The Home Nations Championship was played in all but five years (1885, 1888, 1889, 1897 and 1898) from 1883 until 1909, before adding France to the tournament roster to become the Five Nations.

Since the Home Nations championship began in 1883, with France joining in 1910 and Italy in 2000, there have been just 42 clean sweeps, starting with Wales' success in 1908.