Wales at the Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is a rugby union tournament held every four years and contested by the men's national teams of the member unions of World Rugby. The Wales national rugby union team has participated in all nine Rugby World Cup tournaments. Up to and including 2015, hosting of the tournament alternated between traditional rugby heartlands in the southern hemisphere and those in Europe. Wales was the primary host in 1999, with Cardiff's Millennium Stadium built to coincide with the event, and the other three tournaments played in Europe have also used venues in Wales to some degree. Cardiff's Millennium Stadium and its predecessor, the Cardiff Arms Park, will have hosted a total 21 matches over a total of four World Cups. This is the largest number of World Cup games hosted by one venue.
The 1987 tournament was Wales' most successful; they won all three pool matches and their quarter-final, before losing to New Zealand in the semi-finals. They then faced Australia in the third place play-off match, which they won 22–21.[1] In the next two tournaments in 1991 and 1995, Wales failed to progress beyond the pool stage, winning just one match in each tournament.[2] Both the 1999 and 2003 tournaments were more successful, with Wales qualifying for the quarter-finals both times. Wales hosted the event in 1999 and topped their pool only to lose to eventual winners Australia in the quarter-finals.[3] In 2003, they finished second in their pool to New Zealand and faced England in the quarter-finals, where they lost to the eventual champions, despite scoring more tries than their opponents.[4] In the 2007 World Cup, Wales again failed to progress from the pool stage. After a loss to Australia, and two wins against Japan and Canada, they lost by four points to Fiji, despite scoring more tries than their opponents.[5] At the 2011 World Cup, Wales reached the semi-finals for the first time since 1987. Playing the semi-finals against France, Wales lost 9–8, in a game overshadowed by the 18th-minute sending off of Wales' captain Sam Warburton for a dangerous tackle against Vincent Clerc.[6] At the 2015 World Cup Wales were in the same pool as Australia, England, Fiji and Uruguay. They finished second in the pool behind Australia and ahead of hosts England. South Africa defeated Wales in the quarter-final. In the 2019 World Cup, Wales were in pool D with Australia, Fiji, Georgia and Uruguay. They won all their group matches to finish top of the pool. After defeating France in the quarter-final, they lost to the eventual tournament winners South Africa in the semi-final.
Overall[]
Rugby World Cup | Qualification | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Squad | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1987 | Third place | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 126 | 104 | Squad | Invited | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1991 | Pool stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 61 | Squad | Automatically qualified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1995 | Pool stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 89 | 68 | Squad | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 156 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1999 | Quarter-finals | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 127 | 95 | Squad | Automatically qualified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2003 | Quarter-finals | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 149 | 126 | Squad | Automatically qualified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2007 | Pool stage | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 168 | 105 | Squad | Automatically qualified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | Fourth place | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 228 | 74 | Squad | Automatically qualified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2015 | Quarter-finals | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 130 | 85 | Squad | Automatically qualified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2019 | Fourth place | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 189 | 147 | Squad | Automatically qualified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | Automatically qualified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total | Third place | 44 | 26 | 0 | 18 | 1238 | 865 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 156 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Team ranking[]
Pos. | Team | Champion | Runner-up | Third | Fourth |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | New Zealand | 3 (1987, 2011, 2015) | 1 (1995) | 3 (1991, 2003, 2019) | 1 (1999) |
2nd | South Africa | 3 (1995, 2007, 2019) | |||
2 (1999, 2015) | |||||
3rd | Australia | 2 (1991, 1999) | 2 (2003, 2015) | 1 (2011) | 1 (1987) |
4th | England | 1 (2003) | 3 (1991, 2007, 2019) | ||
1 (1995) | |||||
5th | France | ||||
3 (1987, 1999, 2011) | 1 (1995) | 2 (2003, 2007) | |||
6th | Wales | ||||
1 (1987) | 2 (2011, 2019) | ||||
7th | Argentina | ||||
1 (2007) | 1 (2015) | ||||
8th | Scotland | ||||
1 (1991) |
1987 New Zealand & Australia[]
