THE 5 MOST MEMORABLE TRIES IN THE HISTORY OF THE TOURNAMENT

1 Philippe Saint-Andre France v England Twickenham, March 1991

The best try ever scored? Probably. In the 1991 Grand Slam match - winner take all, no messing about - the French were uncomfortably aware that their only hope of victory lay on the road of imaginative excess. When the moment came, they banded together to create one of the sporting moments of a lifetime: Serge Blanco's audacity behind his own posts, Philippe Sella's sublime pass, Didier Camberabero's chip-gather-crosskick routine, Saint-Andre's predatory finish. It did not win them the match - England's forwards were too strong - but it won them a whole new audience.

2Tony Stanger

Scotland v England,

Murrayfield, March 1990

These days, one of the new breed of "television match officials" - otherwise known as video refs - might enrage a Scot or three by giving the thumbs- down to a try like this one, scored early in the second half of the Grand Slam match in Edinburgh 15 years ago. To English eyes, Stanger grounded the ball on his own leg, rather than on the terra firma stipulated in the regulations. There again, Mike Teague should not have fumbled the ball at the base of the red rose scrum, thereby allowing John Jeffrey, Gary Armstrong and Gavin Hastings to launch the decisive attack.

3 Mauro Bergamasco

Italy v Scotland,

Murrayfield, March 2001

Six Nations aficionados wondered about Italy. Yes, they were strong up front; yes, they worked harder in adversity than any team in Christendom. But could they score tries from more than 10 metres? Could they run, as well as wrestle? The 21-year-old Bergamasco - a flanker, remember, not a wing - supplied the answers during a furious contest in Edinburgh, receiving the ball deep in his own territory, leaving Gregor Townsend for dead and sprinting clear of half a dozen other would-be tacklers for the solo try to end them all.

4 Rory Underwood

England v Scotland,

Twickenham, March 1993

Stuart Barnes, the people's choice as England's outside-half if not the selectors' preferred option, was finally given his head in this Calcutta Cup match - an important fixture for the red rose army, given their unexpected defeat in Cardiff in the previous round of games. "There's no way you'll find me walking off at the final whistle saying `I didn't do anything wrong', as some have done," promised Barnes, and he was true to his word, opening up the Scottish midfield to free his Bath clubmate, Jeremy Guscott, who fed Underwood for the try of the season.

5 Scott Gibbs

Wales v England,

Wembley, April 1999

Another English cock-up, another Slam that got away. England had played all the rugby, yet their bovine stupidity had allowed Neil Jenkins to keep the Welsh in it with regular swings of his peerless right boot. Lawrence Dallaglio declined a penalty shot at goal at the death - a decision that allowed Wales one last shot at a smash-and-grab raid. Down the field they streamed, feeding Gibbs off a close-range line-out and punching the air with joy as the spherical centre rolled through five tackles to complete the winning score.