# Grand Slam (rugby union)
A Grand Slam in rugby union is the achievement of a national team that wins all of its matches in a single [Six Nations Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/six-nations-championship), defeating each of the five other entrants in one campaign.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/c4gre2181n8o) It is regarded as the highest achievement in northern hemisphere rugby and is distinct from the Triple Crown, which requires a Home Nation to beat only its three British and Irish rivals.[2](https://www.rugbyworld.com/tournaments/rugby-six-nations/what-is-a-grand-slam-90086)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Definition | Victories over all five other teams in one Six Nations Championship[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/c4gre2181n8o) |
| Championship guarantee | A Grand Slam team receives three extra points, ensuring it also wins the title[2](https://www.rugbyworld.com/tournaments/rugby-six-nations/what-is-a-grand-slam-90086) |
| Physical reward | No separate trophy exists for the Grand Slam, unlike the Triple Crown[2](https://www.rugbyworld.com/tournaments/rugby-six-nations/what-is-a-grand-slam-90086) |
| First Grand Slams | Wales, in 1908 and 1909, beating France in both seasons[3](https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/m6n/championship-history-mens) |
| Most overall | England, with 13 Grand Slams across all eras[4](https://as.com/masdeporte/polideportivo/grand-slam-triple-corona-o-cuchara-de-madera-estos-son-los-honores-del-seis-naciones-n/) |
| Six Nations era leaders | France and Wales, 4 each; Ireland 3; England 2; Scotland and Italy 0[2](https://www.rugbyworld.com/tournaments/rugby-six-nations/what-is-a-grand-slam-90086) |
| Most recent | Ireland, 2023[2](https://www.rugbyworld.com/tournaments/rugby-six-nations/what-is-a-grand-slam-90086) |
## Definition and rules
The Grand Slam is a clean sweep: a team must record victories over all of its opponents in a single championship campaign.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/c4gre2181n8o) In the Five Nations era, when the tournament had five teams, four victories sufficed; since Italy joined in 2000, a team must win five matches.[5](https://readrugbyunion.com/2026/03/06/rugbys-grand-slam-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-the-six-nations-holy-grail/)
Before bonus points were introduced in 2017, five straight wins automatically topped the table. Under the bonus-point system a free-scoring rival could in principle overtake an unbeaten team, so the organizers award three extra points to any side that completes a Grand Slam, guaranteeing that the clean sweep also wins the championship.[2](https://www.rugbyworld.com/tournaments/rugby-six-nations/what-is-a-grand-slam-90086)
There is no physical trophy for the Grand Slam. The Triple Crown, by contrast, has been awarded as a trophy since 2006, while the Grand Slam remains an informal honor, though it usually places a side among the championship's great teams in the historical record.[2](https://www.rugbyworld.com/tournaments/rugby-six-nations/what-is-a-grand-slam-90086)
## History
The championship began in 1883 as the Home International Championship between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. France officially joined in 1910, creating the Five Nations.[3](https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/m6n/championship-history-mens) Wales' triumphs in 1908 and 1909, won during the Home Nations era, are counted as the first Grand Slams because they defeated France in both seasons; Wales then won the first Grand Slam of the Five Nations era a year later.[3](https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/m6n/championship-history-mens)
The 1970s were a golden age for Welsh rugby, with three Grand Slams and one Triple Crown in the decade.[3](https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/m6n/championship-history-mens) France were the last team to win a Grand Slam in the Five Nations era, doing so in 1998.[2](https://www.rugbyworld.com/tournaments/rugby-six-nations/what-is-a-grand-slam-90086)
When Italy joined in 2000, no team managed to defeat all five opponents in the first two seasons; France became the first modern Grand Slam winners in 2002, winning all five matches in their first Championship of the professional era.[1](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/c4gre2181n8o) • [3](https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/m6n/championship-history-mens) England followed with the 2003 Grand Slam, beating Ireland 42-6 in Dublin in the final game of a year in which they also won the [Rugby World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/rugby-world-cup).[3](https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/m6n/championship-history-mens)
