1887 Home Nations Championship
Date	8 January - 12 March 1887
Countries	England  Ireland  Scotland  Wales
Tournament statistics
Champions	Scotland (1st title)
Matches played	6
Top point scorer(s)	Berry (4)
Top try scorer(s)	Lindsay (5)
← 1886 (Previous) (Next) 1888 →

The 1887 Home Nations Championship was the fifth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 8 January and 12 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Scotland won the championship outright for the first time, having shared the title with England in 1886; George Campbell Lindsay scored five tries against Wales, a record which still stands.

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	Scotland	3	2	1	0	6	0	+6	5
2	Wales	3	1	1	1	1	4	−3	3
3	Ireland	3	1	0	2	2	3	−1	2
3	England	3	0	2	1	0	2	−2	2

Results

8 January 1887

Wales	0–0	England

Llanelli

5 February 1887

Ireland	2–0	England

Dublin

19 February 1887

Ireland	0–2	Scotland

Belfast

26 February 1887

Scotland	4–0	Wales

Edinburgh

5 March 1887

England	(1T) 0–0 (1T)	Scotland

Manchester

12 March 1887

Wales	1–0	Ireland

Birkenhead

Scoring system

The matches for this season were decided on goals scored. A goal was awarded for a successful conversion after a try, for a dropped goal or for a goal from mark. If a game was drawn, any unconverted tries were tallied to give a winner. If there was still no clear winner, the match was declared a draw.

The matches

Wales vs. England

January 8, 1887

Wales	nil – nil	England

Cricket pitch adjacent to Stradey Park, Llanelli Stradey Park abandoned to frozen pitch Attendance: 8,000[1] Referee: George Rowland Hill (England)

Wales: Harry Bowen (Llanelli), Charles Taylor (Blackheath), Arthur Gould (Newport), Charlie Newman (Newport) capt., Billy Douglas (Cardiff), Jem Evans (Cardiff), Albert Hybart (Cardiff), Bob Gould (Newport), Alexander Bland (Cardiff), William Bowen (Swansea), D Morgan (Swansea), Edward Alexander (Cambridge Uni.), Tom Clapp (Newport), Willie Thomas (Llandovery), Thomas William Lockwood (Newport)

England: Samuel Roberts (Swinton), Richard Lockwood (Dewsbury), Rawson Robertshaw (Bradford), John Le Fleming (Blackheath), Alan Rotherham (Richmond) capt., Fred Bonsor (Bradford), Robert Seddon (Broughton Rangers), WG Clibbon (Richmond), CR Cleveland (Oxford Uni.), GL Jeffery (Blackheath), Lawrie Hickson (Bradford), JH Dewhurst (Cambridge Uni.), Edgar Wilkinson (Bradford), N Spurling (Blackheath), HC Baker (Clifton)

Ireland vs. England

February 5, 1887

Ireland	2G – nil	England
Try: Montgomery Tillie Con: Rambaut (2)

Lansdowne Road, Dublin Attendance: 5,000 Referee: WD Phillips (Wales)

Ireland: Dolway Walkington (NIFC), CR Tillie (Dublin Uni.), DF Rambaut (Dublin Uni.), R Montgomery (Cambridge University), JH McLaughlin (Derry), RG Warren (Lansdowne) capt., Victor Le Fanu (Cambridge University), Thomas Lyle (Dublin Uni.), EJ Walsh (Lansdowne), JS Dick (Queen's College, Cork), R Stevenson (Lisburn), J Macauley (Limerick), J Chambers (Dublin Uni.), J Johnston (Belfast Albion), HJ Neill (NIFC)

England: S Roberts (Swinton), RE Lockwood (Dewsbury), A St L Fagan (United Hospitals), WN Bolton (Blackheath), A Rotherham (Richmond) capt., Mason Scott (Cambridge Uni.), Robert Seddon (Broughton Rangers), WG Clibbon (Richmond), CJB Marriott (Blackheath), GL Jeffery (Blackheath), JL Hickson (Bradford), JH Dewhurst (Cambridge Uni.), AT Kemble (Liverpool), FE Pease (Hartlepool Rovers), A Teggin (Broughton Rangers)

Ireland vs. Scotland

February 19, 1887

Ireland	nil – 1G 2T 1GM	Scotland
		Try: Maclagan McEwan Morton Con: Berry

Ormeau, Belfast Referee: George Rowland Hill (England)

Ireland: JM O'Sullivan (Cork), CR Tillie (Dublin Uni.), DF Rambaut (Dublin Uni.), R Montgomery (Cambridge University), JH McLaughlin (Derry), RG Warren (Lansdowne) capt., CM Moore (Dublin Uni.), Thomas Lyle (Dublin Uni.), EJ Walsh (Lansdowne), JS Dick (Queen's College, Cork), R Stevenson (Lisburn), J Macauley (Limerick), J Chambers (Dublin Uni.), J Johnston (Belfast Albion), HJ Neill (NIFC)

