Home Nations (Welsh:Cenhedloedd Cartref) is a collective term in sport,[1] usually referring to England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. When a sport is governed by a council representing the island ofIreland, such as theIrish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), the term can refer to the nations of the constituent countries on the island ofGreat Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and the island of Ireland as a whole.
The term was originally used when the whole island of Ireland was part of theUnited Kingdom. The synonymous "Home Countries" (not to be confused with the "home counties") is also sometimes used.
Inassociation football, the Home Nations originally referred to the then four national teams of the United Kingdom:England,Ireland,Scotland andWales.[2] Today, the term refers to the teams of England,Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales – the teams that contested theBritish Home Championship until 1984[3] – although references to the Home Nations sometimes erroneously include theRepublic of Ireland team.[4]
In 1883, the firstHome Nations Championship was played betweenEngland,Ireland,Scotland andWales. At this point in its history, the competition contained only teams from the UK. In 1910,France officially joined the competition and it was renamed the Five Nations Championship. Despite thepartition of Ireland and the secession of the Republic of Ireland from the United Kingdom, the island of Ireland still fields a single team and is referred to as aHome Nation in the context of rugby union.[5] When France was expelled from the international championship in 1932, the tournament reverted to being known simply as the Home Nations tournament until the readmission of France immediately after the 1939 tournament, just before World War II caused its suspension until 1947. Since the admission ofItaly in 2000, the tournament has been known by its current name, theSix Nations Championship.
Victories by any Home Nation over the other three in one Championship season is aTriple Crown.[6] The Home Nations also contribute players to a unified team known as theBritish and Irish Lions. Southern Hemisphere teams who beat all four home nations in one tour are said to have aGrand Slam Tour.[7]
Home Nations: England, Ireland, Scotland Wales [appears in glossary]
Victory by any Home Nation over the other three Home Nations is a 'Triple Crown'.
