The
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...
is an international
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
competition established in 1987. It is contested by the
men's national teams of the member unions of the sport's governing body,
World Rugby
World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...
, and takes place every four years. The winners of the
first final were
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, who beat
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. South Africa are the latest winners, having won the
2019 Rugby World Cup
The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...
in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
The Rugby World Cup final is the last match of the competition. The winning team is declared world champion and receives the
Webb Ellis Cup
The Webb Ellis Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of the men's Rugby World Cup, the premier competition in men's international rugby union. The Cup is named after William Webb Ellis, who is often credited as being the inventor of rugby footba ...
. If the score is a
draw
Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to:
Common uses
* Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them
* Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...
after 80 minutes of regular play, an additional 20-minute period of play, called
extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
, is added. If the score remains tied, an additional 10 minutes of
sudden-death extra time are played, with the first team to score points immediately declared the winner. If no team is able to break the tie during extra time, the winner is ultimately decided by a
penalty shootout
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
. Two of the eight finals contested have gone to extra time:
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
's victory against New Zealand in the
1995 final, and
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
's triumph against Australia in the
2003 final.
New Zealand and South Africa are the most successful teams in the history of the tournament, with three wins each. New Zealand is the only team to have won consecutive tournaments, with their victories in the
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
and
2015 Rugby World Cup
The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was onl ...
. Australia have won the competition twice, while England have one win; they are the only nation from the Northern Hemisphere to have won the competition. France are the only team to appear in a final without ever winning one, losing all three finals they have contested.
History
The first final of the Rugby World Cup was contested in June 1987, in Auckland, between New Zealand and France. The host team opened the scoring in the 14th minute, following a
drop goal
A drop goal, field goal, or dropped goal is a method of scoring points in rugby union and rugby league and also, rarely, in American football and Canadian football.
A drop goal is scored by drop kicking the ball (dropping the ball and then kicki ...
by
fly-half
In the game of rugby union, there are 15 players on each team, comprising eight forwards (wearing jerseys numbered 1–8) and seven backs (numbered 9–15). In addition, there may be up to eight replacement players "on the bench", numbered 16– ...
Grant Fox
Grant James Fox (born 16 June 1962) is a former rugby union player from New Zealand. He was a member of the All Blacks team that won the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. He is also the father of professional golfer, Ryan Fox.
Playing career ...
. They extended their lead later in the first half when
Michael Jones scored a
try
Try or TRY may refer to:
Music Albums
* ''Try!'', an album by the John Mayer Trio
* ''Try'' (Bebo Norman album) (2014) Songs
* "Try" (Blue Rodeo song) (1987)
* "Try" (Colbie Caillat song) (2014)
* "Try" (Nelly Furtado song) (2004)
* " Try (Ju ...
, which was
converted by Fox. Losing 9–0 at half-time, the French opened their scoring in the second half, through a
penalty
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
* Penalty kick (association football)
* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
* Penalty ...
by
Didier Camberabero
Didier Camberabero (born 9 January 1961), is a former French international rugby union player. He played as fly half.
Biography
Camberabero is a son of the former international, Guy Camberabero, and the nephew of Lilian Camberabero, two brothe ...
. Following this, New Zealand controlled the match and tries from
David Kirk
David Edward Kirk (born 5 October 1960) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He is best known for having been the captain of the All Blacks when they won the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987.
Early years
Kirk was born in Wellington and ...
,
John Kirwan and the goal kicking of Fox extended their lead to 29–3. A try by
Pierre Berbizier
Pierre Berbizier (born 17 June 1958) is a French former rugby union footballer and a current coach. His usual position was at scrum-half. He played 56 times for France.
Biography
Berbizier was born in Saint-Gaudens. He made his international deb ...
in the final minutes, which was converted by Camberabero, reduced the deficit to 29–9, as New Zealand won the tournament's inaugural final.
As the hosts, England reached the
final of the 1991 tournament at
Twickenham
Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...
, where they faced Australia. Fly-half
Michael Lynagh
Michael Patrick Thomas Lynagh, AM (born 25 October 1963) is an Australian former rugby union player who played mainly as a fly-half.
Lynagh represented Australia from 1984 to 1995, playing at both inside centre and fly half. Lynagh was capped ...
opened the scoring for Australia with a penalty in the 27th minute. They extended their lead before half-time when
prop
A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...
Tony Daly
Tony Daly (born 7 March 1966 in West Pymble, Australia) is a former Australian rugby union footballer who represented Australia in 41 Test matches. He played for Eastern Suburbs, Gordon, Randwick, Manly, Brothers and Saracens at prop. He rep ...
scored a try, which was converted by Lynagh. England scored two penalties in the second half, courtesy of full-back
Jonathan Webb
Jonathan Mark Webb (born 24 August 1963 in London, England) is a specialist knee surgeon and former English rugby union fullback. Webb played for the England national team from 1987 to 1993, reaching the 1991 World Cup Final and winning two F ...
