Six Nations: What is the Wooden Spoon and who can win the Triple Crown?
The Six Nations is more than just a competition, it’s a series of rivalries between a number of rugby-playing nations. This weekend sees the Calcutta Cup and Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy up for grabs.
There are a total of nine gongs to be won and Scotland go into each tournament with hopes of securing seven of them – which is ironic given they haven’t won the title in the Six Nations era.
Here are the nine pieces of silverware up for grabs, the year they were first played for and who currently holds the title ahead of their respective battles in 2014.
Wooden Spoon
This is not a real trophy but a metaphorical one which is handed out to the team who finish bottom of the Six Nations table each year.
England and Ireland have never won this accolade but the other four nations have.
Italy have picked up the title for the last eight years and could do so again this year if they lose to Wales.
Wales have not been handed the Wooden Spoon since 2003.
Scotland last had the Wooden Spoon in 2015 while France picked it up last in 2013.
At least you win something, right?
Championship Trophy
The Championship Trophy is presented to the winners of the Six Nations each year. It was the brainchild of the Earl of Westmorland and handed out for the first time in 1993.
It is sterling silver and has 15 panels – representing 15 players – and three handles – to represent the three on-field officials.
A newer version of the gong was introduced in 2015.
Ireland hold this trophy at the moment having won the Championship in 2023. Ireland, England and Scotland can still win the title in 2024.
Triple Crown
The Triple Crown is contested between the four home nations and is won when a nation beats the other three inside a single Championship.
The idea of the Triple Crown goes back to the original Four Nations but a trophy has been in place since 2006.
Ireland won it for a fifth time in 2023, surpassing Wales in winning the trophy four times. England have won it three times.
Scotland are the only side who can win this trophy in 2024 but will need to beat Ireland in Dublin.
Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup is contested in the Six Nations between England and Scotland and represents the oldest international rugby trophy in the world.
It has been fought over since 1879, over a century longer than the next oldest rivalry trophy, and is made from melted-down donated rupees.
England are out in front with the most Calcutta Cup wins but Scotland have dominated the contest lately.
Millennium Trophy
Formed in 1988, the Millennium Trophy is awarded after each match between England and Ireland.
The trophy was first fought over on the millennium anniversary of Dublin’s existence and England have won it more times.
Ireland, however, have won it in the past three Championships but England picked it up in 2024.
Centenary Quaich
Celtic roots run through the Centenary Quaich given it’s the winning trophy for clashes between Ireland and Scotland.
Ireland have won the trophy the most in this fixture since its inception in 1989.
A quaich is a Gaelic drinking beaker.
Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy
The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy was the first addition in this century and is awarded after matches between Italy and France.
Garibaldi was a former volunteer in the French Republican Army but also served as dictator of Sicily and one of the unifiers of the boot-shaped country.
The trophy was named in honour of the general on the 200th anniversary of his birth.
Italy have won this just twice out of a possible 18 times.
Auld Alliance Trophy
The Auld Alliance Trophy gets its name from the old treaty between Scotland and France and was created in 2018 to remember the rugby community players who have died in conflict.
The inaugural trophy presentation marked a year since the end of World War I – France have won this title four times to Scotland’s three.
Doddie Weir Cup
The Doddie Weir Cup also began in 2018 and helps to raise money for motor neurone disease. Its namesake died late last year from the disease but his foundation continues to raise millions of pounds.
Wales have won this trophy on all but two occasions it has been fought for.
Pressure from fans and the media forced the two nations who fight over this trophy – Scotland and Wales – to donate a six-figure sum after initially stating no gate receipts would go to the foundation.
Scotland won the 2024 trophy 27-26.
Cuttitta Cup
Scotland and Italy have battled for the Cuttitta Cup since 2022, making it the newest trophy on the Six Nations circuit.
The gong is named in honour of Massimo Cauttitta – a former Italian player and Scottish coach – who died of Covid-19 in 2021.
The two handles represent props – a position Cuttitta played and coached.
