What is the Rugby Union Six Nations tournament? - CBBC Newsround What is the Rugby Union Six Nations tournament? 11 February 2015 Image copyright Getty Images Check out this guide to find out all you need to know about the Six Nations. Rugby Union Six Nations tournament The Six Nations is a rugby union tournament played every year between the top countries in Europe. The six countries who take part are England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France and Italy. For the first 90 years of the championships there were only five countries involved, but Italy were invited to take part in 2000. Rugby Union Rugby Union is played by teams of 15 players, with each team made up of eight forwards and seven backs. Even at the top level it used to be amateur; that is, played for fun by people who had other jobs too, but now the top players are all professionals. The biggest competition in Union is the World Cup, played every four years, but the most famous one in this country is the Six Nations championship. The Grand Slam If a team wins all five of its matches it is called a Grand Slam, but to win a Grand Slam is very hard.

England won a Grand Slam in 2003, but only after losing their final match in the three seasons before. The Triple Crown The Triple Crown is a special prize that only the four home unions are able to win. Image copyright PA Image caption A team can only win the triple crown if they beat all three of the other home unions Rugby facts The sport gets its name from the place where it was invented, Rugby School in Warwickshire, England. In 1816 a pupil called William Webb Ellis got a bit bored during a match of football and decided that picking up the ball would make things more interesting. Although the game has come a long way since, even splitting into two codes; Rugby Union and Rugby League, that's where it started. One of the most important rules of the sport is that the ball can only be passed backwards. History : RBS 6 Nations Last Season 6 Nations History Played annually, the format of the Championship is simple: each team plays every other team once, with home field advantage alternating from one year to the next. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss and unlike most other rugby union competitions the bonus point system is not used.

Victory in every game results in a 'Grand Slam' and back-to-back Grand Slams have been won on five occasions. Wales achieved the first one in 1908 and 1909, England have done it three times in 1913 and 1914, 1923 and 1924 and 1991 and 1992 while France did it in 1997 and 1998. England hold the record for the number of Grand Slams won with 12, followed by Wales with 11, France with nine, Scotland with three and Ireland with two. Victory by any Home Nation over the other three Home Nations constitutes as a 'Triple Crown'. The Triple Crown has twice been won on four consecutive occasions, once by Wales between 1976 and 1979 and once by England between 1995 and 1998. England hold the record for the number of Triple Crowns won with 23, followed by Wales with 20 and Scotland and Ireland both with ten.

Although this achievement has long been a feature of the tournament, it was not until 2006 that a physical trophy, commissioned by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was awarded. Meanwhile, the last-placed nation at the end of the tournament is said to have won a purely figurative Wooden Spoon. Several individual competitions take place under the umbrella of the Six Nations tournament. The oldest is the Calcutta Cup, which has been running since 1879 and is contested annually between England and Scotland. The Millennium Trophy has been awarded to the winner of the game between England and Ireland with the first presented in 1989, and in the same year, the Centenary Quaich was contested between Ireland and Scotland for the first time. Since 2007, France and Italy have also contested for their own silverware - the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy. It was created to honour the 200th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Garibaldi, who helped unify Italy and was also a French military general. Up to World War I In 1871, England and Scotland played the first rugby union international with the latter coming out on top.

After 12 years of occasional friendly matches between the teams, the inaugural Home International Championship, comprising England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales was played in 1883. England won the first series, along with a Triple Crown, and up until 1893 when Wales won and 1894 when Ireland won only them and Scotland had been crowned champions. Wales' triumphs in 1908 and 1909, although won during the Home Nations era, were the first Grand Slams as they defeated France in both seasons. France officially joined in 1910, having played in four tournaments up to that point, with the Championship now referred to as the Five Nations. England won the first Championship of the new era while Wales followed up winning the first ever Grand Slam by winning the first Grand Slam of the Five Nations a year later. The competition was suspended during World War I before France were ejected from the tournament in 1931, which reverted back to being the Home Nations from 1932 through to 1939. Post War Proceedings were halted again during World War II and resumed in 1947 as the Five Nations with France welcomed backed into the fold.

