Records and statistics of the Rugby World Cup

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rugby World Cup records have been accumulating since the first Rugby World Cup tournament was held in 1987.

Team records

Titles

More information Titles, Team ...
Most titles won
TitlesTeamTournaments
4  South Africa1995, 2007, 2019, 2023
3  New Zealand1987, 2011, 2015
2  Australia1991, 1999
1  England2003
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Title win rate

More information Win rate, Team ...
Win rate
Win rateTeam
50%  South Africa
30%  New Zealand
20%  Australia
10%  England
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Most semi-finals

More information App, Team ...
Most semi-finals
AppTeamTournaments
9  New Zealand1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
6  Australia1987, 1991, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2015
 England1991, 1995, 2003, 2007, 2019, 2023
 France1987, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011
 South Africa1995, 1999, 2007, 2015, 2019, 2023
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Most quarter-finals

More information App, Team ...
Most quarter-finals
AppTeamTournaments
10  New Zealand1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
 France1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
9  Australia1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019
 England1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2019, 2023
8  Ireland1987, 1991, 1995, 2003, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
 South Africa1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023
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Most appearances

More information App, Team(s) ...
Most appearances
AppTeam(s)
10  Argentina,  Australia,  England,  France,  Ireland,  Italy,  Japan,  New Zealand,  Scotland,  Wales
9  Canada,  Fiji,  Romania,  Samoa,  Tonga
8  South Africa,  United States
7  Namibia
6  Georgia
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Points

More information Pool Points, Team ...
Most overall pool points by a team[1]
Pool PointsTeamPldWDLPFPAPDW%TBLB
238  New Zealand6454192,888842+2,04684.38200
186  South Africa5042081,720641+1,07984.00162
156  Australia57440131,887845+1,04277.19152
153  England58421151,790822+96872.41121
147  France58402161,8231,027+79668.97133
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Last updated: 28 October 2023

More information Points, Team ...
Most points by a team in a single match[2]
PointsTeamOpponentScoreDate
145  New Zealand Japan145–174 June 1995
142  Australia Namibia142–024 October 2003
111  England Uruguay111–132 November 2003
108  New Zealand Portugal108–1315 September 2007
101  New Zealand Italy101–314 October 1999
 England Tonga101–1015 October 1999
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Margins

More information Margin, Team ...
Biggest winning margins[3]
MarginTeamOpponentScoreDate
142  Australia Namibia142–024 October 2003
128  New Zealand Japan145–174 June 1995
98  New Zealand Italy101–314 October 1999
 England Uruguay111–132 November 2003
96  France Namibia96–021 September 2023
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Tries

More information Tries, Team ...
Most tries by a team in a single match[4]
TriesTeamOpponentScoreDate
22  Australia Namibia142–024 October 2003
21  New Zealand Japan145–174 June 1995
17  England Uruguay111–132 November 2003
16  New Zealand Portugal108–1315 September 2007
14  New Zealand Italy101–314 October 1999
 France Namibia96–021 September 2023
 New Zealand Italy96–1729 September 2023
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Player records

Points

Jonny Wilkinson holds the record for the most points scored (277), most penalties (58) & most drop goals (14) in Rugby World Cups.
More information Points, Name ...
Most overall points[5]
PointsNameTeamApp.TriesCon.Pen.DropTournaments
277 Jonny Wilkinson  England 191285814 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011
227 Gavin Hastings  Scotland 13939360 1987, 1991, 1995
195 Handré Pollard  South Africa 17024463 2015, 2019, 2023
Michael Lynagh  Australia 15436332 1987, 1991, 1995
191 Dan Carter  New Zealand 15358173 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015
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Key: App = Appearances. Con = conversions. Pen = penalties. Drop = drop goals.
More information Points, Name ...
Most points in one tournament[6]
PointsNameTeamTournament
126 Grant Fox New Zealand 1987
113 Jonny Wilkinson England 2003
112 Thierry Lacroix France 1995
105 Percy Montgomery South Africa 2007
104 Gavin Hastings Scotland 1995
Close
More information Points, Name ...
Most points in a match by a player[7]
PointsNameTeamOpponentDate
45 Simon Culhane New Zealand Japan4 June 1995
44 Gavin Hastings Scotland Ivory Coast26 May 1995
42 Mat Rogers Australia Namibia25 October 2003
36 Tony Brown New Zealand Italy14 October 1999
Paul Grayson England Tonga15 October 1999
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Tries

