The Magic Of Super Saturday

by Dugald Skene

There are days of the year that just can't be missed.  Birthday's, Christmas, anniversaries.  But there is one day that I get more excited about than any of these rolled into one, and that's Super Saturday.

This Saturday sees the climax to the 13th 6 Nations tournament.  Will it be unlucky 13 for Wales, or even lucky 13 for England?  That's the beauty of Super Saturday, it's all up for grabs.  The Triple Crown and Calcutta Cup may already have been settled, but there is still the championship, a grand slam and wooden spoon at stake.

France have won more 6 Nations Championships than

any other team, 5 in total

Being a Scotland fan, Super Saturday tends to be a bittersweet day as more often than not it comes down to the seemingly annual struggle to avoid the wooden spoon.  Scotland haven't finished outside of the bottom two places since 2006 when they came third after home wins against France and England, following that up with the wooden spoon in 2007.  They have come fifth ever since.

But Super Saturday is about so much more than individual results for me.  This is the showpiece day for northern hemisphere rugby, a chance for the 6 best nations in Europe to battle it out and show what they have to offer in one final fling of the tournament.

The expansion of the 5 Nations to the 6 Nations in 2000 was the same year I went to university in Glasgow, and since then I have spent nearly every Super Saturday in the same pub with the same friends each year, the only exceptions being 2001, 2005 and 2007.  This year is no different, despite now living on the east coast.  For me, it's the best annual day of international rugby that never fails to disappoint as a spectacle and as an occasion and that it's synonymous with getting together with my mates and having a few drinks makes it all the more special.

This year may look more predictable than in the past with Wales going for the Grand Slam.  Even if they lose to France, they are likely to take home the championship trophy unless they really do bottle it against the French and England trounce Ireland.  In a way, it's a shame that the Grand Slam decider is the second game in the schedule as a Wales win would make the England v Ireland game a bit of a damp squib.  Regardless, there will still be plenty to play for, not least England looking for their first home win in the tournament.

So let's look at some numbers.  Analysing the previous 12 championships, we can start to get a real feel for which nations are the most consistently good and bad, successful and otherwise:

• France are the most successful team with 5 championship victories, including 3 grand slams (2002, 2004 & 2010).  England have won 4 times including 1 grand slam in 2003.  Wales have a 100% grand slam strike rate so far, landing 2 titles in 2005 and 2008 whilst Ireland won their 1 title and grand slam in 2009.
• France are also the most consistently successful team, scoring a total of 87 points in 60 matches.  Ireland are just behind scoring 85, England 79, Wales 56, Scotland 34 and Italy 17.
• When it comes to scoring tries, England are top of the table with 182, France with 161, Ireland 154, Wales 123, Italy 73 and Scotland bottom of the pile with a lowly 70.
• Wales are the only team to have got both a grand slam and the wooden spoon, but France with 3 grand slams, did come 5th in 2001.
• 2001 was perhaps the oddest year as the disruption caused by food and mouth disease stopped 3 fixtures taking place during the usual spring period and were postponed until September & October of that year with Ireland playing in all 3.
• In both 2000 and 2001, England lost out on the grand slam on the final day, losing to Scotland in 2000 and Ireland in 2001, making them the only team to fail to take their chance on Super Saturday (again though, Super Saturday didn't really happen in 2001 due to the rearranged fixtures).
• The only team to not have beaten the other 5 nations is Italy, who have failed to beat both Ireland and England in 12 attempts.
• The biggest win came in 2001 when England beat Italy 80-23 at Twickenham.
• The most number of tries scored in one tournament was 29 by England in 2001.  The least is 2, achieved by Italy in 2004 and 2009.

It's hard to think that we are nearing the end of the 13th 6 Nations tournament.  It doesn't seem that long since Scotland won the last 5 Nations tournament in 1999 (I had to get that in there!) and Italy joined the fray at the turn of the millennium.  Already, it has produced a rich history, 4 grand slam winners and some truly classic games.

This Saturday will be no different I'm sure, and I don't know about you, but I can't wait.

What are your memories and favourite moments from the final days of the 6 Nations Championship?