2012 Six Nations Championship

2012 Six Nations Championship
2012 Six Nations Championship
Date	4 February – 17 March 2012
Countries	England; France; Ireland; Italy; Scotland; Wales
Tournament statistics
Champions	Wales (25th title)
Grand Slam	Wales (11th title)
Triple Crown	Wales (20th title)
Matches played	15
Attendance	1,034,926 (68,995 per match)
Tries scored	46 (3.07 per match)
Top point scorer(s)	Leigh Halfpenny (66)
Top try scorer(s)	Tommy Bowe (5)
Player of the tournament	Dan Lydiate
Official website	Official website
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The 2012 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2012 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 13th series of the Six Nations Championship. The annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.

Including the competition's previous incarnations as the Home Nations Championship and Five Nations Championship, it was the 118th tournament of the annual European championship.

For the first time since 2008, there were no Friday night fixtures.^[1]

Whilst Italy continued to play their home matches in Rome, they used the Stadio Olimpico instead of the Stadio Flaminio, which Italy had used for their home Championship fixtures since entering the competition in 2000.^[2] The Championship was won by Wales, who achieved their third Grand Slam in eight tournaments.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Participants

Nation	Home stadium	City	Head coach	Captain
England	Twickenham Stadium	London	Stuart Lancaster	Chris Robshaw
France	Stade de France	Saint-Denis	Philippe Saint-André	Thierry Dusautoir
Ireland	Aviva Stadium	Dublin	Declan Kidney	Rory Best/Paul O'Connell
Italy	Stadio Olimpico	Rome	Jacques Brunel	Sergio Parisse
Scotland	Murrayfield Stadium	Edinburgh	Andy Robinson	Ross Ford
Wales	Millennium Stadium	Cardiff	Warren Gatland	Sam Warburton

Squads

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	T	Pts
1	Wales	5	5	0	0	109	58	+51	10	10
2	England	5	4	0	1	98	71	+27	7	8
3	Ireland	5	2	1	2	121	94	+27	13	5
4	France	5	2	1	2	101	86	+15	8	5
5	Italy	5	1	0	4	53	121	−68	4	2
6	Scotland	5	0	0	5	56	108	−52	4	0

Source: ^[7]

Results

Round 1

4 February 2012
15:30 CET (UTC+01)

France	30–12	Italy
Try: Rougerie 20' c Malzieu 34' m Clerc 53' c Fofana 71' m Con: Yachvili (2/3) 21', 54' Pen: Yachvili (2/3) 11', 51'	Report	Pen: Burton (2/3) 29', 46' Botes (1/1) 60' Drop: Burton (1/2) 17'

Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 79,563^[8]
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)


FB	15	Maxime Médard
RW	14	Vincent Clerc
OC	13	Aurélien Rougerie	76'
IC	12	Wesley Fofana
LW	11	Julien Malzieu
FH	10	François Trinh-Duc	76'
SH	9	Dimitri Yachvili	62'
N8	8	Louis Picamoles	64'
OF	7	Julien Bonnaire
BF	6	Thierry Dusautoir (c)
RL	5	Lionel Nallet	50'
LL	4	Pascal Papé
TP	3	Nicolas Mas		76'
HK	2	William Servat	55'
LP	1	Vincent Debaty	62'	76'
Replacements:
HK	16	Dimitri Szarzewski	55'
PR	17	Jean-Baptiste Poux	62'
LK	18	Yoann Maestri	50'
N8	19	Imanol Harinordoquy	64'
SH	20	Morgan Parra	62'
FH	21	Lionel Beauxis	76'
CE	22	Maxime Mermoz	76'
Coach:
Philippe Saint-André


FB	15	Andrea Masi
RW	14	Giovanbattista Venditti
OC	13	Tommaso Benvenuti
IC	12	Alberto Sgarbi		56'
LW	11	Luke McLean
FH	10	Kris Burton		56'
SH	9	Edoardo Gori		76'
N8	8	Sergio Parisse (c)
OF	7	Robert Barbieri		67'
BF	6	Alessandro Zanni
RL	5	Quintin Geldenhuys	70'
LL	4	Corniel van Zyl		56'
TP	3	Martin Castrogiovanni
HK	2	Leonardo Ghiraldini		75'
LP	1	Andrea Lo Cicero		62'
Replacements:
HK	16	Tommaso D'Apice		75'
PR	17	Lorenzo Cittadini		62'
LK	18	Marco Bortolami		56'
FL	19	Simone Favaro		67'
SH	20	Fabio Semenzato		76'
FH	21	Tobias Botes		56'
CE	22	Gonzalo Canale		56'
Coach:
Jacques Brunel

Man of the Match:
Julien Malzieu (France)

Touch judges:
Andrew Small (England)
John Lacey (Ireland)
Television match official:
Graham Hughes (England)

Nicolas Mas and Thierry Dusautoir (both France) earned their 50th caps.
Wesley Fofana, Yoann Maestri (both France), Tobias Botes and Giovanbattista Venditti (both Italy) made their international debuts in this match.
Vincent Clerc's try was the 32nd of his international career, placing him joint second with his coach Philippe Saint-André on the French try scoring list. (To this date, Serge Blanco remains the top French try scorer with 38.)

