Introduction
The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth edition of the men’s Rugby World Cup and was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October 2015 (with some matches played in Cardiff, Wales).
- Host nation: England
- Teams: 20
- Matches: 48
- Total attendance: 2,477,805 (51,621 per match)
- Champions: 🇳🇿 New Zealand (3rd title)
- Runners-up: 🇦🇺 Australia
- Third place: 🇿🇦 South Africa
- Top points scorer: Nicolás Sánchez (Argentina) – 97 points
- Top try scorer: Julian Savea (New Zealand) – 8 tries
New Zealand beat Australia 34–17 in the final at Twickenham, becoming the first team to win three Rugby World Cups and the first team ever to retain the title (back-to-back champions after 2011).
The tournament is also remembered for two huge stories:
- Japan’s shock win over South Africa – often described as the biggest upset in rugby history.
- Host nation England being eliminated in the pool stage, the first host ever to miss the quarter-finals.
Participating Teams
The same 20 nations as in 2003 took part (the only change from 2011 was Uruguay replacing Russia):
- Europe (8): England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy, Romania, Georgia
- Oceania (5): New Zealand, Australia, South Africa* (actually Africa, but Tier 1), Fiji, Tonga, Samoa
- Africa (2): South Africa, Namibia
- Asia (1): Japan
- Americas (4): Argentina, Uruguay, Canada, United States
(*South Africa qualified via the Africa region but is traditionally grouped with the southern hemisphere powers.)
They were drawn into four pools of five:
- Pool A: Australia, England, Wales, Fiji, Uruguay
- Pool B: South Africa, Scotland, Japan, Samoa, United States
- Pool C: New Zealand, Argentina, Tonga, Georgia, Namibia
- Pool D: Ireland, France, Italy, Canada, Romania
Pool Stage – Group Results
Pool A – “Group of Death”
Final standings:
- Australia – 17 pts (4 wins)
- Wales – 13 pts
- England – 11 pts
- Fiji – 5 pts
- Uruguay – 0 pts
Key results:
- England 35–11 Fiji (tournament opener at Twickenham)
- Wales 54–9 Uruguay
- Australia 28–13 Fiji
- England 25–28 Wales – late Welsh comeback at Twickenham
- Australia 65–3 Uruguay
- Wales 23–13 Fiji
- England 13–33 Australia – result that knocked England out
- Fiji 47–15 Uruguay
- Australia 15–6 Wales – sealed top spot for the Wallabies
- England 60–3 Uruguay
Story of the pool:
England lost to both Wales and Australia and became the first host nation ever to be eliminated in the pool stage. Australia topped the group unbeaten, Wales also advanced.
Pool B – Japan’s Miracle but Boks on Top
Final standings:
- South Africa – 16 pts
- Scotland – 14 pts
- Japan – 12 pts
- Samoa – 6 pts
- United States – 0 pts
Key results:
- South Africa 32–34 Japan – the famous upset in Brighton
- Samoa 25–16 United States
- Scotland 45–10 Japan
- South Africa 46–6 Samoa
- Scotland 39–16 United States
- Samoa 5–26 Japan
- South Africa 34–16 Scotland
- South Africa 64–0 United States
- Samoa 33–36 Scotland
- United States 18–28 Japan
Story of the pool:
Japan won three games (vs South Africa, Samoa, USA) but missed out on the quarter-finals due to not collecting enough bonus points. South Africa recovered from the loss to top the group, Scotland also went through.
Pool C – All Blacks and Pumas Dominate
Final standings:
- New Zealand – 19 pts (4 wins)
- Argentina – 15 pts
- Georgia – 8 pts
- Tonga – 6 pts
- Namibia – 1 pt
Key results:
- Tonga 10–17 Georgia
- New Zealand 26–16 Argentina (tight opener at Wembley)
- New Zealand 58–14 Namibia
- Argentina 54–9 Georgia
- Tonga 35–21 Namibia
- New Zealand 43–10 Georgia
- Argentina 45–16 Tonga
- Namibia 16–17 Georgia
- New Zealand 47–9 Tonga
- Argentina 64–19 Namibia
Story of the pool:
New Zealand and Argentina were clearly the strongest, both playing attacking rugby. Georgia’s two wins showed their growing strength as an emerging European nation.