France won their first shared title seven years later in 1954 and their first outright title in 1959 and by the 1970s the Five Nations had become the pre-eminent series in Northern hemisphere rugby union. Matches became all-ticket affairs, gaining huge popularity and a large television audience, however in 1972 the tournament was not finished after Scotland and Wales refused to travel to Dublin to play Ireland. The season after was unique for a five-way tie, with every nation having won and lost two games. The 1970s marked the golden age for Welsh rugby as they won three Grand Slams and one Triple Crown during the decade, an achievement the modern team could yet surpass having won Grand Slams in 2005, 2008 and 2012. There was no tangible reward for winning the Five Nations Championship until 1993 when a trophy was presented for the first time to the winners - who were France. Prior to 1994 teams that finished equal on points shared the Championship but from then on ties were broken by considering the points differences between the teams.

Professional Era Wales were the second team to get their hands on Five Nations silverware followed by England, while Scotland's first success came in 1999. Scotland were the last team to lift the Five Nations trophy as Italy joined the following year in 2000 and the tournament became known as the Six Nations. England won the first Six Nations competition in 2000 before repeating the trick in 2001, while Wales are the current holders having denied England the Grand Slam in 2013. In 2005 Wales became the first team ever to win a Grand Slam by playing more games away than at home - a feat repeated by Ireland in 2009. A year later France pipped Ireland on points' difference however the latter did receive the Triple Crown in trophy format for the first time ever. Italy collected the Wooden Spoon that year but achieved a historic feat by earning their maiden point away from home after drawing with Wales. In 2007 with four teams having a mathematical chance of lifting the trophy France retained their crown on points' difference again.

Italy made further history by winning their first away match against Scotland in Edinburgh and also by picking up two victories for the first time after beating Wales in Rome. Scotland replaced Italy in settling for the Wooden Spoon while Ireland won the Triple Crown for the second straight occasion and third time in four years. Wales ended France's run in 2008, winning the Grand Slam for the first time since 2005 after a remarkable opening against England. Trailing by 13 points Wales came from behind to win 26-19, thanks mainly to Mike Phillips' 70th-minute try, and dispatched Scotland 30-15, Italy 47-8, France 29-12 and Ireland 16-12. Wales wing Shane Williams was named the RBS Player of the Championship after scoring six tries while England, World Cup finalists in 2007, were forced to settle for second. Professional Era Continued Ireland took a leaf out of Wales' book a year later ending a 61-year Grand Slam drought in a 2009 tournament in stark contrast to the 2008 one.

Whereas the excitement in 2008 came at the start of the tournament it wasn't until the end when the 2009 Championship came alive. Wales hosted Ireland in Cardiff with a Triple Crown on the line as well as knowing a 13-point win would be enough to retain their title. Drama ensued as with Ireland leading 17-15 at the death Welsh stand-off Stephen Jones missed a 50-metre penalty from halfway. England finished second as a result in their first tournament under Martin Johnson while France and Wales contested the first ever game played on a Friday night. The 2010 Six Nations belonged to France as they won the Grand Slam for the first time since 2004. Les Bleus were rarely troubled, opening up with an 18-9 win over Scotland before defeating Ireland 33-10, Wales 26-20 and Italy 46-20. France had already won the Championship going into their final game with England after Ireland lost their second game of the tournament to Scotland hours earlier.

But despite being pushed by England, who scored the only try of the game, France came out on top 12-10 at the Stade de France to win the Grand Slam. Ireland's 23-20 loss to Scotland in the final game of the campaign not only denied Ireland the Triple Crown but saw Italy receive the dreaded Wooden Spoon for the third year running. England ended a run of eight years without a title as they wrapped up the 2011 RBS 6 Nations title. Winger Chris Ashton was the spearhead, racking up six tries including four at home to Italy in a thumping 59-13 success. The Azzurri did however make history with a first championship win over France, stunning Les Bleus 22-21 in Rome. A controversial Mike Phillips try handed Wales a narrow 19-13 win over Ireland, but the Irish took their frustration out on England, denying them a Grand Slam with a convincing 24-8 win on the final weekend. And despite securing that historic victory over the French, Italy again had to settle for the Wooden Spoon after a 21-8 defeat in Scotland in their final match.