4 February 2012
17:00 GMT (UTC+0)

Scotland	6–13	England
Pen: Parks (2/2) 25', 32'	Report	Try: Hodgson 40' c Con: Farrell (1/1) 41' Pen: Farrell (2/4) 22', 74'

Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Attendance: 67,144
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)


FB	15	Rory Lamont
RW	14	Lee Jones
OC	13	Nick De Luca
IC	12	Sean Lamont
LW	11	Max Evans
FH	10	Dan Parks	58'
SH	9	Chris Cusiter	59'
N8	8	David Denton
OF	7	Ross Rennie
BF	6	Alasdair Strokosch	59'
RL	5	Jim Hamilton	59'
LL	4	Richie Gray
TP	3	Euan Murray	74'
HK	2	Ross Ford (c)	74'
LP	1	Allan Jacobsen
Replacements:
HK	16	Scott Lawson	74'
PR	17	Geoff Cross	74'
LK	18	Alastair Kellock	59'
FL	19	John Barclay	59'
SH	20	Mike Blair	59'
FH	21	Greig Laidlaw	58'
CE	22	Graeme Morrison
Coach:
Andy Robinson


FB	15	Ben Foden
RW	14	Chris Ashton
OC	13	Brad Barritt	71'
IC	12	Owen Farrell
LW	11	David Strettle
FH	10	Charlie Hodgson	63'
SH	9	Ben Youngs	64'
N8	8	Phil Dowson	68'
OF	7	Chris Robshaw (c)
BF	6	Tom Croft
RL	5	Tom Palmer	61'
LL	4	Mouritz Botha
TP	3	Dan Cole
HK	2	Dylan Hartley
LP	1	Alex Corbisiero	64'
Replacements:
HK	16	Rob Webber
PR	17	Matt Stevens	64'
LK	18	Geoff Parling	61'
N8	19	Ben Morgan	68'
SH	20	Lee Dickson	64'
CE	21	Jordan Turner-Hall	63'
FB	22	Mike Brown	71'
Coach:
Stuart Lancaster

Man of the Match:
David Denton (Scotland)

Touch judges:
Romain Poite (France)
Leighton Hodges (Wales)
Television match official:
Tony Redmond (Ireland)

Brad Barritt, Lee Dickson, Phil Dowson, Owen Farrell, Ben Morgan, Geoff Parling, Jordan Turner-Hall (all England) and Lee Jones (Scotland) made their international debuts.
Chris Robshaw of England captained his team earning only his second cap in this match.
This match turned out to be Dan Parks's last appearance with the Scotland jersey as he announced his retirement from international rugby a few days after the game.

5 February 2012
15:00 IST (UTC+0)

Ireland	21–23	Wales
Try: Best 36' c Bowe 67' m Con: Sexton (1/2) 38' Pen: Sexton (3/5) 3', 43', 59'	Report	Try: J. Davies (2) 13' m, 54' c North 75' m Con: Halfpenny (1/2) 55' Pen: Halfpenny (2/2) 53', 79'

Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Attendance: 51,000
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)


FB	15	Rob Kearney
RW	14	Tommy Bowe
OC	13	Fergus McFadden
IC	12	Gordon D'Arcy
LW	11	Andrew Trimble
FH	10	Johnny Sexton		76'
SH	9	Conor Murray		76'
N8	8	Jamie Heaslip
OF	7	Seán O'Brien
BF	6	Stephen Ferris	79'
RL	5	Paul O'Connell (c)
LL	4	Donncha O'Callaghan		63'
TP	3	Mike Ross
HK	2	Rory Best
LP	1	Cian Healy		74'
Replacements:
HK	16	Seán Cronin
PR	17	Tom Court		74'
LK	18	Donnacha Ryan		63'
FL	19	Peter O'Mahony
SH	20	Eoin Reddan		76'
FH	21	Ronan O'Gara		76'
WG	22	David Kearney
Coach:
Declan Kidney


FB	15	Leigh Halfpenny
RW	14	Alex Cuthbert		41'
OC	13	Jonathan Davies
IC	12	Jamie Roberts
LW	11	George North
FH	10	Rhys Priestland
SH	9	Mike Phillips
N8	8	Taulupe Faletau
OF	7	Sam Warburton (c)		41'
BF	6	Ryan Jones
RL	5	Ian Evans
LL	4	Bradley Davies	64'
TP	3	Adam Jones		70'
HK	2	Huw Bennett
LP	1	Rhys Gill
Replacements:
HK	16	Ken Owens
PR	17	Paul James		70'
N8	18	Andy Powell
FL	19	Justin Tipuric		41'
SH	20	Lloyd Williams
FH	21	James Hook		41'
CE	22	Scott Williams
Coach:
Warren Gatland

Man of the Match:
Mike Phillips (Wales)

Touch judges:
Dave Pearson (England)
Stuart Terheege (England)
Television match official:
Geoff Warren (England)

Huw Bennett (Wales) earned his 50th cap.
Coming off the bench in the 76th minute to replace Johnny Sexton, Ronan O'Gara became the most capped Irish player with 117 caps, jointly with Brian O'Driscoll. O'Gara also took sole possession of the all-time lead for appearances in the Championship, with 57. He had previously been level with his countryman Mike Gibson, who made 56 appearances in the Five Nations between 1964 and 1979.

