1998 Five Nations Championship
Date7 February – 5 April 1998
Countries England
 Ireland
 France
 Scotland
 Wales
Tournament statistics
Champions France (12th title)
Grand Slam France (6th title)
Triple Crown England (21st title)
Matches played10
Tries scored51 (5.1 per match)
Top point scorer(s)England Paul Grayson (66 points)
Top try scorer(s)France Philippe Bernat-Salles (4 tries)
1997 (Previous) (Next) 1999

The 1998 Five Nations Championship was the sixty-ninth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-fourth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played over five weekends from 7 February to 5 April. France won it with a Grand Slam. England had the consolation of winning the Triple Crown, the Calcutta Cup and the Millennium Trophy.

Participants

The teams involved were:

Nation Venue City Head coach Captain
 England Twickenham London Clive Woodward Lawrence Dallaglio
 France Stade de France Saint-Denis Jean-Claude Skrela Raphaël Ibañez
 Ireland Lansdowne Road Dublin Brian Ashton (resigned) / Warren Gatland Keith Wood
 Scotland Murrayfield Edinburgh Jim Telfer Gary Armstrong
 Wales Wembley Stadium[1] London Kevin Bowring Rob Howley

Squads

For each nation's squad for the 1998 Five Nations Championship, see 1998 Five Nations Championship squads.

Standings

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1  France 4 4 0 0 144 49 +95 8
2  England 4 3 0 1 146 87 +59 6
3  Wales 4 2 0 2 75 145 −70 4
4  Scotland 4 1 0 3 66 120 −54 2
5  Ireland 4 0 0 4 70 100 −30 0
Source:[citation needed]

Results

Week 1

7 February 1998
15:00
France 24–17 England
Tries: Bernat-Salles
Dominici
Con: Lamaison (1)
Pen: Lamaison (2)
Drop: Castaignède
Sadourny
ReportTry: Back
Pen: Grayson (4)
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 77,567
Referee: David McHugh (Ireland)

7 February 1998
15:00
Ireland 16–17 Scotland
Try: Penalty try
Con: Humphreys
Pen: Humphreys (2)
Drop: Humphreys
ReportTry: Tait
Pen: Chalmers (2)
Shepherd (2)
Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Attendance: 55,000
Referee: Andre Watson (South Africa)

Week 2

21 February 1998
14:00
England 60–26 Wales
Tries: Back
Bracken
Dallaglio
Dawson
Greenwood
Healey
Rees (2)
Con: Grayson (7)
Pen: Grayson (2)
ReportTries: Bateman (2)
Gibbs
G. Thomas
Con: N. Jenkins (3)
Twickenham, London
Attendance: 75,000
Referee: Colin Hawke (New Zealand)

21 February 1998
15:00
Scotland 16–51 France
Try: Stanger
Con: Chalmers
Pen: Chalmers (3)
ReportTries: Bernat-Salles (2)
Brouzet
Califano
Carbonneau
Castaignède
M. Lièvremont
Con: Castaignède (3)
Lamaison (2)
Pen: Castaignède
Lamaison
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Attendance: 67,500
Referee: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand)

Week 3

7 March 1998
15:00
France 18–16 Ireland
Tries: Bernat-Salles
Ibañez
Con: Lamaison (1)
Pen: Lamaison (2)
ReportTry: Hickie
Con: Elwood
Pen: Elwood (3)
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 78,000
Referee: Jim Fleming (Scotland)

7 March 1998
16:00
Wales 19–13 Scotland
Try: Proctor
Con: A. Thomas
Pen: N. Jenkins
A. Thomas (3)
ReportTries: Cronin
Townsend
Pen: Chalmers
Wembley, London
Attendance: 75,000
Referee: Joël Dumé (France)

Week 4

21 March 1998
16:00
Ireland 21–30 Wales
Tries: Costello
Ward
Con: Elwood (1)
Pen: Elwood (3)
ReportTries: Bateman
N. Jenkins
Morgan
Con: N. Jenkins (3)
Pen: N. Jenkins (3)
Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Attendance: 55,000
Referee: Ed Morrison (England)

22 March 1998
15:00
Scotland 20–34 England
Tries: Longstaff
Stanger
Con: Lee (2)
Pen: Chalmers (2)
ReportTries: Dawson
Grayson
Healey
Penalty try
Con: Grayson (4)
Pen: Grayson
Drop: Grayson
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Attendance: 67,500
Referee: Clayton Thomas (Wales)

Week 5

4 April 1998
14:00 BST
England 35–17 Ireland
Tries: Catt
Cockerill
de Glanville
Perry
Con: Grayson (3)
Pen: Grayson (3)
ReportTries: Hickie (2)
Con: Elwood (2)
Pen: Elwood
Twickenham, London
Attendance: 75,000
Referee: Derek Bevan (Wales)

5 April 1998
15:00
Wales 0–51 France
ReportTries: Galthié
Garbajosa (2)
Glas
T. Lièvremont
Sadourny (2)
Con: Lamaison (5)
Pen: Lamaison (2)
Wembley, London
Attendance: 72,000
Referee: Peter Marshall (Australia)

References

  1. ^ Wales home matches were played at Wembley due to the ongoing construction of the Millennium Stadium