02-01-2010, 02:51 PM
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#7 (permalink)
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Number filled previews of the opening tests:
Ireland v. Italy (Croke Park):
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Ireland was the first Home Union to award Test status for internationals against Italy. The nations have met 17 times since 1988 in major Tests. Ireland head the series by 14 wins (including the last 13 matches) to three. Italy's wins were between 1995 and 1997 in successive friendly internationals outside the Six Nations Championship.
Ireland thumped Italy 38-9 in Rome last season as they powered to a Grand Slam.
Ireland hold the record for the most tries, highest score and biggest winning margin of the series. They scored eight tries in the 61-6 win at Thomond Park, Limerick when the sides met in 2003 in a World Cup warm-up match. Ireland also scored eight tries in the 2007 Six Nations match in Rome.
Italy's highest scores are their 37-29 and 37-22 (biggest margin) victories in Dublin and Bologna respectively, both in 1997.
Ronan O'Gara, with 30 points for Ireland in Dublin in 2000, holds the series record for most points scored in a match. Denis Hickie set the record for most tries in a match, scoring four for Ireland when the sides met at Limerick in 2003.
The corresponding match records for Italy belong to Diego Dominguez (27 points in Bologna in 1997) and Paulo Vaccari (two tries in Dublin in 1997).
Hickie heads the list of try scorers for the overall series, crossing eight times in eight appearances between 1997 and 2007. Paulo Vaccari is the leading Italian try scorer in the matches with three in four games.
The other overall records include Ronan O'Gara's tally of 145 points from 10 appearances (compared with 96 for Italy by Diego Dominguez), and Alessandro Troncon's dozen appearances in the series. Three Irishmen have played in 11 of the matches: John Hayes, Malcolm O'Kelly and Peter Stringer.
Ireland-Italy Six Nations results:
2000 Ireland 60-13 (Dublin)
2001 Ireland 41-22 (Rome)
2002 Ireland 32-17 (Dublin)
2003 Ireland 37-13 (Rome)
2004 Ireland 19-3 (Dublin)
2005 Ireland 28-17 (Rome)
2006 Ireland 26-16 (Dublin)
2007 Ireland 51-24 (Rome)
2008 Ireland 16-11 (Dublin)
2009 Ireland 38-9 (Rome)
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Ireland out to extend Italian dominance | Rugby Union | Six Nations 2010 | Rugby Head to Head | Scrum.com
Wales v. England (Twickenham):
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There have been 118 matches between the nations since February 1881. England led the series until 1907, when Welsh rugby was enjoying its first Golden Era. After that, there were never more than two wins separating the sides until 1925. England then stayed in front until 1970 when Wales were embarking on another Golden Era.
The Welsh led the series from 1971 until 2003, but the countries are now dead level with 53 wins apiece. The last of the dozen draws was at Cardiff in 1983.
There have been 45 matches played at Twickenham since 1910, when Enland won 11-6 thanks to eight points from wing Fred Chapman.
England's 62-5 win at Twickenham in the 2007 World Cup warm-up friendly and Wales's 34-21 Cardiff win in 1967 - Keith Jarrett's famous debut match - are the best scores recorded by the teams in this series. England did win, however, by seven goals, six tries and a dropped goal to nil at Blackheath in 1881, before scoring by points was introduced. The try-count of 13 that day stands as the series record for a match.
The best winning margin (57 points) in the matches was established in England's success at Twickenham in 2007. Wales won 25-0 in 1905 - their best margin - and scored eight tries - their best return for the fixture - in the mud at Cardiff in 1922.
Jonny Wilkinson set the record for the highest individual score in a match contributing 30 points at Twickenham in 2002. The Welsh record for a match is 22 points by Neil Jenkins at Wembley in the last ever Five Nations fixture, in 1999. James Hook equalled that Welsh record when the sides last met at Cardiff two years ago.
