Rediscover the 2005 Six Nations Championship here at RugbyPass. From Wales’ first clean sweep since 1978 to England’s narrowest defeat in Championship history, the 2005 tournament was truly thrilling.
Whether you want to find out about the top performing players or explore the record-setting clashes, our rugby gurus have sourced every sensational detail. Here’s everything you need to know about the Six Nations 2005.
2005 Six Nations Stats: Who Won the Six Nations 2005?
Six Nations 2005 Winner: Wales
Held between Saturday 5 February and Saturday 19 March, the 2005 Six Nations was the sixth edition of the modern series. Including the Home and Five Nations, this was the 111th iteration of the annual Championship.
As the defending champions, France entered the tournament hoping to secure yet another title. However, Wales quickly extinguished their hopes. After claiming the wooden spoon in 2003 and finishing fourth in 2004, the Welsh team rose to the occasion.
Underestimated by their opponents, Wales won all five of their fixtures and secured their 23rd title, ninth Grand Slam and 18th Triple Crown. This was their first Grand Slam since the 1978 Five Nations and their first Triple Crown since 1988.
Ireland’s Ronan O’Gara was the tournament’s top point scorer with 60 points. Meanwhile, although his team finished in fourth place, England’s Mark Cueto was the top try scorer with four tries. Additionally, Wales’ Marytn Williams was named the Six Nations 2005 Player of the Tournament.
Round One Review
Match one: France 16-9 Scotland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)
Match two: Wales 11-9 England (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match three: Italy 17-28 Ireland (Stadio Flaminio, Rome)
Round one of the 2005 Six Nations commenced with France v Scotland. Featuring Yann Delaigue’s first Championship appearance since 1995, Damien Traille scored the last-gasp try that turned the game in France’s favour.
Next, Wales won a tight contest against England. This was thanks to Gavin Henson, whose late penalty snatched Wales’ 11-9 win. This was an incredible outcome for the Welsh squad, who celebrated their first win over England since 1999. In contrast, this was England’s first defeat in the opening round of the Championship since 1998. It was also their first ever loss at the Millennium Stadium.
The most decisive victory of round one was Ireland’s 28-17 success against Italy. Ireland scored three tries in the match and kept the Azzurri at arm’s length throughout.
Round Two Review
Match one: Italy 8-38 Wales (Stadio Flaminio, Rome)
Match two: Scotland 13-40 Ireland (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)
Match three: England 17-18 France (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Wales’ second match was an epic 38-8 victory over Italy. The Welsh squad scored six tries and secured their first away win of the Six Nations 2005 tournament.
Ireland achieved another impressive result against Scotland. Although the Scots opened with a dominant display, the impenetrable Irish squad managed to produce a relentless 40-13 win.
The England v France encounter was an intense clash. The England squad failed to score a single point during the second half, while France’s Dimitri Yachvili secured all of France’s 18 points. With a failed last-minute drop-goal from Charlie Hodgson, England suffered their eighth defeat in 11 tests. Additionally, it was England’s first loss at Twickenham against France since 1997, as well as their narrowest defeat in Championship history.
Round Three Review
Match one: Scotland 18-10 Italy (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)
Match two: France 18-24 Wales (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)
Match three: Ireland 19-13 England (Lansdowne Road, Dublin)
In round three of the 2005 Six Nations, Scotland won their only match of the tournament. With six penalties from the boot of Chris Paterson, the Scots handed Italy an 18-10 loss without scoring a single try.
Next, a frenzied brace from Marytn Williams ensured Wales’ third win. Scored three minutes apart, Williams’ spectacular tries gave Wales an early second-half lead. Finally, a late drop-goal from Stephen Jones sealed Wales’ 24-18 victory. With this defeat, France waved goodbye to the idea of claiming successive Grand Slams.
The third weekend ended with England’s third consecutive defeat. This was thanks to Ronan O’Gara, who kicked 14 points in Ireland's 19-13 win. This marked a new low for England: it was the first time they had lost their first three Championship games since the 1987 Five Nations.
Round Four Review
Match one: Ireland 19-26 France (Lansdowne Road, Dublin)
Match two: England 39-7 Italy (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Match three: Scotland 22-46 Wales (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)
Following their disappointing result against Wales, France earned their victory against a hostile Irish side. After a late try from Brian O’Driscoll, Christophe Dominici crossed the line for a second time in the 77th minute and sealed France’s 26-19 win.
After three losses, England finally triumphed over Italy. Despite several blunders, a hat-trick from Mark Cueto saw England crush Italy 39-7.
Wales retained their top rank in the last match of round four. Complete with a brace from Kevin Morgan, the ferocious Welsh squad were up 38-3 by half time. They maintained their lead during the second half and claimed their fourth win of the tournament.
Round Five Review
Match one: Italy 13-56 France (Stadio Flaminio, Rome)
Match two: Wales 32-20 Ireland (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match three: England 43-22 Scotland (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Super Saturday of the 2005 Six Nations featured three spectacular encounters. First, France travelled to Rome, where they demolished Italy 56-13. They wrapped up their campaign in style, producing a crushing seven-try win.
Next, Wales ended their 27-year Grand Slam drought. After leading 16-6 at the break, Wales cruised through the second half and ultimately claimed a 32-20 victory.
This was a major milestone for the Welsh side. Not only was this their first Grand Slam since 1978, it was also their first Triple Crown since 1988 and their first win against Ireland since the 2000 Six Nations.
The final match was England v Scotland. Held at Twickenham, Jamie Noon produced England’s second hat-trick of the tournament. His third try secured England’s fourth-place finish and ended their disastrous campaign on a high.
Six Nations Table 2005
Here are the Six Nations results from 2005:
Team | Won | Lost | Points Difference | Tries For | Total Points |
Wales | 5 | 0 | +74 | 17 | 10 |
France | 4 | 1 | +52 | 13 | 8 |
Ireland | 3 | 2 | +25 | 12 | 6 |
England | 2 | 3 | +44 | 16 | 4 |
Scotland | 1 | 4 | -71 | 8 | 2 |
Italy | 0 | 5 | -124 | 5 | 0 |
Entering the tournament as the underdogs, Wales triumphed at the 2005 Six Nations Championship. Not only did they win their first Grand Slam in 27 years, they also set a new record: Wales became the first team to achieve a clean sweep while playing more away games – only two were at home.
At the other end of the table, this was a disappointing campaign for England. After securing the Grand Slam in 2003, England finished third in 2004 and dropped to fourth in 2005. Meanwhile, Scotland moved up to fifth and managed to avoid their second successive wooden spoon.
