Introduction
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh edition of the men’s Rugby World Cup and was hosted by New Zealand from 9 September to 23 October 2011.
- Host nation: New Zealand
- Teams: 20
- Matches: 48
- Total attendance: 1,477,294 (30,777 per match)
- Champions: 🇳🇿 New Zealand (2nd title)
- Runners-up: 🇫🇷 France
- Third place: 🇦🇺 Australia
- Top points scorer: Morné Steyn (South Africa) – 62 points
- Top try scorers: Chris Ashton (England) & Vincent Clerc (France) – 6 tries each
New Zealand defeated France 8–7 in a tense final at Eden Park, Auckland, winning their second world title and becoming the third host nation to win the World Cup (after New Zealand 1987 and South Africa 1995). Defending champions South Africa were knocked out by Australia in the quarter-finals.
It was the biggest sporting event in New Zealand’s history, with around 133,000 overseas visitors, and matches played across 12 venues around the country.
Participating Teams & Pools
20 teams took part. Twelve qualified automatically by finishing in the top three of their pool at the 2007 World Cup, and eight qualified through regional tournaments. Russia were the only debutants, replacing Portugal from 2007.
All regions were represented:
- Europe: England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, Romania, Georgia, Russia
- Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga
- Americas: Argentina, Canada, United States
- Africa: South Africa, Namibia
- Asia: Japan
They were drawn into four pools:
- Pool A: New Zealand, France, Tonga, Canada, Japan
- Pool B: England, Argentina, Scotland, Georgia, Romania
- Pool C: Australia, Ireland, Italy, United States, Russia
- Pool D: South Africa, Wales, Samoa, Fiji, Namibia
Teams earned:
- 4 points for a win
- 2 for a draw
- 1 bonus point for scoring 4+ tries
- 1 losing bonus point for losing by 7 or fewer
Top two in each pool advanced to the quarter-finals; top three in each pool qualified automatically for the 2015 World Cup.
Pool Stage – Group Results
Pool A
Final standings:
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand – 20 pts (4 wins, bonus in all games)
- 🇫🇷 France – 11 pts
- 🇹🇴 Tonga – 9 pts
- 🇨🇦 Canada – 6 pts
- 🇯🇵 Japan – 2 pts
Key results:
- New Zealand 41–10 Tonga (opening match)
- France 47–21 Japan
- New Zealand 83–7 Japan
- France 46–19 Canada
- New Zealand 37–17 France
- Canada 23–23 Japan
- France 14–19 Tonga – big upset
- New Zealand 79–15 Canada
Story of the pool:
New Zealand dominated, scoring 240 points in four games. France were inconsistent, beaten heavily by New Zealand and then shockingly by Tonga, but still qualified for the knockout stage. Tonga’s win over France was one of the surprises of the tournament.
Pool B
Final standings:
- 🏴 England – 18 pts (4 wins)
- 🇦🇷 Argentina – 14 pts
- 🏴 Scotland – 11 pts
- 🇬🇪 Georgia – 4 pts
- 🇷🇴 Romania – 0 pts
Key results:
- Scotland 34–24 Romania
- Argentina 9–13 England
- Scotland 15–6 Georgia
- Argentina 43–8 Romania
- England 41–10 Georgia
- England 67–3 Romania
- Argentina 13–12 Scotland
- Georgia 25–9 Romania
- England 16–12 Scotland
- Argentina 25–7 Georgia
Story of the pool:
England topped the group unbeaten, though not always convincingly. Argentina edged Scotland 13–12, a crucial result that sent the Pumas through and knocked the Scots out at the pool stage.
Pool C
Final standings:
- 🇮🇪 Ireland – 17 pts
- 🇦🇺 Australia – 15 pts
- 🇮🇹 Italy – 10 pts
- 🇺🇸 United States – 4 pts
- 🇷🇺 Russia – 1 pt
Key results:
- Australia 32–6 Italy
- Ireland 22–10 United States
- United States 13–6 Russia
- Australia 6–15 Ireland – major upset
- Italy 53–17 Russia
- Australia 67–5 United States
- Ireland 62–12 Russia
- Italy 27–10 United States
- Australia 68–22 Russia
- Ireland 36–6 Italy
Story of the pool:
Ireland’s 15–6 win over Australia at Eden Park was one of the standout results of the tournament, sending them to the top of the group. Australia recovered to qualify in second.
