1979 Five Nations Championship
| 1979 Five Nations Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 20 January – 17 March 1979 | ||
| Countries | England Ireland France Scotland Wales | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Champions | Wales (21st title) | ||
| Triple Crown | Wales (16th title) | ||
| Matches played | 10 | ||
| Tries scored | 32 (3.2 per match) | ||
| Top point scorer(s) | Steve Fenwick (38) | ||
| Top try scorer(s) | Colin Patterson (3) Andy Irvine (3) | ||
| |||
The 1979 Five Nations Championship was the 50th season of the Five Nations Championship, a rugby union competition contested by the men's national teams of England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Including its previous incarnations as the Home Nations Championship, it was the 85th edition of the competition. Ten matches were played between 20 January and 17 March.
Wales were the champions for the second consecutive season, winning a record 21st outright title. They had also shared the championship on nine other occasions. In beating Scotland, Ireland and England they also won the Triple Crown for a record fourth successive season and extended their record number of Triple Crown wins to 16. This was the last time that Wales won back-to-back championships until 2013.
Participants
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wales | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 83 | 51 | +32 | 6 |
| 2 | France | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 46 | +4 | 5 |
| 3 | Ireland | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 53 | 51 | +2 | 4 |
| 4 | England | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 52 | −28 | 3 |
| 5 | Scotland | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 48 | 58 | −10 | 2 |
Squads
Results
| 20 January 1979 |
| Ireland | 9–9 | France |
| Pen: Ward (3) | Try: Caussade Con: Aguirre Pen: Aguirre |
| Lansdowne Road, Dublin Attendance: 51,000 Referee: R. C. Quittenton (England) |
| 20 January 1979 |
| Scotland | 13–19 | Wales |
| Try: Irvine Pen: Irvine (3) | Try: Holmes Rees Con: Fenwick Pen: Fenwick (3) |
| Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Referee: F. Palmade (France) |
| 3 February 1979 |
| Wales | 24–21 | Ireland |
| Try: Martin Ringer Con: Fenwick (2) Pen: Fenwick (4) | Try: McLennan Patterson Con: Ward (2) Pen: Ward (3) |
| National Stadium, Cardiff Referee: Alan Hosie (Scotland) |
| 3 February 1979 |
| England | 7–7 | Scotland |
| Try: Slemen Pen: Bennett | Try: Rutherford Pen: Irvine |
| Twickenham Stadium, London Referee: C. Norling (Wales) |
| 17 February 1979 |
| France | 14–13 | Wales |
| Try: Gourdon (2) Pen: Aguirre (2) | Try: Holmes Pen: Fenwick (3) |
| Parc des Princes, Paris Attendance: 45,259 Referee: D. I. H. Burnett (Ireland) |
| 17 February 1979 |
| Ireland | 12–7 | England |
| Try: McLennan Con: Ward Pen: Ward Drop: Ward | Try: Bennett Pen: Bennett |
| Lansdowne Road, Dublin Referee: Alan Hosie (Scotland) |
| 3 March 1979 |
| England | 7–6 | France |
| Try: Bennett Pen: Bennett | Try: Costes Con: Aguirre |
| Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 67,800 Referee: J. R. West (Ireland) |
| 3 March 1979 |
| Scotland | 11–11 | Ireland |
| Try: Irvine Robertson Pen: Irvine | Try: Patterson (2) Pen: Ward |
| Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Referee: C. Thomas (Wales) |
| 17 March 1979 |
| France | 21–17 | Scotland |
| Try: Bélascain Malquier (2) Pen: Aguerre Aguirre Drop: Aguerre | Try: Dickson Irvine Robertson Con: Irvine Pen: Irvine |
| Parc des Princes, Paris Attendance: 45,000 Referee: R. C. Quittenton (England) |
| 17 March 1979 |
| Wales | 27–3 | England |
| Try: Rees Richards Ringer Roberts Williams Con: Fenwick Martin Drop: G. Davies | Pen: Bennett |
| National Stadium, Cardiff Referee: J. P. Bonnet (France) |
External links