2010 Six Nations Championship
The 2010 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2010 RBS 6 Nations due to sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 11th series of the Six Nations Championship and the 116th international championship, an annual rugby union competition between the six major European national teams. The tournament was held between 6 February and 20 March 2010.
| 2010 Six Nations Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 6 February – 20 March 2010 | ||
| Countries | England France Ireland Italy Scotland Wales | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Champions | France (17th title) | ||
| Grand Slam | France (9th title) | ||
| Matches played | 15 | ||
| Attendance | 1,055,268 (70,351 per match) | ||
| Top point scorer(s) | Stephen Jones (63) | ||
| Top try scorer(s) | Keith Earls (3) Tommy Bowe (3) James Hook (3) Shane Williams (3) | ||
| Player of the tournament | Tommy Bowe | ||
| |||
The championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. France won the tournament, achieving a final 12–10 victory over England to win the Grand Slam, their first since 2004 and ninth overall (including six in the Five Nations). This was also their 17th outright victory, including 12 victories in the Five Nations, excluding eight titles shared with other countries. France also retained the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy by defeating Italy in the tournament, to whom they had (then) never lost within the Six Nations.
Ireland, 2009 Grand Slam winners, came second with three victories and two defeats. Despite defeating England and Wales, Ireland failed to win the Triple Crown after a 23–20 defeat to Scotland in their final match. England and Wales came third and fourth respectively with two victories each, while Scotland and Italy finished in fifth and sixth positions for the third tournament in a row. Both teams achieved just one victory each, with Scotland also recording a draw in the Calcutta Cup match against England to place ahead of Italy.