2012 Six Nations Championship
The 2012 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2012 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 13th series of the Six Nations Championship. The annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
2012 Six Nations Championship | |||
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Date | 4 February – 17 March 2012 | ||
Countries | England France Ireland Italy Scotland Wales | ||
Tournament statistics | |||
Champions | Wales (25th title) | ||
Grand Slam | Wales (11th title) | ||
Triple Crown | Wales (20th title) | ||
Matches played | 15 | ||
Attendance | 1,034,926 (68,995 per match) | ||
Tries scored | 46 (3.07 per match) | ||
Top point scorer(s) | Leigh Halfpenny (66) | ||
Top try scorer(s) | Tommy Bowe (5) | ||
Player of the tournament | Dan Lydiate | ||
Official website | Official website | ||
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Including the competition's previous incarnations as the Home Nations Championship and Five Nations Championship, it was the 118th tournament of the annual European championship.
For the first time since 2008, there were no Friday night fixtures.[1]
Whilst Italy continued to play their home matches in Rome, they used the Stadio Olimpico instead of the Stadio Flaminio, which Italy had used for their home Championship fixtures since entering the competition in 2000.[2] The Championship was won by Wales, who achieved their third Grand Slam in eight tournaments.[3][4][5][6]
Participants
The teams involved were:
Squads
Table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | Pts |
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1 | Wales | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 109 | 58 | +51 | 10 | 10 |
2 | England | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 98 | 71 | +27 | 7 | 8 |
3 | Ireland | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 121 | 94 | +27 | 13 | 5 |
4 | France | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 101 | 86 | +15 | 8 | 5 |
5 | Italy | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 53 | 121 | −68 | 4 | 2 |
6 | Scotland | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 56 | 108 | −52 | 4 | 0 |
Results
Round 1
4 February 2012 15:30 CET (UTC+01) |
France | 30–12 | Italy |
Try: Rougerie 20' c Malzieu 34' m Clerc 53' c Fofana 71' m Con: Yachvili (2/3) 21', 54' Pen: Yachvili (2/3) 11', 51' | Report | Pen: Burton (2/3) 29', 46' Botes (1/1) 60' Drop: Burton (1/2) 17' |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 79,563[8] Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) |
Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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- Nicolas Mas and Thierry Dusautoir (both France) earned their 50th caps.
- Wesley Fofana, Yoann Maestri (both France), Tobias Botes and Giovanbattista Venditti (both Italy) made their international debuts in this match.
- Vincent Clerc's try was the 32nd of his international career, placing him joint second with his coach Philippe Saint-André on the French try scoring list. (To this date, Serge Blanco remains the top French try scorer with 38.)
4 February 2012 17:00 GMT (UTC+0) |
Scotland | 6–13 | England |
Pen: Parks (2/2) 25', 32' | Report | Try: Hodgson 40' c Con: Farrell (1/1) 41' Pen: Farrell (2/4) 22', 74' |
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,144 Referee: George Clancy (Ireland) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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- Brad Barritt, Lee Dickson, Phil Dowson, Owen Farrell, Ben Morgan, Geoff Parling, Jordan Turner-Hall (all England) and Lee Jones (Scotland) made their international debuts.
- Chris Robshaw of England captained his team earning only his second cap in this match.
- This match turned out to be Dan Parks's last appearance with the Scotland jersey as he announced his retirement from international rugby a few days after the game.
5 February 2012 15:00 IST (UTC+0) |
Ireland | 21–23 | Wales |
Try: Best 36' c Bowe 67' m Con: Sexton (1/2) 38' Pen: Sexton (3/5) 3', 43', 59' | Report | Try: J. Davies (2) 13' m, 54' c North 75' m Con: Halfpenny (1/2) 55' Pen: Halfpenny (2/2) 53', 79' |
Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,000 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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- Huw Bennett (Wales) earned his 50th cap.
- Coming off the bench in the 76th minute to replace Johnny Sexton, Ronan O'Gara became the most capped Irish player with 117 caps, jointly with Brian O'Driscoll. O'Gara also took sole possession of the all-time lead for appearances in the Championship, with 57. He had previously been level with his countryman Mike Gibson, who made 56 appearances in the Five Nations between 1964 and 1979.
