1978 Five Nations Championship
| 1978 Five Nations Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 21 January - 18 March 1978 | ||
| Countries |  England Ireland France Scotland Wales | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Champions | Wales (20th title) | ||
| Grand Slam | Wales (8th title) | ||
| Triple Crown | Wales (15th title) | ||
| Matches played | 10 | ||
| Tries scored | 24 (2.4 per match) | ||
| Top point scorer(s) | Tony Ward (38) | ||
| Top try scorer(s) | Jérôme Gallion (3) | ||
| |||
The 1978 Five Nations Championship was the forty-ninth series of the rugby union
Triple Crown
for the third consecutive time, a record, given no other team had ever won the Triple Crown more than twice in a row. It was Wales' fifteenth in total, also a record, surpassing the fourteen won by England.
The tournament was the first Five Nations Championship in which two teams each with three victories faced off against each other in the final round of matches, with both capable of completing a Grand Slam with a victory.
Participants
The teams involved were:
| Nation | Venue | City | Head coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England
|
Twickenham | London | Peter Colston | Bill Beaumont |
| France
|
Parc des Princes | Paris | Jean Desclaux | Jean-Pierre Bastiat |
| Ireland
|
Lansdowne Road | Dublin | Noel Murphy | John Moloney |
| Scotland
|
Murrayfield | Edinburgh | Nairn McEwan
|
Dougie Morgan |
| Wales
|
National Stadium | Cardiff | John Dawes | Phil Bennett |
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wales
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 43 | +24 | 8 |
| 2 | France
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 51 | 47 | +4 | 6 |
| 3 | England
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 42 | 33 | +9 | 4 |
| 4 | Ireland
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 2 |
| 5 | Scotland
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 39 | 68 | −29 | 0 |
Source: [citation needed]
Squads
Results
| 1978-01-21 |
| France | 15–6 | England |
| Tries: Averous Gallion Con.: Aguirre (2) Pen.: Aguirre | Drops: Old (2) |
| Parc des Princes, Paris Attendance: 43,643 Referee: N. Sanson (Scotland) |
| 1978-02-04 |
| Scotland | 16–19 | France |
| Tries: Irvine Shedden Con.: Morgan Pen.: Morgan Drops: Morgan | Tries: Gallion Haget Con.: Aguirre Pen.: Aguirre (3) |
| Murrayfield, Edinburgh Attendance: 55,000 Referee: C. G. P. Thomas (Wales) |
| 1978-02-04 |
| England | 6–9 | Wales |
| Pen.: Hignell (2) | Pen.: Bennett (3) |
| Twickenham, London Referee: N. Sanson (Scotland) |
| 1978-02-18 |
| France | 10–9 | Ireland |
| Tries: Gallion Pen.: Aguirre (2) | Pen.: Ward (3) |
| Parc des Princes, Paris Attendance: 43,639 Referee: C. G. P. Thomas (Wales) |
| 1978-03-04 |
| Scotland | 0–15 | England |
| Tries: Nelmes Squires Con.: Young (2) Pen.: Dodge |
| Murrayfield, Edinburgh Referee: J. R. West (Ireland) |
| 1978-03-04 |
| Ireland | 16–20 | Wales |
| Tries: Moloney Pen.: Ward (3) Drops: Ward | Tries: Fenwick Williams Pen.: Fenwick (4) |
| Lansdowne Road, Dublin Referee: G. Domercq (France) |
| 1978-03-18 |
| England | 15–9 | Ireland |
| Tries: Dixon Slemen Con.: Young (2) Pen.: Young | Pen.: Ward (2) Drops: Ward |
| Twickenham, London Referee: F. Palmade (France) |