Habana Bryan
Jonah Lomu
Bryan Habana & Jonah Lomu share the record for the most tries (15) in Rugby World Cups, and share the record for most tries in a single World Cup tournament (8) with Julian Savea and Will Jordan (below) for the men. However Portia Woodman-Wickliffe has scored the most tries in the world in one game at 13 tries in the Women's Rugby World Cup 2017 for the Black Ferns.
Julian Savea scored a joint record eight tries in New Zealand's progress to the 2015 final, including two hat-tricks
Will Jordan
More information Tries, Name ...
Most overall tries[8]
TriesNameTeamTournaments
15 Jonah Lomu New Zealand1995–1999
Bryan Habana South Africa2007–2015
14 Drew Mitchell Australia2007–2015
13 Doug Howlett New Zealand2003–2007
12 Adam Ashley-Cooper Australia2007–2019
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More information Tries, Name ...
Most tries in one tournament[9]
TriesNameTeamTournament
8 Jonah Lomu New Zealand 1999
Bryan Habana South Africa 2007
Julian Savea New Zealand 2015
Will Jordan  New Zealand 2023
7 Marc Ellis New Zealand 1995
Jonah Lomu New Zealand 1995
Doug Howlett New Zealand 2003
Mils Muliaina New Zealand 2003
Drew Mitchell Australia 2007
Josh Adams Wales 2019
Close
More information Tries, Name ...
Most tries in a match by a player[10]
TriesNameTeamOpponentDate
6 Marc Ellis New Zealand Japan4 June 1995
5 Chris Latham Australia Namibia25 October 2003
Josh Lewsey England Uruguay2 November 2003
Henry Arundell England Chile23 September 2023
4 John Gallagher New Zealand Fiji27 May 1987
Craig Green New Zealand Fiji27 May 1987
Ieuan Evans Wales Canada3 June 1987
Brian Robinson Ireland Zimbabwe6 October 1991
Gavin Hastings Scotland Ivory Coast26 May 1995
Chester Williams South Africa Samoa10 June 1995
Jonah Lomu New Zealand England18 June 1995
Keith Wood Ireland United States2 October 1999
Mils Muliaina New Zealand Canada17 October 2003
Bryan Habana South Africa Samoa9 September 2007
Vereniki Goneva Fiji Namibia10 September 2011
Zac Guildford New Zealand Canada2 October 2011
Darcy Graham Scotland Romania30 September 2023
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Youngest try scorer in a World Cup game

Oldest try scorer in a World Cup game

Conversions

Dan Carter holds the record for the most conversions in Rugby World Cups.
More information Con., Name ...
Most overall conversions[13][14]
Con.NameTeamTournaments
58 Dan Carter New Zealand2003–2015
39 Gavin Hastings Scotland1987–1995
38 Richie Mo'unga New Zealand2019–2023
37 Grant Fox New Zealand1987–1991
36 Michael Lynagh Australia1987–1995
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More information Con., Name ...
Most conversions in one tournament[15]
Con.NameTeamTournament
30 Grant Fox New Zealand 1987
23 Dan Carter New Zealand 2015
21 Thomas Ramos France 2023
20 Michael Lynagh Australia 1987
Simon Culhane New Zealand 1995
Leon MacDonald New Zealand 2003
Nick Evans New Zealand 2007
Richie Mo'unga New Zealand 2019
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More information Con., Name ...
Most conversions in a match by a player[16]
Con.NameTeamOpponentDate
20 Simon Culhane New Zealand Japan4 June 1995
16 Mat Rogers Australia Namibia25 October 2003
14 Nick Evans New Zealand Portugal15 September 2007
12 Paul Grayson England Tonga15 October 1999
Leon MacDonald New Zealand Tonga24 October 2003
Thomas Ramos France Namibia21 September 2023
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Penalty goals