Round 2

11 February 2012
17:00 CET (UTC+01)

Italy	15–19	England
Try: Venditti 37' m Benvenuti 40' c Con: Burton (1/2) 40' Pen: Burton (1/1) 47'	Report	Try: Hodgson 50' c Con: Farrell (1/1) 50' Pen: Farrell (4/4) 26', 35', 54', 65'

Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Attendance: 53,700^[9]
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)


FB	15	Andrea Masi
RW	14	Giovanbattista Venditti
OC	13	Tommaso Benvenuti
IC	12	Gonzalo Canale	63'
LW	11	Luke McLean
FH	10	Kris Burton	48'
SH	9	Edoardo Gori	57'
N8	8	Sergio Parisse (c)
OF	7	Robert Barbieri	76'
BF	6	Alessandro Zanni
RL	5	Quintin Geldenhuys	57'
LL	4	Marco Bortolami
TP	3	Martin Castrogiovanni	33'
HK	2	Leonardo Ghiraldini	58'
LP	1	Andrea Lo Cicero
Replacements:
HK	16	Tommaso D'Apice	58'
PR	17	Lorenzo Cittadini	33'
LK	18	Antonio Pavanello	57'
FL	19	Mauro Bergamasco	76'
SH	20	Fabio Semenzato	57'
FH	21	Tobias Botes	48'
CE	22	Luca Morisi	63'
Coach:
Jacques Brunel


FB	15	Ben Foden
RW	14	Chris Ashton
OC	13	Brad Barritt
IC	12	Owen Farrell
LW	11	David Strettle
FH	10	Charlie Hodgson	77'
SH	9	Ben Youngs	51'
N8	8	Phil Dowson	51'
OF	7	Chris Robshaw (c)
BF	6	Tom Croft
RL	5	Tom Palmer	58'
LL	4	Mouritz Botha
TP	3	Dan Cole	75'
HK	2	Dylan Hartley	75'
LP	1	Alex Corbisiero
Replacements:
HK	16	Rob Webber	75'
PR	17	Matt Stevens	75'
LK	18	Geoff Parling	58'
N8	19	Ben Morgan	51'
SH	20	Lee Dickson	51'
CE	21	Jordan Turner-Hall	77'
FB	22	Mike Brown
Coach:
Stuart Lancaster

Man of the Match:
Sergio Parisse (Italy)

Touch judges:
George Clancy (Ireland)
Neil Paterson (Scotland)
Television match official:
Tony Redmond (Ireland)

Luca Morisi (Italy) and Rob Webber (England) made their international debuts.
The four-point margin in this match is the joint-closest Italy have ever come to beating England.

11 February 2012
21:00 CET (UTC+01)

France	P–P	Ireland

Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Referee: Dave Pearson (England)

This match was postponed due to an unplayable pitch. It was the first weather-related postponement of a Five/Six Nations game since 1985.^[10] The match was rescheduled for 4 March.^[11]

12 February 2012
15:00 GMT (UTC+0)

Wales	27–13	Scotland
Try: Cuthbert 41' c Halfpenny (2) 50' c, 55' c Con: Halfpenny (3/3) 43', 52', 56' Pen: Halfpenny (2/3) 29', 45'	Report	Try: Laidlaw 63' c Con: Laidlaw (1/1) 64' Pen: Laidlaw (2/3) 22', 48'

Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 73,189
Referee: Romain Poite (France)


FB	15	Leigh Halfpenny
RW	14	Alex Cuthbert
OC	13	Jonathan Davies
IC	12	Jamie Roberts		78'
LW	11	George North		40'
FH	10	Rhys Priestland
SH	9	Mike Phillips		75'
N8	8	Taulupe Faletau
OF	7	Aaron Shingler
BF	6	Dan Lydiate		73'
RL	5	Ian Evans
LL	4	Ryan Jones (c)		75'
TP	3	Adam Jones		73'
HK	2	Huw Bennett		10' to 19'		41'
LP	1	Gethin Jenkins	78'
Replacements:
HK	16	Ken Owens		10'	19'	41'
PR	17	Paul James		73'
LK	18	Lou Reed		75'
N8	19	Andy Powell		73'
SH	20	Lloyd Williams		75'
FH	21	James Hook		40'
CE	22	Scott Williams		78'
Coach:
Warren Gatland


FB	15	Rory Lamont	53'
RW	14	Lee Jones
OC	13	Nick De Luca	45'
IC	12	Sean Lamont
LW	11	Max Evans		16'
FH	10	Greig Laidlaw
SH	9	Chris Cusiter		49'
N8	8	David Denton
OF	7	Ross Rennie
BF	6	Alasdair Strokosch		44'
RL	5	Jim Hamilton		58'
LL	4	Richie Gray
TP	3	Geoff Cross		58'
HK	2	Ross Ford (c)		72'
LP	1	Allan Jacobsen
Replacements:
HK	16	Scott Lawson		72'
PR	17	Ed Kalman		58'
LK	18	Alastair Kellock		58'
FL	19	John Barclay		44'
SH	20	Mike Blair		49'
FH	21	Duncan Weir
FB	22	Stuart Hogg		16'
Coach:
Andy Robinson

Man of the Match:
Dan Lydiate (Wales)

Touch judges:
Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Television match official:
Giulio De Santis (Italy)

Lou Reed, Aaron Shingler (both Wales), Stuart Hogg and Ed Kalman (both Scotland) made their international debuts.