Last Season The 2015 RBS 6 Nations will live long in the memory, not least because of a nerve-jangling final day that began with four teams still in the hunt for the title. It all began in Cardiff six weeks earlier, when England and Wales set the tone for a thrilling Championship. A second-half comeback - kick-started by Jonathan Joseph, who would go on to shine throughout the competition - earned England a 21-16 triumph and a measure of revenge for their chastening defeat on the same turf two years earlier. Ireland and France also began with victories before facing one another in round two, when Jonathan Sexton kicked the men in green to victory. England, meanwhile, made it two from two as a pair of Joseph tries helped see off Italy and Scotland ran Wales close at BT Murrayfield in a 26-23 defeat. There was more heartbreak on home soil for Scotland, who lost 22-19 to Italy, in round three as Wales picked up a second win in as many games, at France's expense.

But the biggest clash of the weekend was at the Aviva Stadium, where Robbie Henshaw's try ensured England tasted defeat for the first time in 2015. Ireland soon saw their unbeaten record slip, however, with a 23-16 defeat in Wales while England beat Scotland and France shut Italy out for a 29-0. That left Ireland, England and Wales on six points with France on four and, with all three round-five clashes taking place on the same day, a nail-biting finale was on the cards. Wales were first up and they struck an ominous blow, not just moving to eight points but also boosting their points difference with a 61-20 triumph in Italy, George North grabbing a hat-trick. With a 20-point gap to bridge, Ireland did enough in Scotland - Paul O'Connell among the tries in his final RBS 6 Nations game as Joe Schmidt's side won 40-10. Attentions then turned to Twickenham, where England needed to beat France by 26 points or more to deny Ireland back-to-back Championships.

A high-octane encounter kept everyone entertained, with 12 tries in total, but a 55-35 win was not enough for the Red Rose and celebrations began in the Scottish capital. The History Of The RBS 6 Nations, 6 Nations History, 6 Nations Guide » The History of the RBS 6 Nations History of the Rugby Six Nations Championship Rugby fans know the Six Nations as the premier rugby union tournament in Europe, with six of the best European sides battling for national pride. But the competition wasn’t always such a European affair. While the Six Nations Championship has grown to include France and Italy, its origin is firmly rooted are within the United Kingdom. Origins The origins of the Six Nations Championship date back to 1871, when teams from England and Scotland played in the first-ever rugby union international match. In 1879, the Calcutta Cup was created as a prize for the winner of occasional matches played between teams from the two countries. Other Home Countries also became interested in international rugby union, leading to the creation of the Home International Championship in 1883, the first-ever international rugby tournament with teams from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

England and Scotland dominated the early years of the Home International Championship, with the two teams combining to win nine of the first ten championships. Increased interest in the sport lead to greater parity, with Wales and Ireland winning four of the last five championships contested at the end of the 19th century. France join the fray The growth of rugby union throughout Europe in the early part of the 20th century brought opportunities to expand the championship outside of the Home Nations, with France showing a particularly keen interest. After competing unofficially in the tournament for a few seasons, France officially became one of the teams in 1910, with the tournament renamed the Five Nations to reflect the new structure. However, France initially was hardly a competitive factor, as they won just one game in their first four years of tournament play. Outbreak of war The growth of the Five Nations was slowed by the outbreak of World War I in Europe, as the tournament was shut down from 1914 until 1920. France continued to struggle competitively after the tournament resumed, and were dropped in 1931 because of mismanagement in their administration and allegations that their amateur players had been paid to play at a club level.

The tournament reverted back into a Home Nations contest until 1939, when the outbreak of World War II forced a halt to athletic competitions throughout Europe. Five Nations When the tournament resumed in 1947, France was brought back into the mix and allowed to compete in the Five Nations structure. Within a decade, the French would establish themselves as not just a competitive side but one of the dominant forces in international rugby union. They shared the Five Nations title in 1954 and 1955 and then had a streak of four consecutive championships from 1959-1962. Italy make it Six The tournament continued with the four Home Nations sides and France until 2000, when Italy joined the renamed Six Nations Championship. The Italians had an auspicious start, claiming a victory in their first-ever tournament match when they defeated Scotland in Rome. However, Italy are still clearly the minnows of the Six Nations teams; their best-ever finish in the tournament was fourth in 2007 after claiming back-to-back wins against Scotland and Ireland, and they’ve won just eight of their 60 matches played through the 2011 tournament.

