The 2023 Rugby World Cup winner was South Africa, with SA and New Zealand battling in the final. And that got us thinking about all the finals that have taken place from 1987 onwards, the winners and the runners-up. There have been some iconic showdowns over the years in what is the pinnacle of international rugby union.
Rugby existed long before 1987, but following the inaugural Rugby World Cup, things seemed to change for the better. And as mentioned above, this tournament became the sport’s pinnacle and real showpiece. What the World Cup manages to achieve is to bring nations from all over the globe together for an event where dreams are made, and stories are written.
Occurring every four years, akin to the Football World Cup, waiting between tournaments may seem a long time. But, it gives countries plenty of time to fashion their squads so they can be in the best position to give a good account of themselves. The Rugby World Cup started with sixteen teams competing but was upped to twenty in 1999, and it remains the same today.
The Previous Winners
We’re now going to take you on a journey through Rugby World Cup history, checking out each tournament that has taken place. And there have been some great ones, with memorable moments aplenty. Ironically, there have been nine Rugby World Cups in total, and the two most successful nations are New Zealand and South Africa, who are tied on three wins apiece. So, whoever wins the upcoming final between the pair will move into the lead as the most successful.
Only four nations have won the Rugby World Cup, with England and Australia the other two alongside New Zealand and South Africa. England remains the only team from the northern hemisphere to be successful at a Rugby World Cup, and this won’t change before the 2027 event, with the southern hemisphere’s dominance set to continue in 2023.
The First Rugby World Cup 1987
The first Rugby World Cup took place in 1987, with the inaugural tournament hosted by Australia and New Zealand. With sixteen teams competing, there were a total of thirty-two matches – eleven were played in Australia and twenty-one in New Zealand. And the latter dominated from the get-go on the field, winning every game they played and defeating France 29-9 in the final.
By the time the final came around, everyone expected New Zealand to win at a canter, which they did. So it’s fair to say the third-place playoff was arguably the memorable moment at the inaugural event. Co-host nation Australia wanted to bow out with pride, and they launched onslaught after onslaught against Wales, but the Welsh showed real determination and hung on to their one-point advantage, winning the tie 22-21. It’s a result that went down in Welsh Rugby history, and they’re yet to eclipse that, for all their efforts since.
Rugby World Cups That Followed
1991 Rugby World Cup
Winners: Australia Runners Up: England
After missing out on third place at the inaugural Rugby World Cup, Australia set their stall out early in the 1991 running of the tournament, which took place in Great Britain & Ireland and France. They wanted to take revenge on Britain after being edged out by Wales in 1987 and did so by defeating England on their home turf of Twickenham.
Australia were also involved in a match that will live long in the memory when they looked to be crashing out of the tournament at the hands of Ireland after a late try saw them fall three points behind. The Irish were heading for the semis, only for a late, late Michael Lynagh to rescue matters, securing a 19-18 victory. It inspired Australia to go on and become World Champions. There’s no doubt about it.
1995 Rugby World Cup
Winners: South Africa Runners Up: New Zealand
South Africa hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and they wanted to give the best account of themselves possible, so they won it. Before we come onto the memorable match, French fly-half Thierry Lacroix deserves a mention for scoring a stunning 112 points in just six games.
Unlike other Rugby World Cups, the final was the moment to remember because both South Africa and New Zealand were giants of the sport and came into the showpiece unbeaten. South Africa were just ahead at the break, with three points in it, but the second half saw New Zealand force extra time, with a Joel Stransky drop goal winning it for the hosts.
1999 Rugby World Cup
Winners: Australia Runners Up: France
The 1999 Rugby World Cup saw the tournament once again divided across Great Britain & Ireland and France. Australia won it, and it was Australian full-back Matt Burke who everyone was talking about, as he managed to rack up an impressive 101 points in six games.
New Zealand had come into the tournament as one of the fancied teams and faced off against France in the semis. The New Zealand team boasted the likes of Andrew Mehrtens and Jonah Lomu, and when they raced into the lead, many thought the tie was done and dusted. However, France then racked up three tries, two penalties and two drop goals without reply, which secured them an unlikely victory.
2003 Rugby World Cup
Winners: England Runners Up: Australia
It was time to head Down Under for the 2003 Rugby World Cup and hosts Australia had one thing on their mind: winning their third Rugby World Cup in four years. But England had other ideas, and one player in particular, Jonny Wilkinson, was on a mission to announce himself as one of the world’s leading rugby players. His 113 points in six games didn’t go unnoticed on that front.