Pool stage[]
29 May 1987
|
Tonga | 16 – 29 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Try: Fielea Fifita Con: Liavaʻa Pen: Liavaʻa Amone |
Try: Webbe (3) Hadley Con: Thorburn (2) Pen: Thorburn (2) Drop: Davies |
3 June 1987
|
Canada | 9 – 40 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Pen: Rees (3) |
Try: Evans (4) Devereux Bowen Hadley Phillips Con: Thorburn (4) |
P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Tries | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wales | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 31 | 13 | 6 |
Ireland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 84 | 41 | 11 | 4 |
Canada | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 65 | 90 | 7 | 2 |
Tonga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 98 | 3 | 0 |
Knockout stage[]
Quarter-final[]
Semi-final[]
14 June 1987
|
New Zealand | 49 – 6 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Try: Kirwan (2) Shelford (2) Drake Whetton Stanley Brooke-Cowden Con: Fox (7) Pen: Fox |
Try: Devereux Con: Thorburn |
Third place play-off[]
18 June 1987
|
Australia | 21 – 22 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Try: Burke Grigg Con: Lynagh (2) Pen: Lynagh (2) Drop: Lynagh |
Try: Roberts Moriarty Hadley Con: Thorburn (2) Pen: Thorburn (2) |
1991 UK, Ireland & France[]
Hosting[]
England was billed as the main host of the second tournament in 1991, hosting the opening ceremony, and final, though the hosting duties were shared between all countries which competed in the Five Nations Championship. France hosted eight games, England and Wales each hosted seven, and Scotland and Ireland five. The National Stadium in Cardiff hosted the third place playoff, whilst all of Pool C's matches were played in Wales. Wales were scheduled to feature in this pool, and all three of their pool matches were hosted in the National Stadium. One game each was played at the club grounds of Pontypridd, Pontypool and Llanelli.
The following Welsh stadiums were used:
City | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Cardiff | National Stadium, Cardiff Arms Park | 53,000 |
Llanelli | Stradey Park | 10,800 |
Pontypool | Pontypool Park | 8,800 |
Pontypridd | Sardis Road | 7,200 |
Pool stage[]
6 October 1991
|
Wales | 13 – 16 | Western Samoa |
---|---|---|
Try: Emyr Evans Con: Ring Pen: Ring |
Try: Vaega Vaifale Con: Vaea Pen: Vaea (2) |
Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
Referee: Patrick Robin (France) |
9 October 1991
|
Wales | 16 – 7 | Argentina |
---|---|---|
Try: Arnold Pen: Ring (3) Rayer |
Try: García Simón Pen: Del Castillo |
Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
Referee: Rene Hourquet (France) |
12 October 1991
|
Wales | 3 – 38 | Australia |
---|---|---|
Pen: Ring |
Try: Roebuck (2) Slattery Campese Horan Lynagh Con: Lynagh (4) Pen: Lynagh (2) |
Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
Referee: Keith Lawrence (New Zealand) |
P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 25 | 6 |
Western Samoa | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 54 | 34 | 4 |
Wales | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 61 | 2 |
Argentina | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 83 | 0 |
1995 South Africa[]
Pool stage[]
27 May 1995
|
Japan | 10 – 57 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Try: Ota (2) |
Try: G. Thomas (3) I. Evans (2) Moore Taylor Con: N. Jenkins (5) Pen: N. Jenkins (4) |
31 May 1995
|
New Zealand | 34 – 9 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Try: Marc Ellis Walter Little Josh Kronfeld Con: Andrew Mehrtens (2) Pen: Andrew Mehrtens (4) Drop: Andrew Mehrtens |
Pen: Neil Jenkins (2) Drop: Neil Jenkins |
4 June 1995
|
Ireland | 24 – 23 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Try: Eddie Halvey Nick Popplewell Denis McBride Con: Eric Elwood (3) Pen: Eric Elwood |
Try: Jonathan Humphreys Hemi Taylor Con: Neil Jenkins (2) Pen: Neil Jenkins (2) Drop: Adrian Davies |
P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Zealand | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 222 | 45 | 9 |
Ireland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 93 | 94 | 7 |
Wales | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 89 | 68 | 5 |
Japan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 55 | 252 | 3 |
1999 Wales[]
Hosting[]
Wales was chosen by the International Rugby Board as the principal host for the 1999 event. The centrepiece venue of the tournament, hosting the opening ceremony and final was the Millennium Stadium, a new structure built on the site of the old National Stadium at Cardiff Arms Park at a cost of £126 million from private investment. An agreement was reached with the unions of all four rivals in the Five Nations Championship (England, France, Ireland and Scotland), so that, like 1991, the majority of the matches would take place outside the official host nation. In a unique tournament format there were five pools in the opening round. Each of the five unions competed in a separate pool, and acted as host for all of the matches within that pool. All Pool A games were held in Scotland, Pool B games in England, Pool C games in France and Pool E games in Ireland.
