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Name
No-one is sure what the origins of the name 'Triple Crown' are. The Irish Times has the first recorded use of the term in its introduction to the newspapers Ireland v Wales match report on Monday, 12 March 1894:
After long years of seemingly hopeless struggle Ireland has achieved the triple crown honours of Rugby football. For the first time in the annals of the game have the Hibernians proved beyond cavil or doubt their right to be dubbed champions of the nations and that the Irishmen fully deserve the great distinction no one will deny … Hurrah for Hibernia!
The name presumably derives from the fact that the winners will have beaten all the nations of the United Kingdom, which is composed of the Kingdom of Ireland (now only Northern Ireland), the Kingdom of Scotland, the Kingdom of England and the Principality of Wales, i.e. three kingdoms.
Trophy
In 1975 a retired miner by the name of Dave Merrington from South Hetton, County Durham got to work with his penknife and turned a lump of coal hewn from the Haig Colliery in Cumbria into a surprisingly ornate work. It has a crown sitting on a four-sided base on which are represented a rose, a shamrock, a thistle and the Prince of Wales feathers. It is kept in the Museum of Rugby at Twickenham.
As no trophy was historically awarded for winning the Triple Crown, it was often called 'the invisible cup'. However, in 2006, the primary sponsor of the competition, the Royal Bank of Scotland, commissioned a trophy to be awarded to Triple Crown winners. The award, a silver dish known as the Triple Crown Trophy, was contested for the first time in the 2006 Six Nations. Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll claimed the trophy for Ireland at Twickenham on March 18 after a last-minute try from Shane Horgan gave Ireland a 28-24 win over England.
Winners
 England |
23 | 1883, 1884, 1892, 1913, 1914, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1928, 1934, 1937, 1954, 1957, 1960, 1980, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003 |
 Wales |
19 | 1893, 1900, 1902, 1905, 1908, 1909, 1911, 1950, 1952, 1965, 1969, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1988, 2005, 2008 |
 Scotland |
10 | 1891, 1895, 1901, 1903, 1907, 1925, 1933, 1938, 1984, 1990 |
 Ireland |
9 | 1894, 1899, 1948, 1949, 1982, 1985, 2004, 2006, 2007 |
| 1883 | England |
| 1884 | England |
| 1885 | Not achieved |
| 1886 | Not achieved |
| 1887 | Not achieved |
| 1888 | Not achieved |
| 1889 | Not achieved |
| 1890 | Not achieved |
| 1891 | Scotland |
| 1892 | England |
| 1893 | Wales |
| 1894 | Ireland |
| 1895 | Scotland |
| 1896 | Not achieved |
| 1897 | Not achieved |
| 1898 | Not achieved |
| 1899 | Ireland |
| 1900 | Wales |
| 1901 | Scotland |
| 1902 | Wales |
| 1903 | Scotland |
| 1904 | Not achieved |
| 1905 | Wales |
| 1906 | Not achieved |
| 1907 | Scotland |
| 1908 | Wales |
| 1909 | Wales |
| 1910 | Not achieved |
| 1911 | Wales |
| 1912 | Not achieved |
| 1913 | England |
| 1914 | England |
| 1915-19 | Not held due to World War I |
| 1920 | Not achieved |
| 1921 | England |
| 1922 | Not achieved |
| 1923 | England |
| 1924 | England |
| 1925 | Scotland |
| 1926 | Not achieved |
| 1927 | Not achieved |
| 1928 | England |
| 1929 | Not achieved |
| 1930 | Not achieved |
| 1931 | Not achieved |
| 1932 | Not achieved |
| 1933 | Scotland |
| 1934 | England |
| 1935 | Not achieved |
| 1936 | Not achieved |
| 1937 | England |
| 1938 | Scotland |
| 1939 | Not achieved |
| 1940–46 | Not held due to World War II |
| 1947 | Not achieved |
| 1948 | Ireland |
| 1949 | Ireland |
| 1950 | Wales |
| 1951 | Not achieved |
| 1952 | Wales |
| 1953 | Not achieved |
| 1954 | England |
| 1955 | Not achieved |
| 1956 | Not achieved |
| 1957 | England |
| 1958 | Not achieved |
| 1959 | Not achieved |
| 1960 | England |
| 1961 | Not achieved |
| 1962 | Not achieved |
| 1963 | Not achieved |
| 1964 | Not achieved |
| 1965 | Wales |
| 1966 | Not achieved |
| 1967 | Not achieved |
| 1968 | Not achieved |
| 1969 | Wales |
| 1970 | Not achieved |
| 1971 | Wales |
| 1972 | Not achieved |
| 1973 | Not achieved |
| 1974 | Not achieved |
| 1975 | Not achieved |
| 1976 | Wales |
| 1977 | Wales |
| 1978 | Wales |
| 1979 | Wales |
| 1980 | England |
| 1981 | Not achieved |
| 1982 | Ireland |
| 1983 | Not achieved |
| 1984 | Scotland |
| 1985 | Ireland |
| 1986 | Not achieved |
| 1987 | Not achieved |
| 1988 | Wales |
| 1989 | Not achieved |
| 1990 | Scotland |
| 1991 | England |
| 1992 | England |
| 1993 | Not achieved |
| 1994 | Not achieved |
| 1995 | England |
| 1996 | England |
| 1997 | England |
| 1998 | England |
| 1999 | Not achieved |
| 2000 | Not achieved |
| 2001 | Not achieved |
| 2002 | England |
| 2003 | England |
| 2004 | Ireland |
| 2005 | Wales |
| 2006 | Ireland |
| 2007 | Ireland |
| 2008 | Wales |
See also
- Six Nations Championship
- Grand Slam
- Calcutta Cup
- Millennium Trophy
- Wooden spoon
- England national rugby union team
- Ireland national rugby union team
- Scotland national rugby union team
- Wales national rugby union team
External links
- "Triple Crown becomes tangiable (sic)", RugbyRugby.com, 25 January 2006
- Official Six Nations Site
- Link to image of Triple Crown Trophy
