Tournaments

Major Tournaments

Rugby Union World Cup

Men's and women's versions of the Rugby World Cup take place every four years.

England won this most recently on Saturday 22 November 2003, with Jonny Wilkinson scoring a last minute drop-goal to win the match 20-17 in extra time (normally a game is 80 minutes, in extra time it goes to 100 minutes), beating Australia in a closely contested match. Previous winners have all been participants in the Tri-Nations competition, with South Africa and New Zealand winning one World Cup apiece and Australia winning two World Cups.

Six Nations Rugby Tournament

The first steps towards the modern day Six Nations tournament took place in 1871 when England lost by one goal to Scotland at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh. In the 1880s, both Wales and Ireland joined and the Home International Championships emerged. France joined the tournament in the 1900s and in 1910 the term Five Nations first appeared. However, the Home Nations (England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland) excluded France in 1931 amid a run of poor results, allegations of professionalism and concerns over on-field violence. France then rejoined in 1939-1940, though the Second World War halted proceedings for a further eight years. France has played in all the tournaments since WWII, the first one of which was played in 1947.

In 2000, Italy also joined the tournament, leading to the modern-day Six Nations competition that takes place annually.

• If a team wins all five of their games they achieve a "Grand Slam".
• If one of the Home Nations beats the other three, this is called the "Triple Crown".
• The Calcutta Cup is contested in the annual Six Nations match between England and Scotland.
• The team finishes bottom is said to have won the "Wooden Spoon".

Wales won the Grand Slam, the Triple Crown, and the Six Nations championship in 2005 and Italy was left with the Wooden Spoon.

Tri Nations Series

The Tri Nations Series is an annual international Rugby Union series held between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The series is played on a home and away basis with the three nations playing each other twice.

Since the inception in 1996 of the Tri Nations, the games played in it between Australia and New Zealand also determine the winner of the Bledisloe Cup each year.

Recently, the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate has also been contended for in the Tri Nations, played between Australia and South Africa, and currently held by South Africa.

However, starting in 2006, there will be a new system in which each nation will play the others three times.

Other Tournaments

• Celtic League - provincial/regional teams from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales
• Churchill Cup - Canada, England, and the United States, with one invited team. From 2006, the tournament is to expand to include 3-5 invited teams.
• In this competition, England does not send its full national side, instead sending its "senior A" team. The invited teams are likewise to be senior A-calibre teams from among the European and Southern hemisphere powers
• Currie Cup - South African provincial tournament
• English Rugby Union competitions - includes Guinness Premiership and National Division 1.
• European Challenge Cup and European Shield - European club, provincial and regional teams knock-out tournament
• European Nations Cup - national teams from second tier countries
• Heineken Cup - European club, provincial and regional teams
• Ligue Nationale de Rugby - French clubs
• National Provincial Championship (NPC) - New Zealand provincial tournament
• Pacific Tri-Nations - Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa
• Pan-American Championship - Uruguay, Canada, United States and Argentina
• Powergen Cup - English clubs knock-out tournament
• Ranfurly Shield - New Zealand provincial challenge trophy
• Rugby World Cup Sevens - Sponsored by the IRB, and held every four years, this is the highest prize in the Sevens version of the game.
• Super 10 (Italian premiership) - Italian clubs
• Super 14 - teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
• Super Powers Cup - Canada, Japan, Russia and United States
• World Sevens Series - Annual IRB-sponsored series of tournaments for national Sevens teams.
• Ulster Schools Cup - Annual Schools competition

International Trophies

• Antim Cup - Georgia and Romania
• Bledisloe Cup - Australia and New Zealand
• Calcutta Cup - England and Scotland
• Cook Cup - Australia and England
• Freedom Cup - New Zealand and South Africa
• Gallaher Cup - France and New Zealand
• Hopetoun Cup - Australia and Scotland
• Lansdowne Cup - Australia and Ireland
• Mandela Challenge Plate - Australia and South Africa
• Millennium Trophy - England and Ireland
• Puma Trophy - Argentina and Australia
• Trophée des Bicentenaires - Australia and France