2022 Six Nations Championship
The 2022 Six Nations Championship (known as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 23rd Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union competition contested by the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales, and the 128th edition of the competition (including all its previous incarnations as the Home Nations Championship and Five Nations Championship). Wales entered the tournament as defending champions.
2022 Six Nations Championship | |||
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Date | 5 February – 19 March 2022 | ||
Countries | |||
Tournament statistics | |||
Champions | France (18th title) | ||
Grand Slam | France (10th title) | ||
Triple Crown | Ireland (12th title) | ||
Matches played | 15 | ||
Attendance | 964,370 (64,291 per match) | ||
Tries scored | 73 (4.87 per match) | ||
Top point scorer(s) | Marcus Smith (71 points) | ||
Top try scorer(s) | James Lowe Damian Penaud Gabin Villière (3 tries) | ||
Player of the tournament | Antoine Dupont[1] | ||
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France won the Championship and the Grand Slam – both for the first time since 2010 – clinching the title with a 25–13 win over England at the Stade de France.[2] Runners-up Ireland won the Triple Crown for the sixth time in the Six Nations era.[3]
Italy came into the tournament on the back of 36 successive Six Nations losses since they beat Scotland, in 2015. Trailing 21–15 with less than two minutes remaining in their final game against Wales, Edoardo Padovani scored a try to win the match for Italy, ending a 40-match winless run in the Six Nations.[4]
Participants
Nation | Stadium | Head coach | Captain | ||
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Home stadium | Capacity | Location | |||
England | Twickenham Stadium | 82,000 | London | Eddie Jones | Tom Curry, Courtney Lawes1 |
France | Stade de France | 81,338 | Saint-Denis | Fabien Galthié, Raphaël Ibañez 2 | Antoine Dupont |
Ireland | Aviva Stadium | 51,700 | Dublin | Andy Farrell | Johnny Sexton, James Ryan, Peter O'Mahony 3 |
Italy | Stadio Olimpico | 73,261 | Rome | Kieran Crowley | Michele Lamaro |
Scotland | Murrayfield Stadium | 67,144 | Edinburgh | Gregor Townsend | Stuart Hogg |
Wales | Millennium Stadium | 73,931 | Cardiff | Wayne Pivac | Dan Biggar |
1 Owen Farrell was originally named in the England squad as captain ahead of the Championship, but was later ruled out due to injury. Tom Curry captained the team for the first two matches, and Courtney Lawes was captain for the final three rounds.
2 Fabien Galthié tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the opening round and Raphaël Ibañez took on the role for France's match against Italy.[5]
3 Johnny Sexton was ruled out in round 2 and James Ryan captained in his absence. Ryan was not selected in round 3 and Peter O'Mahony was named as captain.
Squads
Table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | GS | TB | LB | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | France | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 141 | 73 | +68 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 25 |
2 | Ireland | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 168 | 63 | +105 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 21 |
3 | England | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 101 | 96 | +5 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
4 | Scotland | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 92 | 121 | −29 | 11 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
5 | Wales | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 76 | 104 | −28 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
6 | Italy | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 60 | 181 | −121 | 5 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Table ranking rules
- Four points are awarded for a win.
- Two points are awarded for a draw.
- A bonus point is awarded to a team that scores four or more tries, or loses by seven points or fewer. If a team scores four or more tries, and loses by seven points or fewer, they are awarded both bonus points.
- Three bonus points are awarded to a team that wins all five of their matches (a Grand Slam). This ensures that a Grand Slam winning team would top the table with at least 23 points, as another team could lose one match while winning two bonus points and win the other four matches while winning four bonus points for a maximum of 22 points.
- Tiebreakers
- If two or more teams are tied on table points, the team with the better points difference (points scored less points conceded) is ranked higher.
- If the above tiebreaker fails to separate tied teams, the team that scores the higher number of total tries (including penalty tries) in their matches is ranked higher.
- If two or more teams remain tied after applying the above tiebreakers then those teams will be placed at equal rank; if the tournament has concluded and more than one team is placed first then the title will be shared between them.
Fixtures
The tournament's fixtures were announced on 28 April 2021, and included a Friday night game – Wales hosting France in round 4 – for the first time since the opening match of the 2019 Six Nations Championship.[6]
Round 1
5 February 2022 14:15 WET (UTC+0) |
(1 BP) Ireland | 29–7 | Wales |
Try: Aki 3' c Conway (2) 44' c, 51' c Ringrose 60' m Con: Sexton (3/4) 5', 45', 53' Pen: Sexton (1/3) 21' | Report | Try: Basham 75' c Con: Sheedy 76' (1/1) |
Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,700 Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Seb Davies (Wales) was originally named on the bench but was replaced by Ben Carter prior to kick-off due to a back spasm.[7]
- Mack Hansen (Ireland) and Dewi Lake (Wales) made their international debuts.[8]
- Ross Moriarty (Wales) earned his 50th test cap.
