Records and statistics of the Rugby World Cup

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Main article: Rugby World Cup

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

Team records[]

Titles[]

Most titles won
Team Titles Tournaments
 South Africa 3 1995, 2007, 2019
 New Zealand 3 1987, 2011, 2015
 Australia 2 1991, 1999
 England 1 2003

Title win rate[]

Wins by percentage of tournaments played
Team Win rate
 South Africa 43%
 New Zealand 33%
 Australia 22%
 England 11%

Points[]

Most points by a team in a single match[1]
Points Team Opponent Score Date
145  New Zealand  Japan 145–17 4 June 1995
142  Australia  Namibia 142–0 24 October 2003
111  England  Uruguay 111–13 2 November 2003
108  New Zealand  Portugal 108–13 15 September 2007

Margins[]

Biggest winning margins[2]
Margin Team Opponent Score Date
142  Australia  Namibia 142–0 24 October 2003
128  New Zealand  Japan 145–17 4 June 1995
98  New Zealand  Italy 101–3 14 October 1999
 England  Uruguay 111–13 2 November 2003
95  New Zealand  Portugal 108–13 15 September 2007

Tries[]

Most tries by a team in a single match[3]
Tries Team Opponent Score Date
22  Australia  Namibia 142–0 24 October 2003
21  New Zealand  Japan 145–17 4 June 1995
17  England  Uruguay 111–13 2 November 2003
16  New Zealand  Portugal 108–13 15 September 2007

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.
Most overall points[4]
Points Name Team App. Tries Con. Pen. Drop Tournaments
277 Jonny Wilkinson  England 19 1 28 58 14 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011
227 Gavin Hastings  Scotland 13 9 39 36 0 1987, 1991, 1995
195 Michael Lynagh  Australia 15 4 36 33 2 1987, 1991, 1995
191 Dan Carter  New Zealand 15 3 58 17 3 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015
170 Grant Fox  New Zealand 10 0 37 31 1 1987, 1991
Key: App = Appearances. Con = conversions. Pen = penalties. Drop = drop goals.
Most points in one tournament[5]
Points Name Team Tournament
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
Most points in a match by a player[6]
Points Name Team Opponent Date
45 Simon Culhane  New Zealand  Japan 4 June 1995
44 Gavin Hastings  Scotland  Ivory Coast 26 May 1995
42 Mat Rogers  Australia  Namibia 25 October 2003
36 Tony Brown  New Zealand  Italy 14 October 1999
Paul Grayson  England  Tonga 15 October 1999

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 (below).
Julian Savea scored a joint record eight tries in New Zealand's progress to the 2015 final, including two hat-tricks
Most overall tries[7]
Tries Name Team Tournaments
15 Jonah Lomu  New Zealand 1995, 1999
Bryan Habana  South Africa 2007, 2011, 2015
14 Drew Mitchell  Australia 2007, 2011, 2015
13 Doug Howlett  New Zealand 2003, 2007
12 Adam Ashley-Cooper  Australia 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019
Most tries in one tournament[8]
Tries Name Team Tournament
8 Jonah Lomu  New Zealand 1999
Bryan Habana  South Africa 2007
Julian Savea  New Zealand 2015
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
Most tries in a match by a player[9]
Tries Name Team Opponent Date
6 Marc Ellis  New Zealand  Japan 4 June 1995
5 Chris Latham  Australia  Namibia 25 October 2003
Josh Lewsey  England  Uruguay 2 November 2003
4 John Gallagher  New Zealand  Fiji 27 May 1987
Craig Green  New Zealand  Fiji 27 May 1987
Ieuan Evans  Wales  Canada 3 June 1987
Brian Robinson  Ireland  Zimbabwe 6 October 1991
Gavin Hastings  Scotland  Ivory Coast 26 May 1995
Chester Williams  South Africa  Samoa 10 June 1995
Jonah Lomu  New Zealand  England 18 June 1995
Keith Wood  Ireland  United States 2 October 1999
Mils Muliaina  New Zealand  Canada 17 October 2003
Bryan Habana  South Africa  Samoa 9 September 2007
Vereniki Goneva  Fiji  Namibia 10 September 2011
Zac Guildford  New Zealand  Canada 2 October 2011