Scotland's Gavin Hastings was the first player to kick eight penalties in a Rugby World Cup match.
More information Pen., Name ...
Most overall penalties[17][18]
Pen.NameTeamTournaments
58 Jonny Wilkinson England1999–2011
46 Handré Pollard South Africa2015–2023
36 Gavin Hastings Scotland1987–1995
35 Gonzalo Quesada Argentina1999–2003
33 Michael Lynagh Australia1987–1995
Andrew Mehrtens New Zealand1995–1999
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More information Pen., Name ...
Most penalties in one tournament[19]
Pen.NameTeamTournament
31 Gonzalo Quesada Argentina 1999
26 Thierry Lacroix France 1995
23 Jonny Wilkinson England 2003
Handré Pollard South Africa 2015
21 Grant Fox New Zealand 1987
Elton Flatley Australia 2003
Close
More information Pen., Name ...
Most penalties in a match by a player[20]
Pen.NameTeamOpponentDate
8 Gavin Hastings  Scotland Tonga30 May 1995
Thierry Lacroix France Ireland10 June 1995
Gonzalo Quesada Argentina Samoa10 October 1999
Matt Burke Australia South Africa30 October 1999
7 Gonzalo Quesada Argentina Japan16 October 1999
Jonny Wilkinson England Fiji20 October 1999
David Humphreys Ireland Argentina20 October 1999
Gonzalo Quesada Argentina Ireland20 October 1999
Matt Burke Australia France6 November 1999
Piri Weepu New Zealand Argentina9 October 2011
Dan Biggar Wales England26 September 2015
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Drop goals

More information Drop, Name ...
Most overall drop goals[21][22]
DropNameTeamTournaments
14 Jonny Wilkinson England1999–2011
6 Jannie de Beer South Africa1999
5 Rob Andrew England1987–1995
Gareth Rees Canada1987–1999
4 Juan Martín Hernández Argentina2003–2015
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More information Drop, Name ...
Most drop goals in one tournament[23]
DropNameTeamTournament
8 Jonny Wilkinson England 2003
6 Jannie de Beer South Africa 1999
5 Jonny Wilkinson England 2007
4 Juan Martín Hernández Argentina 2007
3 Jonathan Davies Wales 1987
Rob Andrew England 1995
Andrew Mehrtens New Zealand 1995
Joel Stransky South Africa 1995
Gregor Townsend Scotland 1999
Theuns Kotzé Namibia 2011
Dan Parks Scotland 2011
George Ford England 2023
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More information Drop, Name ...
Most drop goals in a match by a player[24]
DropNameTeamOpponentDate
5 Jannie de Beer South Africa England24 October 1999
3 Juan Martín Hernández Argentina Ireland30 September 2007
George Ford England Argentina9 September 2023
Theuns Kotzé Namibia Fiji10 September 2011
Jonny Wilkinson England France16 November 2003
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Appearance statistics