Scotland: WF Holmes (London Scottish), Bill Maclagan (London Scottish), DJ McFarlan (London Scottish), AN Woodrow (Glasgow Acads), PH Don Wauchope (Fettesian-Lorettonians), CE Orr (West of Scotland), Robert MacMillan (West of Scotland), AT Clay (Edinburgh Acads), J French (Glasgow Acads), TW Irvine (Edinburgh Acads), WC McEwan (Edinburgh Acads), CW Berry (Edinburgh Wanderers), C Reid (Edinburgh Acads) capt., HT Ker (Glasgow Acads), DS Morton (West of Scotland)

Scotland vs. Wales

February 26, 1887

Scotland	4G 8T – nil	Wales
Try: Lindsay (5) Don Wanchope Orr Reid MacMillan McEwan Maclagan Morton Con: Berry (2) Woodrow (2)

Raeburn Place, Edinburgh Referee: FI Currey (England)

Scotland: AWC Cameron (Watsonians), Bill Maclagan (London Scottish), GC Lindsay (London Scottish), AN Woodrow (Glasgow Acads), PH Don Wauchope (Fettesian-Lorettonians), CE Orr (West of Scotland), Robert MacMillan (West of Scotland), AT Clay (Edinburgh Acads), J French (Glasgow Acads), TW Irvine (Edinburgh Acads), WC McEwan (Edinburgh Acads), CW Berry (Edinburgh Wanderers), C Reid (Edinburgh Acads) capt., HT Ker (Glasgow Acads), DS Morton (West of Scotland)

Wales: Hugh Hughes (Cardiff), David Gwynn (Swansea), Arthur Gould (Newport), George Bowen (Swansea), Billy Douglas (Cardiff), Jem Evans (Cardiff), William Williams (Cardiff), Bob Gould (Newport) capt., Alexander Bland (Cardiff), William Bowen (Swansea), D Morgan (Swansea), Evan Richards (Swansea), Tom Clapp (Newport), Willie Thomas (Llandovery), Thomas William Lockwood (Newport)

England vs. Scotland

March 5, 1887

England	1T – 1T	Scotland
Try: Jeffery		Try: Morton

Whalley Range, Manchester Referee: Thomas Lyle (Ireland)

England: HB Tristram (Richmond), RE Lockwood (Dewsbury), R Robertshaw (Bradford), WN Bolton (Blackheath), A Rotherham (Richmond) capt., F Bonsor (Bradford), Robert Seddon (Broughton Rangers), WG Clibbon (Richmond), CR Cleveland (Oxford Uni.), GL Jeffery (Blackheath), JL Hickson (Bradford), JH Dewhurst (Cambridge Uni.), E Wilkinson (Bradford), HH Springman (Liverpool), A Teggin (Broughton Rangers)

Scotland: WF Holmes (London Scottish), Bill Maclagan (London Scottish), GC Lindsay (London Scottish), AN Woodrow (Glasgow Acads), PH Don Wauchope (Fettesian-Lorettonians), CE Orr (West of Scotland), Robert MacMillan (West of Scotland), AT Clay (Edinburgh Acads), J French (Glasgow Acads), TW Irvine (Edinburgh Acads), WC McEwan (Edinburgh Acads), CW Berry (Edinburgh Wanderers), C Reid (Edinburgh Acads) capt., HT Ker (Glasgow Acads), DS Morton (West of Scotland)

Wales vs. Ireland

March 12, 1887

Wales	1T 1DG – 3T	Ireland
Try: Morgan Drop: Gould		Try: Montgomery (3)

Birkenhead Park, Birkenhead Referee: JA Gardener (Scotland)

Wales: Samuel Clark (Neath), Charles Taylor (Blackheath), Arthur Gould (Newport), George Bowen (Swansea), John Goulstone Lewis (Llanelli), William Stadden (Cardiff), William Williams (Cardiff), Evan Roberts (Llanelli), Alexander Bland (Cardiff), William Bowen (Swansea), D Morgan (Swansea), Edward Alexander (Cambridge Uni.), Tom Clapp (Newport) capt., William Towers (Swansea), Thomas William Lockwood (Newport)

Ireland: Dolway Walkington (NIFC), Maxwell Carpendale (Monkstown), DF Rambaut (Dublin Uni.), R Montgomery (Cambridge University), PJ O'Connor (Lansdowne), RG Warren (Lansdowne) capt., Victor Le Fanu (Cambridge University), T Taggart (Dublin Uni.), EJ Walsh (Lansdowne), JS Dick (Queen's College, Cork), R Stevenson (Lisburn), W Davison (Belfast Academy), J Chambers (Dublin Uni.), J Johnston (Belfast Albion), HJ Neill (NIFC)