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.
Most conversions[12][13]
Con. Name Team Tournaments
58 Dan Carter  New Zealand 2003–2015
39 Gavin Hastings  Scotland 1987–1995
37 Grant Fox  New Zealand 1987–1991
36 Michael Lynagh  Australia 1987–1995
28 Jonny Wilkinson  England 1999–2011
Most conversions in one tournament[14]
Con. Name Team Tournament
30 Grant Fox  New Zealand 1987
23 Dan Carter  New Zealand 2015
22 Percy Montgomery  South Africa 2007
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
Most conversions in a match by a player[15]
Con. Name Team Opponent Date
20 Simon Culhane  New Zealand  Japan 4 June 1995
16 Mat Rogers  Australia  Namibia 25 October 2003
14 Nick Evans  New Zealand  Portugal 15 September 2007
12 Paul Grayson  England  Tonga 15 October 1999
Leon MacDonald  New Zealand  Tonga 24 October 2003

Penalty goals[]

Scotland's Gavin Hastings was the first player to kick eight penalties in a Rugby World Cup match.
Most overall penalties[16][17]
Pen. Name Team Tournaments
58 Jonny Wilkinson  England 1999–2011
39 Handre Pollard  South Africa 2015–2019
36 Gavin Hastings  Scotland 1987–1995
35 Gonzalo Quesada  Argentina 1999–2003
33 Michael Lynagh  Australia 1987–1995
Andrew Mehrtens  New Zealand 1995–1999
Most penalties in one tournament[18]
Pen. Name Team Tournament
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
Most penalties in a match by a player[19]
Pen. Name Team Opponent Date
8 Gavin Hastings   Scotland  Tonga 30 May 1995
Thierry Lacroix  France  Ireland 10 June 1995
Gonzalo Quesada  Argentina  Samoa 10 October 1999
Matt Burke  Australia  South Africa 30 October 1999
7 Gonzalo Quesada  Argentina  Japan 16 October 1999
Jonny Wilkinson  England  Fiji 20 October 1999
David Humphreys  Ireland  Argentina 20 October 1999
Gonzalo Quesada  Argentina  Ireland 20 October 1999
Matt Burke  Australia  France 6 November 1999
Piri Weepu  New Zealand  Argentina 9 October 2011
Dan Biggar  Wales  England 26 September 2015

Drop goals[]

Most overall drop goals[20][21]
Drop Name Team Tournaments
14 Jonny Wilkinson  England 1999–2011
6 Jannie de Beer  South Africa 1999
5 Rob Andrew  England 1987–1995
Gareth Rees  Canada 1987–1999
4 Juan Martín Hernández  Argentina 2003–2015
Most drop goals in one tournament[22]
Drop Name Team Tournament
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
Most drop goals in a match by a player[23]
Drop Name Team Opponent Date
5 Jannie de Beer  South Africa  England 24 October 1999
3 Juan Martín Hernández  Argentina  Ireland 30 September 2007
Theuns Kotzé  Namibia  Fiji 10 September 2011
Jonny Wilkinson  England  France 16 November 2003

Appearance statistics[]