Pool D – Ireland on Top, France Through
Final standings:
- Ireland – 18 pts (4 wins)
- France – 14 pts
- Italy – 10 pts
- Romania – 4 pts
- Canada – 2 pts
Key results:
- Ireland 50–7 Canada
- France 32–10 Italy
- France 38–11 Romania
- Italy 23–18 Canada
- Ireland 44–10 Romania
- France 41–18 Canada
- Ireland 16–9 Italy
- Canada 15–17 Romania
- Italy 32–22 Romania
- France 9–24 Ireland (decider for top spot)
Story of the pool:
Ireland beat France convincingly to top the group, setting up a quarter-final with Argentina. France advanced in second and would run into New Zealand.
Knockout Stage
Quarter-finals
- South Africa 23–19 Wales (Twickenham)
- Tight, physical game decided by a late try from Fourie du Preez.
- New Zealand 62–13 France (Cardiff)
- The All Blacks destroyed France, with Julian Savea scoring a hat-trick.
- Ireland 20–43 Argentina (Cardiff)
- Argentina started fast and controlled the match, knocking out the Six Nations champions.
- Australia 35–34 Scotland (Twickenham)
- Dramatic, controversial finish: Bernard Foley’s late penalty won it for the Wallabies after a handling error and an debated offside call.
Semi-finals
- South Africa 18–20 New Zealand (Twickenham)
- A classic: South Africa led through Pollard’s kicking, but tries from Jerome Kaino and Beauden Barrett plus Dan Carter’s drop goal edged the All Blacks into the final.
- Argentina 15–29 Australia (Twickenham)
- Adam Ashley-Cooper scored a hat-trick as Australia reached another World Cup final.
Bronze Final
- South Africa 24–13 Argentina (Olympic Stadium, London)
- South Africa secured third place, with tries from Pietersen and Etzebeth and accurate kicking from Pollard.
Final – New Zealand vs Australia
Result:
🇳🇿 New Zealand 34–17 Australia 🇦🇺
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
Attendance: 80,125
- New Zealand scoring:
- Tries: Nehe Milner-Skudder, Ma’a Nonu, Beauden Barrett
- Conversions: Dan Carter (2)
- Penalties: Carter (4)
- Drop goal: Carter (1)
- Australia scoring:
- Tries: David Pocock, Tevita Kuridrani
- Conversions: Bernard Foley (2)
- Penalty: Foley (1)
The All Blacks pulled away after halftime, with a brilliant solo try from Ma’a Nonu, controlled game management from Dan Carter, and Barrett’s late try sealing the win.
New Zealand became:
- The first nation to win three Rugby World Cups (1987, 2011, 2015)
- The first team to retain the title (back-to-back champions)
Standout Players and Statistics
Top Points Scorers
- Nicolás Sánchez (Argentina) – 97 points (tournament top scorer)
- Handré Pollard (South Africa) – 93 points
- Bernard Foley (Australia) – 82 points
- Dan Carter (New Zealand) – 82 points
- Greig Laidlaw (Scotland) – 79 points
Top Try Scorer
- Julian Savea (New Zealand) – 8 tries
- Equalled the single-tournament record (Jonah Lomu, Bryan Habana).
“Dream Team” (World Rugby selection)
Some of the XV chosen as the best of the tournament:
- Backs:
- Ayumu Goromaru (Japan) – fullback
- Nehe Milner-Skudder (New Zealand) – wing
- Conrad Smith (New Zealand) – centre
- Matt Giteau (Australia) – inside centre
- Julian Savea (New Zealand) – wing
- Dan Carter (New Zealand) – fly-half
- Greig Laidlaw (Scotland) – scrum-half
- Forwards:
- David Pocock (Australia) – No. 8 / back row
- Schalk Burger (South Africa) – flanker
- Mamuka Gorgodze (Georgia) – flanker
- Leone Nakarawa (Fiji) – lock
- Eben Etzebeth (South Africa) – lock
- Ramiro Herrera (Argentina) – prop
- Stephen Moore (Australia) – hooker
- Marcos Ayerza (Argentina) – prop