Round 3

25 February 2012
13:30 IST (UTC+0)

Ireland	42–10	Italy
Try: Earls 15' c Bowe (2) 38' c, 61' c Court 76' c Trimble 80' m Con: Sexton (4/5) 17', 39', 61', 78' Pen: Sexton (3/3) 10', 48', 57'	Report	Try: Parisse 34' c Con: Botes (1/1) 35' Pen: Botes (1/4) 7'

Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Attendance: 51,000^[12]
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)


FB	15	Rob Kearney
RW	14	Tommy Bowe
OC	13	Keith Earls	67'
IC	12	Gordon D'Arcy	69'
LW	11	Andrew Trimble
FH	10	Johnny Sexton
SH	9	Conor Murray	54'
N8	8	Jamie Heaslip
OF	7	Seán O'Brien	58'
BF	6	Stephen Ferris
RL	5	Paul O'Connell (c)
LL	4	Donncha O'Callaghan	58'
TP	3	Mike Ross
HK	2	Rory Best	69'
LP	1	Cian Healy	69'
Replacements:
HK	16	Seán Cronin	69'
PR	17	Tom Court	69'
LK	18	Donnacha Ryan	58'
FL	19	Peter O'Mahony	58'
SH	20	Eoin Reddan	54'
FH	21	Ronan O'Gara	69'
CE	22	Fergus McFadden	67'
Coach:
Declan Kidney


FB	15	Andrea Masi
RW	14	Giovanbattista Venditti
OC	13	Tommaso Benvenuti
IC	12	Alberto Sgarbi	63'
LW	11	Luke McLean
FH	10	Tobias Botes	58'
SH	9	Edoardo Gori	71'
N8	8	Sergio Parisse (c)
OF	7	Robert Barbieri	63'
BF	6	Alessandro Zanni
RL	5	Marco Bortolami
LL	4	Quintin Geldenhuys	58'
TP	3	Lorenzo Cittadini	67'
HK	2	Leonardo Ghiraldini	71'
LP	1	Michele Rizzo
Replacements:
HK	16	Tommaso D'Apice	71'
PR	17	Fabio Staibano	67'
LK	18	Antonio Pavanello	58'
FL	19	Simone Favaro	63'
SH	20	Fabio Semenzato	71'
FH	21	Kris Burton	58'
CE	22	Gonzalo Canale	63'
Coach:
Jacques Brunel

Man of the Match:
Johnny Sexton (Ireland)

Touch judges:
Nigel Owens (Wales)
David Changleng (Scotland)
Television match official:
Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)

Peter O'Mahony (Ireland) made his international debut.
Coming off the bench in the 69th minute to replace Gordon D'Arcy, Ronan O'Gara overtook Brian O'Driscoll as the most-capped Irish player with 118 caps.

25 February 2012
16:00 GMT (UTC+0)

England	12–19	Wales
Pen: Farrell (4/5) 23', 29', 38', 45'	Report	Try: S. Williams 75' c Con: Halfpenny (1/1) 76' Pen: Halfpenny (4/5) 25', 34', 53', 71'

Twickenham Stadium, London
Attendance: 80,764^[13]
Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)^{[N 1]}


FB	15	Ben Foden	77'
RW	14	Chris Ashton
OC	13	Manu Tuilagi
IC	12	Brad Barritt
LW	11	David Strettle
FH	10	Owen Farrell	65'
SH	9	Lee Dickson	60'
N8	8	Ben Morgan	72'
OF	7	Chris Robshaw (c)
BF	6	Tom Croft
RL	5	Geoff Parling
LL	4	Mouritz Botha	60'
TP	3	Dan Cole
HK	2	Dylan Hartley	72'
LP	1	Alex Corbisiero	65'
Replacements:
HK	16	Rob Webber	72'
PR	17	Matt Stevens	65'
LK	18	Courtney Lawes	60'
N8	19	Phil Dowson	72'
SH	20	Ben Youngs	60'
FH	21	Toby Flood	65'
FB	22	Mike Brown	77'
Coach:
Stuart Lancaster


FB	15	Leigh Halfpenny
RW	14	Alex Cuthbert
OC	13	Jonathan Davies
IC	12	Jamie Roberts		41'
LW	11	George North
FH	10	Rhys Priestland	44'
SH	9	Mike Phillips
N8	8	Taulupe Faletau
OF	7	Sam Warburton (c)
BF	6	Dan Lydiate
RL	5	Ian Evans
LL	4	Alun Wyn Jones		54'
TP	3	Adam Jones
HK	2	Ken Owens
LP	1	Gethin Jenkins
Replacements:
HK	16	Richard Hibbard
PR	17	Paul James
LK	18	Ryan Jones		54'
FL	19	Justin Tipuric
SH	20	Lloyd Williams
FH	21	Stephen Jones
CE	22	Scott Williams		41'
Coach:
Warren Gatland

Man of the Match:
Sam Warburton (Wales)

Touch judges:
Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
Pascal Gaüzère (France)
Television match official:
Iain Ramage (Scotland)

Wales won their 20th Triple Crown.

