2000 Six Nations Championship in Review

Get closer to the 2000 Six Nations Championship with the rugby gurus at RugbyPass. From England securing the first Six Nations title to Italy’s shock victory over Scotland, we’ve catalogued every thrilling fixture.

Whether you want to browse the final table or read about the tournament’s best players, keep scrolling to read our review of the 2000 Six Nations.

2000 Six Nations Stats: Who Won the Six Nations 2000?

Six Nations 2000 Winner: England

The 2000 Championship was the first edition of the Six Nations tournament. Formerly known as the Five Nations Championship, this was the year that the competition expanded to include Italy. In total, this was the 106th Championship overall.

Contested from 5 February to 2 April 2000, Scotland entered the tournament as the defending champions. However, after securing the crown in 1999, they only won one match in 2000: they defeated England 19-13 in round five.

Although England were denied the Grand Slam, they succeeded in securing the first Six Nations title – this was their 23rd Championship trophy. France, Ireland and Wales were separated by points difference: +48, +35 and -24. This left Scotland in fifth while Italy received their first wooden spoon.

With regards to players, Jonny Wilkinson’s 78 points made him the tournament’s top point scorer. The title of top try scorer was shared by Ben Cohen, Austin Healey and Brian O’Driscoll, who each scored five tries.

Round One Review

Match one: Italy 34-20 Scotland (Stadio Flaminio, Rome)

Match two: England 50-18 Ireland (Twickenham Stadium, London)

Match three: Wales 3-36 France (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)

The 2000 Six Nations opened with the biggest upset of the entire tournament. With 29 points from the unstoppable Diego Domínguez, Italy achieved the seemingly impossible: they beat defending champions Scotland 34-20. 

The Championship winners got their campaign off to a successful start. With tries from Mike Tindall and Ben Cohen, the England squad exploited Ireland’s blunders and emerged triumphant 50-18.

Round one finished with France’s 33-point win over Wales. Quick off the mark, France ripped through the Welsh side and ultimately won 36-3. By the final whistle, Christophe Lamaison had kicked 21 points, while Scott Quinnell had become the first Championship player to be sent to the sin bin.

Round Two Review

Match one: Wales 47-16 Italy (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)

Match two: France 9-15 England (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)

Match three: Ireland 44-22 Scotland (Lansdowne Road, Dublin)

Round two of the 2000 Six Nations started with Wales’ 47-16 victory against Italy. Throughout the match, Neil Jenkins was pinpoint accurate. He became the first player to kick seven penalties at the Six Nations.

Next, Jonny Wilkinson kicked England to their second win of the tournament. This tryless match was decided on penalties, with three from Richard Dourthe and five from Wilkinson. 

Meanwhile, Ireland made a fantastic comeback against Scotland. Despite two late tries from the Scots, Ireland surged to a record 44-22 triumph. 

Round Three Review

Match one: Scotland 16-28 France (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)

Match two: England 46-12 Wales (Twickenham Stadium, London)

Match three: Ireland 60-13 Italy (Lansdowne Road, Dublin)

Scotland’s downfall continued in round three of the 2000 Six Nations. It initially looked like this match could end in Scotland’s favour, but a late brace from Olivier Magne gave France an unconvincing 28-16 win.

In contrast, England moved one step closer to their first Six Nations title. The squad ran in five tries during their spectacular 46-12 win over Wales. England produced a phenomenal second half, scoring 27 points without reply.

The third round concluded as Ireland thrashed Italy 60-13. With Ronan O’Gara on perfect form – the Irish behemoth converted all six of the team’s tries – the Azzurri simply didn’t stand a chance. 

Round Four Review

Match one: Italy 12-59 England (Stadio Flaminio, Rome)

Match two: Wales 26-18 Scotland (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)

Match three: France 25-27 Ireland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)

In round four, Italy endured their second consecutive 47-point loss of the tournament. Helped by a hat-trick from Austin Healey, England outclassed Italy in this masterful eight-try win. 

Next, Wales rallied from their third-round defeat with a win against Scotland. Their victory was secured by Shane Williams, whose brace saw off the visitors 26-18.

The last match was all about one man: Brian O’Driscoll. Now a giant of the sport, O’Driscoll was a newcomer at the 2000 Six Nations. But if he felt the pressure, he didn’t let it show. He scored his first hat-trick, stealing Ireland’s surprise 27-25 victory over France.

Round Five Review

Match one: France 42-31 Italy (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)

Match two: Ireland 19-23 Wales (Lansdowne Road, Dublin)

Match three: Scotland 19-13 England (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)

As the final weekend of the Six Nations 2000 tournament arrived, one team was on top: England. They needed one last victory to claim the Grand Slam. 

The final round kicked off with France’s third win of the tournament. After home losses against England and Ireland, Les Bleus finally achieved their first at-home victory. They pulled off an unconvincing 42-31 win against Italy, securing their second-place finish.

In match two, Wales celebrated a narrow win over Ireland. This was a truly disappointing end for the Irish, who led going into the final 10 minutes of the match. 

The first Six Nations ended with a ferocious final match. With the Grand Slam in sight, England met Scotland at Murrayfield. This was an incredibly tense game, but it was Scotland that rose to the occasion.

After a violent first half that saw James McLaren sin-binned, England had secured a small 10-9 lead at the interval. The second half was incredibly back-and-forth, with both teams failing to take chances. In the end, a late try from Duncan Hodge secured Scotland’s win and denied England the Grand Slam. 

Six Nations Table 2000

Here are the Six Nations results from 2000: