Introduction
The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the men’s Rugby World Cup and the first ever held in Asia, hosted by Japan from 20 September to 2 November 2019.
- Host nation: Japan
- Teams: 20
- Matches: 45
- Total attendance: 1,698,528 (37,745 per match)
- Total points: 2,196 (48.8 per match)
- Total tries: 285 (6.33 per match)
- Champions: 🇿🇦 South Africa (3rd title)
- Runners-up: 🏴 England
- Third place: 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- Top points scorer: Handré Pollard (South Africa) – 69 pts
- Top try scorer: Josh Adams (Wales) – 7 tries
South Africa beat England 32–12 in Yokohama to win their third World Cup, equalling New Zealand’s record at the time and becoming the first team to win the title after losing a pool match.
Typhoon Hagibis caused the first match cancellations in World Cup history, with three pool games recorded as 0–0 draws.
Participating Teams
20 teams, divided into 4 pools of 5:
- Pool A: Japan, Ireland, Scotland, Samoa, Russia
- Pool B: New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, Namibia, Canada
- Pool C: England, France, Argentina, Tonga, United States
- Pool D: Wales, Australia, Fiji, Georgia, Uruguay
The top three in each pool also secured automatic qualification for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Pool Stage – All Results
Pool A
Final standings:
- Japan – 19 pts (4W)
- Ireland – 16 pts (3W, 1L)
- Scotland – 11 pts
- Samoa – 5 pts
- Russia – 0 pts
Results:
- Japan 30–10 Russia
- Ireland 27–3 Scotland
- Russia 9–34 Samoa
- Japan 19–12 Ireland
- Scotland 34–0 Samoa
- Ireland 35–0 Russia
- Japan 38–19 Samoa
- Scotland 61–0 Russia
- Ireland 47–5 Samoa
- Japan 28–21 Scotland
Highlight:
Japan beat Ireland and Scotland to top the group, becoming the first Tier 2 nation to reach the quarter-finals since 2007.
Pool B
Final standings:
- New Zealand – 16 pts (3W, 1D – one cancelled game)
- South Africa – 15 pts (3W, 1L)
- Italy – 12 pts
- Namibia – 2 pts
- Canada – 2 pts
Results:
- New Zealand 23–13 South Africa
- Italy 47–22 Namibia
- Italy 48–7 Canada
- South Africa 57–3 Namibia
- New Zealand 63–0 Canada
- South Africa 49–3 Italy
- New Zealand 71–9 Namibia
- South Africa 66–7 Canada
- New Zealand 0–0 Italy (cancelled – Typhoon Hagibis)
- Namibia 0–0 Canada (cancelled – Typhoon Hagibis)
Highlight:
South Africa lost to New Zealand in the pool, but recovered to go all the way and win the tournament.
Pool C
Final standings:
- England – 17 pts (3W, 1D – one cancelled)
- France – 15 pts (3W, 1D – one cancelled)
- Argentina – 11 pts
- Tonga – 6 pts
- United States – 0 pts
Results:
- France 23–21 Argentina
- England 35–3 Tonga
- England 45–7 United States
- Argentina 28–12 Tonga
- France 33–9 United States
- England 39–10 Argentina
- France 23–21 Tonga
- Argentina 47–17 United States
- England 0–0 France (cancelled – Typhoon Hagibis)
- United States 19–31 Tonga
Highlight:
England and France both reached the quarter-finals undefeated, although their head-to-head clash was cancelled due to the typhoon.
Pool D
Final standings:
- Wales – 19 pts (4W)
- Australia – 16 pts
- Fiji – 7 pts
- Georgia – 5 pts
- Uruguay – 4 pts
Results:
- Australia 39–21 Fiji
- Wales 43–14 Georgia
- Fiji 27–30 Uruguay
- Georgia 33–7 Uruguay
- Australia 25–29 Wales
- Georgia 10–45 Fiji
- Australia 45–10 Uruguay
- Wales 29–17 Fiji
- Australia 27–8 Georgia
- Wales 35–13 Uruguay
Highlight:
Uruguay’s shock win over Fiji (30–27) was one of the upsets of the tournament. Wales topped the pool unbeaten.
Knockout Stage
Quarter-finals
- England 40–16 Australia (Ōita)
- Two tries from Jonny May and a dominant English performance knocked out the Wallabies and effectively ended Michael Cheika’s tenure as coach.
- New Zealand 46–14 Ireland (Chōfu)
- The All Blacks ran in seven tries, including a brace from Aaron Smith, to end Ireland’s campaign.
- Wales 20–19 France (Ōita)
- France led early, but a red card to Sébastien Vahaamahina and a late try from Ross Moriarty turned it around for Wales.
- Japan 3–26 South Africa (Chōfu)
- Japan’s fairytale run ended against a powerful Springbok side, with Makazole Mapimpi scoring twice.
Semi-finals
- England 19–7 New Zealand (Yokohama)
- England produced a stunning performance, scoring early through Manu Tuilagi and strangling the All Blacks with defence.
- Their V-shaped response to the haka earned a fine, but they earned a place in the final.
- Wales 16–19 South Africa (Yokohama)
- Tight, physical game decided by Handré Pollard’s late penalty after tries from Damian de Allende and Josh Adams.
Bronze Final
- New Zealand 40–17 Wales (Chōfu)
- The All Blacks bounced back strongly, with Ben Smith scoring twice in his farewell.
- New Zealand claimed third place; Wales finished fourth.
Final – England vs South Africa
Result:
🏴 England 12–32 South Africa 🇿🇦
Venue: International Stadium Yokohama
Attendance: 70,103
- England:
- Penalties: Owen Farrell (4)
- South Africa:
- Tries: Makazole Mapimpi, Cheslin Kolbe
- Conversions: Handré Pollard (2)
- Penalties: Pollard (6)
South Africa dominated the set-piece and collisions. After a penalty-heavy first half (12–6 to the Boks), two brilliant late tries from Mapimpi and Kolbe sealed the game.
The Springboks claimed their third world title (1995, 2007, 2019), and Mapimpi became the first South African to score a try in a World Cup final.
Standout Players
Top Scorers
- Handré Pollard (South Africa) – 69 points
- 9 conversions, 16 penalties, 1 drop goal – absolutely decisive in the knockout stages.
- Owen Farrell (England) – 58 points
- Richie Mo’unga (New Zealand) – 54 points
- Yu Tamura (Japan) – 51 points
- Dan Biggar (Wales) – 41 points
Top Try Scorers
- Josh Adams (Wales) – 7 tries
- Makazole Mapimpi (South Africa) – 6 tries
- Kotaro Matsushima (Japan) – 5 tries
Other notable finishers included Kenki Fukuoka (Japan), Ben Smith (New Zealand) and Julián Montoya (Argentina).
Key Figures by Team
- South Africa:
- Handré Pollard – world-class goal-kicking under pressure.
- Siya Kolisi – inspirational captain, lifting the trophy as South Africa’s first black Test captain.
- Cheslin Kolbe, Makazole Mapimpi – lethal on the wings, both scoring in the final.
- England:
- Owen Farrell – tactical kicking and leadership.
- Tom Curry & Sam Underhill – the “Kamikaze Kids” in the back row, ferocious at the breakdown.
- Japan:
- Kotaro Matsushima & Kenki Fukuoka – stars of the host nation’s historic run to the quarter-finals.
- Yu Tamura – calm and accurate from the tee.
- Wales:
- Josh Adams – top try-scorer of the tournament.
- Dan Biggar – key playmaker and kicker.