Twenty-five years on from Italy’s big entrance, the Six Nations’ pizazz never fades
Twenty-five years on from Italy’s big entrance, the Six Nations’ pizazz never fades
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In February 2000, the newcomers surprised Scotland and a quarter-century of highlights remind us of the tournament’s enduring power. It is more than 140 years since England beat Wales in the very first match of the old Home Nations championship, 2-0 at St Helen’s in Swansea in 1883, and there is an old man in the back bar of the Kings Head who will tell you that the English winger’s foot was in touch when he scored the winner.
![[Brian O’Driscoll races clear of the defence to score the second of his three tries in Ireland’s 27-25 victory over France in March 2000.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/2a59908ce2e59fa2503c25a510289a5c0d60f06c/0_0_1902_1313/master/1902.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Even the modern-day championship’s getting on. The Six Nations is 25 this year. The tournament brought in Italy and they marked the occasion by beating Scotland 34-20 in their first game. Diego Domínguez, their little wizard of a fly-half, kicked three drop goals and 29 points in total, and Scotland have not had a relaxed flight out to Rome since.
![[Thierry Dusautoir celebrates with his teammates after France defeated England 12-10 in the final round of the 2010 Six Nations to capture their first grand slam since 2004 and ninth overall.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/248b2055a27b71255ea46318447bff7d11605bed/0_0_3223_2303/master/3223.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The year 2000 was also when Ireland picked a skinny kid called Brian O’Driscoll at outside centre, only just out of Blackrock College. He scored a hat-trick in Paris while Scott Quinnell became the first player in the tournament to be sent to the sin-bin after he smashed head-high on Christophe Lamaison with a tackle so late it might have been scheduled by LNER.
![[Wales’s match winner Gavin Henson celebrates at the final whistle after his long-range penalty against England won the match 11-9 in 2005.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/3323de19ec76651cc2aeea7a57e10c77a9f06f16/0_0_4096_2699/master/4096.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
It was the year that England put 50 on Ireland, 40 on Wales, and then blew their shot at a grand slam in the last round, as they often used to do. This time they went down by six to Scotland, who were winless thus far, on a filthy day in the mud and oomska at Murrayfield. Lifting had just come in, rucking had just gone out and the players’ shirts still flapped in the wind and looked better for it.