Wales hosted Pool D, also featuring Argentina, Samoa and Japan. Four of the pool games were at the Millennium Stadium, with one match each at Stradey Park, Llanelli's rugby stadium, and at The Racecourse, Wrexham, which usually featured Association Football.
Of eleven knock-out games, the Millennium Stadium only hosted three; Australia's defeat of Wales in the quarter-final stage, and the third place play-off and final. The other fixtures were played for at a variety of European venues.
The following Welsh stadiums were used:
City | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Cardiff | Millennium Stadium | 74,500 |
Wrexham | Racecourse Ground | 15,500 |
Llanelli | Stradey Park | 10,800 |
Pool stage[]
1 October 1999
|
Wales | 23 – 18 | Argentina |
---|---|---|
Try: Colin Charvis Mark Taylor Con: Neil Jenkins (2) Pen: Neil Jenkins (3) |
Pen: Gonzalo Quesada (6) |
9 October 1999
|
Wales | 64 – 15 | Japan |
---|---|---|
Try: Mark Taylor (2) Robert Howley Scott Gibbs David Llewellyn Gareth Thomas Allan Bateman Shane Howarth Con: Neil Jenkins (8) Pen: Neil Jenkins |
Try: Patiliai Tuidraki Daisuke Ohata Con: Keiji Hirose Pen: Keiji Hirose |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Referee: Joel Dume (France) |
14 October 1999
|
Wales | 31 – 38 | Samoa |
---|---|---|
Try: Gareth Thomas Penalty try (2) Con: Neil Jenkins (2) Pen: Neil Jenkins (4) |
Try: Stephen Bachop (2) Lio Falaniko Pat Lam Silao Leaega Con: Silao Leaega Pen: Silao Leaega |
P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wales | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 118 | 71 | 7 |
Samoa | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 97 | 72 | 7 |
Argentina | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 83 | 51 | 7 |
Japan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 36 | 140 | 3 |
Knockout stage[]
Quarter-final[]
23 October 1999
|
Wales | 9 – 24 | Australia |
---|---|---|
Pen: Neil Jenkins (3) |
Try: George Gregan (2) Ben Tune Con: Matthew Burke (3) Pen: Matthew Burke |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 74,499 Referee: Colin Hawke (New Zealand) |
2003 Australia[]
Pool stage[]
12 October 2003
|
Wales | 41 – 10 | Canada |
---|---|---|
Try: Parker Cooper M. Jones Charvis Thomas Con: Harris (5) Pen: Harris (2) |
Try: Tkachuk Con: Pritchard Drop: |
19 October 2003
|
Wales | 27 – 20 | Tonga |
---|---|---|
Try: Cooper M. Williams Con: S. Jones Pen: S. Jones (4) Drop: M. Williams |
Try: Hola Kivalu Lavaka Con: Hola Pen: Hola |
25 October 2003
|
Italy | 15 – 27 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Pen: Wakarua (5) |
Try: M. Jones Parker D. Jones Con: Harris (3) Pen: Harris (3) |
Canberra Stadium
Attendance: 22,641 Referee: (Australia) |
2 November 2003
|
New Zealand | 53 – 37 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Try: Rokocoko (2) MacDonald Williams Howlett (2) Spencer Mauger Con: MacDonald (5) Pen: MacDonald |
Try: Taylor Parker Charvis S. Williams Con: S. Jones (4) Pen: S. Jones (3) |
Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | BP | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Zealand | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 282 | 57 | 4 | 20 |
Wales | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 132 | 98 | 2 | 14 |
Italy | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 77 | 123 | 0 | 8 |
Canada | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 54 | 135 | 1 | 5 |
Tonga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 46 | 178 | 1 | 1 |
Knockout stage[]
Quarter-final[]
9 November 2003
|
England | 28 – 17 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Try: Greenwood 44' c Con: Wilkinson Pen: Wilkinson (6) Drop: Wilkinson 80+1' |
Try: S. Jones 30' m Charvis 35' m M. Williams 71' c Con: Harris |
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Attendance: 45,252 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland) |
2007 France[]
Hosting[]
In a more public bidding process, France beat England to win the right to host the 2007 World Cup. The WRU supported the French bid, in accordance with an agreement between the nations over the 1999 cup.[7] As a result of that agreement, world cup rugby returned to the Millennium Stadium for three pool matches (including two featuring Wales), and a quarter-final.