Sam Whitelock holds the appearance record in Rugby World Cups with 26 matches.
More information App., Name ...
Most appearances, matches[25][26]
App.NameTeamTournaments
26 Sam Whitelock New Zealand2011–2023
22 Agustin Creevy Argentina2011–2023
Jason Leonard England1991–2003
Richie McCaw New Zealand2003–2015
21 Alun Wyn Jones Wales2007–2019
James Slipper Australia2011–2023
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More information App., Name ...
Most appearances, tournaments
App.NameTeamTournaments
5 Brian Lima Samoa1991–2007
Mauro Bergamasco Italy1999–2015
Sergio Parisse Italy2003–2019
4 Gareth Rees Canada1987–1999
Pedro Sporleder Argentina1991–2003
Al Charron Canada1991–2003
Jason Leonard England1991–2003
Fabien Galthié France1991–2003
Carlo Checchinato Italy1991–2003
George Gregan Australia1995–2007
Mike James Canada1995–2007
Rod Snow Canada1995–2007
Mike Catt England1995–2007
Alessandro Troncon Italy1995–2007
Gareth Thomas Wales1995–2007
Romeo Gontineac Romania1995–2007
Felipe Contepomi Argentina1999–2011
Mario Ledesma Argentina1999–2011
Martín Scelzo Argentina1999–2011
Jonny Wilkinson England1999–2011
Nicky Little Fiji1999–2011
Brian O'Driscoll Ireland1999–2011
Chris Paterson Scotland1999–2011
Stephen Jones Wales1999–2011
James Pritchard Canada2003–2015
Jamie Cudmore Canada2003–2015
Giorgi Chkhaidze Georgia2003–2015
Merab Kvirikashvili Georgia2003–2015
Paul O'Connell Ireland2003–2015
Andrea Masi Italy2003–2015
Martin Castrogiovanni Italy2003–2015
Dan Carter New Zealand2003–2015
Keven Mealamu New Zealand2003–2015
Richie McCaw New Zealand2003–2015
Dănuț Dumbravă Romania2003–2015
Ovidiu Tonița Romania2003–2015
Paulică Ion Romania2003–2015
Schalk Burger South Africa2003–2015
Victor Matfield South Africa2003–2015
Gethin Jenkins Wales2003–2015
Juan Manuel Leguizamón Argentina2007–2019
Adam Ashley-Cooper Australia2007–2019
D. T. H. van der Merwe Canada2007–2019
Davit Kacharava Georgia2007–2019
Mamuka Gorgodze Georgia2007–2019
Rory Best Ireland2007–2019
Alessandro Zanni Italy2007–2019
Luke Thompson Japan2007–2019
Eugene Jantjies Namibia2007–2019
Alun-Wyn Jones Wales2007–2019
Agustin Creevy Argentina2011–2023
Nicolas Sanchez Argentina2011–2023
James Slipper Australia2011–2023
Dan Cole England2011–2023
Courtney Lawes England2011–2023
Ben Youngs England2011–2023
Lasha Khmaladze Georgia2011–2023
Alexander Todua Georgia2011–2023
Keith Earls Ireland2011–2023
Conor Murray Ireland2011–2023
Johnny Sexton Ireland2011–2023
Shota Horie Japan2011–2023
Michael Leitch Japan2011–2023
PJ van Lill Namibia2011–2023
Sam Whitelock New Zealand2011–2023
George North Wales2011–2023
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More information App., Name ...
Most winning appearances[27]
App.NameTeamTournaments
23 Sam Whitelock New Zealand2011–2023
20 Richie McCaw New Zealand2003–2015
19 Keven Mealamu New Zealand2003–2015
18 Sonny Bill Williams New Zealand2011–2019
17 François Steyn South Africa2007, 2011, 2019
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More information App., Name ...
Most losing appearances[28]
App.NameTeamTournaments
14 Eugene Jantjies Namibia2007–2019
12 PJ van Lill Namibia2011–2023
Ovidiu Tonița Romania2003–2015
D.T.H. van der Merwe Canada2007–2019
11 Jacques Burger Namibia2007–2015
Jamie Cudmore Canada2003–2015
Tinus du Plessis Namibia2007–2015
Romeo Gontineac Romania1995–2007
Hugo Horn Namibia1999–2011
Merab Kvirikashvili Georgia2003–2015
Johnny Redelinghuys Namibia2007–2015
Aranos Coetzee Namibia2015–2023
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Oldest player to appear in a World Cup match

Oldest player to appear in a World Cup final

Oldest player to win a World Cup final

Youngest player to appear in a World Cup match

Youngest player to appear in a World Cup final

Youngest player to win a World Cup final

By tournament

More information Year, Top points scorers ...
Year Top points scorers Top try scorers Team records
1987

126* – Grant Fox ( New Zealand)
82 – Michael Lynagh ( Australia)
62 – Gavin Hastings ( Scotland)

6 – Craig Green ( New Zealand)
6 – John Kirwan ( New Zealand)

 Most points in a match74 New Zealand (74–13 v Fiji)
Biggest winning margin64 New Zealand (70–6 v Italy)
Most tries in a match13 France (70–12 v Zimbabwe)
1991

68 – Ralph Keyes ( Ireland)
66 – Michael Lynagh ( Australia)
61 – Gavin Hastings ( Scotland)

6 – David Campese ( Australia)
6 – Jean-Baptiste Lafond ( France)

 Most points in a match55 Ireland (55–11 v Zimbabwe)
Biggest winning margin44 Ireland (55–11 v Zimbabwe)
 Japan (52–8 v Zimbabwe)
Most tries in a match9 Japan (52–8 v Zimbabwe)
1995

112 – Thierry Lacroix ( France)
104 – Gavin Hastings ( Scotland)
84 – Andrew Mehrtens ( New Zealand)

7 – Jonah Lomu ( New Zealand)
7 – Marc Ellis ( New Zealand)

