History: Grand Slam tours
Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:59
New Zealand have just completed a Grand Slam - their third. Australia have done it once, South Africa four times.
What is a Grand Slam?
The idea of a grand slam comes from cards, and may in fact be from an obsolete word slampant meaning trickery. In cards it means winning tricks - all the tricks at whist or bridge. Win all 13 tricks and you have achieved a grand slam. Win 12 and you have achieved a small, little or minor slam.
In 1930 it was first applied to golf, when Bobby Jones won the four majors - the open and amateur tournaments in the USA and Britain. Now it means winning the Masters, the US Open, the British Open and the PGA and doing so in the same calendar year - which nobody has yet managed.
In 1938 it was applied to the tennis feat of Don Budge who won the Australian, French, United States and Wimbledon championships. Those are still the four titles for a grand slam at tennis.
In 1940 baseball started talking about a Grand Slam - a home run with bases loaded. Much more achievable.
Rugby has come to adopt the idea, but comparatively recently. Then it made such feats retrospective. It became the custom in the Five Nations to apply the tern Grand Slam - Grand Chelem in French - to a country which beat the other four countries. Four wins equalled a grand slam. When Italy joined in, it became the Six Nations and now a grand slam, required five wins.
It has also come to refer to the feat of a touring Southern Hemisphere team in beating the Four Home Unions on the same tour. This has happened seven times in history.
We must be clear a Grand Slam for Australia, New Zealand and South Africa takes place when one of those teams goes to England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales on a single tour and beats England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
This is what New Zealand did in 2008.
South Africa did this on four successive tours - in 1912-13, 1931-32, 1951-52 and 1960-61. New Zealand did this in 1978, 2005 and 2008, and Australia in 1984.
There have been 21 opportunities for the Grand Slam tour, starting back in 1905 when the original All Blacks went on tour. South Africa have had seven opportunities, New Zealand eight and Australia six.
1. New Zealand
a. 1905-06
On their tour to the UK, Ireland, France and Canada, they played 35 matches between 16 September and 13 February. They won 34 but lost to Wales, and so did not achieve a Grand Slam. They claimed that Wales cheated to deny them a Grand Slam - just as in 1978 Wales claimed New Zealand cheated to achieve a Grand Slam!
b. 1935-36
It's hard to imagine a New Zealand side with a 50-50 Test record on a tour to the Four Home Unions but in this tour they lost to England (13-0) and Wales but beat Scotland (18-8) and Ireland (17-9)
c. 1953-54
Again the All Blacks toured the UK, Ireland, France and North America. They played 36 matches between 31 October and 20 March , winning 30, drawing 2 and losing 4. They lost to Wales and so did not achieve the Grand Slam.
c. 1963-64
The All Blacks went to the UK, Ireland, France and Canada. They played 36 matches between 23 October and 22 February, winning 34, drawing 1 and losing 1. They drew 0-0 with Scotland and so did not achieve the Grand Slam,.
d. 1972-73
Again the All Blacks toured the UK, Ireland, France and North America. They played 32 matches between 19 October and 190 February, winning 25, drawing 2 and losing 5. They drew 10-all with Ireland and so did not achieve the Grand Slam.
e. 1978
The All Blacks toured the UK and Ireland. They played 18 matches, winning 17 and losing 1. They beat Ireland 10-6, Wales 13-12, England 16-6 and Scotland 18-9. GRAND SLAM!
f. 2005
New Zealand beat Wales 41-3, Ireland 41-7, England 45-7 and Scotland 29-10. GRAND SLAM!
g. 2008
This team played only one match outside of the four Tests when they beat Munster. They beat Scotland 32-6, Ireland 22-3, Wales and England 32-6. They did not have a try scored against them. GRAND SLAM!
2. South Africa
a. 1906-07
The South African team (captained by Paul Roos was the first team to be called the Springboks. They toured the UK, Ireland and France. They played 29 matches between 27 September and 3 January, wining 25, drawing 1 and losing 2. They lost to Scotland and drew with England and so did not achieve the Grand Slam.
b. 1912-13
The Springboks toured the UK, Ireland and France. They played 27 matches between 3 October and 11 January, winning 24 and losing 3. They beat Scotland 16-0, Ireland 38-0, Wales 3-0 and England 9-3. GRAND SLAM! They also beat France 38-5.
c. 1931-32
The Springboks toured the UK and Ireland. They played 26 matches between 3 October and 16 January, winning 23, drawing 2 and losing 1. They beat Wales 8-3, Ireland 8-3, England 7-0 and Scotland 6-3. GRAND SLAM! France were out of rugby organised by the International Rugby Board at the time.
d. 1951-52
The Springboks toured the UK, Ireland and France. They played 31 matches between 1 October and 16 February , winning 30 and losing 1. They beat Scotland 44-0, Ireland 17-5, Wales 6-3 and England 8-3. GRAND SLAM! They also beat France 25-3.
e. 1960-61
The Springboks toured the UK, Ireland and France. They played 34 matches, winning 31, drawing 2 and losing 1. They beat Wales 3-0, Ireland 8-3, England 5-0 and Scotland 12-5. GRAND SLAM! They also drew 0-0 with France.
f. 1969-70
In the midst of vigorous demonstrations the Springboks toured the UK and Ireland. They played 24 matches, winning 15, drawing four and losing 5. They did not win a test - losing to Scotland and England and drawing with Wales and Ireland. They certainly did not achieve a Grand Slam.
g. 1998
It was a great year for the Springboks as they went to 17 straight victories, missing the world record and the Grand Slam when they lost the last match of their trip 13-7 to England.
h. 2004
The Springboks went to the UK and Ireland, playing just four Tests and doing so in successive weeks. They beat Wales and Scotland but lost to Ireland and England. They certainly did not achieve a Grand Slam.
3. Australia
Australia went to the UK in 1908-09 but they did not play against Scotland and Ireland as both those countries resented the fact that England had unilaterally organised the tour.
Then Australia arrived in 1939 but did not play a match as England declared war on Germany the day after they arrived and World War II was on.
a. 1947-48
The Wallabies toured the UK, Ireland and France. They played 35 matches, winning 29. They beat Scotland, England and Ireland but lost to Wales and so did not achieve a Grand Slam. They also lost to France.
b. 1957-58
The Wallabies toured the UK, Ireland, France and North America. They played 41 matches, winning 22, drawing 3 and losing 16. They played five Tests on the tour, losing all five. They certainly did not achieve a Grand Slam. In fact it was a Grand Slam in reverse.
c. 1966-67
The Wallabies played 36 matches on their tour to the UK, Ireland, France and Canada, winning 19, drawing 3 and losing 14. They beat Wales and England but lost to Scotland and Ireland, thus not achieving a Grand Slam. They also lost to France.
d. 1975-76
The Wallabies toured the UK, Ireland and the USA. They played 26 matches, winning 19, drawing 1 and losing 6. They beat Ireland but lost to Scotland, Wales and England, thus not achieving a Grand Slam. They beat the USA on their way home.
e. 1981-82
The Wallabies played 23 matches on their tour of the UK and Ireland, winning 16, drawing 1 and losing 6. They beat Ireland but lost to the other three, thus not achieving a Grand Slam.
f. 1984
The Wallabies played 18 matches on their tour to the UK and Ireland, winning 13, drawing 1 and losing 4. They beat England 19-3, Ireland 16-9, Wales 28-9 and Scotland 37-12. GRAND SLAM! Mark Ella scored a try in each of the four Tests.
