in
Newcastle, Northern Ireland; Ireland is represented by the flag of the
Irish Rugby Football Union In 1883, the first
Home Nations Championship was played between
England,
Ireland,
Scotland and
Wales. At this point in its history, the competition contained only teams from the UK. In 1910,
France officially joined the competition and it was renamed the Five Nations Championship. Despite the
partition of Ireland and the secession of what later became the
Republic of Ireland from the United Kingdom, the island of
Ireland still fields a single team and is referred to as a
Home Nation in the context of rugby union. When France was expelled from the international championship in 1932, the tournament reverted to being known simply as the Home Nations tournament until the readmission of France immediately after the 1939 tournament, just before World War II caused its suspension until 1947. Since the admission of
Italy in 2000, the tournament has been known by its current name, the
Six Nations Championship. Victories by any Home Nation over the other three in one Championship season is a
Triple Crown. The Home Nations also contribute players to a unified team known as the
British and Irish Lions. Southern Hemisphere teams who beat all four home nations in one tour are said to have a
Grand Slam Tour. ==See also==