A round-up of today's other stories in brief

Not a pretty record

In the 2004 championship, Scotland had lost to France, quite honourably as it happens, before slumping to a 40-13 defeat to Ireland. By the third round of the tournament, the match between Scotland and Italy was already being touted as the wooden-spoon decider. Poor old Matt Williams. And so history was made as the big Italian pack did their stuff to win 20-14 in Stadio Flamino and consign Scotland to their worst championship in the professional era, ergo their worst placing ever.

For most of the 10 years Scotland have been operating below the "respectable" line, ie, at or below third place (see graph right). Winning the championship in 1999 with three victories from four matches has been their best result since pay-for-play was introduced, but after 1999 precious few years have yielded an above-the-line result, and 2004 was truly miserable when they ended below Italy in the table. Not quite as bad as Wales, but not a pretty graph.

Silver dish served up

The Triple Crown, the genesis of which some people believe is inherently racist as it has always excluded a French team that has been part of the competition since 1906, has now become even more official than ever. The RBS, who have agreed a four-year extension to their contract with the Six Nations, have commissioned a silver dish to be presented to either Ireland, England, Scotland or Wales during this season's tournament.

England and Scotland played the first rugby union international, before Wales and Ireland joined battle in the 1880s, and the Home International Championships began. England and Scotland were the most successful teams in the early days, but by the mid-1890s the Welsh had developed an impressive side and a new system that would alter the face of the game.

This "four three-quarter" system came into its own in 1893 when Wales became champions for the first time, winning rugby's "invisible trophy", the Triple Crown. Incredibly, since then there has never been a permanent prize until this season.

Hodgson hits a nerve

England outhalf Charlie Hodgson knows how to warm up a Six Nations Championship, although it sounds as though he's been listening to Roy Keane. Twickenham, the home of English rugby is "weird", according to Hodgson. Sometimes, though, you just gotta get it out.

"It's our home crowd and 60,000 people are meant to be supporting England, but it often feels like you're being abused by them," observed the international. "I find that very strange. Of course spectators are entitled to their opinion, but the amount of groans that come out of that place is unbelievable.

"It seems as if more and more people are there on corporate deals. The true fans aren't getting tickets and the people you get at Twickenham are often drinking, watching in silence and then becoming abusive when one or two things go wrong.

"I'd actually rather play at the Millennium Stadium - even when I'm getting stick from the Welsh fans." Where are they now?

Kurt McQuilken. In January, 1996, Ireland, under the guidance of Murray Kidd, made a decision to travel to the US for warm-weather training prior to the Five Nations Championship. In Atlanta, it didn't stop raining, but despite that the match went ahead on an unplayable pitch, and Kidd introduced two new faces, backrow Victor Costello and centre Kurt McQuilken. The Bective Rangers player was a New Zealand provincial player whose father, Noel, was the Bective Rangers coach. McQuilken subsequently became an IRFU development officer and moved to Lansdowne RFC.

McQuilken went on to play against Scotland and France in the 1996 Five Nations Championship, and also lined out the following year against Scotland. By then, names such as Rob Henderson, Kevin Maggs and Mark McCall were coming on the scene, and with four caps McQuilken's time was up.

McQuilken is now coaching at the club where the manager, who gave him his first Irish cap, came from, New Zealand NPC team Kings Country.

Old ones are the best

"Every time I went to tackle him, Horrocks went one way, Taylor went the other, and all I got was the bloody hyphen."

- Mick English on trying to tackle Phil Horrocks-Taylor, a story also told on occasion by none other than former Ireland and Lion player Sir Anthony O'Reilly.

"The relationship between the Welsh and the English is based on trust and understanding. They don't trust us and we don't understand them."

- Former RFU supremo Dudley Wood.