5 February 2022 16:45 GMT (UTC+0) |
Scotland | 20–17 | England (1 BP) |
Try: White 18' c Penalty try 66' Con: Russell (1/1) 20' Pen: Russell (2/2) 41', 72' | Report | Try: Smith 53' m Pen: Smith (4/4) 17', 34', 48', 63' |
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,144 Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand) |
Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Ben White (Scotland) made his international debut.
- Scotland achieved back-to-back wins against England for the first time since 1984.
- Scotland retained the Calcutta Cup.[9]
- Tom Curry became England's youngest captain since Will Carling against Australia in 1988.
6 February 2022 16:00 CET (UTC+1) |
(1 BP) France | 37–10 | Italy |
Try: Jelonch 26' m Villière (3) 40+1' c, 49' m, 80+2' c Penaud 68' c Con: Jaminet (2/4) 40+2', 70' Ntamack (1/1) 80+3' Pen: Jaminet (2/2) 5', 34' | Report | Try: Menoncello 17' c Con: Garbisi (1/1) 18' Pen: Garbisi (1/1) 30' |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 78,750 Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Toa Halafihi, Leonardo Marin, Tommaso Menoncello and Manuel Zuliani (all Italy) made their international debuts.
- Tommaso Menoncello (Italy) became the youngest player to score a try in any of the Six, Five or Home Nations Championships, surpassing Wales' Keith Jarrett in 1967.
- France retained the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy.[10]
Round 2
12 February 2022 14:15 GMT (UTC+0) |
Wales | 20–17 | Scotland (1 BP) |
Try: Francis 32' m Pen: Biggar (4/5) 5', 8', 25', 58' Drop: Biggar (1/1) 70' | Report | Try: Graham 12' m Pen: Russell (4/4) 16', 20', 29', 50' |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 73,782 Referee: Nic Berry (Australia) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes
- Wales retained the Doddie Weir Cup.
- Jac Morgan (Wales) and Rory Darge (Scotland) made their international debuts.
- Dan Biggar and Jonathan Davies (both Wales) won their 100th test caps, including caps for the British & Irish Lions.[11]
12 February 2022 17:45 CET (UTC+1) |
France | 30–24 | Ireland (1 BP) |
Try: Dupont 2' c Baille 54' m Con: Jaminet (1/2) 3' Pen: Jaminet (6/6) 7', 17', 36', 41', 44', 79' | Report | Try: Hansen 7' c Van der Flier 45' c Gibson-Park 49' c Con: Carbery (3/3) 9', 46', 50' Pen: Carbery 73' |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 80,000 Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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13 February 2022 16:00 CET (UTC+1) |
Italy | 0–33 | England (1 BP) |
Report | Try: Smith 10' c George (2) 20' c, 40' c Daly 45' m Sinckler 73' c Con: Smith (4/5) 12', 21', 40+2', 74' |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 29,015 Referee: Damon Murphy (Australia) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Andrea Zambonin (Italy) and Ollie Chessum (England) made their international debuts.
- Ben Youngs made his 114th appearance for England, equalling Jason Leonard's record as England's most-capped player.[12]
- England kept a clean sheet against Italy in the Six Nations for the first time.
Round 3
26 February 2022 14:15 GMT (UTC+0) |
Scotland | 17–36 | France (1 BP) |
Try: Darge 29' c Van der Merwe 80' c Con: Russell (1/1) 30' Hogg (1/1) 80' Pen: Russell (1/1) 11' | Report | Try: Willemse 8' c Moefana 13' m Fickou 40+2' c Danty 42' c Penaud (2) 59' m, 74' m Con: Jaminet (3/6) 9', 40+4', 44' |
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 67,144 Referee: Karl Dickson (England) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Hamish Watson (Scotland) was originally named to start, but was forced to withdraw the day before the match after testing positive for COVID-19. He was replaced by Nick Haining, whose place on the bench was taken by Andy Christie.
- Andy Christie (Scotland) made his international debut.
- France reclaimed the Auld Alliance Trophy, having lost it in 2020.