## Six Nations era records
Thirteen Grand Slams have been won in the Six Nations era through 2023: France and Wales lead with four each, Ireland have three, England two, and Scotland and Italy none.[2](https://www.rugbyworld.com/tournaments/rugby-six-nations/what-is-a-grand-slam-90086) Scotland and Italy are the only sides yet to claim one, and neither has won the championship itself since 2000.[2](https://www.rugbyworld.com/tournaments/rugby-six-nations/what-is-a-grand-slam-90086) Across all eras of the competition, [England and Wales](https://www.edgepedia.org/england-and-wales) share the record of 39 outright titles.[6](https://www.rugby-ticketing.co.uk/history-of-the-six-nations-tournament/)
**Notable campaigns.** Ireland's 2009 Grand Slam was their first in 61 years, decided in Cardiff when Stephen Jones's late penalty drifted wide after [Ronan O'Gara](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronan-ogara)'s drop goal had put Ireland 17-15 ahead of Wales.[3](https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/m6n/championship-history-mens) • [7](https://www.esr.ie/article/view/677/155) Wales in 2005 became the first team to win a Grand Slam playing more games away than at home, a feat Ireland repeated in 2009.[3](https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/m6n/championship-history-mens) In 2019, [Warren Gatland](https://www.edgepedia.org/warren-gatland) became the first head coach to win three Grand Slams, with captain [Alun Wyn Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/alun-wyn-jones) joining the small group of Welsh players to have won three.[3](https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/m6n/championship-history-mens) France's 2022 Grand Slam, their first title and clean sweep in 12 years, saw them lead for only 13 minutes in total across the whole campaign.[3](https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/m6n/championship-history-mens) Ireland took the most recent Grand Slam in 2023, beating France in Dublin before closing out the championship against England at the Aviva Stadium.[3](https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/m6n/championship-history-mens)
Nearly half of Six Nations era champions have won the title with a 100 percent record, even though the clean sweep is historically difficult.[2](https://www.rugbyworld.com/tournaments/rugby-six-nations/what-is-a-grand-slam-90086)
## Grand Slam tours
The term also applies to [Southern Hemisphere](https://www.edgepedia.org/southern-hemisphere) touring teams. A Grand Slam tour is completed when South Africa, New Zealand or Australia tour the Home Nations and win Test matches against all four of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.[8](https://assets.ctfassets.net/r67umy19lt91/1BrNbYjhCtI5xnd61IS7mk/4d5ae90d31b4b5d7f49d04679ed87489/End_of_Year_Tour_Advertising_Pack_2025.pdf) It was not until 1978 that a New Zealand side finally achieved a Grand Slam of wins over each of the four home nations.[9](https://my-study-series.s3.amazonaws.com/Web%2Bcontent/MartinG.pdf) The All Blacks' 2025 end-of-year tour was billed as a rare 13-test Grand Slam tour against Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, seeking what would have been New Zealand's fifth such achievement.[8](https://assets.ctfassets.net/r67umy19lt91/1BrNbYjhCtI5xnd61IS7mk/4d5ae90d31b4b5d7f49d04679ed87489/End_of_Year_Tour_Advertising_Pack_2025.pdf)
## References
1. [Six Nations: What are all the trophies teams can win? BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/c4gre2181n8o)
2. [What is a Six Nations Grand Slam? Rugby World](https://www.rugbyworld.com/tournaments/rugby-six-nations/what-is-a-grand-slam-90086)
3. [Guinness Men's Six Nations History and Origins, Six Nations Rugby](https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/m6n/championship-history-mens)
4. [Grand Slam, Triple Corona o cuchara de madera: los honores del Seis Naciones, Diario AS](https://as.com/masdeporte/polideportivo/grand-slam-triple-corona-o-cuchara-de-madera-estos-son-los-honores-del-seis-naciones-n/)
5. [Rugby's Grand Slam: What is it and why is it the Six Nations holy grail? Read Rugby Union](https://readrugbyunion.com/2026/03/06/rugbys-grand-slam-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-the-six-nations-holy-grail/)
6. [History of the Six Nations Tournament, Rugby Ticketing](https://www.rugby-ticketing.co.uk/history-of-the-six-nations-tournament/)
7. [The Economic and Social Review, Vol. 48, No. 1 (2017)](https://www.esr.ie/article/view/677/155)
8. [End of Year Tour 2025 Advertising Pack](https://assets.ctfassets.net/r67umy19lt91/1BrNbYjhCtI5xnd61IS7mk/4d5ae90d31b4b5d7f49d04679ed87489/End_of_Year_Tour_Advertising_Pack_2025.pdf)
9. [The Game is not the Same - a History of Rugby](https://my-study-series.s3.amazonaws.com/Web%2Bcontent/MartinG.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › Rugby union international teams, tours, and tournaments*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license