26 February 2012
15:00 GMT (UTC+0)

Scotland	17–23	France
Try: Hogg 7' c Jones 55' c Con: Laidlaw (1/1) 9' Weir (1/1) 56' Pen: Laidlaw (1/2) 25'	Report	Try: Fofana 28' c Médard 58' c Con: Parra (2/2) 29', 59' Pen: Parra (2/3) 39', 47' Drop: Beauxis (1/1) 68'

Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Attendance: 67,200^[15]
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)


FB	15	Stuart Hogg
RW	14	Rory Lamont	30'
OC	13	Sean Lamont
IC	12	Graeme Morrison
LW	11	Lee Jones
FH	10	Greig Laidlaw	48'
SH	9	Mike Blair	30'
N8	8	David Denton	52'
OF	7	Ross Rennie
BF	6	John Barclay
RL	5	Jim Hamilton	69'
LL	4	Richie Gray
TP	3	Geoff Cross	61'
HK	2	Ross Ford (c)	68'
LP	1	Allan Jacobsen
Replacements:
HK	16	Scott Lawson	68'
PR	17	Ed Kalman	61'
LK	18	Alastair Kellock	69'
N8	19	Richie Vernon	52'
SH	20	Chris Cusiter	30'
FH	21	Duncan Weir	48'
CE	22	Nick De Luca	30'
Coach:
Andy Robinson


FB	15	Maxime Médard	61'
RW	14	Vincent Clerc
OC	13	Aurélien Rougerie
IC	12	Wesley Fofana
LW	11	Julien Malzieu
FH	10	François Trinh-Duc
SH	9	Morgan Parra	74'
N8	8	Louis Picamoles	55'
OF	7	Imanol Harinordoquy
BF	6	Thierry Dusautoir (c)
RL	5	Yoann Maestri	65'
LL	4	Pascal Papé
TP	3	Nicolas Mas
HK	2	Dimitri Szarzewski	50'
LP	1	Jean-Baptiste Poux	50'
Replacements:
HK	16	William Servat	50'
PR	17	Vincent Debaty	50'
LK	18	Lionel Nallet	65'
FL	19	Julien Bonnaire	55'
SH	20	Julien Dupuy	74'
FH	21	Lionel Beauxis	61'
CE	22	Maxime Mermoz
Coach:
Philippe Saint-André

Man of the Match:
Ross Rennie (Scotland)

Touch judges:
Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Television match official:
Geoff Warren (England)

Duncan Weir (Scotland) made his international debut.

Rescheduled match

4 March 2012^{[N 2]}
16:00 CET (UTC+01)

France	17–17	Ireland
Try: Fofana 50' m Pen: Parra (4/5) 22', 29', 46', 57'	Report	Try: Bowe (2) 12' c, 37' c Con: Sexton (2/2) 13', 38' Pen: Sexton (1/2) 25'

Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 80,000^[16]
Referee: Dave Pearson (England)


FB	15	Clément Poitrenaud	68'
RW	14	Vincent Clerc
OC	13	Aurélien Rougerie
IC	12	Wesley Fofana
LW	11	Julien Malzieu
FH	10	François Trinh-Duc
SH	9	Morgan Parra
N8	8	Imanol Harinordoquy
OF	7	Julien Bonnaire	71'
BF	6	Thierry Dusautoir (c)
RL	5	Yoann Maestri
LL	4	Pascal Papé	61'
TP	3	Nicolas Mas
HK	2	Dimitri Szarzewski	53'
LP	1	Jean-Baptiste Poux	53'
Replacements:
HK	16	William Servat	53'
PR	17	Vincent Debaty	53'
LK	18	Lionel Nallet	61'
N8	19	Louis Picamoles	71'
SH	20	Julien Dupuy
FH	21	Lionel Beauxis	68'
CE	22	Maxime Mermoz
Coach:
Philippe Saint-André


FB	15	Rob Kearney
RW	14	Tommy Bowe
OC	13	Keith Earls
IC	12	Gordon D'Arcy	71'
LW	11	Andrew Trimble	72'
FH	10	Johnny Sexton
SH	9	Conor Murray	59'
N8	8	Jamie Heaslip
OF	7	Seán O'Brien	66'
BF	6	Stephen Ferris
RL	5	Paul O'Connell (c)
LL	4	Donncha O'Callaghan	58'
TP	3	Mike Ross
HK	2	Rory Best	75'
LP	1	Cian Healy	75'
Replacements:
HK	16	Seán Cronin	75'
PR	17	Tom Court	75'
LK	18	Donnacha Ryan	58'
FL	19	Peter O'Mahony	66'
SH	20	Eoin Reddan	59'
FH	21	Ronan O'Gara	71'
CE	22	Fergus McFadden	72'
Coach:
Declan Kidney

Man of the Match:
Yoann Maestri (France)

Touch judges:
Wayne Barnes (England)
Andrew Small (England)
Television match official:
Geoff Warren (England)

Round 4

10 March 2012
14:30 GMT (UTC+0)

Wales	24–3	Italy
Try: Roberts 59' c Cuthbert 77' m Con: Halfpenny (1/2) 50' Pen: Halfpenny (3/3) 9', 19', 36' Priestland (1/1) 69'	Report	Pen: Bergamasco (1/1) 12'

Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 73,892^[17]
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)


FB	15	Leigh Halfpenny	64'	74'
RW	14	Alex Cuthbert
OC	13	Jonathan Davies		69'
IC	12	Jamie Roberts
LW	11	George North
FH	10	Rhys Priestland
SH	9	Mike Phillips		71'
N8	8	Taulupe Faletau		66'
OF	7	Justin Tipuric
BF	6	Dan Lydiate
RL	5	Ian Evans
LL	4	Alun Wyn Jones		62'
TP	3	Adam Jones		70'
HK	2	Matthew Rees		62'
LP	1	Gethin Jenkins (c)
Replacements:
HK	16	Ken Owens		62'
PR	17	Paul James		70'
LK	18	Luke Charteris		62'
FL	19	Ryan Jones		66'
SH	20	Rhys Webb		71'
FH	21	James Hook		74'
CE	22	Scott Williams		69'
Coach:
Warren Gatland