26 February 2022 16:45 GMT (UTC+0) |
England | 23–19 | Wales (1 BP) |
Try: Dombrandt 43' m Pen: Smith (6/7) 3', 6', 31', 40+2', 68', 72' | Report | Try: Adams 54' m Tompkins 61' c Hardy 80' c Con: Biggar (2/3) 61', 80' |
Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 81,621 Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Manu Tuilagi (England) was originally named to start, but was forced to withdraw due to injury. His place in the starting line-up was taken by Elliot Daly, who was replaced on the bench by Joe Marchant.[13]
- Ben Youngs made his 115th appearance for England to surpass Jason Leonard's record as England's most capped international player.
- Kyle Sinckler (England) and Alex Cuthbert (Wales) earned their 50th test caps.
- Courtney Lawes (England) and Dan Biggar (Wales) became the sixth club mates (Northampton Saints) in the history of the Championship to captain their countries against each other.
27 February 2022 15:00 WET (UTC+0) |
(1 BP) Ireland | 57–6 | Italy |
Try: Carbery 4' c Gibson-Park 21' c Lowry (2) 30' m, 57' c O'Mahony 38' m Lowe (2) 52' m, 76' c Baird 70' c Treadwell 80+2' c Con: Carbery (2/5) 5', 22' Sexton (4/4) 58', 71', 77', 80+3' | Report | Pen: Padovani (1/1) 14' Garbisi (1/1) 40+1' |
Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,000 Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Michael Lowry (Ireland) made his international debut.[14]
- Italy played with 13 players from the 19th minute of the match due to World Rugby Law 3.20, which requires a team that is unable to continue with contested scrums as a result of a player being sent off to lose an additional player. This meant that no replacement was made for Toa Halafihi.[15]
- Italy suffered their 100th defeat in the Six Nations Championship.
- Referee Nika Amashukeli became the first Georgian and Tier 2 union official to referee in this Six Nations Championship.
Round 4
11 March 2022 20:00 GMT (UTC+0) |
(1 BP) Wales | 9–13 | France |
Pen: Biggar (3/3) 5', 17', 39' | Report | Try: Jelonch 9' c Con: Jaminet (1/1) 10' Pen: Jaminet (2/3) 3', 47' |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 63,208 Referee: Matthew Carley (England) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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12 March 2022 15:15 CET (UTC+1) |
Italy | 22–33 | Scotland (1 BP) |
Try: Braley 30' c Capuozzo (2) 66' c, 80+3' m Con: Garbisi (2/3) 31', 67' Pen: Garbisi (1/3) 4' | Report | Try: Johnson 18' m Harris (2) 22' c, 37' c Graham 48' c Hogg 61' c Con: Russell (4/5) 23', 38', 49', 62' |
Stadio Olimpico, Rome Attendance: 41,214 Referee: Luke Pearce (England) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Ben Vellacott (Scotland) and Ange Capuozzo (Italy) made their international debuts.
- Ali Price (Scotland) earned his 50th test cap.
- Giosuè Zilocchi and Manuel Zuliani (Italy) were originally named on the bench, but were later replaced by Tiziano Pasquali and Braam Steyn.
- Scotland won the inaugural Cuttitta Cup.[16]
12 March 2022 16:45 GMT (UTC+0) |
England | 15–32 | Ireland (1 BP) |
Pen: Smith (5/6) 18', 33', 40+1', 53', 61' | Report | Try: Lowe 6' m Keenan 37' c Conan 72' c Bealham 76' c Con: Sexton (3/4) 39', 74', 78' Pen: Sexton (2/2) 3', 66' |
Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 81,658 Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes
- Ireland retain the Millennium Trophy.[17]
- This was Ireland's biggest win over England at Twickenham since 1964, surpassing the 13-point margin in 1964.[18]
- Charlie Ewels' red card was the quickest to be given (at 82 seconds) in Championship history.[19]
Round 5
19 March 2022 14:15 GMT (UTC+0) |
(1 BP) Wales | 21–22 | Italy |
Try: Watkin 27' c Lake 51' c Adams 68' c Con: Biggar (3/3) 27', 52', 68' | Report | Try: Padovani 79’ c Con: Garbisi (1/1) 80’ Pen: Garbisi (3/3) 12', 31', 56' Padovani (2/3) 15', 33' |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 67,134 Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Alun Wyn Jones (Wales) made his 150th appearance, the first player to achieve this.
- Dan Biggar (Wales) became the seventh Welshman to earn his 100th test cap.
- Braam Steyn (Italy) earned his 50th test cap.
- Tiziano Pasquali (Italy) had been named on the bench but withdrew ahead of the game and replaced by Filippo Alongi.