Most appearances, matches[24][25]
App. Name Team Tournaments
22 Jason Leonard  England 1991–2003
Richie McCaw  New Zealand 2003–2015
21 Alun Wyn Jones  Wales 2007–2019
20 Schalk Burger  South Africa 2003–2015
George Gregan  Australia 1995–2007
Keven Mealamu  New Zealand 2003–2015
Most appearances, tournaments
App. Name Team Tournaments
5 Brian Lima  Samoa 1991-2007
Mauro Bergamasco  Italy 1999-2015
Sergio Parisse  Italy 2003-2019
4 Gareth Rees  Canada 1987-1999
Pedro Sporleder  Argentina 1991–2003
Al Charron  Canada 1991–2003
Jason Leonard  England 1991–2003
Fabien Galthié  France 1991–2003
Carlo Checchinato  Italy 1991–2003
George Gregan  Australia 1995–2007
Mike James  Canada 1995–2007
Rod Snow  Canada 1995–2007
Mike Catt  England 1995–2007
Alessandro Troncon  Italy 1995–2007
Romeo Gontineac  Romania 1995–2007
Gareth Thomas  Wales 1995–2007
Felipe Contepomi  Argentina 1999–2011
Mario Ledesma  Argentina 1999–2011
Martín Scelzo  Argentina 1999–2011
Jonny Wilkinson  England 1999–2011
Nicky Little  Fiji 1999–2011
Brian O'Driscoll  Ireland 1999–2011
Chris Paterson  Scotland 1999–2011
Stephen Jones  Wales 1999–2011
James Pritchard  Canada 2003–2015
Jamie Cudmore  Canada 2003–2015
Giorgi Chkhaidze  Georgia 2003–2015
Merab Kvirikashvili  Georgia 2003–2015
Paul O'Connell  Ireland 2003–2015
Andrea Masi  Italy 2003–2015
Martin Castrogiovanni  Italy 2003–2015
Dan Carter  New Zealand 2003–2015
Keven Mealamu  New Zealand 2003–2015
Richie McCaw  New Zealand 2003–2015
Dănuț Dumbravă  Romania 2003–2015
Ovidiu Tonița  Romania 2003–2015
Paulică Ion  Romania 2003–2015
Schalk Burger  South Africa 2003–2015
Victor Matfield  South Africa 2003–2015
Gethin Jenkins  Wales 2003–2015
Juan Manuel Leguizamón  Argentina 2007–2019
Adam Ashley-Cooper  Australia 2007–2019
D. T. H. van der Merwe  Canada 2007–2019
Davit Kacharava  Georgia 2007–2019
Mamuka Gorgodze  Georgia 2007–2019
Rory Best  Ireland 2007–2019
Alessandro Zanni  Italy 2007–2019
Luke Thompson  Japan 2007–2019
Eugene Jantjies  Namibia 2007–2019
Alun-Wyn Jones  Wales 2007–2019
Most winning appearances[26]
App. Name Team Tournaments
20 Richie McCaw  New Zealand 2003–2015
19 Keven Mealamu  New Zealand 2003–2015
18 Sonny Bill Williams  New Zealand 2011–2019
Sam Whitelock  New Zealand 2011–2019
17 François Steyn  South Africa 2007–2019
Most losing appearances[27]
App. Name Team Tournaments
14 Eugene Jantjies  Namibia 2007–2019
12 Ovidiu Tonița  Romania 2003–2015
D.T.H. van der Merwe  Canada 2007–2019
11 Jacques Burger  Namibia 2007–2015
Jamie Cudmore  Canada 2003–2015
Tinus du Plessis  Namibia 2007–2015
Romeo Gontineac  Romania 1995–2007
Hugo Horn  Namibia 1999–2011
Merab Kvirikashvili  Georgia 2003–2015
Johnny Redelinghuys  Namibia 2007–2015

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[]

Year Top points scorers Top try scorers Team records
1987

126* – Grant Fox ( New Zealand)
082 – Michael Lynagh ( Australia)
062 – Gavin Hastings ( Scotland)

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

Most points in a match 74  New Zealand (74–13 v Fiji)
Biggest winning margin 64  New Zealand (70–6 v Italy)
Most tries in a match 13  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 match 55  Ireland (55–11 v Zimbabwe)
Biggest winning margin 44  Ireland (55–11 v Zimbabwe)
 Japan (52–8 v Zimbabwe)
Most tries in a match 9  Japan (52–8 v Zimbabwe)
1995

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

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

Most points in a match 145*  New Zealand (145–17 v Japan)
Biggest winning margin 128
Most tries in a match 21
1999

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

8* – Jonah Lomu ( New Zealand) Most points in a match 101  England (101–10 v Tonga)
 New Zealand (101–3 v Italy)
Biggest winning margin 98  New Zealand (101–3 v Italy)
Most tries in a match 14
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 match 142  Australia (142–0 v Namibia)
Biggest winning margin 142*
Most tries in a match 22*
2007

105 – Percy Montgomery ( South Africa)
091 – Felipe Contepomi ( Argentina)
067 – Jonny Wilkinson ( England)

8* – Bryan Habana ( South Africa) Most points in a match 108  New Zealand (108–13 v Portugal)
Biggest winning margin 95
Most tries in a match 16
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 match 87  South Africa (87–0 v Namibia)
Biggest winning margin 87
Most tries in a match 12  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 match 65  Australia (65–3 v Uruguay)
Biggest winning margin 64  South Africa (64–0 v United States)
Most tries in a match 10
2019

