2002 Six Nations Championship in Review

Rediscover the 2002 Six Nations Championship right here at RugbyPass. From England’s shocking second-place finish to France’s surprise Grand Slam, our rugby gurus have recounted every moment of this dramatic tournament.

Whether you want to revisit the intense England v France encounter or find out which players topped the scoreboards, keep scrolling to explore our complete Six Nations 2002 review.

2002 Six Nations Stats: Who Won the Six Nations 2002?

Six Nations 2002 Winner: France

As the third edition of the Six Nations and the 108th international Championship, England were the firm favourites going into the 2002 Six Nations Championship. After winning back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001, England had their sights set on a third Championship title.

The tournament started on 2 February and England were unbeatable in the first two rounds: they defeated Scotland by 26 points and Ireland by 34. Throughout the tournament they suffered just one defeat, their 20-15 loss to France. This result ultimately cost them the title.

Following the final round on 7 April, France lifted their 13th Championship Trophy and celebrated their seventh Grand Slam. This left England in second place – their consolation prize was the Triple Crown. Ireland followed in third, Scotland in fourth and Wales finished fifth. Italy once again finished at the bottom of the pile. 

Outside of the points table, Gérald Merceron’s 80 points made him the tournament’s top point scorer. Meanwhile, Will Greenwood was the top try scorer with five.

Round One Review

Match one: France 33-12 Italy (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)
Match two: Scotland 3-29 England (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)
Match three: Ireland 54-10 Wales (Lansdowne Road, Dublin)

France set the stage with their 33-12 win against Italy. This was an interesting match that saw Italy claim an early 12-3 lead. However, Italy’s sloppiness and inexperience allowed French fly-half Gérald Merceron to kick seven penalties. 

The second match of the 2002 Six Nations was Scotland v England. A swift and forceful England made the most of Scotland’s error-filled approach – Duncan Hodge missed three first-half penalties. It culminated in Ben Cohen’s injury-time try, which took the score to 29-3.

Following the successes of France and England, Ireland bulldozed Wales. With six tries, the emerald side produced a 54-10 victory over the Welsh squad.

Round Two Review

Match one: Wales 33-37 France (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match two: England 45-11 Ireland (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Match three: Italy 12-29 Scotland (Stadio Flaminio, Rome)

In round two, France held their nerve during a narrow 37-33 win over Wales. This exhilarating encounter was anxiety-inducing at times. With successful kicks and tries on both sides, the lead changed five times in less than 10 minutes!

Next, England annihilated Ireland. This was a trying game for Ireland, who finished the first half 31-6 down. A magnificent display from Jonny Wilkinson ultimately helped to seal England’s 45-11 victory.

Recovered from their round-one defeat, Scotland produced a confident performance against Italy. The Scots upped their game during the last 20 minutes, scoring an additional 17 points without reply.

Round Three Review

Match one: France 20-15 England (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)
Match two: Wales 44-20 Italy (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match three: Ireland 43-22 Scotland (Lansdowne Road, Dublin)

Round three of the 2002 Six Nations delivered England’s devastating blow – it was this match that cost England their third title. 

At the end of the first half, England were trailing 17-7. Then, as the clock ticked down to the final minutes, England were 10 points behind. Although a try from Ben Cohen reduced the gap, the visitors remained one try short.

In the second clash, a slightly shaky Wales defeated Italy 44-20. Despite a few errors, Wales scored five tries – all of which were converted by Stephen Jones.

Lastly, Ireland beat Scotland 43-22. The Scots secured a narrow early lead that was quickly eradicated by Brian O’Driscoll. With a last-gasp try, the rugby legend scored a phenomenal hat-trick. 

Round Four Review

Match one: Ireland 32-17 Italy (Lansdowne Road, Dublin)
Match two: England 50-10 Wales (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Match three: Scotland 10-22 France (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)

In round four, Ireland and Italy played a game of two halves. In the first, Ireland ran circles around Italy and scored 19 unanswered points. In the second, Italy racked up 17 points, including a last-minute try from Mauro Bergamasco. However, Ireland held onto their double-digit lead and secured their 32-17 victory.

Next, England secured the Triple Crown. Despite being denied the Grand Slam in round three, they thrashed Wales 50-10 to win their 22nd Triple Crown. During the match, Jonny Wilkinson converted all five tries and kicked 25 points.

The fourth round ended with Scotland v France. A somewhat downtrodden Scotland were comprehensively beaten by France, who barely had to break a sweat during their 22-10 win.

Round Five Review

Match one: France 44-5 Ireland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)
Match two: Wales 22-27 Scotland (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match three: Italy 9-45 England (Stadio Flaminio, Rome)

The final three fixtures of the 2002 Six Nations began with France’s Grand Slam triumph. 

Les Bleus were quick to get onto the scoreboard, with Serge Betsen scoring his first try just two minutes in. By half time, the visitors were facing a 28-5 deficit. Following the break, a relentless France scored an additional 16 points without reply. 

The penultimate match was Wales v Scotland. It was a tense back-and-forth encounter that saw the Scots steal victory. This was thanks to Brendan Laney and Duncan Hodge’s 79th-minute penalties, which brought the score to 27-22.

England applied the pressure against Italy during the final match of the tournament. From the first to the 84th minute, the England squad kept Italy on the backfoot. Although England were unable to win the Championship, the team went out on a high with a six-try stunner.

Six Nations Table 2002

Here are the Six Nations results from 2002: