Triple Crown (rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown (Irish: An Choróin Triarach; Scottish Gaelic: An Crùn Trìblite; Welsh: Y Goron Drifflyg) is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one of those four teams wins all its games against the other three, they win the Triple Crown.
The Six Nations Championship also includes France and Italy, but their involvement in the tournament has no influence on the result of the Triple Crown, although it means that the winners of the Triple Crown are not necessarily the winners of the Championship as a whole.
England won the first Triple Crown – although the phrase was not in use at the time – in the inaugural 1883 series of the original rugby union Home Nations Championship. The latest winners are Wales, who beat Ireland, Scotland and England on their way to the Grand Slam in the 2012 Six Nations Championship.
Traditionally the Triple Crown was an informal honour with no trophy associated with it. However a trophy now exists, which has been awarded to Triple Crown winners since 2006.
Read more about Triple Crown (rugby Union): Name, Trophy History, Winners
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