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

 7 – Josh Adams ( Wales) Most points in a match 71  New Zealand (71–9 v Namibia)
Biggest winning margin 63  New Zealand (63–0 v Canada)
Most tries in a match 11  New Zealand (71–9 v Namibia)

Note: * denotes an all-time record

Miscellaneous[]

Winning coaches and captains[]

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

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

Draws[]

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
  • 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[]

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
 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
  • 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[]

  • 89,267 –  Ireland v  Romania, 27 September 2015 at Wembley Stadium, London, England, 2015.[31]

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 also hosted the final twice in 1991 and 2015.
  • 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. Edinburgh and Toulouse hosted matches in three tournaments. If the definition of "city" includes its metropolitan area, Paris has also hosted matches in three tournaments. The city of Paris hosted matches in 1991, its adjacent suburb of Saint-Denis hosted matches in 1999, and both cities hosted matches in 2007.

Head-to-head[]

The highest number of head-to-head matches between two nations currently stands at seven meetings, encompassing five teams (Australia, England, France, New Zealand, and Wales) in three Rugby World Cup rivalries. On the other end of the table, there are currently sixty-eight head-to-head meetings involving one game between two nations. 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 2019. It is organised first numerically, with the more head-to-head meetings appearing at the top of the table and the less number of meetings, such as one meeting between two nations appearing at the bottom of the table, and second, alphabetically by teams.