FB	15	Andrea Masi	70'
RW	14	Mirco Bergamasco
OC	13	Gonzalo Canale	66'
IC	12	Alberto Sgarbi
LW	11	Luke McLean
FH	10	Kris Burton
SH	9	Fabio Semenzato	66'
N8	8	Sergio Parisse (c)
OF	7	Simone Favaro	63'
BF	6	Alessandro Zanni
RL	5	Corniel van Zyl	51'
LL	4	Quintin Geldenhuys
TP	3	Lorenzo Cittadini	51'	72'
HK	2	Leonardo Ghiraldini	54'
LP	1	Andrea Lo Cicero		72'
Replacements:
HK	16	Tommaso D'Apice	54'
PR	17	Fabio Staibano	51'
PR	18	Marco Bortolami	51'
LK	19	Robert Barbieri	63'
SH	20	Tobias Botes	66'
CE	21	Tommaso Benvenuti	66'
WG	22	Giulio Toniolatti	70'
Coach:
Jacques Brunel

Man of the Match:
Alex Cuthbert (Wales)

Touch judges:
Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
Peter Gauzere (Scotland)
Television match official:
Geoff Hughes (England)

Rhys Webb (Wales) and Fabio Staibano (Italy) made their international debuts.

10 March 2012
17:00 IST (UTC+0)

Ireland	32–14	Scotland
Try: Best 13' c Reddan 33' c Trimble 40' m McFadden 76' c Con: Sexton (3/4) 14', 34', 77' Pen: Sexton (2/2) 25', 71'	Report	Try: Gray 36' m Pen: Laidlaw (3/3) 3', 9', 31'

Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Attendance: 51,000^[18]
Referee: Chris Pollock (New Zealand)


FB	15	Rob Kearney	74'
RW	14	Tommy Bowe
OC	13	Keith Earls
IC	12	Gordon D'Arcy	54'
LW	11	Andrew Trimble
FH	10	Johnny Sexton
SH	9	Eoin Reddan	54'
N8	8	Jamie Heaslip
OF	7	Peter O'Mahony	62'
BF	6	Stephen Ferris
RL	5	Donnacha Ryan
LL	4	Donncha O'Callaghan	78'
TP	3	Mike Ross			78'
HK	2	Rory Best (c)	54'
LP	1	Cian Healy	51' to 58'
Replacements:
HK	16	Seán Cronin	54'
PR	17	Tom Court	51'	58'	78'
LK	18	Mike McCarthy	78'
FL	19	Shane Jennings	62'
SH	20	Tomás O'Leary	54'
FH	21	Ronan O'Gara	54'
CE	22	Fergus McFadden	74'
Coach:
Declan Kidney


FB	15	Stuart Hogg
RW	14	Lee Jones		62'
OC	13	Max Evans	73'
IC	12	Graeme Morrison
LW	11	Sean Lamont
FH	10	Greig Laidlaw		56'
SH	9	Mike Blair		50'
N8	8	David Denton
OF	7	Ross Rennie		58'
BF	6	John Barclay
RL	5	Jim Hamilton		59'
LL	4	Richie Gray
TP	3	Geoff Cross		46'
HK	2	Ross Ford (c)
LP	1	Allan Jacobsen
Replacements:
HK	16	Scott Lawson
PR	17	Euan Murray		46'
PR	18	Alastair Kellock		59'
LK	19	Richie Vernon		58'
FL	20	Chris Cusiter		50'
FH	21	Ruaridh Jackson		56'
CE	22	Matt Scott		62'
Coach:
Andy Robinson

Man of the Match:
Donncha O'Callaghan (Ireland)

Touch judges:
Romain Poite (France)
Greg Garner (England)
Television match official:
Giulio De Santis (Italy)

Matt Scott (Scotland) made his international debut.

11 March 2012
16:00 CET (UTC+01)

France	22–24	England
Try: Fofana 74' c Con: Parra (1/1) 75' Pen: Beauxis (3/4) 16', 39', 68' Dupuy (1/2) 32' Parra (1/1) 64'	Report	Try: Tuilagi 12' c Foden 17' c Croft 70' c Con: Farrell (3/3) 14', 18', 71' Pen: Farrell (1/2) 49'

Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 80,895^[19]
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)


FB	15	Clément Poitrenaud
RW	14	Vincent Clerc	37'
OC	13	Aurélien Rougerie
IC	12	Wesley Fofana
LW	11	Julien Malzieu
FH	10	Lionel Beauxis	74'
SH	9	Julien Dupuy	50'
N8	8	Imanol Harinordoquy
OF	7	Julien Bonnaire	69'
BF	6	Thierry Dusautoir (c)
RL	5	Yoann Maestri	55'
LL	4	Pascal Papé
TP	3	Nicolas Mas		75'
HK	2	Dimitri Szarzewski	50'
LP	1	Jean-Baptiste Poux	65'	75'
Replacements:
HK	16	William Servat	50'
PR	17	Vincent Debaty	65'
LK	18	Lionel Nallet	55'
N8	19	Louis Picamoles	69'
SH	20	Morgan Parra	50'
FH	21	François Trinh-Duc	74'
CE	22	Maxime Mermoz	37'
Coach:
Philippe Saint-André