Four players have scored four tries in a match. George Burton and Nick Easter - both forwards - respectively performed the feat for England in the Blackheath match of 1881 and the Twickenham friendly in 2007. Wing three-quarter Willie Llewellyn crossed four times for Wales on his Test debut at Swansea in 1899 and Maurice Richards, also a wing, went over for Wales at Cardiff in 1969.
Wilkinson is the leading overall scorer in the matches. He has scored 151 points for England since 1999. Neil Jenkins holds the corresponding record for Wales with 65 in his ten appearances between 1991 and 2001.
Will Greenwood's try for England when the sides met in the 2003 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals in Brisbane made him the leading try-getter in the series with seven. Gerald Davies, Dewi Bebb and Willie Llewellyn each scored six for Wales.
Rory Underwood set the record for most appearances in the series, playing 14 times between 1984 and 1996 (including a World Cup match in 1987). Gareth Thomas also featured in 14 matches for Wales.
Wales-England Six Nations results:
2000 England 46-12 (Twickenham)
2001 England 44-15 (Cardiff)
2002 England 50-10 (Twickenham)
2003 England 26-9 (Cardiff)
2004 England 31-21 (Twickenham)
2005 Wales 11-9 (Cardiff)
2006 England 47-13 (Twickenham)
2007 Wales 27-18 (Cardiff)
2008 Wales 26-19 (Twickenham)
2009 Wales 23-15 (Cardiff)
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Wales eye four in a row | Rugby Union | Six Nations 2010 | Rugby Head to Head | Scrum.com
France v. Scotland (Murrayfield):
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The overall series record since 1910, when the sides first met, at Inverleth in Edinburgh, reads: played 82; Scotland won 34, France 45 and three games (in 1922, 1966 and 1987 at the inaugural Rugby World Cup) have been drawn. France has won 10 of the last 11 matches, including a record run of seven in a row between 2000 and 2005.
France prevailed last season thanks to a controversial try by flanker Fulgence Ouedraogo in their 22-13 win in Paris.
The records for the highest score and best win are held by France, who won 51-9 in Sydney in a Rugby World Cup pool match in 2003. France also won 51-16 at Murrayfield in 1998.
Scotland's highest score was 36-22 in the 1999 Paris win that clinched the last ever Five Nations title. Their biggest margin of victory stands as the 31-3 win in 1912 when French rugby was in its infancy.
The record individual score for a match in this series was established by Frederic Michalak in the 2003 World Cup pool game when he scored 28 in Sydney. He finished with a full-house of scoring actions: try, four conversions, four penalty goals and a dropped goal. The scoring record for Scotland was set by Michael Dods with 19 points at Murrayfield in 1996.
The legendary Flying Scot, Ian Smith, is the only player who has crossed for four tries in a match. He did so in 1925 in a 25-4 victory during Scotland's first Grand Slam season. That match was the last-ever international staged at Inverleith. The only French try hat-trick was scored by wing Eric Bonneval in Paris in 1987.
Some of the game's household names head the lists of overall records for the series. Philippe Sella appeared 14 times in the series between 1981 and 1995 (Jim Renwick played a dozen times for Scotland), Gavin Hastings scored 116 points in eleven games between 1986 and 1995 (Serge Blanco and Christophe Lamaison share the corresponding French record on 42 points) and the famous Scottish wings in the all-Oxford threequarter line of the 1920s, "Johnnie" Wallace and Ian Smith, each rattled up six tries. Blanco scored five tries for France.
Scotland-France Six Nations results:
2000 France 28-16 (Murrayfield)
2001 France 16-6 (Paris)
2002 France 22-10 (Murrayfield)
2003 France 38-3 (Paris)
2004 France 31-0 (Murrayfield)
2005 France 16-9 (Paris)
2006 Scotland 20-16 (Murrayfield)
2007 France 46-19 (Paris)
2008 France 27-6 (Murrayfield)
2009 France 22-13 (Paris)
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France out to preserve winning run | Rugby Union | Six Nations 2010 | Rugby Head to Head | Scrum.com |
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