Head-to-head statistics at Rugby World Cup
Legend
R1 Round 1 (Pool Stage)
R2 Round 2 (Quarter-Final Playoff)(2)
QF Quarter-Final
SF Semi-Final
3rd 3rd/4th Place Playoff (Bronze Final)
F Final
Games Team 1 Head-2-Head Wins (Draws) Team 2 Year(s) Rounds
7  Australia 3–4  England 1987, 1991, 1995, 2003, 2007, 2015, 2019 R1, F, QF, F, QF, R1, QF
 Australia 5–2  Wales 1987, 1991, 1999, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019 3rd, R1, QF, R1, 3rd, R1, R1
 France 2–5  New Zealand 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2011, 2015 F, SF, 3rd, QF, R1, F, QF
6  England 3–2
(& 1 Draw)(3) 		 France 1991, 1995, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2019 QF, 3rd, SF, SF, QF, R1
 Italy 0–5
(& 1 Draw)(3) 		 New Zealand 1987, 1991, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2019 R1, R1, R1, R1, R1, R1
5  Australia 4–1  Ireland 1987, 1991, 1999, 2003, 2011 QF, QF, R1, R1, R1
 England 1–4  South Africa 1999, 2003, 2007, 2007, 2019 QF, R1, R1, F, F
 New Zealand 5–0  Scotland 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2007 QF, 3rd, QF, QF, R1
 New Zealand 3–2  South Africa 1995, 1999, 2003, 2015, 2019 F, 3rd, QF, SF, R1
 Samoa(1) 0–5  South Africa 1995, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 QF, R1, R1, R1, R1
4  Argentina 2–2  France 1999, 2007, 2007, 2019 QF, R1, 3rd, R1
 Argentina 3–1  Ireland 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015 R2(2), R1, R1, QF
 Australia 2–2  New Zealand 1991, 2003, 2011, 2015 SF, SF, SF, F
 Canada 0–4  France 1991, 1999, 2011, 2015 R1, R1, R1, R1
 Canada 0–4  New Zealand 1991, 2003, 2011, 2019 QF, R1, R1, R1
 England 1–3  New Zealand 1991, 1995, 1999, 2019 R1, SF, R1, SF
 England 4–0  United States 1987, 1991, 2007, 2019 R1, R1, R1, R1
 Fiji 0–4  France 1987, 1991, 1999, 2003 QF, R1, R1, R1
 Fiji 1–3  Wales 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019 R1, R1, R1, R1
 France 3–1  Ireland 1995, 2003, 2007, 2015 QF, QF, R1, R1
 Japan 1–3  Scotland 1991, 2003, 2015, 2019 R1, R1, R1, R1
 New Zealand 4–0  Tonga 1999, 2003, 2011, 2015 R1, R1, R1, R1
 New Zealand 4–0  Wales 1987, 1995, 2003, 2019 SF, R1, R1, 3rd
 Samoa(1) 0–4  Scotland 1991, 1999, 2015, 2019 QF, R2(2), R1, R1
3  Argentina 0–3  Australia 1991, 2003, 2015 R1, R1, SF
 Argentina 0–3  England 1995, 2011, 2019 R1, R1, R1
 Argentina 3–0  Georgia 2007, 2011, 2015 R1, R1, R1
 Argentina 3–0  Namibia 2003, 2007, 2015 R1, R1, R1
 Argentina 0–3  New Zealand 1987, 2011, 2015 R1, QF, R1
 Argentina 1–2  Samoa(1) 1991, 1995, 1999 R1, R1, R1
 Australia 3–0  Fiji 2007, 2015, 2019 R1, R1, R1
 Australia 3–0  Romania 1995, 1999, 2003 R1, R1, R1
 Australia 2–1  South Africa 1995, 1999, 2011 R1, SF, QF
 Australia 3–0  United States 1987, 1999, 2011 R1, R1, R1
 Canada 1–2  Fiji 1991, 1999, 2007 R1, R1, R1
 Canada 0–3  Italy 2003, 2015, 2019 R1, R1, R1
 Canada 2–1  Romania 1991, 1995, 2015 R1, R1, R1
 Canada 3–0  Tonga 1987, 2003, 2011 R1, R1, R1
 Canada 0–3  Wales 1987, 2003, 2007 R1, R1, R1
 England 3–0  Italy 1991, 1995, 1999 R1, R1, R1
 England 3–0  Samoa(1) 1995, 2003, 2007 R1, R1, R1
 England 3–0  Tonga 1999, 2007, 2019 R1, R1, R1
 England 1–2  Wales 1987, 2003, 2015 QF, QF, R1
 France 3–0  Romania 1987, 1991, 2015 R1, R1, R1
 France 2–0
(& 1 Draw) 		 Scotland 1987, 1995, 2003 R1, R1, R1
 France 2–1  Tonga 1995, 2011, 2019 R1, R1, R1
 Ireland 2–1  Japan 1991, 1995, 2019 R1, R1, R1
 Ireland 3–0  Romania 1999, 2003, 2015 R1, R1, R1
 Ireland 1–2  Wales 1987, 1995, 2011 R1, R1, QF
 Japan 2–1  Samoa(1) 1999, 2015, 2019 R1, R1, R1
 Japan 1–2  United States 1987, 2003, 2015 R1, R1, R1
 Japan 0–3  Wales 1995, 1999, 2007 R1, R1, R1
 Romania 0–3  Scotland 1987, 2007, 2011 R1, R1, R1
 Samoa(1) 2–1  Wales 1991, 1999, 2011 R1, R1, R1
 South Africa 3–0  Wales 2011, 2015, 2019 R1, QF, SF
2  Argentina 1–1  Italy 1987, 1995 R1, R1
 Argentina 2–0  Romania 2003, 2011 R1, R1
 Argentina 2–0  Scotland 2007, 2011 QF, R1
 Argentina 0–2  South Africa 2007, 2015 SF, 3rd
 Argentina 2–0  Tonga 2015, 2019 R1, R1
 Argentina 0–2  Wales 1991, 1999 R1, R1
 Australia 1–1  France 1987, 1999 SF, F
 Australia 2–0  Canada 1995, 2007 R1, R1
