |
| BF | 6 | Alasdair Strokosch |
| RL | 5 | Jim Hamilton |
| LL | 4 | Jason White | 57' |
| TP | 3 | Euan Murray |
| HK | 2 | Ross Ford | 67' |
| LP | 1 | Alasdair Dickinson | 75' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Dougie Hall | 67' |
| PR | 17 | Moray Low | 75' |
| LK | 18 | Nathan Hines | 57' |
| FL | 19 | Kelly Brown | 41' |
| SH | 20 | Chris Cusiter | 68' |
| CE | 21 | Nick De Luca | 44' |
| FB | 22 | Hugo Southwell | 75' |
| Coach: ||
| Frank Hadden ||
Notes:
* England won the 121st Calcutta Cup.
* 21 March 2009 17:30 GMT
| Wales | 15–17 | Ireland |
| Pen: S. Jones (4/5) 33', 39', 51', 56' Drop: S. Jones (1/1) 76' | Report | Try: O'Driscoll 44' c Bowe 46' c Con: O'Gara (2/2) Drop: O'Gara (1/1) 78' |
* Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 74,625 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
| FB | 15 | Lee Byrne | 30' |
| RW | 14 | Mark Jones |
| OC | 13 | Tom Shanklin |
| IC | 12 | Gavin Henson |
| LW | 11 | Shane Williams |
| FH | 10 | Stephen Jones |
| SH | 9 | Mike Phillips |
| N8 | 8 | Ryan Jones (c) |
| OF | 7 | Martyn Williams |
| BF | 6 | Dafydd Jones |
| RL | 5 | Alun Wyn Jones |
| LL | 4 | Ian Gough | 55' |
| TP | 3 | Adam Jones |
| HK | 2 | Matthew Rees | 55' |
| LP | 1 | Gethin Jenkins |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Huw Bennett | 55' |
| PR | 17 | John Yapp |
| LK | 18 | Luke Charteris | 55' |
| FL | 19 | Jonathan Thomas |
| SH | 20 | Warren Fury |
| FH | 21 | James Hook |
| CE | 22 | Jamie Roberts | 30' |
| Coach: ||
| Warren Gatland ||
| FB | 15 | Rob Kearney | 66' |
| RW | 14 | Tommy Bowe |
| OC | 13 | Brian O'Driscoll (c) |
| IC | 12 | Gordon D'Arcy |
| LW | 11 | Luke Fitzgerald | 76' |
| FH | 10 | Ronan O'Gara |
| SH | 9 | Tomás O'Leary | 69' |
| N8 | 8 | Jamie Heaslip |
| OF | 7 | David Wallace |
| BF | 6 | Stephen Ferris | 7' |
| RL | 5 | Paul O'Connell |
| LL | 4 | Donncha O'Callaghan |
| TP | 3 | John Hayes | 23' | 27' |
| HK | 2 | Jerry Flannery | 68' |
| LP | 1 | Marcus Horan |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Rory Best | 68' |
| PR | 17 | Tom Court | 23' | 27' |
| LK | 18 | Mick O'Driscoll |
| FL | 19 | Denis Leamy | 7' |
| SH | 20 | Peter Stringer | 69' |
| CE | 21 | Paddy Wallace | 76' |
| FB | 22 | Geordan Murphy | 66' |
| Coach: ||
| Declan Kidney ||
Notes:
* Ireland claimed their first championship since 1985 and first Grand Slam since 1948.

## Scorers

Try scorers :
| Tries | Name | Pld | Team |
| 4 | Brian O'Driscoll | 5 | Ireland |
| 4 | Riki Flutey | 5 | England |
| 3 | Delon Armitage | 5 | England |
| 3 | Maxime Médard | 5 | France |
| 2 | Julien Malzieu | 3 | France |
| 2 | Leigh Halfpenny | 3 | Wales |
| 2 | Shane Williams | 4 | Wales |
| 2 | Mark Cueto | 5 | England |
| 2 | Harry Ellis | 5 | England |
| 2 | Cédric Heymans | 5 | France |
| 2 | Tommy Bowe | 5 | Ireland |
| 2 | Luke Fitzgerald | 5 | Ireland |
| 2 | Jamie Heaslip | 5 | Ireland |
| 2 | Tom Shanklin | 5 | Wales |
Point scorers :
| Points | Name | Pld | Team |
| 51 | Ronan O'Gara | 5 | Ireland |
| 46 | Chris Paterson | 5 | Scotland |
| 44 | Stephen Jones | 5 | Wales |
| 28 | Lionel Beauxis | 2 | France |
| 26 | Morgan Parra | 5 | France |
| 23 | Brian O'Driscoll | 5 | Ireland |
| 22 | Toby Flood | 5 | England |
| 21 | Andy Goode | 5 | England |
| 20 | Riki Flutey | 5 | England |
| 18 | Andrea Marcato | 3 | Italy |
| 18 | Luke McLean | 3 | Italy |
| 18 | Delon Armitage | 5 | England |