1. 58 FEBRUARY 2013 TELESCOPE
Sports Feature
WHEN?
RBS Six Nations Rugby
2 Feb–17 Mar
Setanta Sports (CH 217)
Grand Slam: Any outfit that wins
all its matches will be deemed
to have achieved a ‘Grand Slam.’
England boast the most number
of Grand Slams (12), followed by
Wales (11), France (9), Scotland
(3) and Ireland (2). Back-to-back
Grand Slams have been attained by
Wales, England, and France.
Triple Crown: Nations within the
United Kingdom (England, Wales,
Ireland and Scotland) are also
afforded special recognition: any
of these nations that defeats any
three other nations on this list will
be granted the ‘Triple Crown’ tag.
England lead this category with 23
Triple Crowns, followed closely by
Wales (20), while both Scotland
and Ireland are tied at 10. In fact,
Wales are the reigning Triple
Crown winners, having stormed to
victories over Ireland, Scotland and
England in their magnificent 2012
campaign. Furthermore, Wales
achieved the Triple Crown on four
consecutive years, from 1976-79.
The only other nation that has
done so is England (1995-98).
Wooden Spoon: Monikers are also
dished out for underachievers. The
team languishing at the foot of
the table after the competition’s
conclusion is labelled as the side
that has won the ‘Wooden Spoon.’
By the Way
First-time viewers of the Six
Nations may be confused by
the assortment of minor prizes
that are handed out. The oldest
of these is the Calcutta Cup, an
annual encounter between England
and Scotland since 1879. The
Millennium Trophy was formed
in 1988 to distinguish the winner
of the clash between England and
Ireland. Since 1989, the Irish have
also faced off with the Scottish
in the Centenary Quaich. More
recently, France and Italy have
been battling for the Giuseppe
Garibaldi Trophy since 2007.
The crème de la crème of European rugby prepare
to clash again as the 2013 RBS Six Nations
Championship commences this month. Sham Majid
delves into the history books to understand the
development of this rugby tournament.
Scrum-
tious
Sport
Here’s an introduction to the current
team captains of the six nations:
Captain’s Watch
Coach and Captain Hold Court
Sam Warburton
Warburton has played for
Wales at all levels with
distinction. The Cardiff Blues
player first led the seniors in
2011 as the second-youngest
Welsh captain. Although he
was sent off at the 2011 World
Cup during a semifinal clash
with France, he redeemed
himself when he led Wales
to a victory over France
in the 2012 Six Nations
Championship final.
Chris Robshaw
The current Harlequins
club captain, Robshaw
was surprisingly left out of
England’s 2011 World Cup
squad. However, he was
named England’s skipper for
the first two games of the Six
Nations the following year
despite having only a single
cap. He ended up leading his
country for the remaining
duration of the tournament
and was part of the side that
succumbed to Wales.
Thierry Dusautoir
Tough-tacklingToulouse
flanker Dusautoir
skippered the French
national side during
their 2011 World Cup
campaign all the way to the final.
Although France lost, Dusautoir
was named Man of the Match
for his impressive 22 tackles.
He is currently recovering from
a twisted knee injury but is
expected to be fit for the 2013 Six
Nations tournament.
Brian O’Driscoll
O’Driscoll is the second-most
capped player in rugby union
history. Widely heralded
as one of the sport’s top
centres, he was awarded the
Irish captaincy in 2003 and
guided the nation to a string of
big titles, including the Triple
Crown, Six Nations and Grand
Slam. O’Driscoll has also donned
the green jersey of Ireland in a
staggering four World Cups.
When Wales triumphed
over France 16-9 to
become the RBS Six
Nations champions last
year, the Welsh capital
of Cardiff ground to a
standstill to celebrate the
victory. But memories of
that win will have to be
cast aside—unless Wales
uses them as inspiration
for this year’s scrum-fest.
As this year’s Six Nations—
Europe’s most prestigious annual
rugby showpiece tournament—
kicks off this month, it will be a
litmus test of Wales’ credentials
as they seek to defend their title
against Ireland, France, Italy,
Scotland and England.
The Six Nations succeeded the
Five Nations Championship, which,
in turn, succeeded the Home
Nations Championship. The latter
saw England, Scotland, Ireland and
Wales challenge one another in
what was the maiden international
rugby union tournament.
While the game of rugby is
renowned for its meticulous tactical
preparation and plenty of muscle,
the dynamics of the Six Nations
Championship are simple: every
team plays one another once, with
home advantage changing annually.
Winners are granted two points
while the loser gets none; both
teams will receive a point apiece if
the contest ends in a draw.
Terms of Endearment
There are certain unique things
about the Six Nations. It doesn’t use
the bonus point system, unlike most
rugby union competitions. Then
there are the numerous tournament
catchphrases that describe the
highs and lows of the game:
Sergio Parisse
Italy’s current captain,
Parisse earned his first cap
when he was just 18 in a 64–
10 defeat against New Zealand
in 2002. He hasn’t looked back
since, winning a milestone 50th
cap against England in the 2008
Six Nations Championship
when he was 24. He took over
the skipper’s armband from
Marco Bortolami in 2008.
Kelly Brown
Saracens flanker Brown
made his Scottish bow
in 2005 in a clash
against Romania, and
even scored a try.
His 2011 Six Nations
tournament ended
with a whimper after
he was stretchered
off in a game
against England at
Twickenham. He has
since recovered from
his long-term injury and is
back in the Scottish fold.