 Most points in a match145*  New Zealand (145–17 v Japan)
Biggest winning margin128
Most tries in a match21
1999

102 – Gonzalo Quesada ( Argentina)
101 – Matt Burke ( Australia)
97 – Jannie de Beer ( South Africa)

 8* – Jonah Lomu ( New Zealand) Most points in a match101 England (101–10 v Tonga)
 New Zealand (101–3 v Italy)
Biggest winning margin98 New Zealand (101–3 v Italy)
Most tries in a match14
2003

113 – Jonny Wilkinson ( England)
103 – Frédéric Michalak ( France)
100 – Elton Flatley ( Australia)

7 – Doug Howlett ( New Zealand)
7 – Mils Muliaina ( New Zealand)

 Most points in a match142  Australia (142–0 v Namibia)
Biggest winning margin142*
Most tries in a match22*
2007

105 – Percy Montgomery ( South Africa)
91 – Felipe Contepomi ( Argentina)
67 – Jonny Wilkinson ( England)

 8* – Bryan Habana ( South Africa) Most points in a match108  New Zealand (108–13 v Portugal)
Biggest winning margin95
Most tries in a match16
2011

62 – Morné Steyn ( South Africa)
52 – James O'Connor ( Australia)
45 – Kurt Morath ( Tonga)

6 – Chris Ashton ( England)
6 – Vincent Clerc ( France)

 Most points in a match87  South Africa (87–0 v Namibia)
Biggest winning margin87
Most tries in a match12 South Africa (87–0 v Namibia)
 Wales (81–7 v Namibia)
 New Zealand (79–15 v Canada)
2015

97 – Nicolás Sánchez ( Argentina)
93 – Handré Pollard ( South Africa)
82 – Bernard Foley ( Australia)

 8* – Julian Savea ( New Zealand) Most points in a match65 Australia (65–3 v Uruguay)
Biggest winning margin64  South Africa (64–0 v United States)
Most tries in a match10
2019

69 – Handré Pollard ( South Africa)
58 – Owen Farrell ( England)
54 – Richie Mo'unga ( New Zealand)

 7 – Josh Adams ( Wales) Most points in a match71 New Zealand (71–9 v Namibia)
Biggest winning margin63 New Zealand (63–0 v Canada)
Most tries in a match11 New Zealand (71–9 v Namibia)
2023

75 – Owen Farrell ( England)
74 – Thomas Ramos ( France)
67 – Emiliano Boffelli ( Argentina)

8* – Will Jordan ( New Zealand)

 Most points in a match96 France (96–0 v Namibia)
 New Zealand (96–17 v Italy)
Biggest winning margin96 France (96–0 v Namibia)
Most tries in a match14 France (96–0 v Namibia)
 New Zealand (96–17 v Italy)
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Note: * denotes an all-time record

Miscellaneous

Winning coaches and captains

A foreign coach has never managed a World Cup-winning team.

More information Year, Host(s) ...
Year Host(s) Champion Winning coach Winning captain
1987  Australia
 New Zealand		  New Zealand New Zealand Brian Lochore New Zealand David Kirk
1991  England
 France
 Ireland
 Scotland
 Wales		  Australia Australia Bob Dwyer Australia Nick Farr-Jones
1995  South Africa  South Africa South Africa Kitch Christie South Africa Francois Pienaar
1999  Wales
 England
 France
 Ireland
 Scotland		  Australia Australia Rod MacQueen Australia John Eales
2003  Australia  England England Clive Woodward England Martin Johnson
2007  France
 Scotland
 Wales		  South Africa South Africa Jake White South Africa John Smit
2011  New Zealand  New Zealand New Zealand Graham Henry New Zealand Richie McCaw
2015  England
 Wales		  New Zealand New Zealand Steve Hansen New Zealand Richie McCaw
2019  Japan  South Africa South Africa Rassie Erasmus South Africa Siya Kolisi
2023  France  South Africa South Africa Jacques Nienaber South Africa Siya Kolisi
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Discipline

Further information: List of Rugby World Cup red cards
More information Team, Red Cards ...
Team Red Cards Tournaments
 Canada 41995, 1995, 1999, 2019
 Samoa 41991, 2011, 2019, 2023
 Tonga 41995, 1999, 2007, 2023
 Namibia 32007, 2023, 2023
 Argentina 21991, 2019
 New Zealand 22023, 2023
 South Africa 21995, 1999
 Uruguay 22015, 2019
 Wales 21987, 2011
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Draws

