Wales Grand Slam facts

When Wales played in Belfast in 1908 they had to wear trial jerseys without the Prince of Wales feathers because someone packed the wrong kit.

The captains of the Welsh teams in their Grand Slam matches were as follows:
1908 – Bert Winfield (Cardiff), fullback
1909 – Billy Trew (Swansea), centre
1911 – Billy Trew (Swansea), outside half
1950 – John Gwilliam (Edinburgh Wanderers), No.8
1952- John Gwilliam (Edinburgh Wanderers) No.8
1971 – John Dawes (London Welsh), centre
1976 – Mervyn Davies (Swansea), No.8
1978 – Phil Bennett (Llanelli), outside half
2005 – Michael Owen (Dragons), No.8

The current Wales skipper, Ryan Jones, is in line to become the fourth No.8 to lead Wales to a championship clean sweep if Wales are successful tomorrow.

Wales has the best conversion rate when it comes to sealing Grand Slams with nine out of 12 attempts. The three failures came against France in Paris in 1965, in Cardiff in 1988 and against England at Twickenham in 1994.

There have been 33 Grand Slams completed over the past 100 years. There have also been 21 failures at the final hurdle: 5 each by Ireland and England, 4 each by Scotland and France and 3 by Wales.

GRAND SLAM MISSES ON FINAL DAY

* = both sides playing for Grand Slam

Summary (21)
IRELAND      (1h,4a = 5)
ENGLAND    (5a = 5)
FRANCE       (1h,3a = 4)
SCOTLAND  (2h,2a = 4)
WALES         (1h,2a = 3)

England lead with 12 Grand Slams, Wales currently have 9, France 8, Scotland 3 and Ireland 1.

As well as being the 100th anniversary of the first Grand Slam (Wales 1908) this season is also the 60th anniversary of Ireland’s one and only Slam (1948), the 40th anniversary of the first Slam achieved by France (1968 in Cardiff) and the 30th anniversary of Wales’ triumph over France in the first Grand Slam showdown (ie when both teams could take the title on the last day) in 1978.

The Grand Slam often comes when there is an 8 in the year: Wales: 1908, 1978; England: 1928, 1980; France: 1968, 1981, 1987, 1998; Scotland: 1984; Ireland: 1948.

Wales took the Triple Crown for the 19th time in Dublin last weekend in what is the 125th anniversary season of the first Triple Crown, won by England in 1883. The fixture on Saturday will celebrate 100 years of internationals between Wales and France. The first game was played at Cardiff Arms Park on March 2nd 1908, when Wales won 36-4.

Saturday’s game will also be the 100th international played by Wales this millennium/century.

Wales have conceded only two tries to date in the championship. The record for the least number of tries conceded in a Six Nations campaign is four by England – 2002 and 2003.

Shane Williams is chasing three try records this weekend. Having joined Gareth Thomas as Wales’ leading try scorer with his 40th touchdown in Ireland, he needs one more to overtake him.  With five tries already in the championship he needs one more to join Cardiff wings Reggie Gibbs (1908 Grand Slam season) and Maurice Richards (1969 Triple Crown and championship season) on 6 tries in a season.

Gibbs and Richards both scored four tries in one match: Gibbs against France and Richards against England, although they played one game less than Williams in what was then the Five Nations.

Shane’s five tries this championship are already a Welsh Six Nations record, one higher than Rhys Williams’s 4 in 2004, and he is one short of Will Greenwood’s Six Nations record of six in a single campaign achieved in 2001.