57 Fun Facts About Rugby World Cup

Which two nations co-hosted the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987?

New Zealand and Australia co-hosted the first tournament, which had no qualifying: the seven board member nations took part automatically and the rest were invited.

What is the men's Rugby World Cup trophy called?

The Webb Ellis Cup honours William Webb Ellis, the Rugby School pupil credited in an 1876 account with first running with the ball.

Which rugby anthem, set to Holst's 'Jupiter' melody, did Kiri Te Kanawa first record in 1991?

World in Union became the Rugby World Cup's theme song, with lyrics by Charlie Skarbek set to Holst's hymn tune Thaxted.

Which Springbok fly-half kicked all 12 of his side's points in the 2023 final?

Handré Pollard wasn't in the original squad and was called up mid-tournament to replace injured hooker Malcolm Marx.

Which stadium hosted both the 1987 and 2011 finals?

Eden Park staged both finals, and both times New Zealand beat France there.

Who captained the All Blacks to the first title in 1987?

David Kirk only led the side because captain Andy Dalton was injured in training, and he retired soon after to take up a Rhodes Scholarship.

Which All Black set the record for most points in a single tournament, 126, in 1987?

Grant Fox also kicked a record 30 conversions that year, and his son Ryan became a professional golfer.

Which coach took Australia to the 2003 final and England to the 2019 final, losing both?

Eddie Jones's Wallabies lost 2003 to a drop goal in the last minute of extra time, and his England side lost 32-12 in 2019.

Which debutants shocked hosts Wales 16-13 in the pool stage of the 1991 World Cup?

Western Samoa went on to reach the quarter-finals, where Scotland beat them 28-6.

Which scrum-half captained the Wallabies to their first title in 1991?

Nick Farr-Jones led Australia to a 12-6 final win in which prop Tony Daly scored the match's only try.

Which stadium hosted the finals of both 1991 and 2015?

Twickenham saw England lose the 1991 final 12-6 to a Tony Daly try, and hosts England miss the 2015 knockout stage.

Which Springbok, the only non-white player in the team, scored four tries in a 1995 World Cup quarter-final?

Chester Williams's four tries came in a 42-14 win in Johannesburg, the city where South Africa later won the final.

Who presented the trophy in 1995 wearing a Springbok jersey and cap?

Nelson Mandela's gesture is told in John Carlin's book Playing the Enemy and its film adaptation.

Who captained the Springboks to the 1995 title?

Francois Pienaar won all 29 of his caps as captain, but was dropped in 1996 and became player-coach at Saracens.

Whose extra-time drop goal won the 1995 final?

Joel Stransky scored all 15 of South Africa's points and Andrew Mehrtens all 12 of New Zealand's, in the first final to need extra time.

Which All Black wing scored four tries against England in the 1995 semi-final?

Jonah Lomu ran straight over England's Mike Catt on the way to one of those four tries.

Which England coach led his side to the 2003 title and was knighted soon afterwards?

Clive Woodward then coached the 2005 British and Irish Lions, who lost the test series 3-0 in New Zealand.

Which All Black scored a record six tries in one World Cup match in 1995?

Marc Ellis's six tries came in a 145-17 win, still the highest team score in World Cup history.

The 2009 film Invictus, about the 1995 Rugby World Cup, was directed by whom?

Clint Eastwood directed Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, who were both Oscar-nominated, and the title comes from a William Ernest Henley poem.

Which coach took over the Springboks in 2018 and won the World Cup the following year?

Rassie Erasmus replaced the sacked Allister Coetzee, and was director of rugby when South Africa won again in 2023.

The Millennium Stadium, purpose-built for the 1999 tournament, stands in which city?

Cardiff's stadium was built on the site of the old National Stadium at Cardiff Arms Park, demolished in 1997 to make way for it.

Who presented the trophy to Wallaby captain John Eales in 1999?

Queen Elizabeth II presented it after the Wallabies beat France 35-12, making Australia the first team to win the tournament twice.

Who refereed the 2015 final, the highest-scoring World Cup final?

Nigel Owens followed Derek Bevan, who refereed the 1991 final, as the second Welshman to take charge of a World Cup final.

Which Springbok kicked a record five drop goals in a single match against England in 1999?

Jannie de Beer's five drop goals came in a 44-21 quarter-final win at the Stade de France, a world record for any test.

The Wallabies inflicted the Rugby World Cup's biggest margin, 142-0 in 2003, on which team?

Namibia conceded 22 tries at Adelaide Oval, five of them to Chris Latham, while Mat Rogers kicked 16 conversions.

Which Wallaby kicked the last-minute penalty that took the 2003 final into extra time?

Elton Flatley then levelled it again at 17-17 in extra time, but England still won 20-17.

Whose right-footed drop goal in the last minute of extra time won the 2003 final?

Jonny Wilkinson finished his career with 277 World Cup points, still the tournament record.

Who captained England in the 2003 final, his 84th and last test?

Martin Johnson became the first man to captain the British and Irish Lions twice, on the 1997 and 2001 tours.

Which city hosted the 2003 final, played in front of 82,957 fans?

