In the annual Six Nations Championship (among England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy), and its predecessor the Five Nations Championship (before Italy joined in 2000), a Grand Slam occurs when one team beats all of the others during one year's competition.
Grand Slams have been achieved 42 times – 13 by England, 12 by Wales, 10 by France, 4 by Ireland and 3 by Scotland.
Following the inclusion of Italy in 2000, each team plays five matches, two at home and three away in one year, and the opposite in the following season.
When Wales won the Grand Slam in 2005, it was the first time that the feat had been achieved by a team that had played more matches away than at home.
[3] This eliminates the possibility of a Grand Slam winner losing the championship on bonus points.
In Rugby World Cup years, the championship is halved to three matches for each team to avoid fixture congestion, but winning with a 100% record is still recognised.
The FIRA-AER Championship, laterly the Rugby europe Championship and often colloquially referred to as the 'B' Six Nations also recognised the concept of a grand slam until 2022, when a change to an 8-team tournament format of pool play followed by playoffs rendered the classic version impossible.