How many Six Nations trophies are there? Rugby championship 2022 titles - from Grand Slam to Doddie Weir Cup

Every year in the Six Nations Championship sees England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales compete to lift the biggest prize in Northern Hemisphere rugby.

However, there’s more than just the overall title to compete for with a host of different trophies being contested every single year - some that are over a century old!

In total there are nine trophies that are contested annually and here is everything you need to know about each:

The Six Nations Championship

The Six Nations Championship trophy is the main piece of silverware that all six teams are aiming to lift when the Championship begins each year.

The original Championship Trophy was first presented in 1993 to France, the winners of that year’s Five Nations Championship (as the competition was know before Italy joined in 2000).

In 2015 the trophy was replaced with the current model to better represent all six teams taking part.

The Grand Slam

The Grand Slam is the pinnacle of success in the Six Nations Championship and can also be won by any of the six teams taking part.

Only by beating every other team in the championship in the same year and finishing with a perfect five out of five victories does a team win the Grand Slam.

In many years there is no Grand Slam winner and, although there is no physical trophy to accompany the achievement, it is a prestigious title that turns a side from mere trophy winners into legends of the competition.

The Triple Crown

The Triple Crown is, in many ways, the original trophy of the multi team tournament which first started as the Home Nations Championship in 1883.

It is contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales and is won when one of those nations beats the other three in the same championship.

The current trophy has been awarded since 2006.

The Calcutta Cup

The Calcutta Cup is the very original trophy of the Six Nations that dates all the way back to 1879 and is contested every year between England and Scotland.

Each year the winning captain lifts a replica of the original trophy which is kept on public display in the Museum of Rugby in Twickenham due to its fragile state.

The trophy is of Indian craftsmanship and was created when the Calcutta Club disbanded and had their remaining funds, which were in the form of 270 Rupees, melted down and made into a cup which they presented to the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in 1870 under the provision that it should be competed for annually.

The Millennium Trophy

The Millennium Trophy is contested between Ireland and England, it was introduced in 1988.

Shaped like a viking helmet, it was brought about to mark Dublin's millennial celebrations.

England have won the trophy 20 times while current holders Ireland have won it 14 times.

The Centenary Quaich

The Centenary Quaich was first introduced in 1989 and is contested between Ireland and Scotland.

Ireland have won the trophy 18 times and are the current holders while Scotland have won it 14 times.

A quaich is a traditional shallow two-handled drinking cup or bowl in Gaelic cultures.

The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy

The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy is the only prize other than the Six Nations and Grand Slam that Italy compete for as they contest it with France annually.

It was first introduced in 2007 on the 200th anniversary of the birth of the man it is named after, a leader in the unification of Italy and volunteer in the French Republican Army.

The trophy was designed by former French international and professional sculptor Jean-Pierre Rives.

The Auld Alliance Trophy

The Auld Alliance Trophy is one of the two newest in the competition and was introduced in 2018 to be contested between Scotland and France.

It has significant meaning behind it, first being played for to mark the centenary of the end of World War I and to commemorate the French and Scottish rugby players who were killed during the conflict.

The captains of the two national sides in the last match played before the war, Scotland’s Eric Milroy and Marcel Burgun of France, both lost their lives in the conflict.

The name refers to the alliance made in 1295 between the kingdoms of Scotland and France against England.

The Doddie Weir Cup

The Doddie Weir Cup is the second of the new trophies and is contested between Wales and Scotland, it is named after former Scotland international Doddie Weir.

Weir, a beloved figure in world rugby, was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease (MND) in 2017 and has since raised millions for MND research through his My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.

The Melrose born lock won 61 caps for Scotland between 1990 and 2000 and celebrated his 51st birthday in July last year.

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