Ironically, as France were unexpected runners-up to Argentina in their group, the hosts found themselves competing in this, the only knock-out match held outside of their borders. The game was one of the highlights of the tournament, notable for a large number of reasons, though largely for being New Zealand's earliest exit from a Rugby World Cup, after the New Zealand Herald ran the hubristic headline 'France pose absolutely no threat to All Blacks'.[8] The French squad's reply to the Haka, where the squad dressed in red, white and blue shirts, drew some attention, with a number of images of Sebastien Chabal's stony face appearing in the media the following day.[9] Several controversial decisions by referee Wayne Barnes,[10] provoked death threats from some fans.[11] Statistical analysis by New Zealand company Verusco showed the match's playing time, that is time the ball is in play, was the longest of any of the 1,500 games they had ever recorded.[12]
City | Country | Stadium | Capacity | Further reading |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cardiff | Wales | Millennium Stadium | 73,350 | Overview |
Pool stage[]
9 September 2007
14:00 |
Wales | 42–17 | Canada |
---|---|---|
Try: Parker 52' c A. W. Jones 58' c S. Williams (2) 61' m, 63' c Charvis 68' c Con: S. Jones (4/5) Pen: Hook (3/4) 10', 15', 21' |
Report | Try: Cudmore 25' m Culpan 36' c Williams 45' m Con: Pritchard (1/3) |
Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
Attendance: 37,500 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland) |
15 September 2007
14:00 |
Wales | 20–32 | Australia |
---|---|---|
Try: J. Thomas 45' c S. Williams 76' c Con: Hook (2/2) Pen: S. Jones (1/3) 7' Hook (1/2) 54' |
Report | Try: Giteau 16' c Mortlock 35' m Latham (2) 40+' c, 60' c Con: Mortlock (2/2) Giteau (1/2) Pen: Mortlock (1/2) 2' Drop: Barnes (1/1) 23' |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 71,022 Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand) |
20 September 2007
21:00 |
Wales | 72–18 | Japan |
---|---|---|
Try: A. W. Jones 11' c Hook 24' c R. Thomas 31' c Morgan 40+' m Phillips 42' c S. Williams (2) 48' m, 80' m D. James 52' c Cooper 59' c M. Williams (2) 64' c, 74' c Con: S. Jones (5/7) Sweeney (2/4) Pen: S. Jones (1/1) 23' |
Report | Try: Endo 19' m Onozawa 57' c Con: Robins (1/1) Pen: Onishi (2/2) 4', 37' |
29 September 2007
17:00 |
Wales | 34–38 | Fiji |
---|---|---|
Try: Popham 34' c S. Williams 45' c G. Thomas 48' m M. Jones 51' c M. Williams 73' m Con: Hook (1/1) S. Jones (2/4) Pen: S. Jones (1/2) 5' |
Report | Try: Qera 16' c Delasau 19' m Leawere 25' c Dewes 77' c Con: Little (3/4) Pen: Little (4/5) 21', 24', 54', 60' |
Pld | W | D | L | TF | PF | PA | +/− | BP | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 215 | 41 | +174 | 4 | 20 |
Fiji | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 114 | 136 | −22 | 3 | 15 |
Wales | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 168 | 105 | +63 | 4 | 12 |
Japan | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 64 | 210 | −146 | 1 | 3 |
Canada | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 51 | 120 | −69 | 0 | 2 |
2011 New Zealand[]
Pool stage[]
11 September 2011
20:30 |
South Africa | 17–16 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Try: F. Steyn 3' c Hougaard 65' c Con: M. Steyn (2/2) Pen: M. Steyn (1/1) 20' |
Report | Try: Faletau 54' c Con: Hook (1/1) Pen: Hook (3/5) 10', 32', 50' |
18 September 2011
15:30 |
Wales | 17–10 | Samoa |
---|---|---|
Try: Sh. Williams 67' m Pen: Hook (2/3) 12', 27' Priestland (2/2) 43', 66' |