Winning a Six Nations Championship is a point of pride for any side, but there are additional accolades available within the structure. The most glamorous is for a side to earn the Grand Slam by winning all five of their matches. The French squad of 2010 was the last team to accomplish this feat. In addition, trophies are awarded to the winners of certain matches: the Calcutta Cup for the winner of the England vs. Scotland match and the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy for the victor between Italy and France are two examples. Rugby Football History All Blacks Barbarians Canada British & Irish Lions Ireland Scotland Springboks USA Wales Wallabies History of the IRFU Dublin University, founded in 1854, was the first organised Rugby Football Club in Ireland. Students at the University had first learnt the game while at English Public Schools. Other clubs which were formed at the time and are still in existence include, Wanderers founded in 1869; Lansdowne (1873); Dungannon (1873); UCC (1874); Co.

Carlow (1873); Ballinasloe (1875); NIFC (1868); Queen's University (1869). Ballinasloe and Athlone amalgamated in 1994 to form Buccaneers. From 1874 to 1879 there were two Unions. The Irish Football Union had jurisdiction over Clubs in Leinster, Munster and parts of Ulster; the Northern Football Union of Ireland controlled the Belfast area. When the first International was played against England in February 1875, the teams were twenty a side and the Irish team included 12 players from Leinster and eight from Ulster. The first fifteen a side match was in 1877 and the first Munster players were chosen in 1879. In 1879 the two Unions agreed to amalgamate on the following terms: (i) A Union to be known as the Irish Rugby Football Union was to be formed for the whole country. (ii) Branches were to be formed in Leinster, Munster and Ulster.

(iii) The Union was to be run by a Council of eighteen, made up of six from each province. The Council was to meet annually. The Council of the Union still meets annually, but the day to day affairs are managed by a Committee comprising a President, two Vice-Presidents, the immediate Past President, the Honorary Treasurer and nineteen members. In 1885, twenty-six Clubs were affiliated to the Union of which ten were in Ulster, nine in Leinster, seven in Munster. The Connacht Branch was formed in 1886. The first All Blacks team visited Dublinin November 1905 and the IRFU made the match the first all-ticket rugby international in history due to the high level of interest. Ireland played only seven forwards, copying the then New Zealand method of playing a "rover". The game ended New Zealand 15 Ireland 0. On 20 March 1909, Ireland played France for the first time, beating them 19-8. This was Ireland's biggest victory in international rugby at that time, their highest points tally and a record five tries.

30 November 1912 was the first time the Springboks met Ireland at Lansdowne Road, the 1906 tour game having been played at Ravenhill. Ireland with seven new caps were overwhelmed by a record margin of 38-0, still a record loss to South Africa who scored 10 tries. In 1926, Ireland went into their final Five Nations match unbeaten and with the Grand Slam at stake lost to Wales in Swansea. Ireland again came close to a grand slam in 1927 when their sole loss was an 8-6 defeat by England. In 1948 when, inspired by tactician and fly-half Jack Kyle, they beat France in Paris, England at Twickenham and a 6-0 win over Scotland at Lansdowne Road. They clinched their first Grand Slam in the Five Nations with a win against Wales at Ravenhill, Belfast. Ireland were champions and Triple Crown winners again in 1949. The Irish used only 19 players in clinching the 1949 Championship and Triple Crown, only the fourth time that the Triple Crown had been retained by a home nation.

1950s In 1951, Ireland were once more crowned outright Five Nations champions and were unbeaten going into their final game. They failed to win the Grand Slam or Triple Crown following a 3-3 draw with Wales in Cardiff. The year of 1952 saw only Ireland's second overseas tour, the first for over half a century - as they headed to Argentina for a nine-match trip which included two Test matches. Ireland won six, drew two and lost one of the matches, their Test record being won one, drawn one. On 27 February 1954, Ireland were due to play Scotland at Ravenhill in Belfast. The new Irish captain, Jim McCarthy, told IRFU president Sarsfield Hogan that the eleven Republic-based players would not stand for "God Save the Queen" alongside the Scottish team. It was agreed that an abbreviated anthem, known in Ulster as "the Salute", would be played that afternoon and that the Irish team would never play again at Ravenhill. Ireland went on to beat Scotland 6-0 but did not play in Northern Ireland again until 2007.