 Australia 2–0  Japan 1987, 2007 R1, R1
 Australia 2–0  Scotland 2003, 2015 QF, QF
 Australia 2–0  Uruguay 2015, 2019 R1, R1
 Canada 0–2  Ireland 1987, 2015 R1, R1
 Canada 0–0
(& 2 Draws) 		 Japan 2007, 2011 R1, R1
 Canada 1–0
(& 1 Draw)(3) 		 Namibia 1999, 2019 R1, R1
 Canada 0–2  South Africa 1995, 2019 R1, R1
 England 2–0  Fiji 1999, 2015 R2(2), R1
 England 2–0  Georgia 2003, 2011 R1, R1
 England 2–0  Scotland 1991, 2011 SF, R1
 England 2–0  Uruguay 2003, 2015 R1, R1
 Fiji 2–0  Japan 2003, 2007 R1, R1
 Fiji 2–0  Namibia 1999, 2011 R1, R1
 Fiji 0–2  South Africa 2007, 2011 QF, R1
 Fiji 1–1  Uruguay 2015, 2019 R1, R1
 France 2–0  Japan 2003, 2011 R1, R1
 France 2–0  Namibia 1999, 2007 R1, R1
 France 2–0  United States 2003, 2019 R1, R1
 France 1–1  Wales 2011, 2019 SF, QF
 Georgia 2–0  Namibia 2007, 2015 R1, R1
 Georgia 1–1  Uruguay 2003, 2019 R1, R1
 Ireland 2–0  Italy 2011, 2015 R1, R1
 Ireland 2–0  Namibia 2003, 2007 R1, R1
 Ireland 0–2  New Zealand 1995, 2019 R1, QF
 Ireland 2–0  Russia 2011, 2019 R1, R1
 Ireland 1–1  Scotland 1991, 2019 R1, R1
 Ireland 2–0  United States 1999, 2011 R1, R1
 Italy 2–0  Romania 2007, 2015 R1, R1
 Italy 1–1  Tonga 1999, 2003 R1, R1
 Italy 2–0  United States 1991, 2011 R1, R1
 Japan 0–2  New Zealand 1995, 2011 R1, R1
 Japan 1–1  South Africa 2015, 2019 R1, QF
 Namibia 0–2  New Zealand 2015, 2019 R1, R1
 Namibia 0–2  South Africa 2011, 2019 R1, R1
 Samoa(1) 2–0  United States 2007, 2015 R1, R1
 Scotland 0–2  South Africa 1999, 2015 R1, R1
 Scotland 2–0  United States 2003, 2015 R1, R1
 Scotland 2–0  Zimbabwe 1987, 1991 R1, R1
 South Africa 2–0  United States 2007, 2015 R1, R1
 South Africa 2–0  Uruguay 1999, 2003 R1, R1
 Tonga 2–0  United States 2007, 2019 R1, R1
 Tonga 0–2  Wales 1987, 2003 R1, R1
 Uruguay 0–2  Wales 2015, 2019 R1, R1
1  Argentina 0–1  Fiji 1987 R1
 Argentina 1–0  Japan 1999 R1
 Argentina 1–0  United States 2019 R1
 Australia 1–0  Georgia 2019 R1
 Australia 1–0  Italy 2011 R1
 Australia 1–0  Namibia 2003 R1
 Australia 1–0  Russia 2011 R1
 Australia 1–0  Samoa(1) 1991 R1
 England 1–0  Japan 1987 R1
 England 1–0  Romania 2011 R1
 Fiji 1–0  Georgia 2019 R1
 Fiji 0–1  Italy 1987 R1
 Fiji 0–1  New Zealand 1987 R1
 Fiji 0–1  Romania 1991 R1
 Fiji 0–1  Samoa(1) 2011 R1
 Fiji 0–1  Scotland 2003 R1
 Fiji 1–0  United States 2003 R1
 France 1–0  Georgia 2007 R1
 France 1–0  Italy 2015 R1
 France 1–0  Ivory Coast 1995 R1
 France 0–1  South Africa 1995 SF
 France 1–0  Zimbabwe 1987 R1
 Georgia 0–1  Ireland 2007 R1
 Georgia 1–0  Romania 2011 R1
 Georgia 0–1  New Zealand 2015 R1
 Georgia 0–1  Samoa(1) 2003 R1
 Georgia 0–1  Scotland 2011 R1
 Georgia 0–1  South Africa 2003 R1
 Georgia 1–0  Tonga 2015 R1
 Georgia 0–1  Wales 2019 R1
 Ireland 1–0  Samoa(1) 2019 R1
 Ireland 1–0  Tonga 1987 R1
 Ireland 1–0  Zimbabwe 1991 R1
 Italy 1–0  Namibia 2019 R1
 Italy 1–0  Portugal 2007 R1
 Italy 1–0  Russia 2011 R1
 Italy 0–1  Samoa(1) 1995 R1
 Italy 0–1  Scotland 2007 R1
 Italy 0–1  South Africa 2019 R1
 Italy 0–1  Wales 2003 R1
 Ivory Coast 0–1  Scotland 1995 R1
 Ivory Coast 0–1  Tonga 1995 R1
 Japan 1–0  Russia 2019 R1
 Japan 0–1  Tonga 2011 R1
 Japan 1–0  Zimbabwe 1991 R1
 Namibia 0–1  Romania 2003 R1
 Namibia 0–1  Samoa(1) 2011 R1
 Namibia 0–1  Tonga 2015 R1
 Namibia 0–1  Wales 2011 R1
 New Zealand 1–0  Portugal 2007 R1
 New Zealand 1–0  Romania 2007 R1
 New Zealand 1–0  United States 1991 R1
 Portugal 0–1  Romania 2007 R1
 Portugal 0–1  Scotland 2007 R1
 Romania 0–1  South Africa 1995 R1
 Romania 1–0  United States 1999 R1
 Romania 1–0  Zimbabwe 1987 R1
 Russia 0–1  Samoa(1) 2019 R1
 Russia 0–1  Scotland 2019 R1
 Russia 0–1  United States 2011 R1
 Samoa(1) 0–1  Tonga 2007 R1
 Samoa(1) 1–0  Uruguay 2003 R1
 Scotland 1–0  Spain 1999 R1
 Scotland 1–0  Tonga 1995 R1
 Scotland 1–0  Uruguay 1999 R1
 South Africa 1–0  Spain 1999 R1
 South Africa 1–0  Tonga 2007 R1
 Spain 0–1  Uruguay 1999 R1
  • 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 and subsequent Rugby World Cups.
  • 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
  • 4 TBD (To Be Determined) are confirmed Pool games for the forthcoming Rugby World Cup.
    (1 TBD)(4)