Report | Try: Perenise 40+' c Con: Williams (1/1) Pen: Williams (1/3) 21' |
26 September 2011
19:30 |
Wales | 81–7 | Namibia |
---|---|---|
Try: Sc. Williams (3) 8' m, 47' c, 70' c Brew 14' c Faletau 18' c Jenkins 50' c North (2) 61' c, 66' c J. Davies 62' c L. Williams 75' m Byrne 77' m A.W. Jones 80+' c Con: S. Jones (6/7) Priestland (3/5) Pen: S. Jones (1/1) 3' |
Report | Try: Koll 53' c Con: Kotzé (1/1) |
2 October 2011
18:00 |
Wales | 66–0 | Fiji |
---|---|---|
Try: Roberts (2) 6' c, 51' c Sc. Williams 17' c North 32' c Warburton 39' c Burns 59' c Halfpenny 68' c L. Williams 73' c J. Davies 80+' c Con: Priestland (5/5) S. Jones (4/4) Pen: Priestland (1/1) 21' |
Report |
Pld | W | D | L | TF | PF | PA | +/− | BP | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
South Africa | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 166 | 24 | +142 | 2 | 18 |
Wales | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 180 | 34 | +146 | 3 | 15 |
Samoa | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 91 | 49 | +42 | 2 | 10 |
Fiji | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 59 | 167 | −108 | 1 | 5 |
Namibia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 44 | 266 | −222 | 0 | 0 |
Knockout stage[]
Quarter-final[]
Ireland | 10–22 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Try: Earls 45' c Con: O'Gara (1/1) Pen: O'Gara (1/1) 24' |
Report | Try: Williams 3' c Phillips 51' m J. Davies 64' c Con: Priestland (2/3) Pen: Halfpenny (1/1) 29' |
Semi-final[]
Wales | 8–9 | France |
---|---|---|
Try: Phillips 58' m Pen: Hook (1/3) 8' |
Report | Pen: Parra (3/3) 22', 35', 51' |
Eden Park, Auckland
Attendance: 58,630 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland) |
Bronze medal match[]
Wales | 18–21 | Australia |
---|---|---|
Try: Shane Williams 50' m Halfpenny 80+' c Con: S. Jones (1/1) Pen: Hook (1/2) 20' S. Jones (1/1) 71' |
Report | Try: Barnes 12' c McCalman 76' m Con: O'Connor (1/2) Pen: O'Connor (2/4) 54', 58' Drop: Barnes (1/1) 68' |
Eden Park, Auckland
Attendance: 53,014 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) |
2015 England[]
Hosting[]
In 2009 England were awarded the rights to stage the 2015 tournament. Owing to the proximity of Cardiff, the RFU made it clear that they intended to use the Millennium Stadium as part of its bid,[13] despite initial reluctance from the IRB for multiple hosting nations.[14] The Millennium Stadium hosted eight games in the tournament, more than in any previous world cup. These include two quarter-finals. This made Cardiff the only venue hosting knock-out matches with the exception of England's national stadium, Twickenham, as well as the venue with the second highest number of games. As Wales and England have were drawn in the same group, Wales only have home advantage for two of their games, against Uruguay and Fiji.
Cardiff used the world cup to promote tourism in the city,[15] with estimates that the games will add over £300 million to the local economy.[16] A 'Fan Zone' has been created within the grounds of Cardiff Arms Park with a large screen, for enjoying match days.[17] Cardiff Council has commissioned an art installation to mark the tournament, grafting a rugby ball to the prominent Cardiff Castle, to make it appear the ball has smashed straight through the wall.[18] This is similar to a publicity stunt from the 2007 World Cup, where a rugby ball hung from the centre of the Eiffel Tower. No such other sculptures have been created in the other 2015 venue cities.
