| 1994 Five Nations Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 15 January – 19 March 1994 | ||
| Countries |  England Ireland France Scotland Wales | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Champions | Wales (22nd title) | ||
| Matches played | 10 | ||
| Tries scored | 20 (2 per match) | ||
| Top point scorer | Neil Jenkins (48 points) | ||
| Top try scorers | Philippe Saint-AndréNigel WalkerMike Rayer (2 tries) | ||
| |||
The1994 Five Nations Championship was the 65th series of theFive Nations Championship, an annualrugby union competition between the majorNorthern Hemisphere rugby union national teams. The tournament consisted of ten matches held between 15 January and 19 March 1994.
The tournament was the 65th in its then format as the Five Nations. Including the competition's former incarnation as the Home Nations Championship, the 1994 Five Nations Championship was the 100th Northern Hemisphere rugby union championship.
The championship was contested byEngland,France,Ireland,Scotland andWales. It was the first time that the Five Nations championship title was decided by using points difference to separate the top two teams that finished level on win–loss record. Wales won the tournament, although a 15–8 away defeat by England in their final match meant they failed to win theGrand Slam: England had needed a 16-point margin of victory over Wales in the final match to snatch the tournament themselves, but fell short, conceding a late Welsh try while pressing for the score that would have given them a big enough margin. Earlier in the tournament, England won theCalcutta Cup beating Scotland at Murrayfield. In a comparatively low scoring tournament, England then surprisingly lost at home to Ireland, ending their own hopes of a Grand Slam. Scotland performed poorly throughout and although somewhat unfortunate to lose to England, were heavily defeated by Wales in their opening match and could only manage a draw against Ireland, before being beaten by France at home in their final fixture. The overall result was, however, Wales' 22nd outright victory, including seven victories in the Home Nations, excluding eleven titles shared with other countries. England and France placed second and third with three and two wins respectively. Ireland placed fourth, with Scotland, last. None of theHome Nations achieved theTriple Crown.
Wales missed out on a ninthGrand Slam after losing toEngland atTwickenham.
The teams involved were:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wales | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 78 | 51 | +27 | 6 |
| 2 | England | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 60 | 49 | +11 | 6 |
| 3 | France | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 84 | 69 | +15 | 4 |
| 4 | Ireland | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 49 | 70 | −21 | 3 |
| 5 | Scotland | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 38 | 70 | −32 | 1 |
| 1994-01-15 14:30 |
| France | 35 - 15 | Ireland |
| Tries:Benetton Lacroix Merle Saint-André Con:Lacroix (3) Pen:Lacroix (3) | Pen:Elwood (5) |
| Parc des Princes,Paris Referee:J. M. Fleming (Scotland) |
| 1994-01-15 14:30 |
| Wales | 29 - 6 | Scotland |
| Tries:I. Evans Rayer (2) Con:N. Jenkins Pen:N. Jenkins (4) | Pen:G. Hastings (2) |
| National Stadium,Cardiff Referee:P. Robin (France) |
| 1994-02-05 14:30 |
| Ireland | 15 - 17 | Wales |
| Pen:Elwood (5) | Tries:N. Jenkins Pen:N. Jenkins (4) |
| Lansdowne Road,Dublin Referee:A. J. Spreadbury (England) |
| 1994-02-05 14:30 |
| Scotland | 14 - 15 | England |
| Tries:Wainwright Pen:G. Hastings (2) Drops:Townsend | Pen:Callard (5) |
| Murrayfield,Edinburgh Referee:L. L. McLachlan (New Zealand) |
| 1994-02-19 14:30 |
| England | 12 - 13 | Ireland |
| Pen:Callard (4) | Tries:Geoghegan Con:Elwood Pen:Elwood (2) |
| Twickenham,London Referee:P. Thomas (France) |
| 1994-02-19 14:30 |
| Wales | 24 - 15 | France |
| Tries:Quinnell Walker Con:N. Jenkins Pen:N. Jenkins (4) | Tries:Roumat Sella Con:Lacroix Pen:Lacroix |
| National Stadium,Cardiff Attendance: 52,000 Referee:L. L. McLachlan (New Zealand) |
| 1994-03-05 14:30 |
| France | 14 - 18 | England |
| Tries:Benazzi Pen:Lacroix (3) | Pen:Andrew (5) Drops:Andrew |
| Parc des Princes,Paris Referee:S. R. Hilditch (Ireland) |
| 1994-03-05 14:30 |
| Ireland | 6 - 6 | Scotland |
| Pen:Elwood (2) | Pen:G. Hastings (2) |
| Lansdowne Road,Dublin Referee:E. F. Morrison (England) |
| 1994-03-19 14:30 |
| England | 15 - 8 | Wales |
| Tries:Rodber R. Underwood Con:Andrew Pen:Andrew | Tries:Walker Pen:N. Jenkins |
| Twickenham,London Referee:J. M. Fleming (Scotland) |
| 1994-03-19 14:30 |
| Scotland | 12 - 20 | France |
| Pen:G. Hastings (4) | Tries:Sadourny Saint-André Con:Lacroix Montlaur Pen:Lacroix (2) |
| Murrayfield,Edinburgh Attendance: 49,000 Referee:W. D. Bevan (Wales) |