On 18 January 1958 Ireland beat Australia 9-6 in Dublin, this was the first time a major touring team had been defeated. 1960s Ireland managed just three victories in the Five Nations Championship; against England in 1961, Wales in 1963 and England again in 1964. There were also draws against England and Wales at Lansdowne Road to the end of 1964. 1965 saw an improvement as Ireland drew with France before beating England and Scotland, only for their Triple Crown hopes disappear against Wales in Cardiff. On 10 April 1965 Ireland recorded their first ever win over South Africa. The match, held at Lansdowne Road, was heading for a draw with the score at six points each, when Tom Kiernan won the match for Ireland with a late penalty. Ireland beat Australia again in Dublin in 1967 and became the first of the home nations to win in the Southern Hemisphere when they beat Australia in Sydney in May 1967.

On 26 October 1968, Ireland made it four successive wins over the Wallabies with a 16-3 win at Lansdowne Road. In 1969, Ireland claimed a 17-9 victory over France at Lansdowne Road in the Five Nations, a first victory over Les Bleus in 11 years. They were again unbeaten going into their final game in Cardiff but Wales denied them a Grand Slam for the third time. In the autumn of 1969, the Irish Rugby Football Union decided to appoint a coach for the national team for the first time, the role went to Ronnie Dawson. 1970s The 1972 Five Nations Championship was not completed when Scotland and then Wales refused to play in Ireland following threatening letters to players, purportedly from the IRA. The championship remained unresolved with Wales and Ireland unbeaten. In 1973, despite similar threats, England fulfilled their fixture and were given a standing ovation that lasted for five minutes. Ireland won 18-9 and at the after-match dinner the England captain, John Pullin famously remarked "We might not be very good but at least we turn up".

Ireland came close to a first win over the All Blacks on 20 January 1973 but with the score at 10-10 an Irish conversion attempt was pushed wide by a gust of wind. In the final match of the 1974 season, Ireland won their first Five Nations Championship since 1951. Roly Meates was national coach from 1975 to 1977 and Noel Murphy from 1977 to 1980. Willie John McBride was coach until 1984. 1980s In 1982 Ireland came close to winning a Grand Slam but were beaten by France in Paris. They beat Scotland, Wales and England to win the championship and their first Triple Crown in 33 years. Three years after their last Triple Crown win, Ireland, coached by Mick Doyle, came out in 1985 and won the Championship and the Triple Crown again. They beat Scotland and Wales. The French again prevented Ireland from claiming a Grand Slam after a 15-15 draw in Dublin.

Ireland played England at Lansdowne Road and won the championship with a last minute drop goal from Michael Kiernan. The match ended 13-10 to Ireland. It was Ireland's last silverware until 2004. Ireland were whitewashed in the 1986 Five Nations Championship but on 1 November 1986, Ireland made history when they scored 10 tries against Romania in a 60-0 win. It was the biggest win in international rugby at the time, equaling the French record set in 1967. At the inaugural World Cup in 1987, two straightforward victories over Tonga and Canada were enough to see Ireland through to the quarter-finals, when they travelled to Sydney to face the joint hosts Australia, only to be beaten 33-15. In the Five Nations, England and France were dominant throughout the decade, resulting in the others scrapping around for the odd Championship title. Ireland didn't manage to win the trophy once in the whole decade and worse never finished outside the bottom two. 1990s The second Rugby World Cup took place in Britain, Ireland and France in 1991.

Ireland found themselves in the same pool as Scotland. After two easy wins over Japan and Zimbabwe, Scotland sneaked a 24-15 win at Murrayfield. Ireland played the Wallabies at Lansdowne Road in the quarter final and appeared to be on the verge of a shock victory over Australia, when Michael Lynagh scored the winning try to clinch a 19-18 win for Australia. At the 1994 Five Nations Championship, Ireland beat Will Carling's all-conquering England at Twickenham. At the 1995 World Cup in South Africa, Ireland were in a group containing the All Blacks and Wales. In a close game in Johannesburg, Ireland sneaked through 24-23 against Wales to make their third consecutive quarter-final appearance. Unfortunately France proved too strong, with Ireland going down 36-12. The start of the professional era was disappointing for Ireland who finished bottom in the Five Nations Championship three years in succession (1996, 1997 and 1998).

