| Field | Value |
|---|
| name | 2003 Six Nations Championship |
| date | 15 February – 30 March 2003 |
| countries |
|
| champions | |
| count | 25 |
| grand slam | (12th title) |
| triple crown | (23rd title) |
| matches | 15 |
| tries | 74 |
| top point scorer | ENG Jonny Wilkinson (77) |
| top try scorer | FRA Damien Traille (4) |
| previous year | 2002 |
| previous tournament | 2002 Six Nations Championship |
| next year | 2004 |
| next tournament | 2004 Six Nations Championship |
The 2003 Six Nations Championship was the fourth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship, and the 109th international championship overall. The annual tournament was won by England, who completed a grand slam, and went on to win the 2003 Rugby World Cup later the same year. Italy won their first match with Wales (30–22), finishing in 5th place for the first time in the process.
This was the sixth time in the Championship's history, but the first time since it became the Six Nations, that two teams met in the final round with undefeated records, both England and Ireland having won their first four games, making the final match a decider for the Grand Slam. It was also the first time Ireland had been involved: and the first that was won by the away team. Wales were whitewashed, losing all five of their games, and earned themselves the wooden spoon as a result.
Participants
| Nation | Venue | City | Head coach | Captain |
|---|
| Twickenham Stadium | London | ENG Clive Woodward | Martin Johnson/Jonny Wilkinson |
| Stade de France | Saint-Denis | FRA Bernard Laporte | Fabien Galthié/Fabien Pelous |
| Lansdowne Road | Dublin | IRL Eddie O'Sullivan | Brian O'Driscoll |
| Stadio Flaminio | Rome | NZL John Kirwan | Alessandro Troncon |
| Murrayfield Stadium | Edinburgh | SCO Ian McGeechan | Bryan Redpath |
| Millennium Stadium | Cardiff | NZL Steve Hansen | Colin Charvis/Martyn Williams |
Results
Round 1
Festuccia 19' c
Phillips 58' c
Shanklin 13' c
Peel 76' m
|}
Poitrenaud 66' m
Traille 80'
|}
Murphy 64' c
Humphreys 72' c
|}
Round 2
Pez 70'
Kelly 30' m
Humphreys 43' m
O'Driscoll 59' c
Murphy 72' c
|}
Poitrenaud 41' c
Traille 60' c
Rougerie 78' c
|}
Round 3
|}
Taylor 20' c
Paterson 75' c
Taylor 78' m
R. Williams 79' c
|}
Notes:
- Referee Pablo De Luca was injured during the match and replaced by touch judge Tony Spreadbury at half-time.
Thompson 8' c
Simpson-Daniel 11' c
Tindall 19' m
Luger 65' c
Dawson 67'
|}
Round 4
M. Williams 50' c
Thomas 61' c
|}
Cohen 49' c
Robinson (2) 63' c, 75' c
Paul Grayson 76'
|}
Mi. Bergamasco 61' m
Persico 64' c
Phillips 79' m
Traille (2) 14' c, 17' c
Rougerie (2) 20' c, 71' c
Michalak 34' c
Castaignède 40' c
|}
Round 5
Clerc 51' c
Michalak 66' c
|}
McLaren 13' m
Logan 35' c
Paterson 60' c
Pez 24' c
Palmer 66' c
|}
Tindall 57' c
Greenwood (2) 61' c, 76' m
Luger 79' c
Grayson 58'
|}
Red carpet incident
The deciding game between Ireland and England was overshadowed by an incident in the pre-game ceremonies in which the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, had to walk on the grass instead of the red carpet to meet the Irish team. England had lined up on the left-hand side when facing the tunnel, which was said to be Ireland's lucky side. When asked to move his team, England captain Martin Johnson refused, so Ireland lined up to the left of them, with no team now on the right hand side, leaving insufficient red carpet on that side. A day after the game the Irish Rugby Football Union sent a written apology to the president for the England team's failure to "follow established and communicated protocol", while the Rugby Football Union also sent her a "full and unreserved apology". Having dismissed it at the time as "a fuss about nothing", Johnson later explained ahead of meeting the president again in Ireland for the 2011 Championship that he had lined up on that side as it was customary to line up on the side you warmed up on, that he had no prior knowledge of the protocol, and his subsequent refusal to move was because the request came from some "random guy", rather than the match referee.