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 2019. 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 eight other tier 1 nations, and equal with one other (Australia). Italy is at the bottom of the table, and has an inferior Head-to-Head record with eight other tier 1 nations, and parity with one other nation (Argentina). There are three tier 1 Head-to-Head meetings that have never been played at a Rugby World Cup: England versus Ireland, Ireland versus South Africa, and Scotland versus Wales.

Team Ranking Tier One Nations Head-to-Head Wins (Draws) Total Head-to-Head Meetings
Argentina Australia England France Ireland Italy New
Zealand 		Scotland South
Africa 		Wales Superior Equal Inferior Never Played
 New Zealand 3–0 2–2 3–1 5–2 2–0 5–0
(& 1 Draw)(1) 		– 5–0 3–2 4–0 8 1 0 0
 Australia 3–0 – 3–4 1–1 4–1 1–0 2–2 2–0 2–1 5–2 6 2 1 0
 South Africa 2–0 1–2 4–1 1–0 NP 1–0 2–3 2–0 – 3–0 6 0 2 1
 England 3–0 4–3 – 3–2
(& 1 Draw)(1) 		NP 3–0 1–3 2–0 1–4 1–2 5 0 3 1
 Wales 2–0 2–5 2–1 1–1 2–1 1–0 0–4 NP 0–3 – 4 1 3 1
 France 2–2 1–1 2–3
(& 1 Draw)(1) 		– 3-1 1-0 2-5 2–0
(& 1 Draw) 		0–1 1–1 3 3 3 0
 Argentina – 0–3 0–3 2–2 3–1 1–1 0–3 2–0 0–2 0–2 2 2 5 0
 Ireland 1–3 1–4 NP 1–3 – 2–0 0–2 1–1 NP 1–2 1 1 5 2
 Scotland 0–2 0–2 0–2 0–2
(& 1 Draw) 		1–1 1–0 0–5 – 0–2 NP 1 1 6 1
 Italy 1–1 0–1 0–3 0–1 0–2 – 0–5
(& 1 Draw)(1) 		0–1 0–1 0–1 0 1 8 0
  • 1 Two Tier one Rugby World Cup 2019 matches; involving New Zealand versus Italy, and England versus France, were cancelled and recorded as a 0–0 draw due to Typhoon Hagibis

