from Aford Awards...
With the Six Nations Championship finished again for another year and seeing England rise to victory, making them the current champions, with the ultimate triumph of a Grand Slam win, we look into the trophies that all the teams inspire to win. With more than one trophy and each team having their own history behind them we look at the meaning for what they represent to those who are victorious in in lifting them at the end of the championship.
The major trophies on offer
When it comes to the Six Nations Championship, there are appropriately six trophies that can be won by the various teams competing. Most of them are ones that can be won within the main competition, but which act as contests between pairs of teams, as opposed to all of them.
The most significant of all is of course the Championship Trophy, with which the winners are presented with at the end of the competition. This sterling silver trophy was first given out during the 1993 championship after being conceived by the Earl of Westmorland. It was made by a team of eight silversmiths from William Comyns, a London firm, based on a design by James Brent-War.
For the 2015 Championship, a new trophy was introduced because it was decided that the previous one only represented the nations from the Five Nations Championship, which now includes Italy. This new one was both designed and crafted by silversmiths in Thomas Lyte, an English luxury company.
After the Championship Trophy, the next one of most significance is probably the Triple Crown Trophy, which can be won by England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland when one nation wins all three of their matches against each other during the competition. It is something that has been featured for a while, but only came with an actual trophy since 2006 with the 2016 championship winners, England, having the honour of winning it this year.
The other trophies that can be won
The Six Nations Championship is noted for having several smaller competitions within the main one, meaning that there are quite a few trophies to be won by various teams. These happen when matches are won between two particular teams, which happen at different points during the lead-up to the actual final match. Although the Championship Trophy is the most important one that all the teams aim to win, there is no denying the merit that comes with the others.
The Calcutta Cup is a trophy that is awarded to the winner of the match between England and Scotland. It has been a fixture since 1879. It was crafted in India, explaining the cobra and elephant decorations on it, though it is extremely fragile due to years of mistreatment. England has been the holders of the trophy since 2009.
The Centenary Quaich is a trophy that has been awarded since 1989 and is given to the winner of the match between Scotland and Ireland. A quaich is a Celtic drinking vessel, taken from the Gaelic word cuach, which means cup. It is currently held by Ireland.
The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy is awarded to the winner of the match between France and Italy, having been in effect since 2007. It is in memory of Giuseppe Garibaldi (an Italian general, politician and nationalist) and was introduced as part of the celebrations of the bicentenary of his birth. This year being won by France after their 23 -21 win.
The Millennium Trophy is awarded to the winner of the match between England and Ireland. It is something that was introduced in 1988 to coincide with Dublin's millennial celebrations. It was donated by Digital and is designed in the shape of a horned Viking helmet. England currently holds the trophy, having won it a total of eighteen times.
There is such an extensive history behind the trophies
As you can see, the Six Nations Championship has a whole host of trophies to win within the main competition making each match even more exciting. No two trophies are the same for the Six Nations Championship, making them all unique in some way, with their own history and reason for conception.
Aford Awards are trophy and engraving specialists. We hope that you have enjoyed our recount of the history on the trophies available for the Six Nations Championship.