- Filippo Alongi (Italy) made his international debut.
- Italy won in the Six Nations Championship for the first time since their victory over Scotland in Edinburgh in 2015 (19–22), ending a 36–match losing streak in the Championship.
- Italy defeated Wales for the first time since 2007, and achieved their first away victory against Wales.
- Italy won against a Tier 1 nation for the first time since their victory over South Africa in 2016 (20–18).
19 March 2022 16:45 WET (UTC+0) |
(1 BP) Ireland | 26–5 | Scotland |
Try: Sheehan 16' c Healy 27' c Van der Flier 59' c Murray 78' m Con: Sexton (3/4) 18', 28', 59' | Report | Try: Schoeman 34' m |
Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 51,000 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
- Ireland won the Triple Crown for the first time since 2018, and the first time at home since 2004.[3]
- Ireland retained the Centenary Quaich.
19 March 2022 21:00 CET (UTC+1) |
France | 25–13 | England |
Try: Fickou 14' m Cros 39' c Dupont 60' c Con: Jaminet (2/3) 40', 61' Pen: Jaminet (2/2) 8', 23' | Report | Try: Steward 47' c Con: Smith (1/1) 49' Pen: Smith (2/2) 19', 29' |
Stade de France, Saint-Denis Attendance: 80,000 Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa) |
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Player of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Notes:
Player statistics
Most points
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Most tries
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Broadcasting
In the United Kingdom, each game was broadcast live on a free-to-air terrestrial TV channel, either the BBC or ITV, as a result of a new deal covering the four years from 2022 to 2025. The BBC broadcast all Scotland and Wales home fixtures, with ITV airing all England, France, Ireland and Italy home fixtures.[21] All of Wales' games were also broadcast on S4C in the Welsh language[22]
In the Republic of Ireland, all games were shown free-to-air on either RTÉ or Virgin Media under the terms of the new TV rights share.[23]
Notes
- Despite Adams formally being awarded Player of the Match on the 77th minute by the host broadcaster, Adams later presented Ange Capuozzo the medal after the game.[20]
References
- "Antoine Dupont named 2022 Guinness Six Nations Player of the Championship". Six Nations Rugby. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
- "Antoine Dupont try sinks England and secures grand slam for France". The Guardian. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- "Conor Murray seals Ireland win over Scotland to claim triple crown". The Guardian. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- "Padovani's late try gives Italy historic Six Nations win against turgid Wales". The Guardian. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- "Dupont to skipper France against Italy". Six Nations Rugby. 4 February 2022.
- "Guinness Six Nations fixtures announced for 2022 Championship". Six Nations Rugby. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- Campbell, Gwennan (6 February 2022). "Wales say Scotland game is a 'must win' after Ireland Six Nations defeat". ITV News. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- "Ireland hammer sorry Wales 29–7 in one-sided opener". BBC Sport. 5 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- "Scotland 20–17 England – late penalty try helps hosts retain Calcutta Cup". BBC Sport. 5 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- "France 37–10 Italy – Gabin Villiere scores hat-trick for hosts". BBC Sport. 5 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
- "Wales 20–17 Scotland – Dan Biggar guides Wales to tense win". BBC Sport. 12 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- White, Tom (13 February 2022). "Ben Youngs equals England appearance record after winning 114th cap". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- Grey, Becky (26 February 2022). "Six Nations: Daly starts for England against Wales". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
- "Six Nations: Ireland stroll past 12-man Italy with 57–6 win". BBC Sport. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- "Italy thrashed by Ireland after being forced to play for an hour with 13 men". The Guardian. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- "Six Nations 2022: Italy 22–33 Scotland – visitors bounce back with disjointed win". BBC Sport. 12 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- "Ireland hold off England to stay in Six Nations title hunt after Ewels' early red". The Guardian. 12 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- "Ireland avoid painful inquest as strong finish sets up record win at Twickenham". The Irish Times. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- "Six Nations 2022: Ireland see off brave 14-man England". BBC Sport. 12 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- Rucker, Rugby (19 March 2022). "Incredible piece of sportsmanship from Josh Adams goes viral".
- "Six Nations 2022 fixtures: match dates, TV channel schedule and latest odds". Daily Telegraph. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
Every game will be aired live on either the BBC or ITV. ... the tournament remains on terrestrial television after a new four-year deal was agreed up to and including 2025.
- ."S4C to show Wales's Six Nations matches for next four years". 7 December 2021.
- "RTÉ and Virgin Media's Six Nations rights share: here's which games are on each station". The 42. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.