More information Team, Score ...
Team Score Opponent Date
 France 20–20  Scotland 23 May 1987
 Canada 12–12  Japan 12 September 2007
 Canada 23–23  Japan 27 September 2011
 New Zealand 0–0(1)  Italy 12 October 2019
 England 0–0(1)  France 12 October 2019
 Namibia 0–0(1)  Canada 13 October 2019
 Georgia 18–18  Portugal 23 September 2023
Close
  • 1 During the 2019 tournament, Typhoon Hagibis caused the matches New Zealand v Italy, England v France and Namibia v Canada to be cancelled and recorded as 0–0 draws.

Nil points

More information Team, Score ...
Team Score Opponent Date
 Ivory Coast 0–89  Scotland 26 May 1995
 Canada 0–20  South Africa 3 June 1995
 Spain 0–48  Scotland 16 October 1999
 Namibia 0–142  Australia 25 October 2003
 England 0–36  South Africa 14 September 2007
 Romania 0–42  Scotland 18 September 2007
 Scotland 0–40  New Zealand 23 September 2007
 Namibia 0–30  Georgia 26 September 2007
 Namibia 0–87  South Africa 22 September 2011
 Fiji 0–66  Wales 2 October 2011
 United States 0–64  South Africa 7 October 2015
 Samoa 0–34  Scotland 30 September 2019
 Canada 0–63  New Zealand 2 October 2019
 Russia 0–35  Ireland 3 October 2019
 Russia 0–61  Scotland 9 October 2019
 New Zealand 0–0(1)  Italy 12 October 2019
 England 0–0(1)  France 12 October 2019
 Namibia 0–0(1)  Canada 13 October 2019
 Romania 0–76  South Africa 17 September 2023
 Namibia 0–96  France 21 September 2023
 Chile 0–71  England 23 September 2023
 Romania 0–84  Scotland 30 September 2023
 Uruguay 0–73  New Zealand 5 October 2023
Close
  • 1 During the 2019 tournament, Typhoon Hagibis caused the matches New Zealand v Italy, England v France and Namibia v Canada to be cancelled and recorded as 0–0 draws.

Highest attendance

Highest attendance (Final)

Lowest attendance

Hosting

Eden Park was the first stadium to host the World Cup Final twice
  • Eden Park in Auckland Park was the first stadium to host the Rugby World Cup Final twice, with the 1987 and 2011 finals having been held there. Twickenham Stadium has also hosted the final twice in 1991 and 2015, as has the Stade de France in 2007 and 2023.
  • The record for the city that has been a part of most Rugby World Cups is currently four and is held by Cardiff that hosted matches in 1991, 1999, 2007 and 2015. If the definition of "city" includes its metropolitan area, Paris has also hosted matches in four tournaments. The city of Paris hosted matches in 1991, its adjacent suburb of Saint-Denis hosted matches in 1999 and 2023, and both cities hosted matches in 2007. Edinburgh and Toulouse hosted matches in three tournaments.

Head-to-head

The highest number of head-to-head matches between two nations currently stands at eight meetings, encompassing four teams (Australia, France, New Zealand, and Wales) in two Rugby World Cup rivalries. The following table lists the head-to-head statistics of the Rugby World Cup, ranging from the inaugural tournament in 1987 to the latest tournament in 2023. It is organised first numerically, with the more head-to-head meetings appearing at the top of the table and the fewer meetings, such as one meeting between two nations appearing at the bottom of the table, and second, alphabetically by teams.