Round 2
11 February 2012 17:00 CET (UTC+01) |
Italy | 15–19 | England |
Try: Venditti 37' m Benvenuti 40' c Con: Burton (1/2) 40' Pen: Burton (1/1) 47' | Report | Try: Hodgson 50' c Con: Farrell (1/1) 50' Pen: Farrell (4/4) 26', 35', 54', 65' |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 53,700[9] Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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- Luca Morisi (Italy) and Rob Webber (England) made their international debuts.
- The four-point margin in this match is the joint-closest Italy have ever come to beating England.
11 February 2012 21:00 CET (UTC+01) |
France | P–P | Ireland |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis Referee: Dave Pearson (England) |
This match was postponed due to an unplayable pitch. It was the first weather-related postponement of a Five/Six Nations game since 1985.[10] The match was rescheduled for 4 March.[11]
12 February 2012 15:00 GMT (UTC+0) |
Wales | 27–13 | Scotland |
Try: Cuthbert 41' c Halfpenny (2) 50' c, 55' c Con: Halfpenny (3/3) 43', 52', 56' Pen: Halfpenny (2/3) 29', 45' | Report | Try: Laidlaw 63' c Con: Laidlaw (1/1) 64' Pen: Laidlaw (2/3) 22', 48' |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 73,189 Referee: Romain Poite (France) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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- Lou Reed, Aaron Shingler (both Wales), Stuart Hogg and Ed Kalman (both Scotland) made their international debuts.
Round 3
25 February 2012 13:30 IST (UTC+0) |
Ireland | 42–10 | Italy |
Try: Earls 15' c Bowe (2) 38' c, 61' c Court 76' c Trimble 80' m Con: Sexton (4/5) 17', 39', 61', 78' Pen: Sexton (3/3) 10', 48', 57' | Report | Try: Parisse 34' c Con: Botes (1/1) 35' Pen: Botes (1/4) 7' |
Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,000[12] Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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- Peter O'Mahony (Ireland) made his international debut.
- Coming off the bench in the 69th minute to replace Gordon D'Arcy, Ronan O'Gara overtook Brian O'Driscoll as the most-capped Irish player with 118 caps.
25 February 2012 16:00 GMT (UTC+0) |
England | 12–19 | Wales |
Pen: Farrell (4/5) 23', 29', 38', 45' | Report | Try: S. Williams 75' c Con: Halfpenny (1/1) 76' Pen: Halfpenny (4/5) 25', 34', 53', 71' |
Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 80,764[13] Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)[N 1] |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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- Wales won their 20th Triple Crown.
26 February 2012 15:00 GMT (UTC+0) |
Scotland | 17–23 | France |
Try: Hogg 7' c Jones 55' c Con: Laidlaw (1/1) 9' Weir (1/1) 56' Pen: Laidlaw (1/2) 25' | Report | Try: Fofana 28' c Médard 58' c Con: Parra (2/2) 29', 59' Pen: Parra (2/3) 39', 47' Drop: Beauxis (1/1) 68' |
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,200[15] Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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- Duncan Weir (Scotland) made his international debut.
Rescheduled match
4 March 2012[N 2] 16:00 CET (UTC+01) |
France | 17–17 | Ireland |
Try: Fofana 50' m Pen: Parra (4/5) 22', 29', 46', 57' | Report | Try: Bowe (2) 12' c, 37' c Con: Sexton (2/2) 13', 38' Pen: Sexton (1/2) 25' |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 80,000[16] Referee: Dave Pearson (England) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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Round 4
10 March 2012 14:30 GMT (UTC+0) |
Wales | 24–3 | Italy |
Try: Roberts 59' c Cuthbert 77' m Con: Halfpenny (1/2) 50' Pen: Halfpenny (3/3) 9', 19', 36' Priestland (1/1) 69' | Report | Pen: Bergamasco (1/1) 12' |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 73,892[17] Referee: George Clancy (Ireland) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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- Rhys Webb (Wales) and Fabio Staibano (Italy) made their international debuts.
10 March 2012 17:00 IST (UTC+0) |
Ireland | 32–14 | Scotland |
Try: Best 13' c Reddan 33' c Trimble 40' m McFadden 76' c Con: Sexton (3/4) 14', 34', 77' Pen: Sexton (2/2) 25', 71' | Report | Try: Gray 36' m Pen: Laidlaw (3/3) 3', 9', 31' |
Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,000[18] Referee: Chris Pollock (New Zealand) |
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Man of the Match:
Touch judges:
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- Matt Scott (Scotland) made his international debut.
