Scotland’s Six Nations history dates back to the first Home Nations Championship in 1883. The original tournament was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. With the addition of France in 1910, the tournament became the Five Nations (France were then expelled in 1931 but rejoined once more in 1947). Then, when Italy joined in 2000, the tournament became known as the Six Nations.
Alongside Ireland and Wales, Scotland have contested every Home, Five and Six Nations Championship. To date, the Scotland Six Nations squad has recorded 14 outright titles and eight shared wins.
Scotland’s first Home Nations win came in 1886, when they shared the title with England. Just one year later, the Scotland rugby team celebrated their first outright Championship win.
In addition, Scotland’s Six Nation titles include three Grand Slams; they secured their first Grand Slam in 1925, their second in 1984 and their third in 1990. On top of this, Scotland’s rugby Six Nations record includes 10 Triple Crowns, half of which they secured during the original Home Nations (1883-1909, 1932-1939).
Scotland at the Rugby World Cup
Scotland’s Rugby World Cup record extends back to 1987, when the inaugural tournament was held. Since then, the Scotland national rugby union team has competed in every Rugby World Cup.
Scotland’s best Rugby World Cup result occurred in 1991, when the team finished fourth. After soaring to the top of their pool, they defeated Western Samoa in the quarter-finals before falling to England at the semi-final stage. They then battled New Zealand in the third-place play-off. Although they delivered an excellent performance, Scotland were no match for the reigning champions and the game ended 13-6.
Aside from 1991, Scotland’s Rugby World Cup campaigns have been moderately successful. They achieved quarter-final finishes in 1987, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015. However, they exited during the pool stage in 2011, 2019 and 2023.