More information Legend ...
Legend
R1 Round 1 (pool stage)
R2 Round 2 (quarter-final playoff / last 16)(2)
QF Quarter-finals
SF Semi-finals
3rd 3rd/4th place playoff (bronze final)
F Final
Close
More information Games, Team 1 ...
Games Team 1 Head-2-Head Wins (Draws) Team 2 Year(s) Rounds
8  Australia 5–3  Wales 1987, 1991, 1999, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023 3rd, R1, QF, R1, 3rd, R1, R1, R1
 France 3–5  New Zealand 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2011, 2015, 2023 F, SF, 3rd, QF, R1, F, QF, R1
7  Australia 3–4  England 1987, 1991, 1995, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2019 R1, F, QF, F, QF, R1, QF
 Italy 0–6
(& 1 Draw)(3)		  New Zealand 1987, 1991, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2019, 2023 R1, R1, R1, R1, R1, R1, R1
6  England 3–2
(& 1 Draw)(3)		  France 1991, 1995, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2019 QF, 3rd, SF, SF, QF, R1
 England 1–5  South Africa 1999, 2003, 2007, 2007, 2019, 2023 QF, R1, R1, F, F, SF
 New Zealand 3–3  South Africa 1995, 1999, 2003, 2015, 2019, 2023 F, 3rd, QF, SF, R1, F
5  Argentina 0–5  England 1995, 2011, 2019, 2023, 2023 R1, R1, R1, R1, 3rd
 Australia 4–1  Ireland 1987, 1991, 1999, 2003, 2011 QF, QF, R1, R1, R1
 Fiji 1–4  Wales 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023 R1, R1, R1, R1, R1
 New Zealand 5–0  Scotland 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2007 QF, 3rd, QF, QF, R1
 Samoa(1) 0–5  South Africa 1995, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 QF, R1, R1, R1, R1
Close
  • 1 Samoa competed as Western Samoa from 1924 to 1997.
  • 2 Round 2 was introduced at the 1999 Rugby World Cup and consisted of the five group runners-up and the best third-placed team playoff for one of three places in the quarter-final. It was discontinued for the 2003 to 2023 Rugby World Cups. Round 2 will be re-introduced for the 2027 Rugby World Cup and will consist of the last 16 teams made up from the top two placed teams from six groups and the best four third-placed teams.[34]
  • 3 Three Rugby World Cup 2019 matches; involving Namibia versus Canada, New Zealand versus Italy, and England versus France, were cancelled and recorded as a 0–0 draw due to Typhoon Hagibis.

Tier 1 nations head-to-head

The table below shows the current dominance in the head-to-head meetings of Tier 1 nations at the Rugby World Cup from the first tournament in 1987 to the latest tournament in 2023 (as of 20 October). Currently, New Zealand has the best record amongst the other Tier 1 nations, achieving more wins and culminating in a superior head-to-head record over seven other Tier 1 nations, and equal with two others (Australia and South Africa). Italy are at the bottom of the table, and have an inferior head-to-head record with eight other Tier 1 nations, and parity with one other nation (Argentina). However, as of the 2023 tournament Japan are the bottom team. There are two Tier 1 head-to-head meetings that have never been played at a Rugby World Cup: England–Ireland, and Scotland–Wales.

More information Team ranking, Tier 1 nations head-to-head wins (draws) ...
Team ranking Tier 1 nations head-to-head wins (draws) Total head-to-head meetings
Argentina Australia England France Ireland Italy Japan New Zealand Scotland South Africa Wales Superior Equal Inferior Never played
 New Zealand 4–0 2–2 3–1 5–3 3–0 6–0 (1)(1) 2–0 — 5–0 3–3 4–0 8 2 0 N/a
 Australia 3–0 — 3–4 1–1 4–1 1–0 2–0 2–2 2–0 2–1 5–3 7 2 1 N/a
 South Africa 2–0 1–2 5–1 2–0 0–1 1–0 1–1 3–3 3–0 — 3–0 6 2 2 N/a
 England 5–0 4–3 — 3–2 (1)(1) NP 3–0 1–0 1–3 2–0 1–5 1–2 6 0 3 1
 Wales 2–1 3–5 2–1 1–1 2–1 1–0 3–0 0–4 NP 0–3 — 5 1 3 1
 France 2–2 1–1 2–3 (1)(1) — 3–1 2–0 2–0 3–5 2–0 (1) 0–2 1–1 4 3 3 N/a
 Ireland 1–3 1–4 NP 1–3 — 2–0 2–1 0–3 2–1 1–0 1–2 4 0 5 1
 Argentina — 0–3 0–5 2–2 3–1 1–1 2–0 0–4 2–0 0–2 1–2 3 2 5 0
 Scotland 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 (1) 1–2 1–0 3–1 0–5 — 0–3 NP 2 0 7 1
 Japan 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2 1–2 NP — 0–2 1–3 1–1 0–3 0 1 8 1
 Italy 1–1 0–1 0–3 0–2 0–2 — NP 0–6 (1)(1) 0–1 0–1 0–1 0 1 8 1
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Trivia