11 March 2012 16:00 CET (UTC+01) |
France | 22–24 | England |
Try: Fofana 74' c Con: Parra (1/1) 75' Pen: Beauxis (3/4) 16', 39', 68' Dupuy (1/2) 32' Parra (1/1) 64' | Report | Try: Tuilagi 12' c Foden 17' c Croft 70' c Con: Farrell (3/3) 14', 18', 71' Pen: Farrell (1/2) 49' |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 80,895[19] Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland) |
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Touch judges:
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Round 5
17 March 2012 13:30 CET (UTC+01) |
Italy | 13–6 | Scotland |
Try: Venditti 42' c Con: Burton (1/1) 43' Pen: Bergamasco (1/3) 10' Drop: Burton (1/2) 76' | Report | Pen: Laidlaw (2/3) 35', 59' |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 72,354[20] Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland) |
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Touch judges:
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- Scotland were whitewashed. This was the first time since 2007 that Italy avoided the wooden spoon.
- Italy's starting pack in this match was the most capped ever to play an international match.
17 March 2012 14:45 GMT (UTC+0) |
Wales | 16–9 | France |
Try: Cuthbert 20' c Con: Halfpenny (1/1) 21', Pen: Halfpenny (3/4) 32', 52', 75' | Report | Pen: Yachvili (2/2) 10', 72' Beauxis (1/1) 44' |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 72,658[21] Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa) |
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Touch judges:
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- Matthew Rees (Wales) earned his 50th cap.
- Jean-Marcellin Buttin (France) made his international debut.
- William Servat and Julien Bonnaire (both France) played their final matches.
- Wales won the Grand Slam.
17 March 2012 17:00 GMT (UTC+0) |
England | 30–9 | Ireland |
Try: Penalty try 58' c Youngs 73' m Con: Farrell (1/2) 58' Pen: Farrell (6/6) 2', 23', 34', 48', 64', 77' | Report | Pen: Sexton (3/3) 15', 40', 51' |
Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 80,567[22] Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) |
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Touch judges:
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Media coverage
In the United Kingdom, all the matches were televised on BBC channels. In Ireland, RTÉ Two and RTÉ Two HD televised all the matches live. S4C televised Wales matches while French international channel TV5Monde televised only France matches and was available internationally (including the United States). In the United States BBC America and BBC America HD televised some matches.
Notes
- Although born in New Zealand, Walsh is registered with the Australian Rugby Union and therefore recognised as an Australian referee.[14]
- Rescheduled from 11 February 2012.[11]
References
- "RBS 6 NATIONS FIXTURES 2012 and 2013 - Rugby World". rugbyworld.com. 26 January 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- "RBS 6 Nazioni, allo Stadio Olimpico l'Edizione 2012" (Press release) (in Italian). Italian Rugby Federation. 13 July 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- "Six Nations 2012: final day as it happened". BBC Sport. 17 March 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
- "Wales win RBS 6 Nations Grand Slam". RTÉ Sport. 17 March 2012. Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
- "Grand Slam joy as Wales beat France". BBC Sport. 17 March 2012. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
- "Wales 16-9 France". Guardian (London). 17 March 2012. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
- "RBS Six Nations Table: 2011-2012". Six Nations Championship. Six Nations Rugby Ltd. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
- "France start Six Nations with Italian victory". RugbyWeek. Sports Digital Media. 4 February 2012. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
- "Italy Highest Attendance". ESPNScrum. ESPN Emea Ltd. 12 February 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- "France v Ireland match called off at last minute". BBC Sport. BBC. 11 February 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- "Postponed France v Ireland Six Nations game set for 4 March". BBC Sport. BBC. 14 February 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- Curtis, Tony (25 February 2012). "Ireland see off Italy". Sky Sports. BSkyB. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- "Williams steals the show". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 25 February 2012. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- "Referees". Australian Rugby Union. Australian Rugby Union. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- "France edge out Scotland". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 26 February 2012. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- "Honours even in Paris". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 4 March 2012. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- "Simply a stroll for Wales". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 10 March 2012. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- "Dublin delight for Ireland". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 10 March 2012. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- "England come of age". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 11 March 2012. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- Dilger, Simon (17 March 2012). "Azzurri claim precious win". Sky Sports. BSkyB. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
- Lancaster, Rob (17 March 2012). "A Grand day out for Wales". Sky Sports. BSkyB. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
- Kendall, Mark (17 March 2012). "England sign off in style". Sky Sports. BSkyB. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.