1897 Home Nations Championship

1897 Home Nations Championship
Date	9 January - 13 March 1897
Countries	England Ireland Scotland Wales
Tournament statistics
Matches played	4
Top point scorer(s)	Byrne (12)
Top try scorer(s)	Ireland Bulger (2) Ireland Gardiner (2)
← 1896 (Previous) (Next) 1898 →

The 1897 Home Nations Championship was the fifteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Four matches were played between 9 January and 13 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Wales only completed one match during this championship as the Welsh Rugby Union withdrew from the International Rugby Board in February 1897 due to the Gould Affair, and was therefore ineligible to play any further international matches.

The rules at the time stated the final table would be decided on match points and then points scored. As all teams finished with two match points, the championship was theoretically drawn, but England claimed the title through their greater score, even though they lost their first two games and conceded more tries and points than any of the other three countries. Most sources list the results of the 1897 championship as "not completed" due to the tied results.

Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
1	England	3	1	0	2	21	27	−6	2
1	Ireland	2	1	0	1	16	17	−1	2
1	Wales	1	1	0	0	11	0	+11	2
1	Scotland	2	1	0	1	11	15	−4	2

Source:

Results

9 January 1897

Wales	11–0	England

Newport

6 February 1897

Ireland	13–9	England

Dublin

20 February 1897

Scotland	8–3	Ireland

Edinburgh

13 March 1897

England	12–3	Scotland

Manchester

Not played

• Wales v. Ireland
• Scotland v. Wales

Scoring system

The matches for this season were decided on points scored. A try was worth three points, while converting a kicked goal from the try gave an additional two points. A dropped goal and a goal from mark were both worth four points. Penalty goals were worth three points.

The matches

Wales vs. England

9 January 1897

Wales	11 – 0	England
Try: Pearson Boucher Jones Con: Bancroft

Rodney Parade, Newport Referee: JT Magee (Ireland)

Wales: Billy Bancroft (Swansea), Cliff Bowen (Llanelli), Gwyn Nicholls (Cardiff), Arthur Gould (Newport) capt., Tom Pearson (Newport), Selwyn Biggs (Cardiff), Daniel Jones (Aberavon), Jack Evans (Llanelli), Arthur Boucher (Newport), Jack Rhapps (Penygraig), Bill Morris (Llanelli), Harry Packer (Newport), Dick Hellings (Llwynypia), Fred Cornish (Cardiff), Dai Evans (Penygraig)

England J. F. Byrne (Moseley), FA Byrne (Moseley), Ernest Fookes (Sowerby Bridge), EM Baker (Oxford Uni), T Fletcher (Seaton), Cyril Wells (Harlequins), EW Taylor (Rockcliff) capt., F Jacob (Cambridge Uni), JH Baron (Bingley), PJ Ebdon (Wellington), RF Oakes (Hartlepool Rovers), WB Stoddart (Liverpool), Frank Stout (Gloucester), W Ashford (Richmond), RH Mangles (Richmond)

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Ireland vs. England

6 February 1897

Ireland	13 – 9	England
Try: Gardiner (2) Bulger GM: Bulger		Try: Robinson Pen: Byrne (2)

Lansdowne Road, Dublin Referee: DG Findlay (Scotland)

Ireland J Fulton (NIFC), W Gardiner (NIFC), S Lee (NIFC), Lawrence Bulger (Dublin Uni.), TH Stevenson (Queen's Uni, Belfast), Louis Magee (Bective Rangers), GG Allen (Derry), JE McIlwaine (NIFC), JH Lytle (Lansdowne), WG Byron (NIFC), M Ryan (Rockwell College), J Ryan (Rockwell College), EG Forrest (Wanderers) capt., Andrew Clinch (Wanderers), CV Rooke (Monkstown)

England J. F. Byrne (Moseley), G.C. Robinson (Percy Park), Ernest Fookes (Sowerby Bridge), JT Taylor (Castleford), WL Bunting (Richmond), S Northmore (Millom), EW Taylor (Rockcliff) capt., F Jacob (Cambridge Uni), JH Baron (Bingley), PJ Ebdon (Wellington), RF Oakes (Hartlepool Rovers), WB Stoddart (Liverpool), Frank Stout (Gloucester), W Ashford (Richmond), RH Mangles (Richmond)

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Scotland vs. Ireland

20 February 1897

Scotland	8 – 3	Ireland
Try: Turnbull Con: TM Scott Pen: TM Scott		Try: Bulger

Powderhall, Edinburgh Referee: EB Holmes (England)

Scotland: AR Smith (Oxford Uni), W Neilson (London Scottish), GT Campbell (London Scottish), CJN Fleming (Edinburgh Wanderers), T Scott (Hawick), RC Greig (Glasgow Acads), M Elliot (Hawick), Robert MacMillan (London Scottish) capt., JH Dods (London Scottish), MC Morrison (Royal HSFP), WMC McEwan (Edinburgh Acads), TM Scott (Hawick), RC Stevenson (London Scottish), GO Turnbull (West of Scotland), Alex Laidlaw (Hawick)

Ireland Pierce O'Brien-Butler (Monkstown), W Gardiner (NIFC), Lucius Gwynn (Dublin Uni.), Lawrence Bulger (Dublin Uni.), TH Stevenson (Belfast Albion), Louis Magee (Bective Rangers), GG Allen (Derry), JE McIlwaine (NIFC), JH Lytle (Lansdowne), WG Byron (NIFC), M Ryan (Rockwell College), Jim Sealy (Dublin Uni.), EG Forrest (Wanderers) capt., Andrew Clinch (Wanderers), CV Rooke (Monkstown)

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England vs. Scotland

13 March 1897

England	12 – 3	Scotland
Try: Fookes Robinson Con: Byrne Drop: Byrne		Try: Bucher

Fallowfield, Manchester Referee: JT Magee (Ireland)

England J. F. Byrne (Moseley), G.C. Robinson (Percy Park), Ernest Fookes (Sowerby Bridge), Osbert Mackie (Cambridge Uni), WL Bunting (Richmond), Cyril Wells (Harlequins), EW Taylor (Rockcliff) capt., F Jacob (Cambridge Uni), J Pinch (Lancaster), E Knowles (Millom), RF Oakes (Hartlepool Rovers), WB Stoddart (Liverpool), HW Dudgeon (Richmond), LF Giblin (Cambridge Uni), JAS Davidson (Aspatria)

Scotland: AR Smith (Oxford Uni), W Neilson (London Scottish), Alf Bucher (Edinburgh Acads), AW Robertson (Edinburgh Acads), T Scott (Hawick), JW Simpson (Royal HSFP), M Elliot (Hawick), Robert MacMillan (London Scottish) capt., JH Dods (London Scottish), MC Morrison (Royal HSFP), WMC McEwan (Edinburgh Acads), TM Scott (Hawick), RC Stevenson (London Scottish), GO Turnbull (West of Scotland), Andrew Balfour (Cambridge Uni)

Sources

• Godwin, Terry (1984). The International Rugby Championship 1883-1983. London: Willows Books. ISBN 0-00-218060-X.
• Griffiths, John (1987). The Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records. London: Phoenix House. ISBN 0-460-07003-7.

External links

• "6 Nations History". rugbyfootballhistory.com. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-19.