2013 Six Nations Championship in Review

Explore the top stats from the 2013 Six Nations here at RugbyPass. Whether you’ve got five minutes to recount Wales’ Championship win or you want to explore every encounter, you’ll find all of the highlights from the Six Nations 2013 on this page.

Take a look below to discover everything you need to know about the 2013 Six Nations.

2013 Six Nations Stats: Who Won the Six Nations 2013?

Six Nations 2013 Winner: Wales

The 2013 Six Nations Championship was contested between 2 February and 16 March 2013. It was the 119th edition of the Championship (including the Home Nations and the Five Nations) and the 14th annual Six Nations tournament.

After a successful campaign, Wales were crowned as the Six Nations champions for 2013. Although England were the favourites, the Welsh squad successfully secured their first back-to-back titles since 1979. 

After losing their opening match against Ireland, Wales beat England 30-3 in round five to secure their 26th outright title. Meanwhile, at the bottom of the table, France received their first wooden spoon since 1999. Additionally, it was also the first time that each nation had amassed at least three competition points since 1974.

In terms of the tournament’s top talent, Leigh Halfpenny finished the Six Nations 2013 as the Player of the Championship and the top point scorer – he scored 74 points. The title of top try scorer went to fellow Welshman, Alex Cuthbert, who scored four tries.

Round One Review

Match one: Wales 22-30 Ireland (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match two: England 38-18 Scotland (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Match three: Italy 23-18 France (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)

Round one of the rugby Six Nations 2013 opened with Wales’ only loss of the tournament. This result was Wales’ fifth consecutive defeat at home – their worst losing streak in history. 

It was a different story for tournament favourites, England, who sailed past Scotland 38-18. With four tries, a dominant England got their campaign off to a roaring start.

The round closed with a shocking result for France. Following an opening try by Italy’s captain Sergio Parisse after only four minutes, France spent the rest of the game on the backfoot. They scored just three points in the second half, leaving Italy to claim their second Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy.

Round Two Review

Match one: Scotland 34-10 Italy (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)
Match two: France 6-16 Wales (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)
Match three: Ireland 6-12 England (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)

Scotland regained their footing in round two of the Six Nations 2013. They overpowered Italy with a convincing 34-10 victory. This was Scotland’s first win over the Azzurri – and their first win at home – since 2011.

Next, Wales produced their first win in France since 2005. With a late try from George North, Wales handed France their worst Championship start since 1982 – this was the last time France lost the first two games of the tournament.

Finally, the tense Ireland-England match was decided by penalties; Ronan O’Gara scored two penalties while Owen Farrell kicked four. This 12-6 score was England’s first Championship victory in Ireland since 2003. It was also the lowest scoring game in the current Six Nations format.

Round Three Review

Match one: Italy 9-26 Wales (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)
Match two: England 23-13 France (Twickenham Stadium, London)
Match three: Scotland 12-8 Ireland (Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh)

Round three of the 2013 Six Nations started with two convincing wins. Wales bulldozed Italy 26-9 at Stadio Olimpico, while England outplayed France 23-13 at Twickenham Stadium.

The final match of the round saw Scotland deliver a surprise victory against Ireland. Greig Laidlaw kicked 12 unanswered points during the second half, securing Scotland’s first back-to-back Six Nations wins since 2001.

Round Four Review

Match one: Scotland 18-28 Wales (Murrayfield Stadium)
Match two: Ireland 13-13 France (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Match three: England 18-11 Italy (Twickenham Stadium, London)

Round four kicked off with a record-setting match. Thanks to plenty of foul play on both sides, a total of 18 penalties were attempted during this game: 10 by Wales and eight by Scotland. This was the most in any international match. In the end, Wales successfully scored seven, while Scotland landed six.

Next, Ireland and France drew 13-13. Ireland scored all of their points during the first half; while France sealed the draw by scoring a converted try in the 74th minute. This was the first time the two nations had drawn in two consecutive matches.

In the last game, England saw off Italy 18-11. However, the match did cause a minor upset. Firstly, Italy’s Luke McLean scored the only try of the game. Secondly, this was England’s smallest winning margin against Italy at Twickenham.

Round Five Review

Match one: Italy 22-15 Ireland (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)
Match two: Wales 30-3 England (Millennium Stadium, Cardiff)
Match three: France 23-16 Scotland (Stade de France, Saint-Denis)

Super Saturday of the Six Nations 2013 featured another stunner: Italy’s 22-15 win over Ireland! Not only was this Italy’s first double win in the Six Nations since 2007, it was their first victory against Ireland since 1997. 

Next, the two contenders for the Championship faced one another at Millennium Stadium. Wales produced a scintillating team performance and ultimately won 30-3. This was their biggest ever win over England and it was enough to claim the title. 

The final match saw France beat Scotland 23-16. This was France’s only win of the 2013 Six Nations and they finished in last place for the first time since the 1999 Five Nations.

Six Nations Table 2013

Here are the Six Nations results from 2013:

The Six Nations 2013 was a tournament of highs and lows. Wales were the 2013 Six Nations winners. They beat England and achieved their first back-to-back titles since the 1978 and 1979 Five Nations. It was also a relatively successful tournament for Italy, who finished fourth.

Conversely, England were dealt a blow on Super Saturday. Their devastating 30-3 loss against Wales left them in second place. For France, however, this truly was a tournament to forget. They finished last and received their 13th wooden spoon – their first since 1999.