Rugby Shorts
England defeated Scotland 16-13 at Twickenham to complete their clean sweep of the 1957 Five Nations on this day in rugby history and for the first time the term ‘Grand Slam’ was used to describe the unblemished run through the competition.
The term was coined by The Times in the March 16 edition prior to the game.
There is much more than usual at stake for England to-day in the match against Scotland at Twickenham... The last time when England achieved the Grand Slam under present conditions was as long ago as the 1927-28 season, but it is difficult to try to build up a case against her repeating the performance to-day.
--- Get in the Gear of the England National Rugby Team. ---
The Grand Slam term was retroactively applied to the 13 previous teams that went undefeated in the Five Nations which was first played in 1910 when France was official included in the competition. Wales is credited with a Grand Slam from the 1908 and 1909 campaigns when all teams played France although Les Bleus was an official participant.
Prior to the Five Nations, the term Triple Crown is used for a team that goes undefeated in the Home Nations competition. The Triple Crown is still used for a team that is undefeated among the Home Nations.
After a slow start to the 1957 campaign, England was focused from the start against Scotland with tries from William Davies, Reg Higgins and Peter Thompson.
Rugby Birthdays
1961 - Brett Kenny, Australian rugby league footballer