City | Country | Stadium | Capacity | Further reading |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cardiff | Wales | Millennium Stadium | 73,350 | Overview |
Pool stage[]
20 September 2015
14:30 |
Wales | 54–9 | Uruguay |
---|---|---|
Try: Lee 15' c Allen (3) 19' c, 30' c, 40' c Amos 50' c Davies (2) 60' m, 80' c Tipuric 71' c Con: Priestland (7/8) 16', 19', 30', 40', 51', 72', 80' |
Report | Pen: Berchesi (3/4) 2', 9', 24' |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 71,887 Referee: Romain Poite (France) |
26 September 2015
20:00 |
England | 25–28 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Try: May 27' c Con: Farrell (1/1) 29' Pen: Farrell (5/5) 12', 24', 44', 52', 69' Drop: Farrell 18' |
Report | Try: G. Davies 71' c Con: Biggar (1/1) 72' Pen: Biggar (7/7) 3', 16', 40', 48', 54', 59', 75' |
1 October 2015
16:45 |
Wales | 23–13 | Fiji |
---|---|---|
Try: G. Davies 7' c Baldwin 32' c Con: Biggar (2/2) 8', 34' Pen: Biggar (3/3) 21', 55', 69' |
Report | Try: Goneva 49' c Con: Volavola (1/1) 50' Pen: Volavola (2/2) 14', 38' |
10 October 2015
16:45 |
Australia | 15–6 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Pen: Foley (5/6) 25', 31', 37', 51', 73' |
Report | Pen: Biggar (2/3) 5', 34' |
Pld | W | D | L | TF | PF | PA | +/− | BP | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 141 | 35 | +106 | 1 | 17 |
Wales | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 111 | 62 | +49 | 1 | 13 |
England | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 133 | 75 | +58 | 3 | 11 |
Fiji | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 84 | 101 | –17 | 1 | 5 |
Uruguay | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 30 | 226 | –196 | 0 | 0 |
Knockout stage[]
Quarter-final[]
South Africa | 23–19 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Try: Du Preez 75' m Pen: Pollard (5/7) 9', 13', 17', 21', 62' Drop: Pollard 52' |
Report[19] | Try: G. Davies 18' c Con: Biggar (1/1) 19' Pen: Biggar (3/4) 15', 47', 64' Drop: Biggar 40' |
2019 Japan[]
Pool stage[]
(1 BP) Wales | 43–14 | Georgia |
---|---|---|
Try: J. Davies 3' m Tipuric 13' c Adams 19' c L. Williams 40' c T. Williams 65' c North 76' c Con: Biggar (4/5) 14', 20', 40', 66' Halfpenny (1/1) 77' Pen: Biggar (1/1) 7' |
Report | Try: Mamukashvili 43' c Chilachava 69' c Con: Abzhandadze (2/2) 44', 70' |
(1 BP) Australia | 25–29 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Try: Ashley-Cooper 21' m Haylett-Petty 46' c Hooper 62' c Con: To'omua (2/2) 48', 63' Pen: Foley (1/1) 29' To'omua (1/1) 68' |
Report | Try: Parkes 13' c G. Davies 38' c Con: Biggar (1/1) 14' Patchell (1/1) 39' Pen: Patchell (3/3) 33', 37', 72' Drop: Biggar (1/2) 1' Patchell (1/1) 44' |
(1 BP) Wales | 29-17 | Fiji |
---|---|---|
Try: Adams (3) 18' c 31' c 61' m L. Williams 69' m Con: Biggar (2/2) 20' 32' Pen: Patchell (1/1) 58' |
Report | Try: Tuisova 4' m Murimurivalu 9' m Penalty try 54' |
(1 BP) Wales | 35-13 | Uruguay |
---|---|---|
Try: Smith 17' c Adams 49' c Penalty try 66' T Williams 74' c G Davies 85' c Con: Halfpenny (4/4) 18' 50' 75' 86' |
Report | Try: Kessler 71' c Con: Berchesi 72' Pen: Berchesi (2/2) 22' 39' |
Pld | W | D | L | TF | PF | PA | +/− | BP | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wales | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 136 | 69 | +67 | 3 | 19 |
Australia | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 136 | 68 | +68 | 4 | 16 |
Fiji | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 110 | 108 | +2 | 3 | 7 |
Georgia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 65 | 122 | −57 | 1 | 5 |
Uruguay | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 60 | 140 | −80 | 0 | 4 |
Knockout stage[]
Quarter-final[]
Wales | 20-19 | France |
---|---|---|