FB	15	Ben Foden
RW	14	Chris Ashton
OC	13	Manu Tuilagi
IC	12	Brad Barritt
LW	11	Charlie Sharples	52'
FH	10	Owen Farrell
SH	9	Lee Dickson		71'
N8	8	Ben Morgan		63'
OF	7	Chris Robshaw (c)
BF	6	Tom Croft
RL	5	Geoff Parling
LL	4	Mouritz Botha		56'
TP	3	Dan Cole		69'
HK	2	Dylan Hartley
LP	1	Alex Corbisiero
Replacements:
HK	16	Rob Webber			74'
PR	17	Matt Stevens		69'
LK	18	Tom Palmer		56'
FL	19	Phil Dowson		63'	74'
SH	20	Ben Youngs		71'
FH	21	Charlie Hodgson
FB	22	Mike Brown
Coach:
Stuart Lancaster

Man of the Match:
Imanol Harinordoquy (France)

Touch judges:
Nigel Owens (Wales)
John Lacey (Ireland)
Television match official:
Jim Yuille (Scotland)

Round 5

17 March 2012
13:30 CET (UTC+01)

Italy	13–6	Scotland
Try: Venditti 42' c Con: Burton (1/1) 43' Pen: Bergamasco (1/3) 10' Drop: Burton (1/2) 76'	Report	Pen: Laidlaw (2/3) 35', 59'

Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Attendance: 72,354^[20]
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)


FB	15	Andrea Masi
RW	14	Giovanbattista Venditti
OC	13	Tommaso Benvenuti
IC	12	Gonzalo Canale		70'
LW	11	Mirco Bergamasco
FH	10	Kris Burton
SH	9	Edoardo Gori		67'
N8	8	Sergio Parisse (c)
OF	7	Robert Barbieri		57'
BF	6	Alessandro Zanni	66'
RL	5	Marco Bortolami
LL	4	Quintin Geldenhuys		76'
TP	3	Martin Castrogiovanni			67'
HK	2	Fabio Ongaro		57'
LP	1	Andrea Lo Cicero		52'	67'
Replacements:
HK	16	Tommaso D'Apice		57'
PR	17	Lorenzo Cittadini		52'
LK	18	Joshua Furno		76'
FL	19	Simone Favaro			76'
N8	20	Manoa Vosawai		57'
FH	21	Tobias Botes		67'	76'
WG	22	Giulio Toniolatti		70'
Coach:
Jacques Brunel


FB	15	Stuart Hogg
RW	14	Max Evans
OC	13	Nick De Luca	39'
IC	12	Graeme Morrison
LW	11	Sean Lamont
FH	10	Greig Laidlaw		70'
SH	9	Mike Blair
N8	8	David Denton
OF	7	Ross Rennie
BF	6	John Barclay		70'
RL	5	Jim Hamilton	54'
LL	4	Richie Gray		55'
TP	3	Geoff Cross		50'
HK	2	Ross Ford (c)
LP	1	Jon Welsh
Replacements:
HK	16	Scott Lawson
PR	17	Euan Murray		50'
LK	18	Alastair Kellock		55'
N8	19	Richie Vernon		70'
SH	20	Chris Cusiter
FH	21	Ruaridh Jackson		70'
WG	22	Jack Cuthbert
Coach:
Andy Robinson

Man of the Match:
Martín Castrogiovanni (Italy)

Touch judges:
George Clancy (Ireland)
Pascal Gaüzère (France)
Television match official:
Tony Redmond (Ireland)

Scotland were whitewashed. This was the first time since 2007 that Italy avoided the wooden spoon.
Italy's starting pack in this match was the most capped ever to play an international match.

17 March 2012
14:45 GMT (UTC+0)

Wales	16–9	France
Try: Cuthbert 20' c Con: Halfpenny (1/1) 21', Pen: Halfpenny (3/4) 32', 52', 75'	Report	Pen: Yachvili (2/2) 10', 72' Beauxis (1/1) 44'

Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 72,658^[21]
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)


FB	15	Leigh Halfpenny
RW	14	Alex Cuthbert
OC	13	Jonathan Davies
IC	12	Jamie Roberts
LW	11	George North
FH	10	Rhys Priestland
SH	9	Mike Phillips	64'
N8	8	Taulupe Faletau
OF	7	Sam Warburton (c)	41'
BF	6	Dan Lydiate
RL	5	Ian Evans
LL	4	Alun Wyn Jones	64'
TP	3	Adam Jones
HK	2	Matthew Rees	64'
LP	1	Gethin Jenkins
Replacements:
HK	16	Ken Owens	64'
PR	17	Paul James
LK	18	Luke Charteris	64'
FL	19	Ryan Jones	41'
SH	20	Lloyd Williams	64'
FH	21	James Hook
CE	22	Scott Williams
Coach:
Warren Gatland


FB	15	Clément Poitrenaud	36'
RW	14	Wesley Fofana
OC	13	Aurélien Rougerie
IC	12	Florian Fritz
LW	11	Alexis Palisson	54'
FH	10	Lionel Beauxis	72'
SH	9	Dimitri Yachvili
N8	8	Imanol Harinordoquy
OF	7	Julien Bonnaire	60'
BF	6	Thierry Dusautoir (c)
RL	5	Yoann Maestri
LL	4	Pascal Papé	68'
TP	3	David Attoub
HK	2	William Servat	45'
LP	1	Jean-Baptiste Poux	45'
Replacements:
HK	16	Dimitri Szarzewski	45'
PR	17	Vincent Debaty	45'
LK	18	Julien Pierre	68'
N8	19	Louis Picamoles	60'
SH	20	Morgan Parra	72'
FH	21	François Trinh-Duc	54'
WG	22	Jean-Marcellin Buttin	36'
Coach:
Philippe Saint-André

Man of the Match:
Dan Lydiate (Wales)

Touch judges:
Wayne Barnes (England)
Stuart Terheege (England)
Television match official:
Iain Ramage (Scotland)

Matthew Rees (Wales) earned his 50th cap.
Jean-Marcellin Buttin (France) made his international debut.
William Servat and Julien Bonnaire (both France) played their final matches.
Wales won the Grand Slam.