Englishman Brian Ashton was head coach between 1997 and 1998, but after a series of disappointing results resigned barely 12 months into the six year contract he had been awarded by the IRFU. Warren Gatland took over as coach in 1998, but was unable to produce immediate success and 1999 was the first time Ireland failed to reach the last eight at a Rugby World Cup. From this nadir, however, Irish rugby improved rapidly. With the advent of professionalism, the Irish Rugby Football Union decided to convert the four representative provincial sides into de facto club sides, with the financial capacity to retain top talent in Ireland, yet retaining strong links with amateur clubs and schools to enable young talent to be brought up through the ranks. The close geographical proximity of most of the Irish international squad helped cement relationships between the players in a way that would not have been possible had they left for English, French and Southern Hemisphere clubs. The later formation of the Celtic League (Now called the Magners League for sponsorship reasons) cemented this strategy by ensuring that provincial sides had a regular schedule of competitive rugby. The 1999 World Cup was staged in Wales though Ireland played all their pool games in Dublin.

A defeat to the Wallabies meant Ireland having to go down the play-off route. Playing away from Lansdowne Road for the first time in the competition, Ireland were beaten 28-24 by Argentina in Lens. 2000s The advent of the new Six Nations format coincided with this Irish resurgence, and they became the strongest of the Celtic nations. In 2001 the rugby union season was disrupted due to the foot and mouth crisis in Britain. Ireland were good enough to beat France but were unable to play Scotland until the Autumn and were caught cold losing 32-10. They were still good enough to beat England, spoiling their hopes of a Grand Slam, and finishing second on points difference. Eddie O'Sullivan took over as coach from Warren Gatland in November 2001 following the New Zealander's sacking. The 2003 Six Nations Championship came down to the wire with Ireland and England playing a Grand Slam decider at Lansdowne Road. England, however, won 42-6.

That defeat ended an unbeaten run that stretched back 10 Tests to their Rugby World Cup qualifiers warm up against Romania in September 2002 and included defeats of Pool A rivals Australia and Argentina at Lansdowne Road. In 2004 they lost their opening game against France but became the first team to beat England following their World Cup win. They finished second in the table behind France and won the Triple Crown. In 2005 Ireland were considered slight favourites entering the Six Nations Championships, and won their first three matches, including a 19-13 defeat of England in Dublin. However, Ireland's dreams of their first Grand Slam since 1948 were ended with a 26-19 home loss to France. In the final round, Wales defeated Ireland 32-20 at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to win the Grand Slam. Ireland finished in 3rd place. In 2006, Ireland showed the capacity to play top class rugby, but only inconsistently - a rout of Wales was balanced by uncertain victories against England , Scotland and Italy and a comprehensive defeat by winners France.

Ireland finished second and won the Triple Crown for the second time in three years, incidentally the first ever time a trophy had been awarded for the feat. They then embarked on their annual tour to the southern hemisphere. There they ran New Zealand close twice before a tired Ireland were thumped by the Wallabies in Perth. They returned to their clubs before they gathered once more for the last Autumn Internationals at Lansdowne Road. The South Africans came with an experimental side with an eye on the 2007 World Cup, which was soundly beaten by the Irish 32-15. Next to Lansdowne were Australia with a much more formidable squad. The weather ruined what many had tipped to be the battle of the backlines, although Geordan Murphy finished off a world class move in their 21-6 victory. That win propelled Ireland to a best ever height of 3rd in the IRB World Rankings. In the final international match at Lansdowne, Ireland thumped the Pacific Islanders 61-17, with Paddy Wallace putting in a man of the match performance with 26 points. The win completed a hat-trick of victories.

In March 2007 the IRFU created the "High Performance Select Group" of up and coming Irish players who have been earmarked for future Irish teams. This group includes Luke Fitzgerald, Barry Murphy, Tommy Bowe, Rob Kearney, Daniel Riordan, Stephen Ferris, Roger Wilson,and Jamie Heaslip, some of whom have already been capped. The aim of the group is to provide these young players with the support and infrastructure available to the senior squad and to ease their future transition into the Irish team. With the announcement of the rebuilding of Lansdowne Road, a new venue was required to stage Ireland's home internationals. While Ireland are planning to play one of their warm up matches for the 2007 World Cup at Ravenhill, the only stadium in Ireland capable of holding major rugby internationals was Croke Park, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association. To accommodate this, the GAA temporarily relaxed its rule governing the playing of so-called "foreign games" on its property.