Pool D
Final standings:
- 🇿🇦 South Africa – 18 pts (4 wins)
- 🏴 Wales – 15 pts
- 🇼🇸 Samoa – 10 pts
- 🇫🇯 Fiji – 5 pts
- 🇳🇦 Namibia – 0 pts
Key results:
- Fiji 49–25 Namibia
- South Africa 17–16 Wales – very tight opener
- Samoa 49–12 Namibia
- South Africa 49–3 Fiji
- Wales 17–10 Samoa
- South Africa 87–0 Namibia
- Fiji 7–27 Samoa
- Wales 81–7 Namibia
- South Africa 13–5 Samoa
- Wales 66–0 Fiji
Story of the pool:
South Africa and Wales both impressed, especially in attack: Wales scored 180 points overall and South Africa 166. Wales pushed the defending champions close in their opening match but narrowly lost 17–16.
Knockout Stage
Quarter-finals
- Ireland 10–22 Wales (Wellington)
- Wales dominated physically; tries from Shane Williams, Mike Phillips, and Jonathan Davies sent them to the semi-finals.
- England 12–19 France (Auckland)
- France stormed to a first-half lead with tries from Clerc and Médard, then held on despite a late English fightback.
- South Africa 9–11 Australia (Wellington)
- A tense, low-scoring game. Australia scored the only try (James Horwill) and James O’Connor’s late penalty sealed the upset over the defending champions.
- New Zealand 33–10 Argentina (Auckland)
- New Zealand relied on Piri Weepu’s kicking (7 penalties) to overcome a stubborn Argentina, pulling away in the final 10 minutes with tries from Read and Thorn.
Semi-finals
- Wales 8–9 France (Auckland)
- An agonising defeat for Wales. They played most of the match with 14 men after captain Sam Warburton’s red card, and lost by a single point, with all French points coming from Morgan Parra’s boot.
- Australia 6–20 New Zealand (Auckland)
- New Zealand controlled the match, with an early try from Ma’a Nonu and accurate kicking from Piri Weepu and Aaron Cruden. The All Blacks booked a place in the final on home soil.
Bronze Final
- Wales 18–21 Australia (Auckland)
- Australia took third place. Tries from Berrick Barnes and Ben McCalman, plus Barnes’ drop goal, proved enough to edge a spirited Welsh side.
Final – New Zealand vs France
Result:
🇫🇷 France 7–8 New Zealand 🇳🇿
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Attendance: 61,079
- New Zealand scoring:
- Try: Tony Woodcock
- Penalty: Stephen Donald
- France scoring:
- Try: Thierry Dusautoir
- Conversion: François Trinh-Duc
It was one of the tightest World Cup finals ever. New Zealand led 5–0 at halftime after a clever lineout move put prop Tony Woodcock over. In the second half, Donald’s penalty extended the lead to 8–0, but France hit back with a try from captain Thierry Dusautoir, converted by Trinh-Duc, to make it 8–7. The All Blacks defended desperately in the final minutes to hold on.
New Zealand:
- Won their second Rugby World Cup (after 1987)
- Became the first host nation to win since 1995
- Completed a symbolic redemption after several knockout disappointments in previous tournaments
Standout Players & Statistics
Top Points Scorers
- Morné Steyn (South Africa) – 62 points (2 tries, 14 conversions, 7 penalties, 1 drop goal)
- James O’Connor (Australia) – 52
- Kurt Morath (Tonga) – 45
- Ronan O’Gara (Ireland) – 44
- Piri Weepu (New Zealand) – 41
Top Try Scorers
- Chris Ashton (England) – 6 tries
- Vincent Clerc (France) – 6 tries
IRB (World Rugby) “Top 5” Players of the Tournament
World Rugby’s Rugby News Service highlighted:
- Israel Dagg (New Zealand) – attacking fullback
- Jerome Kaino (New Zealand) – dominant back-row forward
- Jamie Roberts (Wales) – powerful centre
- Seán O’Brien (Ireland) – dynamic flanker
- Jacques Burger (Namibia) – relentless tackler and leader