, but a further penalty by Lynagh sealed Australia's victory at 12–6.
The tournament hosts reached the final again in 1995, as South Africa faced New Zealand in Johannesburg. Fly-half
Andrew Mehrtens
Andrew Philip Mehrtens (born 28 April 1973) is a New Zealand former rugby union player. He was regarded as a top first five-eighth, having played first for Canterbury in 1993, before being selected for the All Blacks (New Zealand's national te ...
opened the scoring for New Zealand in the 6th minute after scoring a penalty. His opposite number,
Joel Stransky
Joel Theodore Stransky (born 16 July 1967) is a South African former rugby union player. A fly-half, he is known for scoring all of South Africa's points, including the winning drop goal, against New Zealand in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final.
...
, levelled the score five minutes later. The pair swapped successful penalty attempts before Stransky gave South Africa a 9–6 lead with a 32nd-minute drop goal just before half-time. New Zealand equalized in the 55th minute with a drop goal by Mehrtens, and as no further points were scored, the final went into
extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
for the first time. Mehrtens converted a penalty to put New Zealand back the lead, but Stransky replied minutes later. With seven minutes to the end of extra time, Stransky scored a drop goal to secure a 15–12 victory for South Africa.
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...
, the South African President, wearing a Springboks jersey, presented the
Webb Ellis Cup
The Webb Ellis Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of the men's Rugby World Cup, the premier competition in men's international rugby union. The Cup is named after William Webb Ellis, who is often credited as being the inventor of rugby footba ...
to South Africa captain
Francois Pienaar
Jacobus Francois Pienaar (born 2 January 1967) is a retired South African rugby union player. He played flanker for South Africa (the Springboks) from 1993 until 1996, winning 29 international caps, all of them as captain. He is best known for ...
.
![RWC 2011 final FRA - NZL Trinh-Duc and C Smith](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/RWC_2011_final_FRA_-_NZL_Trinh-Duc_and_C_Smith.jpg)
The
1999 final saw Australia face France at the
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...
in Cardiff. Two tries by
Owen Finegan
Owen Finegan (born 22 April 1972, in Sydney) is an Australian former rugby union player who played as a flanker or lock, for the Australian national team. Finegan is currently the CEO of The Kids' Cancer Project Australia.
He was a key perfor ...
and
Ben Tune
Ben Tune (born 28 December 1976) is a former Australian rugby union player. He played most of his rugby career on the wing but later switched to outside centre.
Early career
Tune was born in Brisbane and educated at St Paul's School, Bald Hill ...
, and seven penalties by
Matt Burke contributed to Australia's 35–12 win, as they became the first nation to win the Rugby World Cup twice.
Australia also became the first side to contest successive finals when they faced England in the
2003 final at the
Telstra Stadium
Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park, in Sydney, Australia. The stadium, which in Australia is sometimes referred to as Sydney Olympic Stadi ...
in Sydney. The hosts opened the scoring in the sixth minute through a
Lote Tuqiri
Lote Daulako Tuqiri (born 23 September 1979) is a former professional dual-code rugby footballer who primarily played as a winger across both codes. He represented Australia in both rugby league and rugby union, and Fiji in rugby league. Tuqi ...
try. England responded and scored three penalties by fly-half
Jonny Wilkinson
Jonathan Peter Wilkinson, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 25 May 1979) is an English former rugby union player. A Fly-half (rugby union), fly-half, he played for Newcastle Falcons and RC Toulonnais, Toulon and represente ...
and a try by
winger Jason Robinson to achieve a 14–5 lead at half-time. Three penalties from
Elton Flatley
Elton Flatley (born 7 May 1977, Tamworth, New South Wales) is a former Australian international rugby union footballer. He played for the Queensland Reds.
Career
Flatley was educated at St. Joseph's Nudgee College where he was signed into the ...
in the second half allowed Australia to level the score and send the final into extra time. Wilkinson and Flatley scored a penalty apiece before the former scored a drop goal in the last minute of the match to give England a 20–17 victory. They became the first side from the Northern hemisphere to win the tournament.
England reached
the final again in 2007, where they faced South Africa, who had won 36–0 when the two teams met during the
pool stage. South African full-back
Percy Montgomery
Percival Colin Montgomery OIS (born 15 March 1974) is a South African former professional rugby union player. When he ended his international career in August 2008, he held the all-time records for both caps and points for South Africa's nati ...
scored three penalties to Wilkinson's one to give South Africa a 9–3 lead at half-time. England had a try disallowed in the first minutes of the second half, when
Mark Cueto
Mark John Cueto (born 26 December 1979 in Workington, Cumbria) is a former English international rugby union player. He played on the wing for Sale Sharks and England. He is currently the third leading try scorer in the Aviva Premiership.