The final between Australia and England was always destined to be a rollercoaster ride. England led at the halfway mark 14-5, but Australia fought back in the second half to make it 14-14 and force extra time. The score was all square as extra time looked to be coming to an end, 17-17, but that man Wilkinson popped up with the winning kick in one of Rugby World Cup’s most memorable moments.
2007 Rugby World Cup
Winners: South Africa Runners Up: England
England headed into the 2007 Rugby World Cup as the defending champions, and they were out to make a successful defence of their crown, but unfortunately lost out in the final to South Africa. There was also disappointment for France, the hosts, who bowed out in the semis.
It’s France who were involved in the memorable match at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, and this time, it involved a star-studded New Zealand side. The two nations met in the quarter-finals and found themselves 13-3 down at halftime. But after Luke McAllister was sent to the sin bin, France turned things around and levelled the score, but their jubilation turned into disappointment when New Zealand broke into the lead once again. However, France somehow found a way via a try to win 20-18.
2011 Rugby World Cup
Winners: New Zealand Runners Up: France
New Zealand had been involved in hosting a Rugby World Cup before, but not as the sole host. In 2011, they got their chance to be the sole host and took their responsibilities seriously by winning the tournament. It’d be fair to call the final between them and France a war of attrition, with the hosts edging it 9-8.
England and Scotland being drawn in the same group was always going to attract attention, and when the two fierce rivals met on the field, it was the latter who looked like they’d got victory in the bag. It was 12-9, with two minutes remaining, but Chris Ashton went over in the dying embers to snatch the win to send England through and Scotland crashing out.
2015 Rugby World Cup
Winners: New Zealand Runners Up: Australia
England and Wales hosted the 2015 Rugby World Cup, but it proved to be an incredibly disappointing tournament for the former, as they crashed out in the group stages without ever really getting going. New Zealand were victorious over neighbours Australia at Twickenham, and Julian Savea was instrumental for the winners throughout.
The 2015 Rugby World Cup was also the tournament where the greatest underdog story in the competition’s history was written when Eddie Jones’ Japan were behind against South Africa, levelled it up, went behind again, but then won it in the 84th minute. There’s been nothing like it since, in what was a real David vs Goliath story, considering South Africa’s status and stature in rugby.
2019 Rugby World Cup
Winners: South Africa Runners Up: England
The most recent Rugby World Cup was hosted in Japan, and the hosts performed exceptionally well once again, this time making it as far as the quarter-finals. But once again, South Africa triumphed for the third time in competition history, with England losing out in the final. The Springboks were made to work for it, with the determination of Siya Kolisi the difference.
In 2015, South Africa ended Wales’ dreams, and they did so again here in a close-run semi-final match that finished 19-16. At one stage, it looked possible for Wales to gain the revenge they were looking for, but when Hendre Pollard scored a late penalty, Welsh hearts were once again broken, with The Spingboks advancing to the final.
2023 Rugby World Cup
Winners: South Africa Runners Up: New Zealand
New Zealand and South Africa met at the Stade de France in the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final after defeating Argentina and England, respectively. And there couldn’t have been two better teams for the occasion, as they happen to be the most successful teams in Rugby World Cup history. New Zealand and South Africa have both triumphed on three occasions each, with South Africa adding a 4th to their cap.
South Africa are the defending champions heading into the 2027 World Cup, so they will fancy their chances of doing something that their opponents are the only nation to achieve thus far: winning successive Rugby World Cups. The Springboks have never lost a final, which will stand them in good stead.
Most Memorable Rugby World Cup Moments
The two stand-out memorable moments in Rugby World Cup history involve England and Japan. In 2003, when Jonny Wilkinson hit that stunning drop goal against Australia to secure England victory, it was more than just a late winner that sent fans into hysteria and went down in history as a moment to remember. Up until that point, the Rugby World Cup had only ever been won by nations from the southern hemisphere, and that has been the case since, too. However, just for that tournament, England broke that stronghold and have gone close to doing so again.
Everyone loves an underdog story, and Eddie Jones and Japan wrote one of the best ever in rugby and potentially sporting history. Until then, Japan weren’t recognised as a strong team on the map, and when they met South Africa in the pool stage at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, everyone expected them to be on the end of a convincing defeat. But they couldn’t have been more wrong.
Eddie Jones had implemented a fantastic style of play with Japan, and they headed into the tie against South Africa with no fear and doing things on their terms. Japan’s bravery and determination gave them the never-say-die attitude required to fight back from losing positions against The Sprinboks twice, with the 84th-minute winner more than they deserved for their resolute approach alone. Japan won 34-32, wrote the greatest underdog story, and announced themselves on the world stage. They even followed it up by hosting the next Rugby World Cup, where they made the quarter-finals.
