<P> On 30 November 2016, the 6 Nations Committee announced that the bonus point system will be trialled for the 2017 Championship . The system will be similar to the one used in most rugby championships (0 points for a loss, 2 for a draw, 4 for a win, 1 for scoring four or more tries in match, and 1 for losing by 7 points or fewer), with the only difference being that a Grand Slam winner will be given 3 extra points to ensure they finish top of the table . A review on how well the system worked will take place following the tournament . </P> <P> If a team wins all its games, they are said to have won a' Grand Slam' . Victory by any Home Nation over the other three Home Nations is a' Triple Crown' . Although this achievement has long been a feature of the tournament, it was not until 2006 that a physical Triple Crown trophy was awarded . </P> <P> Also, the team that finishes at the bottom of the league table is said to have "won" the Wooden Spoon, although no actual trophy is given to the team . A team which has lost all five matches is said to have been whitewashed . Since the inaugural Six Nations tournament in 2000, only England and Ireland have avoided the Wooden Spoon award . Italy are the holders of the most Wooden Spoon awards in the Six Nations era with eleven, and have been whitewashed six times . However, each of the other five nations has accumulated more than that through competing in previous eras . </P> <P> Several individual competitions take place under the umbrella of the tournament . The oldest such regular competition is for the Calcutta Cup, contested annually between England and Scotland since 1879 . It is named the Calcutta Cup as it is made from melted - down Indian Rupees donated by the Calcutta Club . Since 1988, the Millennium Trophy has been awarded to the winner of the game between England and Ireland, and since 1989 the Centenary Quaich has been awarded to the winner of the game between Ireland and Scotland . Since 2007, France and Italy have contested the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy; it was created for the 200th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italian hero who helped unify Italy and volunteered in the French Republican Army against Prussia . </P>

When did italy join the 5 nations rugby