O ...
was adjudged to be in touch before scoring. A penalty from Wilkinson and a further two penalties, one from Montgomery, and one from Steyn reduced the gap but did not prevent South Africa from winning 15–6 and secure their second World Cup victory. The
2011 final pitted hosts New Zealand against France for the second time in the tournament, after their first encounter in the
pool stage resulted in a 37–17 win for New Zealand. The host team scored the first points of the match, with a try in the 15th minute through prop
Tony Woodcock. Nine minutes later, New Zealand's third-choice fly-half
Aaron Cruden
Aaron Wiremu Cruden (born 8 January 1989) is a New Zealand rugby union player, who plays for Chiefs and formerly Montpellier, Manawatu and New Zealand internationally. Cruden's usual position is first five-eighth (fly half).
Early life
Crud ...
went off injured and was replaced by
Stephen Donald
Stephen Rex Donald (born 3 December 1983) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays for the NEC Green Rockets in the Japanese Top League. A first five-eighth or centre, he has won 24 international caps for New Zealand. Nicknamed 'B ...
, who had only been called into the squad following injuries to first-choice fly-halves
Dan Carter
Daniel William Carter (born 5 March 1982) is a retired New Zealand rugby union player.
Carter played for Crusaders (Super Rugby) in New Zealand and played for New Zealand's national team, the All Blacks. He is the highest point scorer in ...
and
Colin Slade
Colin Richard Slade (born 10 October 1987) is a retired New Zealand professional rugby union player. He played primarily at first five-eighth, as well as all other backline positions on occasions. He was first selected for the All Blacks in 200 ...
. Donald extended New Zealand's lead in the second half with a penalty; a minute later, French captain
Thierry Dusautoir
Thierry Dusautoir (; born 18 November 1981) is a French former rugby union player who last played for France at international level and Toulouse in the French Top 14 club competition. Dusautoir was considered a strong ball carrier and possessed i ...
scored a try, which was converted by
François Trinh-Duc
François Trinh-Duc (; born 11 November 1986) is a French rugby union player for Union Bordeaux Bègles in France's top division of rugby union, the Top 14. Trinh-Duc's regular position is at fly-half or inside centre.
Biography
Trinh-Duc was b ...
to leave France one point behind New Zealand. Despite constant pressure from the French for the remainder of the final, they were unable to score more points and New Zealand won the match 8–7 to lift their second World Cup trophy.
New Zealand reached the final again in
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
, where they faced Australia at
Twickenham
Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...
. Tries from
Nehe Milner-Skudder
Nehe Rihara Milner-Skudder (born 15 December 1990) is a New Zealand rugby union player who currently plays for the Rugby New York.
He was selected for the All Blacks in 2015, and was a key member of 2015 Rugby World Cup winning team. He scored ...
,
Ma'a Nonu
Ma'a Allan Nonu (; born 21 May 1982) is a professional rugby union player from New Zealand who currently plays for the San Diego Legion in Major League Rugby (MLR). He plays in the inside centre, but can also cover outside centre and wing.
H ...
and
Beauden Barrett
Beauden John Barrett (born 27 May 1991) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays as a Fly-half (rugby union), First five-eighth (fly-half) and Fullback (rugby union), fullback for Taranaki Rugby Football Union, Taranaki in the Mitre 10 Cu ...
, along with four penalties, two conversions and one drop goal from fly-half Dan Carter produced a 34–17 win for New Zealand. With this victory, they became the first team to win the World Cup three times and the first holders to retain the trophy. It was also the first time that New Zealand won the competition outside of their country.
Finals
* The "Year" column refers to the year the Rugby World Cup was held, and
wikilink
In computing, a hyperlink, or simply a link, is a digital reference to Data (computing), data that the user (computing), user can follow or be guided by point and click, clicking or touchscreen, tapping. A hyperlink points to a whole document ...
s to the article about that tournament.
* Links in the "Winners" and "Runners-up" columns point to the articles for the national rugby teams of the countries, not the articles for the countries.
* The wikilinks in the "Final score" column point to the article about that tournament's final game.
Results by nation
See also
*
Women's Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is the women's rugby union world championship which is organised by World Rugby. The first Rugby World Cup for women was held in 1991, but it was not until the 1998 tournament that the tournament received official backing ...
Notes
A. Prior to 1992, a try was worth four points.
B. Score was 9–9 after 80 minutes.
C. Score was 14–14 after 80 minutes.
References
{{featured list
Rugby World Cup