History | About Rugby World Cup
The idea of a Rugby World Cup had long been discussed but it was not until March 1985 that a proposal was put in front of the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) at its annual meeting in Paris. Australia’s Nicholas Shehadie and New Zealand’s Richard Littlejohn had been the driving force behind the proposal, visiting England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to try to win crucial support from those unions for the proposal. They met with mixed responses, but come the vote the proposal was passed by 10-6 with Australia and New Zealand to co-host the inaugural tournament two years later.
Participation at a Rugby World Cup is now decided by a highly competitive qualification process, but for the inaugural men’s tournament in 1987, nine of the 16 teams were invited to take part with the rest coming from the seven member unions of the then IRFB (now World Rugby) in Australia, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales with South Africa unable to play given their international sporting isolation due to the apartheid regime.
New Zealand became the first team to hold aloft the Webb Ellis Cup after a 29-9 victory over France in the inaugural final, and have done so again twice since, as hosts again in 2011 and then in England in 2015. Led by the indefatigable Richie McCaw in both triumphs, the All Blacks are the only team to successfully defend the trophy.
South Africa made up for lost time by lifting the Webb Ellis Cup at the first attempt on home soil in 1995 with President Nelson Mandela presenting the trophy to Springbok captain Francois Pienaar in one of the most iconic images in sport. South Africa are level with the All Blacks on three titles, following further successes in 2007 and 2019.
The Springboks did, however, fall victim to what is ranked as the biggest shock in Rugby World Cup history between those two title-winning campaigns, when they lost to Japan in a never-to-be-forgotten encounter in Brighton at RWC 2015. The Brave Blossoms used that 34-32 victory as a springboard for an even better campaign in 2019 when, as Asia’s first hosts, they reached the quarter-finals for the first time.
Along with New Zealand and South Africa, Australia are the other multiple winners of the Webb Ellis Cup, with victories in 1991 and 1999 capping a golden decade for a Wallabies team stacked with exciting talent. While David Campese epitomised the attacking flair of the 1991 team, defence was the cornerstone of the 1999 win, with just one try conceded all tournament.
England are the only team to have broken the southern hemisphere monopoly. In 2003, Clive Woodward’s side faced hosts Australia in the second final to go to extra-time – South Africa v New Zealand in 1995 was the first – and prevailed 20-17 thanks to a last-gasp Jonny Wilkinson drop goal.
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The women’s tournament
The idea of a women’s Rugby World Cup grew after an international tournament in New Zealand in 1990 and after much hard work and dedication by the four-woman organising committee of Deborah Griffin, Alice Cooper, Sue Dorrington and Mary Forsyth, some 12 teams converged on the Welsh capital Cardiff in April 1991 for nine days of rugby, some having paid their own way to get there.
Ever since that first tournament was scheduled in the same year as the men’s in 1991, the women’s Rugby World Cup has stood alone in the sporting calendar and largely been held every four years, shifting to three years twice – in 1994 to avoid it falling in the same year as the men’s tournament and again in 2017 to ensure it didn’t clash with Rugby World Cup Sevens which had moved to sit in the middle of the Olympic Games cycle.
The USA were crowned inaugural champions in Cardiff after beating England 19-6 and went on to reach the next two Rugby World Cup finals, in 1994 and 1998.
England turned the tables on the Women’s Eagles three years later in Edinburgh before New Zealand became the dominant force, winning the next four Rugby World Cups on offer, adding to their 1998 triumph with more success in 2002, 2006 and 2010 – winning all 19 matches played in those tournaments.
The Black Ferns’ 16-year dynasty of success came to an end at France 2014 when a shock loss to Ireland in the pool phase cost them the chance to defend the trophy. That paved the way for England to claim their second Rugby World Cup title, 20 years after their first, with a 21-9 win against first-time finalists Canada. However, the Black Ferns bounced back to reclaim their crown at Ireland 2017.
While there have only been three winners of the women’s Rugby World Cup, each tournament has had a different host. In 2022, New Zealand will become the ninth country to have that honour with the Black Ferns bidding to become the first host nation to be crowned champions.
New Zealand and South Africa are the most successful teams in men’s Rugby World Cup history, having each lifted the Webb Ellis Cup on three occasions – the All Blacks in 1987, 2011 and 2015 and the Springboks in 1995, 2007 and 2019.
Australia were crowned champions in 1991 and 1999 with England, the only northern hemisphere nation lift the coveted trophy, in 2003. France are the only other nation to have reached a Rugby World Cup final, but they have suffered heartbreak on three occasions, in 1987, 1999 and 2011.
First held in Australia and New Zealand in 1987, the tournament has alternated between the northern and southern hemisphere every four years.
History was made in 2019 when the tournament was hosted in Asia for the first time, with Japan the hosts of a tournament that set records on and off the pitch and created a lasting legacy across the region.
Rugby World Cup 2019 attracted two million new participants to the sport, achieved a 99 per cent attendance rate, set a new fan zone attendance record of 1.13 million and delivered a record nationwide economic impact of £4.3 billion.