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.
  • Three 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.
  • Jonny Wilkinson, with 15 points in 2003 and 6 points in 2007, is the only player to have scored points in two Rugby World Cup Finals.
  • Three 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 France in 2011, the latter being the only team to reach the final having lost two games.
  • The teams involved in the most World Cup opening matches are Argentina and New Zealand. 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. The All Blacks defeated Italy in 1987, England in 1991, and Tonga in 2011.
  • No player scored a conversion in a Rugby World Cup Final between Matt Burke of Australia in 1999 and François Trinh-Duc of France in 2011. Both Jonny Wilkinson and Elton Flatley failed with their sole conversion attempts in 2003, and no tries were scored in 2007's final.
  • France, Australia 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 Two countries to have participated in every Rugby World Cup are Canada and Japan, with Canada making it to one quarter-final in 1991 and Japan proceeding to the quarter finals in 2019.
  • Japan is the only team to have ever won three matches and not progressed beyond the pool stage, losing out to South Africa and Scotland in their pool by points difference in 2015.
  • Of the Tier One 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 Two countries have made it to the quarter-finals – Fiji in 1987 and 2007, Samoa (then called Western Samoa) in 1991 and 1995, Canada in 1991 and Japan in 2019.
  • The 2015 final between Australia and New Zealand is the highest scoring Rugby World Cup final ever, 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.
  • 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 and South Africa losing to Japan in 2015.
  • South Africa became the first nation to win a World Cup after losing a match in the pool stage in 2019.
  • South Africa is the only country not to concede a try in the finals. All other teams have conceded at least one try during one of the finals.
  • There are three tier 1 Head-to-Head meetings that have never been played at a Rugby World Cup: England versus Ireland, Ireland versus South Africa, and Scotland versus Wales.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Most team points in a match". Espnscrum.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  2. ^ "All Time RWC Team Records". Rugbyworldcup.com. 26 September 2015. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Most team tries in a match". Espnscrum.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  4. ^ "All Time RWC Player Statistics". Rugbyworldcup.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  5. ^ "Most individual points in a tournament/season". Espnscrum.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  6. ^ "All Time RWC Player Records". Rugbyworldcup.com. 26 September 2015. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  7. ^ "RWC ALL TIME MOST TRIES SCORED". Rugbyworldcup.com. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  8. ^ "Most individual tries in a tournament/season". Espnscrum.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Most individual tries in a match". Espnscrum.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Youngest tryscorer". Espnscrum.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  11. ^ "Oldest tryscorer". Espnscrum.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  12. ^ "RWC ALL TIME MOST CONVERSIONS". Rugbyworldcup.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  13. ^ "Most individual conversions". Espnscrum.com. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Most individual conversions in a tournament/season". Espnscrum.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  15. ^ "Most individual conversions in a match". Espnscrum.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  16. ^ "RWC ALL TIME MOST PENALTIES SCORED". Rugbyworldcup.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  17. ^ "Most individual penalty goals". Espnscrum.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  18. ^ "Most individual penalty goals in a tournament/season". Espnscrum.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  19. ^ "Most individual penalty goals in a match". Espnscrum.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  20. ^ "RWC ALL TIME MOST DROP GOALS". Rugbyworldcup.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  21. ^ "Most individual drop goals". Espnscrum.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  22. ^ "Most individual drop goals in a tournament/season". Espnscrum.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  23. ^ "Most individual drop goals in a match". Espnscrum.com. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  24. ^ "RWC ALL TIME MOST MATCHES PLAYED". Rugbyworldcup.com. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  25. ^ "Most matches". Espnscrum.com. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  26. ^ "Player Records: Overall figures, Rugby World Cup, won match". ESPN (UK). 2 October 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  27. ^ "Player Records: Overall figures, Rugby World Cup, lost match". ESPN (UK). 2 October 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  28. ^ a b c Griffiths, John (12 September 2011). "Victors in the Five/Six Nations, Tri-Nations and the World Cup, the youngest and oldest players, referees and close encounters". Ask John. ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  29. ^ For the specific match where Ormaeches established the current record, see the list of his Test matches at ESPN Scrum.
  30. ^ "Georgia spring first surprise by taking down Tonga". ESPN (UK). PA Sport. 19 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  31. ^ "Rugby World Cup - Highest attendance". ESPN. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2019.

External links[]

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