Try: Wainwright 12' c Moriarty 74' c Con: Biggar (2/2) 13' 75' Pen: Biggar (2/2) 20' 54' |
Report | Try: Vahaamahina 5' m Ollivon 8' c Vakatawa 31' c Con: Ntamack (2/3) 9' 32' |
Semi-final[]
Wales | 16–19 | South Africa |
---|---|---|
Try: Adams 65' c Con: Halfpenny (1/1) 66' Pen: Biggar (3/3) 18', 39', 46' |
Report | Try: de Allende 57' c Con: Pollard (1/1) 58' Pen: Pollard (4/4) 15', 20', 35', 76' |
Bronze final[]
New Zealand | 40–17 | Wales |
---|---|---|
Try: Moody 5' c B. Barrett 13' c B. Smith (2) 33' c, 40+1' c Crotty 42' c Mo'unga 76' m Con: Mo'unga (5/6) 7', 14', 34', 40+2', 44' |
Report | Try: Amos 19' c Adams 59' c Con: Patchell (1/1) 21' Biggar (1/1) 61' Pen: Patchell (1/1) 27' |
By opponent[]
Opponent | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | % Won |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Argentina | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 25 | 100 |
Australia | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 107 | 176 | 28.57 |
Canada | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 123 | 36 | 100 |
England | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 56 | 66.67 |
Fiji | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 152 | 68 | 75 |
France | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 28 | 50 |
Georgia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 14 | 100 |
Ireland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 58 | 40 | 66.67 |
Italy | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 15 | 100 |
Japan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 193 | 43 | 100 |
Namibia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 7 | 100 |
New Zealand | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 69 | 176 | 0 |
Samoa | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 61 | 64 | 33.33 |
South Africa | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 35 | 40 | 0 |
Tonga | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 36 | 100 |
Uruguay | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 22 | 100 |
Total | 44 | 26 | 0 | 18 | 1,238 | 865 | 59.09 |
References[]
- Davies, Gerald (2004) The History of the Rugby World Cup (Sanctuary Publishing Ltd, (ISBN 1860746020)
- Farr-Jones, Nick, (2003). Story of the Rugby World Cup, Australian Post Corporation, (ISBN 0-642-36811-2)
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- ^ "Pool B". Rugby News. Vol. 38, no. 9. 2007. p. 38.
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- ^ "Thomas lifts lid on World Cup woe". iol.ie. 26 October 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2007.
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- ^ "rugby.com.au | FRANCE WINS RIGHT TO HOST THE 2007 RUGBY WORLD CUP". 3 September 2006. Archived from the original on 3 September 2006.
- ^ Gallagher, Brendan (21 September 2011). "Rugby World Cup 2011: 'France pose absolutely no threat to All Blacks' - headline in New Zealand Herald in 2007" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
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- ^ Gower (2007)
- ^ BBC News (2007)
- ^ Lampp (2007)
- ^ "England will host 2015 World Cup". 28 July 2009 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ [1], Doubt over Wales' 2015 Cup role
- ^ "Rugby World Cup: Where to eat, drink and play in Cardiff". Independent.ie.
- ^ "£316m World Cup boost to Cardiff". BBC News.
- ^ Bolter, Abby (19 September 2015). "Rugby World Cup 2015: What's the Fanzone at the Cardiff Arms Park actually like?". walesonline.
- ^ "Rugby ball 'crashes' into castle". BBC News. 18 September 2015.
- ^ "'Pure genius' try from Fourie du Preez grabs late victory for Springboks over Wales". www.rugbyworldcup.com. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
- Wales national rugby union team
- Rugby World Cup by nation