the 1982 five nations championship was the fifty-third series of the rugby union five nations championship. including the previous incarnations as the home nations and five nations, this was the eighty-eighth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. ten matches were played between 16 january and 20 march. the winner of the championship was ireland, with three wins and one defeat. it was the team's ninth title (excluding seven previous other titles which were shared). ireland also won the triple crown, its fifth such honour, its first since 1949 and last one until 1985. the team's only defeat came on the final day of the competition, losing 22-9 to france in paris, denying the irish what would have been only their second ever grand slam.