17 March 2012
17:00 GMT (UTC+0)

England	30–9	Ireland
Try: Penalty try 58' c Youngs 73' m Con: Farrell (1/2) 58' Pen: Farrell (6/6) 2', 23', 34', 48', 64', 77'	Report	Pen: Sexton (3/3) 15', 40', 51'

Twickenham Stadium, London
Attendance: 80,567^[22]
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)


FB	15	Ben Foden	71'
RW	14	Chris Ashton
OC	13	Manu Tuilagi
IC	12	Brad Barritt
LW	11	David Strettle
FH	10	Owen Farrell
SH	9	Lee Dickson	49'
N8	8	Ben Morgan	75'
OF	7	Chris Robshaw (c)
BF	6	Tom Croft
RL	5	Geoff Parling
LL	4	Mouritz Botha	56'
TP	3	Dan Cole	75'
HK	2	Dylan Hartley	75'
LP	1	Alex Corbisiero
Replacements:
HK	16	Lee Mears	75'
PR	17	Matt Stevens	75'
LK	18	Tom Palmer	56'
FL	19	Phil Dowson	75'
SH	20	Ben Youngs	49'
FH	21	Charlie Hodgson
CE	22	Mike Brown	71'
Coach:
Stuart Lancaster


FB	15	Rob Kearney
RW	14	Tommy Bowe
OC	13	Keith Earls
IC	12	Gordon D'Arcy	49'
LW	11	Andrew Trimble	75'
FH	10	Johnny Sexton
SH	9	Eoin Reddan	49'
N8	8	Jamie Heaslip
OF	7	Seán O'Brien	70'
BF	6	Stephen Ferris
RL	5	Donnacha Ryan
LL	4	Donncha O'Callaghan	67'
TP	3	Mike Ross	37'
HK	2	Rory Best (c)	75'
LP	1	Cian Healy
Replacements:
HK	16	Seán Cronin	75'
PR	17	Tom Court	37'
LK	18	Mike McCarthy	67'
FL	19	Peter O'Mahony	70'
SH	20	Tomás O'Leary	49'
FH	21	Ronan O'Gara	49'
WG	22	Fergus McFadden	75'
Coach:
Declan Kidney

Man of the Match:
Ben Morgan (England)

Touch judges:
Jérôme Garces (France)
Neil Paterson (Scotland)
Television match official:
Jim Yuille (Scotland)

Media coverage

In the United Kingdom, all the matches were televised on BBC channels. In Ireland, RTÉ Two and RTÉ Two HD televised all the matches live. S4C televised Wales matches while French international channel TV5Monde televised only France matches and was available internationally (including the United States, where BBC America and BBC America HD also televised some matches).^{[citation needed]}

Notes

^ Although born in New Zealand, Walsh is registered with the Australian Rugby Union and therefore recognised as an Australian referee.^[14]
^ Rescheduled from 11 February 2012.^[11]

References

^ "RBS 6 NATIONS FIXTURES 2012 and 2013 - Rugby World". rugbyworld.com. 26 January 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
^ "RBS 6 Nazioni, allo Stadio Olimpico l'Edizione 2012" (Press release) (in Italian). Italian Rugby Federation. 13 July 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
^ "Six Nations 2012: final day as it happened". BBC Sport. 17 March 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
^ "Wales win RBS 6 Nations Grand Slam". RTÉ Sport. 17 March 2012. Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
^ "Grand Slam joy as Wales beat France". BBC Sport. 17 March 2012. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
^ "Wales 16-9 France". Guardian (London). 17 March 2012. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
^ "RBS Six Nations Table: 2011-2012". Six Nations Championship. Six Nations Rugby Ltd. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
^ "France start Six Nations with Italian victory". RugbyWeek. Sports Digital Media. 4 February 2012. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
^ "Italy Highest Attendance". ESPNScrum. ESPN Emea Ltd. 12 February 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
^ "France v Ireland match called off at last minute". BBC Sport. BBC. 11 February 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
^ ^a ^b "Postponed France v Ireland Six Nations game set for 4 March". BBC Sport. BBC. 14 February 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
^ Curtis, Tony (25 February 2012). "Ireland see off Italy". Sky Sports. BSkyB. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
^ "Williams steals the show". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 25 February 2012. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
^ "Referees". Australian Rugby Union. Australian Rugby Union. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
^ "France edge out Scotland". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 26 February 2012. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
^ "Honours even in Paris". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 4 March 2012. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
^ "Simply a stroll for Wales". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 10 March 2012. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
^ "Dublin delight for Ireland". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 10 March 2012. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
^ "England come of age". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 11 March 2012. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
^ Dilger, Simon (17 March 2012). "Azzurri claim precious win". Sky Sports. BSkyB. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
^ Lancaster, Rob (17 March 2012). "A Grand day out for Wales". Sky Sports. BSkyB. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
^ Kendall, Mark (17 March 2012). "England sign off in style". Sky Sports. BSkyB. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.