Stadium Australia in Sydney staged it, after New Zealand lost its co-hosting rights in a dispute over stadium signage.

Which South African referee took charge of both the 1999 and 2003 finals?

André Watson, a civil engineer, said he was happy with his performance despite criticism of his 2003 scrum decisions.

Which team finished third in 2007 after beating France, Ireland and Scotland?

Argentina beat hosts France twice, 17-12 in the opening match and 34-10 in the bronze final.

Which England wing had a try disallowed in the 2007 final for putting a foot in touch?

Mark Cueto's left foot was ruled in touch by the TMO, and the Springboks won 15-6 with neither side scoring a try.

Which Springbok wing scored eight tries at the 2007 World Cup to equal the single-tournament record?

Bryan Habana was named 2007 IRB Player of the Year, and in 2015 he matched the record of 15 career World Cup tries.

Which host city lost its 2011 World Cup matches, including two quarter-finals, after a February earthquake?

Christchurch's two quarter-finals moved to Auckland, and its five pool matches went to other venues.

Which coach led the All Blacks to the 2011 title, clinched 8-7 in the final?

Graham Henry's All Blacks ended a 24-year wait for a second World Cup title.

Which stand-in fly-half kicked the winning penalty in the 2011 final after Carter, Slade and Cruden were hurt?

Stephen Donald had been left out of the original squad, and a 2014 TV film, The Kick, told his story.

Which French captain scored his side's only try in the 2011 final?

Thierry Dusautoir scored it in the 47th minute and was named IRB Player of the Year, though France lost 8-7.

Which nation beat the Springboks with a last-minute try at the 2015 World Cup?

Japan's 34-32 win is widely considered rugby's biggest upset, and as 2019 hosts Japan won all four pool games.

Which England head coach resigned after hosts England went out at the pool stage in 2015?

Stuart Lancaster took 'full responsibility' and quit weeks later, after defeats by Wales and Australia.

Which All Blacks flanker became the first captain to lift the World Cup twice, in 2015?

Richie McCaw had also led New Zealand to the 2011 title, and the 2015 final was his record 13th World Cup match as captain.

Which typhoon caused the first match cancellations in World Cup history, in 2019?

Typhoon Hagibis forced three pool matches to be cancelled and recorded as 0-0 draws, including England against France.

Who became the first black man to captain the Springboks and lifted the trophy in 2019?

Siya Kolisi first led the Springboks against England in 2018, and lifted the trophy again in 2023.

Which city hosted the 2019 Rugby World Cup final?

Yokohama's International Stadium, which staged the 2002 football World Cup final, stepped in after plans for Tokyo's new National Stadium were scrapped.

Who scored the fastest hat-trick in World Cup history, three tries in 11 minutes in 2019?

Cobus Reinach's hat-trick came in a 66-7 pool win, and South Africa went on to win the tournament.

Who was the first player sent off in a World Cup final, in 2023?

Sam Cane, the All Blacks captain, had his yellow card for a high tackle on Jesse Kriel upgraded to red after a bunker review.

By what margin did the Springboks win each of their three knockout matches in 2023?

One point was the margin each time: they beat France 29-28, England 16-15 and the All Blacks 12-11.

Three brothers from which family started for the All Blacks in the 2023 final?

Beauden, Jordie and Scott Barrett were the first three siblings to play in a final, and Beauden became the first to score tries in two finals.

Which referee took charge of the 2023 final at his fifth World Cup?

Wayne Barnes retired soon after the final, which was his 111th test as a referee.

Which nation made its World Cup debut in 2023?

Chile made their debut, while Portugal returned 16 years after their first appearance, also in France.

Which team lost its 2023 World Cup place for fielding an ineligible player during qualifying?

Spain were docked ten points, so Romania took their place and Portugal took the play-off spot and qualified.

Which new knockout round will the 24-team 2027 men's Rugby World Cup add before the quarter-finals?

A round of 16 follows six pools of four, and 2027 is the first edition branded the Men's Rugby World Cup.

Which country was awarded the 2031 men's Rugby World Cup when hosts were named in 2022?

The United States will host the men's tournament in 2031 and the women's in 2033, both awarded on 12 May 2022.

Which team lost the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup final to hosts England?

Canada lost 33-13 in front of 81,885 fans, a world record crowd for a women's rugby match.

The men's Rugby World Cup Sevens trophy is named after which Scottish town, where sevens was invented?

England won the first Melrose Cup in 1993, and the 2022 tournament in Cape Town was the last Rugby World Cup Sevens.

Which All Black lock played a record 26 World Cup matches between 2011 and 2023?

Sam Whitelock won titles in 2011 and 2015 and retired as the most capped All Black, with 153 tests.

Who was the first player sent off at a World Cup, a Welsh lock playing the All Blacks in 1987?

Huw Richards punched Gary Whetton, was knocked out by Buck Shelford's retaliation, and was sent off once he came round.

Which team beat Australia 22-15 at the 2023 World Cup, their first win over the Wallabies since 1954?

Fiji's win helped send Australia out at the pool stage for the first time in the Wallabies' history.