Initially, two Six Nations games were played at Croke Park during 2007; the first was a 17-20 loss to France, and the second a 43 to 13 win over England. Ireland began their 2008 Six Nations Campaign with a narrow win over Italy. France then edged Ireland out in Paris, before they went on to beat Scotland in Dublin, Ireland then lost to eventual Grand Slammers Wales and England. In March 2008, Eddie O'Sullivan resigned as Ireland coach after the disappointing Six Nations and World Cup campaigns. Declan Kidney was subsequently appointed as manager but did not take up this role formally until after Ireland's tour of New Zealand and Australia (losing to the All Blacks 21-11 and Australia 18-12). His first official game in charge was against Canada at Thomond Park which Ireland won 55-0.

Ireland won the 2009 Six Nations Championship and Grand Slam by beating Wales at the Millennium Stadium 15-17 on 21 March 2009, the first time they had won the championship since 1985, and the first time they had won the Grand Slam since 1948. Ireland also became only the second team (after Wales in 2005) to win a Six Nations Grand Slam after playing more away games than at home. The Ireland team arrived home on 22 March 2009 at Dublin airport to a heroes welcome. Afterwards around 18,000 fans turned out at the Mansion House to greet the team after clinching the first Grand Slam for Ireland in 61 years. After Autumn Series victories against Fiji and South Africa and a draw against Australia, Ireland ended 2009 unbeaten. 2010s Ireland began the 2010 Six Nations with a home game against Italy, winning 29-11. Their second game was away to France in a match which many saw as the decider for this years competition.

France ran out comfortable winners, the final score being 33-10. After a one week break Ireland were away to England. In a close game Ireland eventually emerged victorious, a Tommy Bowe try and Ronan O'Gara conversion winning the match 16-20. After another one week break Ireland were back at Croke Park against Wales. Ireland were winners, beating Wales 27-12 after a Man-of-the-Match performance from Tomas O'Leary. Ireland's final game of the Six Nations, and the last ever game at Croke Park, was against Scotland. Ireland went into the match with a 5th Triple Crown in sight but were undone by a 79th minute Dan Parks penalty, which gave the Scots a 20-23 victory. Ireland began their 2010 Summer Tests with a non-cap friendly against the Barbarians, which they lost 23-29 despite a characteristic fight-back in the second half. Their next game saw them take on New Zealand.

An injury hit side fielded a number of inexperienced or uncapped players, and Ireland were duly thrashed 66-28, their heaviest ever defeat, though a spirited come back in the second half gained them a lot of deserved credit, with tries from O'Driscoll, Bowe and D'Arcy after Tuohy's first half try. Jamie Heaslip was also sent off in the 15th minute so Ireland were at a numerical disadvantage. Ireland's next game was against New Zealand Maori. The side was captained by Geordan Murphy and fielded many inexperienced players. The game was level at 18-18 at half-time thanks to Jonathon Sexton's boot, but the Maori eventually won 31-28. Ireland's next game, and last of the Summer Tests, was against Australia which they lost 22-15. Presidents of IRFU D.V. Healy Today (2010) As of 2010 there are 60,000 (approx.) players in total in Ireland.

56 clubs are affiliated to the Ulster Branch; 71 to the Leinster Branch: 59 to the Munster Branch and 19 to the Connacht Branch. In addition there are 246 Schools playing rugby, Ulster (107), Leinster (75), Munster (41) and Connacht (23). There is a National League of 50 Senior Clubs. The Union owns grounds at Lansdowne Road at which International Rugby and Soccer matches are played. The ground is also home to Wanderers and Lansdowne Rugby clubs. Developments in recent years have added greatly to the seating capacity and the ground now holds approx 50,000. The Union also owns Ravenhill Park in Belfast, Thomond Park in Limerick and a number of grounds in provincial areas that have been rented to Clubs. There is a Branch of the Union in each Province which s managed by a Committee representative of the Clubs in that province. The function of a branch is to regulate the affairs of its Clubs and Schools and to organise Interprovincial matches, Club competitions and Club matches.

The Interprovicial series that is played before Christmas each season provides a useful series of trial matches for the Irish Selectors. References: 1. IRFU website retrieved Oct 22, 2010 2. wikipedia.org/wiki/ireland_national_rugby_union_team retrieved Oct 22, 2010. NB. I don't usually like sourcing information from wikipedia as I have found it to contain many errors in the past. I therefore intend to verify and re-write most of the text on this page in due course.

Question: In what year was the first Six Nations Championship played?
Answer: 2000