  • England became the first sole host nation to be eliminated in the pool stage of a Rugby World Cup in 2015. Wales, as joint hosts, were eliminated in the pool stage in 1991.
  • Four match-ups have occurred twice in the same World Cup:
    • 2007 Argentina defeated France in the opening match 17–12, and went on to beat them 34–10 in the bronze final.
    • 2007 South Africa defeated England 36–0 in the pool stage, and went on to play them in the final, winning 15–6.
    • 2011 New Zealand defeated France 37–17 in the pool stage, and went on to play them in the final, winning 8–7.
    • 2023 England defeated Argentina 27–10 in the pool stage, and went on to beat them 26–23 in the bronze final.
  • There are two tier 1 head-to-head meetings that have never been played at a Rugby World Cup: England versus Ireland, and Scotland versus Wales.
  • Four nations have reached a Rugby World Cup Final having previously lost a game in that tournament: England in 1991 and 2007, South Africa in 2019 and 2023, New Zealand in 2023 and France in 2011, the latter being the only team to reach the final having lost two games. The 2023 final is the only one with both teams having previously lost a game in the tournament.
  • New Zealand have been involved in four World Cup opening matches, the most by any other team. The All Blacks defeated Italy in 1987, England in 1991, and Tonga in 2011, but lost to France in 2023. Argentina have participated in three World Cup opening matches. The Pumas participated in the first three World Cup openers of the professional era – losing to Wales and Australia in 1999 and 2003 respectively, and defeating France in 2007.
  • France and New Zealand are the only nations to have made it to at least the quarter-finals of every Rugby World Cup. Furthermore, South Africa have also done so since they started participating in 1995.
  • France is the only non English-speaking country to have made it to a Rugby World Cup final – in 1987, 1999 and 2011. It is also the only country to reach a final without ever winning it.
  • The only Tier 2 country to have participated in every Rugby World Cup is Japan, with Canada only failing to qualify for the first time in 2023, making it to one quarter-final in 1991 and Japan reaching the quarter finals in 2019.
  • Japan is the only team to have won three matches in a tournament where they did not progress beyond the pool stage, losing out to South Africa and Scotland in their pool by points difference in 2015.
  • Among the Tier 1 nations, Italy is the only one not to have made it to at least the quarter-finals in any Rugby World Cup. Conversely, four Tier 2 countries have made it to the quarter-finals – Fiji in 1987, 2007 and 2023, Samoa (then called Western Samoa) in 1991 and 1995, Canada in 1991 and Japan in 2019.
    • Arguably, Argentina in 1999 could also be regarded as having been a Tier 2 nation at the time, since they were not yet in the southern-hemisphere Rugby Championship: although official "Tiers" were not recognised at the time, this match can be regarded as the start of their actual period of achievement which led to them later earning recognition at the top table. Similarly, Japan's achievements in 2019, added to their defeat of South Africa in 2015, were eventually recognised by formally admitting them to the definition of a Tier 1 nation in May 2023.
  • The 2015 final between Australia and New Zealand is the highest scoring Rugby World Cup final, with New Zealand winning that match 34–17.
  • After the 2015 final, New Zealand became the first team to win the Rugby World Cup three times, and the first team to have successfully defended its title. South Africa became the second team to defend its title in 2023 and the first to win the Rugby World Cup on four occasions, as well as the first to win successive titles away from home.
  • Wales have had the most upsets in the Rugby World Cup, having lost to Samoa both in 1991 and 1999, then losing to Fiji in 2007. Other major upsets include Ireland and Scotland losing to Japan in 2019, France losing to Tonga in 2011, South Africa losing to Japan in 2015 and Australia losing to Fiji in 2023. Argentina's defeat of Ireland in 1999 was also regarded as an upset at the time.
  • South Africa became the first nation to win a World Cup after losing a match in the pool stage in 2019 and did so again in 2023.
  • New Zealand were the last Tier 1 team to experience defeat in the pool stages of a Rugby World Cup. They were defeated by France in 2023.[35]

See also

References

External links

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