The organizing body World Rugby holds the Rugby Union World Cup once in 4 years. Started from 1987, 9 events are done successfully. Now, the dates, schedule and venues for the 2023 season announced. The 2023 Rugby world cup will start from September 8 and the decider will be on October 28. 4 different nations have lifted the trophy so far. Here we have a list of the Rugby World Cup past winners nations who played incredibly and made their way to the title in a competition among the strongest countries.
Content Summary
Rugby World Cup Past Winners
Rugby World Cup is the biggest tournament of the Rugby sports. In the last few years, there is a huge rise in the fan following of this prestigious sport. The credit of this fan base goes to the world cup event as it occurs after every 4 years. That’s why, there is a thrill among the people to see their stars and teams in action. Moreover, there is also a great hype of the RWC 2023 edition. Here are some details about the Rugby World Cup.
- 1st Edition | 1987
- Total Events | 9
- Last Event | 2019
- Current Champion | South Africa
- Next Event | 2023
| Year | Winner | Runner Up | Host Nation | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | New Zealand | France | Australia & New Zealand | 29-9 |
| 1991 | Australia | England | United Kingdom & France | 12-6 |
| 1995 | South Africa | New Zealand | South Africa | 15-12 |
| 1999 | Australia | France | Wales | 35-12 |
| 2003 | England | Australia | Australia | 20-17 |
| 2007 | South Africa | England | France | 15-6 |
| 2011 | New Zealand | France | New Zealand | 8-7 |
| 2015 | New Zealand | Australia | England | 34-17 |
| 2019 | South Africa | England | Japan | 32-12 |
Most Time Rugby World Cup Winners
Only the 4 nations remained successful in lifting the trophy of Rugby World Cup so far. These nations are New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, and England. South Africa is also the current champion having won the most recent 2019 edition.
South Africa
- Total Titles | 3
- Years | 1995, 2007, 2019
- Captains | Francois Pienaar (1995), John Smit (2007), Siya Kolisi (2019)
- RWC 2019 | Champions
South Africa won their maiden world cup in 1995 which was the third edition of Rugby World Cup. Under the captaincy of Francois Pienaar, South Africa made an exclusive show of the team game and put the opponents at back foot. They also made their way to the trophy of 2007 RWC and the most recently, they won 2019 edition of the mega event. Siya Kolisi captained the team in the tournament and after defeating England in the final, South Africa lifted the trophy for the third time and equal the record of New Zealand.
New Zealand
- Total Titles | 3
- Years | 1987, 2011, 2015
- Captains | David Kirk (1987), Richie McCaw (2011), Richie McCaw (2015)
- RWC 2019 | 3rd Place
New Zealand team is one of the most successful teams of the Rugby World having won 3 titles. They won their maiden title in 1987, the first Rugby World Cup ever played in history. Having the advantage of home grounds, the Blacks made an enormous show of their professional skills. After 24 years of their first title, New Zealand won the 2011 world cup under the brilliant captaincy of McCaw and carried the same momentum in the 2015 world cup. Thus, New Zealand is the only team to win two consecutive Rugby world cups.
Australia
- Total Titles | 2
- Years | 1991, 1999
- Captains | Nick Farr-Jones (1991), John Eales (1999)
- RWC 2019 | Quarter Final
Australians have won two titles of Rugby World Cup in 90s. They won their first title in 1991 where they defeated their harsh rivals England. The 2nd title came in the 1999 Rugby World Cup under the captaincy of John Eales. Australia’s performance has not been good in the last edition as they eliminated from the tournament in 2019 in the quarter-finals. Now, Australia is looking good and is capable of lifting the trophy in 2023 world cup.
England
- Total Titles | 1
- Years | 2003
- Captains | Martin Johnson (2003)
- RWC 2019 | Runner Up
England have won their one and only title in 2003 where they defeated their traditional rivals Australia and leveled the defeat of 1991 world cup. Martin Johnson was the captain who lead his team from the front and made their way to the maiden title. In the 2019 world cup, England Rugby team made an outstanding show of their professional skills and put their way to the finals. However faced a loss against South Africa and ended as a runner-up.
Final Verdicts
Here is the whole summary of the article:
- New Zealand | 3 titles
- South Africa | 3 titles
- Australia | 2 titles
- England | 1 title
That clearly shows the dominance of these teams over the others in the mega event. However, France and Wales have also performed well in the Six Nations Championship and there may be a tough competition between the teams in the 2023 edition as the schedule announced completely. That’s all about the Rugby World Cup past winners. Further details will be made available here.