The Six Nations is the finest international rugby tournament in the northern hemisphere. As a result, it has featured some of the greatest players to ever lace a pair of rugby boots. But, who has scored the most points in the history of the competition?
Well, the current leaderboard features some of the very best rugby players from the four Home Nations: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. But do you know which rugby player currently holds the Championship record?
Without further ado, here are the top 10 Six Nations point scorers of all time.
10. David Humphreys: 270 Points
At number 10 is David Humphreys. This legendary fly-half made his debut for Ireland at the 1996 Five Nations. In total, Humphreys scored 270 points for Ireland between the 1996 Five Nations and the 2005 Six Nations.
Humphreys’ exceptional kicking abilities saved Ireland at several Championships. In 1999, he kicked 19 points during Ireland’s 29-23 victory against Wales. Then, in 2000, he scored 14 points in their 44-22 triumph over Scotland. Finally, in 2003, he was responsible for scoring 26 points during Ireland’s 36-6 win against Scotland.
9. Gavin Hastings: 288 Points
Like Humphreys, Gavin Hastings made his debut at the Five Nations. The fullback earned his first cap at the 1986 Championship, when he finished the tournament as the top point scorer – he scored 53 points. Hastings also earned this accolade in 1988 (41 points) and 1993 (32 points).
In Hastings’ first appearance at the tournament, he scored all of Scotland’s points during their 18-17 win against France. Fast forward to 1995 and Hastings ended his Championship career in style. He scored 18 points in Scotland’s round three match against France. The Scots ultimately won the match 23-21.
8. Chris Paterson: 403 Points
Chris Paterson is Scotland’s Six Nations top points scorer of all time. He scored 403 points at the Six Nations between 2000 and 2011, a figure that puts him 115 points ahead of fellow countryman, Gavin Hastings.
Paterson scored his first points for Scotland at the 2000 Championship: he converted one try and scored two penalties during their 16-28 loss against France. Over the next decade, he became one of the game’s most formidable kickers.
In 2006, Paterson played a crucial role in Scotland’s third-place finish – their best result in the current format. Then, in 2007, he scored all of Scotland’s points in their 21-9 win against Wales.
7. Neil Jenkins: 406 Points
Neil Jenkins debuted for Wales at the 1991 Five Nations. He then went on to score 406 Championship points between 1991 and 2001.
In 1994, Jenkins scored 48 of Wales’ 78 points. This not only made him the tournament’s top point scorer, but his kicking abilities also helped Wales claim their 22nd Championship title. Five years later, in 1999, Jenkins topped the leaderboard once more with 64 points.
This was also the year that Jenkins was responsible for one of the most dramatic moments in Six Nations history. His last-minute conversion not only secured Wales’ 32-31 win against England, it denied their opponents the Championship title and the Grand Slam!
6. Leigh Halfpenny: 424 Points
At number six is another giant of Wales rugby: Leigh Halfpenny. The fullback made his first Six Nations appearances in 2009 and he scored two tries at the tournament.
Halfpenny was the top points scorer at the Six Nations on two occasions: 2012 and 2013. In the first, he scored 66 points and in the second, he secured 74. In both tournaments, Halfpenny was pivotal to Wales’ Championship wins.
In 2012, Halfpenny’s last-gasp penalty gave Wales the win over Ireland. He also scored 22 of Wales’ 27 points against Scotland, 14 against England and 11 against France. The following year, Halfpenny was named Man of the Match twice (against France and Italy), and he was voted Player of the Tournament.
5. Stephen Jones: 467 Points
Stephen Jones currently holds the record as Wales’ highest all time Six Nations points scorer. He scored his first points at the tournament in 2000 and ended his career with 467 Six Nations points in 2011.
Jones’ greatest Six Nations occurred in 2004, 2005 and 2008. In 2004, he finished the tournament as the top point scorer with 55 points. Then, in 2005 and 2008, he won the Grand Slam.
Additionally, Jones was the most talked about rugby player of 2009. After four stellar appearances, he scored all of Wales’ points during their final game against Ireland. Unfortunately, Jones missed just one kick: his final 50-yard penalty. As a result, Ireland won the match 17-15 and captured the Grand Slam.
4. Owen Farrell: 528 Points
At number four is England fly-half Owen Farrell. He received his first Six Nations call-up in 2012, when he was the youngest player in the England squad. He quickly proved his worth and helped the team to victories against Scotland, Italy, France and Ireland.
Since then, Farrell has delivered a series of near-faultless campaigns. He won his first Grand Slam in 2016 and was the sole captain of England for the first time at the 2019 tournament.
His highlights in the competition so far include scoring seven points during England’s historic 20-0 win against Scotland in 2014, as well as 26 points during their 61-21 victory over the Scots in 2017. Additionally, Farrell was also the top point scorer in 2016 (69 points) and 2019 (59 points).
3. Jonny Wilkinson: 546 Points
Although he retired from international duty in 2011, Jonny Wilkinson remains England’s Six Nations top points scorer. In total, he scored 546 Championship points between 1999 and 2011.
Wilkinson proved his prowess as a goal-kicker from the off. After a stellar debut campaign in 1999, he scored 75 points during the 2000 Six Nations. In doing so, he finished as the tournament’s top point scorer. On top of this, his points helped England claim the inaugural Six Nations Championship.
One year later, Wilkinson retained the Six Nations title. He also set a Six Nations record by scoring 35 points in one match: England’s historic 80-23 triumph over Italy.
Wilkinson’s illustrious career included numerous Six Nations accolades. In addition to 2000, he was the top point scorer in 2001 (89 points), 2003 (77 points) and 2008 (50 points). He also won the Grand Slam in 2003.
2. Ronan O’Gara: 557 Points
In second place is Irish centurion Ronan O’Gara, who scored 557 Six Nations points across his career. O’Gara scored his first 60 points during the 2000 Six Nations, when he won his first international test against Scotland.
Four years later, O’Gara was the top point scorer of the 2005 Championship with 60 points. He continued his reign in 2006 and 2007, with 72 and 82 points. In the latter, O’Gara was also the tournament’s top try scorer and he scored all of Ireland’s points in their 19-18 win over Scotland.
In 2009, O’Gara claimed his fourth title as the top point scorer. His 51 points included his winning drop-goal against Wales, which secured Ireland’s second ever Grand Slam and their first since 1948.
1. Johnny Sexton: 566 Points
Ireland’s Johnny Sexton is officially the Six Nations all time top points scorer. Sexton made his Six Nations debut in 2010 and he was an influential player at the tournament until his retirement in 2023.
Sexton first topped the Six Nations leaderboard in 2014. With 66 points and four tries, he was the top point and try scorer of the tournament. His greatest performance came in Ireland’s 22-20 victory against France; Sexton scored a brace of tries, two conversions and a penalty as Ireland claimed the title.
Four years later, Sexton scored all of Ireland’s points against France (including a winning drop goal in the 83rd minute) and achieved his first Grand Slam. Then, in 2021, he was the top point scorer once again with 65 points. Finally, in 2023, he captained Ireland to the fourth Grand Slam in their history. In his final game in the tournament before retirement, he passed Ronan O’Gara’s point-scoring record.
Who is your favourite Six Nations point scorer of all time? And who do you think has the potential to topple Johnny Sexton? Comment below to let us know.
