1988 Five Nations Championship
The 1988 Five Nations Championship was the 59th series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the ninety–fourth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played over five weekends between 16 January and 19 March. Wales and France were declared joint winners with six points each; it was the most recent time the Championship was shared between two or more nations as the rules were changed in 1994 to make such an event unlikely.[1]
| 1988 Five Nations Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 16 January – 19 March 1988 | ||
| Countries |  England Ireland France Scotland Wales | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Champions | France and Wales | ||
| Triple Crown | Wales (17th title) | ||
| Matches played | 10 | ||
| Tries scored | 31 (3.1 per match) | ||
| Top point scorer(s) | Gavin Hastings (41 points) | ||
| Top try scorer(s) | Chris Oti (3 tries) | ||
| |||
The final match of the tournament, England's victory over Ireland, was notable for the crowd bursting into song with "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" as a response to the hat-trick of tries scored by England's Chris Oti (only the second black player, and the first for 80 years, to be capped by England). The song was subsequently to become the unofficial rugby anthem for England.[2]
Wales missed out on a ninth Grand Slam after losing to France at Cardiff Arms Park.
Participants
The teams involved were:
Squads
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wales |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 57 | 42 | +15 | 6 |
| 1 | France |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 57 | 47 | +10 | 6 |
| 3 | England |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 56 | 30 | +26 | 4 |
| 4 | Scotland |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 67 | 68 | −1 | 2 |
| 4 | Ireland |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 90 | −50 | 2 |
Results
Round 1
| 16 January 1988 |
| Ireland | 22–18 | Scotland |
| Try: Kiernan MacNeill Mullin Con: Kiernan (2) Pen: Kiernan Drop: Kiernan | Report | Try: S. Hastings Laidlaw Con: G. Hastings (2) Pen: G. Hastings (2) |
| Lansdowne Road, Dublin Referee: Roger Quittenton (England) |
Round 2
| 6 February 1988 |
| Scotland | 23–12 | France |
| Try: G. Hastings Tukalo Pen: G. Hastings (4) Drop: Cramb | Report | Try: Lagisquet Con: Bérot Pen: Bérot Drop: Lescarboura |
| Murrayfield, Edinburgh Attendance: 65,000 Referee: Fransie Muller (South Africa) |
| 6 February 1988 |
| England | 3–11 | Wales |
| Pen: Webb | Report | Try: Hadley (2) Drop: J. Davies |
| Twickenham, London Referee: Stephen Hilditch (Ireland) |
Round 3
| 20 February 1988 |
| France | 25–6 | Ireland |
| Try: Blanco Camberabero Carminati Lagisquet Sella Con: Bérot Drop: Camberabero | Report | Pen: Kiernan (2) |
| Parc des Princes, Paris Attendance: 49,130 Referee: Fransie Muller (South Africa) |
Round 4
| 5 March 1988 |
| Ireland | 9–12 | Wales |
| Try: Kingston Con: Kiernan Pen: Kiernan | Report | Try: Moriarty Con: Thorburn Pen: Thorburn Drop: J. Davies |
| Lansdowne Road, Dublin Referee: Ray Megson (Scotland) |
| 5 March 1988 |
| Scotland | 6–9 | England |
| Pen: G. Hastings (2) | Report | Pen: Webb (2) Drop: Andrew |
| Murrayfield, Edinburgh Referee: Winston Jones (Wales) |
Round 5
| 19 March 1988 |
| Wales | 9–10 | France |
| Try: I. Evans Con: Thorburn Pen: Thorburn | Report | Try: Lescarboura Pen: Lafond (2) |
| National Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 63,000 Referee: Fred Howard (England) |
| 19 March 1988 |
| England | 35–3 | Ireland |
| Try: Oti (3) Rees R. Underwood (2) Con: Andrew (3) Webb Pen: Webb | Report | Drop: Kiernan |
| Twickenham, London Referee: Clive Norling (Wales) |
References
- Murray, Scott (2011-02-18). "The Joy of Six: Five Nations memories". Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
- "Oti the man to blame as 'Swing Low Sweet Chariot' continues to roll". Irish Independent. 13 March 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
- Stephen Jones, ed. (1988). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1988-89 (17th ed.). London: Queen Anne Press.