# 1998 Five Nations Championship

The 1998 Five Nations Championship was the 69th series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-fourth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played over five weekends from 7 February to 5 April. France won it with a Grand Slam. England had the consolation of winning the Triple Crown, the Calcutta Cup and the Millennium Trophy.

## Participants

| Nation | Venue | City | Head coach | Captain |
| England | Twickenham Stadium | London | Clive Woodward | Lawrence Dallaglio |
| France | Stade de France | Saint-Denis | Jean-Claude Skrela | Raphaël Ibañez |
| Ireland | Lansdowne Road | Dublin | Brian Ashton (resigned) / Warren Gatland | Keith Wood |
| Scotland | Murrayfield Stadium | Edinburgh | Jim Telfer | Gary Armstrong |
| Wales | Wembley Stadium | London | Kevin Bowring | Rob Howley |

## Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | France | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 144 | 49 | +95 | 8 |
| 2 | England | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 146 | 87 | +59 | 6 |
| 3 | Wales | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 75 | 145 | −70 | 4 |
| 4 | Scotland | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 66 | 120 | −54 | 2 |
| 5 | Ireland | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 70 | 100 | −30 | 0 |

## Results
### Week 1

* 7 February 1998 15:00
| France | 24–17 | England |
| Try: Bernat-Salles Dominici Con: Lamaison Pen: Lamaison (2) Drop: Castaignède Sadourny | Report | Try: Back Pen: Grayson (4) |
* Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 77,567 Referee: David McHugh (Ireland)
* 7 February 1998 15:00
| Ireland | 16–17 | Scotland |
| Try: Penalty try Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys (2) Drop: Humphreys | Report | Try: Tait Pen: Chalmers (2) Shepherd (2) |
* Lansdowne Road, Dublin Attendance: 55,000 Referee: Andre Watson (South Africa)
* Ireland head coach Brian Ashton resigned on 20 February. He was replaced by Warren Gatland on 24 February.

### Week 2

* 21 February 1998 14:00
| England | 60–26 | Wales |
| Try: Back Bracken Dallaglio Dawson Greenwood Healey Rees (2) Con: Grayson (7) Pen: Grayson (2) | Report | Try: Bateman (2) Gibbs G. Thomas Con: N. Jenkins (3) |
* Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 75,000 Referee: Colin Hawke (New Zealand)
* 21 February 1998 15:00
| Scotland | 16–51 | France |
| Try: Stanger Con: Chalmers Pen: Chalmers (3) | Report | Try: Bernat-Salles (2) Brouzet Califano Carbonneau Castaignède M. Lièvremont Con: Castaignède (3) Lamaison (2) Pen: Castaignède Lamaison |
* Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,500 Referee: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand)

### Week 3

* 7 March 1998 15:00
| France | 18–16 | Ireland |
| Try: Bernat-Salles Ibañez Con: Lamaison Pen: Lamaison (2) | Report | Try: Hickie Con: Elwood Pen: Elwood (3) |
* Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 78,000 Referee: Jim Fleming (Scotland)
* 7 March 1998 16:00
| Wales | 19–13 | Scotland |
| Try: Proctor Con: A. Thomas Pen: N. Jenkins A. Thomas (3) | Report | Try: Cronin Townsend Pen: Chalmers |
* Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 75,000 Referee: Joël Dumé (France)

### Week 4

* 21 March 1998 16:00
| Ireland | 21–30 | Wales |
| Try: Costello Ward Con: Elwood Pen: Elwood (3) | Report | Try: Bateman N. Jenkins Morgan Con: N. Jenkins (3) Pen: N. Jenkins (3) |
* Lansdowne Road, Dublin Attendance: 55,000 Referee: Ed Morrison (England)
* 22 March 1998 15:00
| Scotland | 20–34 | England |
| Try: Longstaff Stanger Con: Lee (2) Pen: Chalmers (2) | Report | Try: Dawson Grayson Healey Penalty try Con: Grayson (4) Pen: Grayson Drop: Grayson |
* Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,500 Referee: Clayton Thomas (Wales)

### Week 5

* 4 April 1998 14:00 BST
| England | 35–17 | Ireland |
| Try: Catt Cockerill De Glanville Perry Con: Grayson (3) Pen: Grayson (3) | Report | Try: Hickie (2) Con: Elwood (2) Pen: Elwood |
* Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 75,000 Referee: Derek Bevan (Wales)
* 5 April 1998 15:00
| Wales | 0–51 | France |
| | Report | Try: Galthié Garbajosa (2) Glas T. Lièvremont Sadourny (2) Con: Lamaison (5) Pen: Lamaison (2) |
* Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 72,000 Referee: Peter Marshall (Australia)