MEN’S KNOCKOUT STAGE RESULTS
Year
Hosts
Final
Bronze final
Teams
Winner
Score
Runner-up
Winner
Score
Runner-up
1987
Australia, New Zealand
New Zealand
29-9
France
Wales
22-21
Australia
16
1991
England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales
Australia
12-6
England
New Zealand
13-6
Scotland
16
1995
South Africa
South Africa
15-12 AET
New Zealand
France
19-9
England
16
1999
Wales
Australia
35-12
France
South Africa
22-18
New Zealand
16
2003
Australia
England
20-17 AET
Australia
New Zealand
40-13
France
20
2007
France
South Africa
15-6
England
Argentina
34-10
France
20
2011
New Zealand
New Zealand
8-7
France
Australia
21-18
Wales
20
2015
England
New Zealand
34-17
Australia
South Africa
24-13
Argentina
20
2019
Japan
South Africa
32-12
England
New Zealand
40-17
Wales
20
Rugby World Cup 2019
Japan made history on home soil in 2019, becoming the first Asian side to host a Rugby World Cup and to reach the event’s quarter-final stage. Four years earlier in England, the Brave Blossoms had caused arguably the greatest shock in the tournament’s history by beating South Africa. Four years on, they performed more heroics by going unbeaten in pool play against Russia, Ireland, Samoa and Scotland.
There was disappointment but no disgrace in bowing out to the eventual champions South Africa in the quarter-finals.
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
Quarter-final
England
40-16
Australia
Quarter-final
New Zealand
46-14
Ireland
Quarter-final
Wales
20-19
France
Quarter-final
South Africa
26-3
Japan
Semi-final
England
19-7
New Zealand
Semi-final
South Africa
19-16
Wales
Bronze final
New Zealand
40-17
Wales
Final
South Africa
32-12
England
Rugby World Cup 2015
Four years on from lifting the Webb Ellis Cup on home soil in New Zealand, a feat that had restored the All Blacks’ World Cup pride after a 24-year wait, Richie McCaw became the first man to lift the trophy twice.
The All Blacks beat great trans-Tasman rivals Australia in the final at Twickenham, a result which also brought a fitting climax to the international careers of both McCaw and fly-half Daniel Carter.
In the bronze final, South Africa overcame Argentina.
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
Quarter-final
South Africa
23-19
Wales
Quarter-final
New Zealand
62-13
France
Quarter-final
Argentina
43-20
Ireland
Quarter-final
Australia
35-34
Scotland
Semi-final
New Zealand
20-18
South Africa
Semi-final
Australia
29-15
Argentina
Bronze final
South Africa
24-13
Argentina
Final
New Zealand
34-17
Australia
Rugby World Cup 2011
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
Quarter-final
Wales
22-10
Ireland
Quarter-final
France
19-12
England
Quarter-final
Australia
11-9
South Africa
Quarter-final
New Zealand
33-10
Argentina
Semi-final
France
9-8
Wales
Semi-final
New Zealand
20-6
Australia
Bronze final
Australia
21-18
Wales
Final
New Zealand
8-7
France
Rugby World Cup 2007
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
Quarter-final
England
12-10
Australia
Quarter-final
France
20-18
New Zealand
Quarter-final
South Africa
37-20
Fiji
Quarter-final
Argentina
19-13
Scotland
Semi-final
England
14-9
France
Semi-final
South Africa
37-13
Argentina
Bronze final
Argentina
34-10
France
Final
South Africa
15-6
England
Rugby World Cup 2003
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
Quarter-final
New Zealand
29-9
South Africa
Quarter-final
Australia
33-16
Scotland
Quarter-final
France
43-21
Ireland
Quarter-final
England
28-17
Wales
Semi-final
Australia
22-10
New Zealand
Semi-final
England
24-7
France
Bronze final
New Zealand
40-13
France
Final
England
20-17 AET
Australia
Rugby World Cup 1999
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
Quarter-final play-off
England
45-24
Fiji
Quarter-final play-off
Scotland
35-20
Samoa
Quarter-final play-off
Argentina
28-24
Ireland
Quarter-final
Australia
24-9
Wales
Quarter-final
South Africa
44-21
England
Quarter-final
France
47-26
Argentina
Quarter-final
New Zealand
30-18
Scotland
Semi-final
Australia
27-21
South Africa
Semi-final
France
43-31
New Zealand
Bronze final
South Africa
22-18
New Zealand
Final
Australia
35-12
France
Rugby World Cup 1995
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
Quarter-final
France
36-12
Ireland
Quarter-final
South Africa
42-14
Samoa
Quarter-final
England
25-22
Australia
Quarter-final
New Zealand
48-30
Scotland
Semi-final
South Africa
19-15
France
Semi-final
New Zealand
45-29
England
Bronze final
France
19-9
England
Final
South Africa
15-12 AET
New Zealand
Rugby World Cup 1991
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
Quarter-final
Scotland
28-6
(Western) Samoa
Quarter-final
England
19-10
France
Quarter-final
Australia
19-18
Ireland
Quarter-final
New Zealand
29-13
Canada
Semi-final
England
9-6
Scotland
Semi-final
Australia
16-6
New Zealand
Bronze final
New Zealand
13-6
Scotland
Final
Australia
12-6
England
Rugby World Cup 1987
Round
Winner
Score
Loser
Quarter-final
New Zealand
30-3
Scotland
Quarter-final
Australia
33-15
Ireland
Quarter-final
France
31-16
Fiji
Quarter-final
Wales
16-3
England
Semi-final
France
30-24
Australia
Semi-final
New Zealand
49-6
Wales
Bronze final
Wales
22-21
Australia
Final
New Zealand
29-9
France
