2004 Six Nations Championship in Review

Read all about the 2004 Six Nations Championship right here at RugbyPass. Our rugby gurus have revisited every encounter to provide you with all of the results, statistics and a full breakdown of the points table.

Whether you’re searching for a summary of France’s Grand Slam win or you want to explore every aspect of the tournament, here’s our review of the Six Nations 2004.

2004 Six Nations Stats: Who Won the Six Nations 2004?

Six Nations 2004 Winner: France

The 2004 Six Nations Championship was the fifth annual Six Nations tournament and the 110th edition of the Championship. It kicked off on 14 February with France v Ireland and ended on 27 March 2004.

After a stunning year, England entered the tournament as the favourites. They had enjoyed unparalleled success in 2003, lifting both the Championship Trophy and the Webb Ellis Cup. However, in an unforeseen twist, England finished the 2004 tournament in third place.

Instead, France emerged as the winners of the 2004 series. They outplayed the other five nations to win their 14th outright title and eighth Grand Slam. This left Ireland in second and Wales in fourth. Meanwhile, Scotland received their first wooden spoon of the Six Nations era.

Outside of the table, five players excelled in 2004. Imanol Harinordoquy, Rhys Williams and Ben Cohen were the top try scorers with four tries each. The top point scorer was Stephen Jones (55 points) and Player of the Tournament was Gordon D’Arcy.

Round One Review

Match one: France 35-17 Ireland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)
Match two: Wales 23-10 Scotland (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match three: Italy 9-50 England (Stadio Flaminio, Rome)

Round one of the Six Nations 2004 consisted of three confident wins.

First, France coasted to the first victory of their Grand Slam-winning campaign. Thanks to 15 points from the boot of Frédéric Michalak and a last-gasp try from Jean-Baptiste Élissalde, France defeated Ireland 35-17.

Second, Wales built on their Rugby World Cup success. While Scotland scored just one try – an injury-time effort from Simon Taylor – Wales crossed the line three times. As a result, they pushed past Scotland 23-10.

The third fixture saw England bulldoze Italy 50-9. The Azzurri came out firing, with Rima Wakarua scoring two tries just seven minutes apart. However, thanks to a hat-trick from Jason Robinson and seven tries overall, England continued their fine form from 2003. 

Round Two Review

Match one: France 25-0 Italy (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)
Match two: Scotland 13-35 England (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)
Match three: Ireland 36-15 Wales (Lansdowne Road, Dublin)

The second round began with a brutal loss for Italy. Thanks to a slew of missed tackles and some uninspired offence, the Azzurri conceded three tries and were unable to score a single point against Les Bleus. While France’s performance was far from perfect, they achieved a comprehensive 25-0 win.

Next, England maintained their ominous form with a 35-13 victory over Scotland. Despite England’s 22-point win, it was Simon Danielli who stole the limelight. Why? Because Danielli scored the team’s first try against England since the 2001 Championship.

In stark contrast to their round one performance, a frail Wales fell to a powerful Ireland. Shane Byrne kicked off the action and scored his first try just one minute in. While the visitors mounted a comeback in the second half, Ireland proved unbeatable and the match ended 36-15.

Round Three Review

Match one: Italy 20-14 Scotland (Stadio Flaminio, Rome)
Match two: England 13-19 Ireland (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Match three: Wales 22-29 France (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)

For the second year running, Italy achieved a shock Six Nations win. After beating Wales in 2003, they defeated Scotland in 2004. Although Scotland mounted a comeback in the second half, they finished six points short and Italy celebrated a famous victory. 

In match two, Ireland secured another glorious win. They beat England 19-13 and claimed their first win at Twickenham since 1994. This was also England’s first loss at Twickenham since the 1999 Rugby World Cup, when they were defeated 30-16 by New Zealand.

Next, France beat Wales and edged closer to the Grand Slam. The hero of the match was Jean-Baptiste Élissalde, who scored 24 points. Although a late try from Martyn Williams closed the gap, France succeeded 29-22.

Round Four Review

Match one: Ireland 19-3 Italy (Lansdowne Road, Dublin)
Match two: England 31-21 Wales (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Match three: Scotland 0-31 France (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)

After their round three victory, Italy lost in round four. With this 19-3 loss against Ireland, the Azzurri suffered their third defeat of the 2004 Six Nations. 

Next, England recovered from their round-three loss. After a slow start, England mobbed the Welsh defence. With a second try from Ben Cohen, a last-gasp effort from Joe Worsley and a fourth penalty from the boot of Olly Barkley, England beat Wales 31-21.

Round four culminated with a stunning result for France. Les Bleus travelled to Murrayfield, where they defeated Scotland 31-0. This was the first time France had maintained a clean sheet against Scotland since the 1961 Five Nations.

Round Five Review

Match one: Wales 44-10 Italy (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match two: Ireland 37-16 Scotland (Lansdowne Road, Dublin)
Match three: France 24-21 England (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)

Super Saturday commenced with Wales’ second win: a 44-10 victory against Italy. Highlights included braces from Shane Williams and Rhys Williams, while Gareth Thomas scored his 33rd international try – this made him Wales’ record holder at the time.

Next, Scotland received their first wooden spoon of the modern Six Nations. Despite levelling the score 48 minutes in, Scotland failed to advance and they lost to Ireland 37-16.

The final fixture was the most thrilling clash of the 2004 Six Nations. France scored 21 of their 24 points during the first half, but England were resurgent in the later stages. They clawed their way back but ended the match three points short. 

With their fifth win, France sealed their eighth Grand Slam – England needed an eight-point win to steal the Championship.

Six Nations Table 2004

Here are the Six Nations results from 2004: