Tournament details | |
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Host nation | South Africa |
Dates | 25 May – 24 June 1995 |
No. of nations | 16 (52 qualifying) |
Final positions | |
Champions | South Africa |
Runner-up | New Zealand |
Third-place | France |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 32 |
Top scorer(s) | Thierry Lacroix (112) |
Most tries | Jonah Lomu (7) Marc Ellis (7) |
← 1991
1999 →
|
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country.
The World Cup was the first major sporting event to take place in South Africa following the end of apartheid. It was also the first in which South Africa was allowed to compete; the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB, now the International Rugby Board) had only readmitted South Africa to international rugby in 1992, following negotiations to end apartheid. The World Cup would also be the last major event of rugby union's amateur era; two months after the tournament, the IRFB opened the sport to professionalism.
The World Cup was marred by an accident that took place during the pool stage of the tournament. Three minutes into a match between Côte d'Ivoire and Tonga, the Ivorian winger Max Brito was crushed beneath several other players. Despite intensive care, Brito was left paralyzed below the neck.[1]
In the final, held at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 24 June, South Africa defeated New Zealand 15 – 12, with Joel Stransky scoring a drop goal in extra time to win the match. Following South Africa's victory, Nelson Mandela, the President of South Africa, wearing a Springboks rugby shirt and cap, presented the Webb Ellis Cup to the South African captain François Pienaar. Mandela and Pienaar's involvement in the World Cup is the subject of the 2009 film Invictus, and the TV documentary The 16th Man in 2010.
Contents |
Africa | Americas | Europe | Oceania/Asia |
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The eight quarter-finalists from the 1991 Rugby World Cup all received automatic entry, as did South Africa, as hosts. The remaining seven of the 16 positions available in the tournament were filled by regional qualifiers. The qualifying tournaments were broken up into regional associations – Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Côte d'Ivoire qualified through Africa, Japan through Asia, Argentina through the Americas, Italy, Romania and Wales through Europe, Tonga through Oceania.
The 1995 tournament was the first Rugby World Cup to be hosted by just the one country, and thus, all the venues are within the one country. In total, nine stadiums were used for the World Cup, most being owned by local municipalities, and the majority of the venues were upgraded prior to the tournament. Six of the nine stadiums were South African Test grounds. The four largest stadiums were used for the finals, with the final taking place at Johannesburg's Ellis Park.
There were games originally scheduled to have been played in Brakpan, Germiston, Pietermaritzburg and Witbank, but these games were reallocated to other venues. This reduced the number of venues from 14 to 9. The reasons cited for this change had to do with facilities for both the press and spectators, as well as the security. The change in the itinerary occurred in January 1994. Further changes occurred in April, so that evening games were played at stadiums with good floodlighting. It is also thought that Potchefstroom was an original venue.
For the Pools, venues were paired:
City | Stadium | Capacity (approx.) |
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Johannesburg | Ellis Park | 63,000 |
Pretoria | Loftus Versfeld | 50,000 |
Cape Town | Newlands | 50,000 |
Durban | Kings Park Stadium | 50,000 |
Port Elizabeth | Boet Erasmus Stadium | 38,950 |
Bloemfontein | Free State Stadium | 40,000 |
Rustenburg | Olympia Park | 30,000 |
East London | Basil Kenyon Stadium | 22,000 |
Stellenbosch | Danie Craven Stadium | 16,000 |
Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
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The tournament was contested by 16 different nations using the same format that was used in 1987 and 1991 and in total 32 matches were played. The competition began on 25 May, when the hosts South Africa defeated Australia 27–18 at Newlands in Cape Town. The tourney culminated with the final between South Africa and the All Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 24 June. In total, the tournament ran for around one month. The nations were broken up into four pools of four, with each pool consisting of two teams that were automatically qualified and two that went through the qualifying tournaments.
Points System
The points system that was used in the pool stage was unchanged from 1991:
Knock-out Stage
Pool winners were drawn against opposite pool runners-up in the quarter-finals. For example, the winner of A faces the runner up of B, and the winner of B face the runner-up of A. The whole finals stage adopts a knock-out format, and the winners of the quarter-finals advance to the semi-finals, where winner 1 faces winner 2, and winner 3 faces winner 4. The winners advance to the final, and the losers contest a third/fourth place play-off two days before the final.
A total of 32 matches (24 Pool Stage & 8 Knock-out) were played throughout the tournament over 30 days from Thursday 25 May 1995 to Saturday 24 June 1995.
Event | 1995 Rugby World Cup | ||||||
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After extra time | |||||||
Date | 24 June 1995 | ||||||
Venue | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | ||||||
Referee | Ed Morrison | ||||||
Attendance | 63,000 | ||||||
← 1991
1999 →
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The final was contested by the hosts, South Africa, and New Zealand. Both nations finished undefeated at the top of their pools. South Africa defeated Western Samoa in the quarter finals, and then France in the semi-finals to reach the final; New Zealand defeated Scotland in the quarter-finals, and England in the semi-finals, a game in which Jonah Lomu famously scored four tries for the All Blacks. The final was played at Ellis Park in Johannesburg and refereed by Ed Morrison of England.
South Africa led 9–6 at half time, and New Zealand levelled the scores at 9-all with a drop goal in the second half. Though Andrew Mehrtens almost kicked a late drop goal for the All Blacks, the score remained tied at full time, forcing the game into extra time. Both teams scored penalty goals in the first half of extra time, but Joel Stransky then scored a drop goal to win the final for South Africa.
What happened after the match has become an iconic moment in the history of the sport. Nelson Mandela, wearing a Springbok rugby shirt and baseball cap, presented the William Webb Ellis Cup to South African captain François Pienaar to the delight of the capacity crowd. The moment is thought by some to be one of the most famous finals of any sport.[2]
After the defeat, various allegations were made around the lead up to the final. It was claimed that many of the New Zealand players had been suffering from food poisoning 48 hours prior to the game. New Zealand coach Laurie Mains alleged a mysterious waitress known as "Suzie" had deliberately poisoned the All Blacks' water in the week before the final.[3]
Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Pts |
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South Africa | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 26 | 9 |
Australia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 87 | 41 | 7 |
Canada | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 50 | 5 |
Romania | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 97 | 3 |
25 May 1995 |
South Africa | 27–18 | Australia | Newlands, Cape Town Referee: Derek Bevan (Wales) |
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Tries: Hendriks, Stransky Con: Stransky Pen: Stransky (4) Drop: Stransky |
Tries: Kearns, Lynagh Con: Lynagh Pen: Lynagh (2) |
26 May 1995 |
Canada | 34–3 | Romania | Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth Referee: Colin Hawke (New Zealand) |
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Tries: Charron, McKenzie, Snow Con: Rees (2) Pen: Rees (4) |
Pen: Nichitean |
30 May 1995 |
South Africa | 21–8 | Romania | Newlands, Cape Town Referee: Ken McCartney (Scotland) |
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Tries: Richter (2) Con: Johnson Pen: Johnson (3) |
Tries: Guranescu Pen: Ivancuic |
31 May 1995 |
Australia | 27–11 | Canada | Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth Referee: Patrick Robin (France) |
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Tries: Lynagh, Tamanivalu, Roff Con: Lynagh (3) Pen: Lynagh (2) |
Tries: Charron Pen: Rees (2) |
3 June 1995 |
Australia | 42–3 | Romania | Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch Referee: Naoki Saito (Japan) |
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Tries: Smith, Wilson, Roff (2), Foley, Burke Con: Burke (2), Eales (4) |
Pen: Ivancuic |
3 June 1995 |
South Africa | 20–0 | Canada | Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth Referee: David McHugh (Ireland) |
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Tries: Richter (2) Con: Stransky (2) Pen: Stransky (2) |
Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Pts |
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England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 95 | 60 | 9 |
Western Samoa | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 96 | 88 | 7 |
Italy | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 69 | 94 | 5 |
Argentina | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 69 | 87 | 3 |
27 May 1995 |
Italy | 18–42 | Western Samoa | Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London Referee: Joël Dume (France) |
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Tries: Vaccari, Cuttitta Con: Dominguez Pen: Dominguez Drop: Dominguez |
Tries: Lima (2), Harder (3), Kellet, Tatupu Con: Kellet (2) Pen: Kellet (1) |
27 May 1995 |
Argentina | 18–24 | England | Kings Park Stadium, Durban Referee: Jim Fleming (Scotland) |
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Tries: Arbizu, Noriega Con: Arbizu Pen: Arbizu (2) |
Pen: Andrew (6) Drop: Andrew (2) |
30 May 1995 |
Western Samoa | 32–26 | Argentina | Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London Referee: David Bishop (New Zealand) |
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Tries: Lam, Leaupepe, Harder Con: Kellet Pen: Kellet (5) |
Tries: Penalty try, Crexwell Con: Cilley (2) Pen: Cilley (4) |
31 May 1995 |
England | 27–20 | Italy | Kings Park Stadium, Durban Referee: Stephen Hilditch (Ireland) |
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Tries: R. Underwood, T. Underwood Con: Andrew Pen: Andrew (5) |
Tries: Cuttitta, Vaccari Con: Dominguez (2) Pen: Dominguez (2) |
4 June 1995 |
Argentina | 25–31 | Italy | Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London Referee: Clayton Thomas (Wales) |
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Tries: Corral, Martin, Cilley Con: Cilley Pen: Cilley |
Tries: Vaccari, Gerosa, Dominguez Con: Dominguez (2) Pen: Dominguez (4) |
4 June 1995 |
England | 44–22 | Western Samoa | Kings Park Stadium, Durban Referee: Patrick Robin (France) |
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Tries: R. Underwood (2), Back, Penalty Try Con: Callard (3) Pen: Callard(5) Drop: Catt |
Tries: Sini (2), Umaga Con: Fa'amasino (2) Pen: Fa'amasino |
Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Pts |
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New Zealand | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 222 | 45 | 9 |
Ireland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 93 | 94 | 7 |
Wales | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 89 | 68 | 5 |
Japan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 55 | 252 | 3 |
27 May 1995 |
Japan | 10–57 | Wales | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Referee: Efrahim Sklar (Argentina) |
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Tries: Ota (2) | Tries: G. Thomas (3), I. Evans (2), Moore, Taylor Con: N. Jenkins (5) Pen: N. Jenkins (4) |
27 May 1995 |
Ireland | 19–43 | New Zealand | Ellis Park, Johannesburg Referee: Wayne Erickson (Australia) |
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Tries: Corkery, McBride, Halpin Con: Elwood (2) |
Tries: Lomu (2), Kronfeld, Bunce, Osborne Con: Mehrtens (3) Pen: Mehrtens (4) |
31 May 1995 |
Ireland | 50–28 | Japan | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Referee: Stef Neethling (South Africa) |
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Tries: Francis, Geoghegan, Corkery, Halvey, Hogan, 2 Penalty Tries Con: Burke (6) Pen: Burke |
Tries: Latu, Izawa, Hirao, Takura Con: Yoshida (4) |
31 May 1995 |
New Zealand | 34–9 | Wales | Ellis Park, Johannesburg Referee: Ed Morrison (England) |
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Tries: Ellis, Little, Kronfeld Con: Mehrtens (2) Pen: Mehrtens (4) Drop: Mehrtens |
Pen: N. Jenkins (2) Drop: N. Jenkins |
4 June 1995 |
Japan | 17–145 | New Zealand | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein Referee: George Gadjovic (Canada) |
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Tries: Kajihara (2) Con: Hirose (2) Pen: Hirose |
Tries: Ellis (6), Rush (3), Wilson (3), R. Brooke (2), Osborne (2), Loe, Culhane, Henderson, Dowd, Ieremia Con: Culhane (20) |
4 June 1995 |
Ireland | 24–23 | Wales | Ellis Park, Johannesburg Referee: Ian Rogers (South Africa) |
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Tries: Halvey, Popplewell, McBride Con: Elwood (3) Pen: Elwood |
Tries: Humphreys, Taylor Con: N. Jenkins (2) Pen: N. Jenkins (2) Drop: A. Davies |
Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Pts |
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France | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 114 | 47 | 9 |
Scotland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 149 | 27 | 7 |
Tonga | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 90 | 5 |
Ivory Coast | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 172 | 3 |
26 May 1995 |
Ivory Coast | 0–89 | Scotland | Olympia Park, Rustenburg Referee: Felise Vito (Western Samoa) |
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Tries: G. Hastings (4), Logan (2), Walton (2), Wright, Chalmers, Stanger, Burnell, Shiel Con: G. Hastings (9) Pen: G. Hastings (2) |
26 May 1995 |
France | 38–10 | Tonga | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Referee: Steve Lander (England) |
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Tries: Lacroix (2), Hueber, Saint-André Con: Lacroix (3) Pen: Lacroix (3) Drop: Delaigue |
Tries: Va'enuku Con: Tu'ipulotu Pen: Tu'ipulotu |
30 May 1995 |
France | 54–18 | Ivory Coast | Olympia Park, Rustenburg Referee: Han Moon-Soo (South Korea) |
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Tries: Lacroix (2), Benazzi, Téchoueyres, Viars, Accoceberry, Saint-André, Costes Con: Deylaud (2), Lacroix (2) Pen: Lacroix (2) |
Tries: Soulama, Camara Con: Kouassi Pen: Kouassi (2) |
30 May 1995 |
Scotland | 41–5 | Tonga | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Referee: Barry Leask (Australia) |
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Tries: S. Hastings, Peters, G. Hastings Con: G. Hastings Pen: G. Hastings (8) |
Tries: Fenukitau |
3 June 1995 |
Ivory Coast | 11–29 | Tonga | Olympia Park, Rustenburg Referee: Don Reordan (United States) |
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Tries: Okou Pen: Dali (2) |
Tries: 'Otai, Tu'ipulotu, Latukefu Con: Tu'ipulotu (3) Pen: Tu'ipulotu |
3 June 1995 |
France | 22–19 | Scotland | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Referee: Wayne Erickson (Australia) |
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Tries: Ntamack Con: Lacroix Pen: Lacroix (5) |
Tries: Wainwright Con: G. Hastings Pen: G. Hastings (4) |
Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
10 June – Ellis Park, Johannesburg | ||||||||||
South Africa | 42 | |||||||||
17 June – Kings Park Stadium, Durban | ||||||||||
Western Samoa | 14 | |||||||||
South Africa | 19 | |||||||||
10 June – Kings Park Stadium, Durban | ||||||||||
France | 15 | |||||||||
France | 36 | |||||||||
24 June – Ellis Park, Johannesburg | ||||||||||
Ireland | 12 | |||||||||
South Africa (a.e.t.) | 15 | |||||||||
11 June – Newlands, Cape Town | ||||||||||
New Zealand | 12 | |||||||||
England | 25 | |||||||||
18 June – Newlands, Cape Town | ||||||||||
Australia | 22 | |||||||||
England | 29 | Third place | ||||||||
11 June – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | ||||||||||
New Zealand | 45 | |||||||||
New Zealand | 48 | France | 19 | |||||||
Scotland | 30 | England | 9 | |||||||
22 June – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | ||||||||||
10 June 1995 |
France | 36–12 | Ireland | Kings Park Stadium, Durban Referee: Ed Morrison (England) |
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Tries: Saint-André, Ntamack Con: Lacroix Pen: Lacroix (8) |
Pen: Elwood (4) |
10 June 1995 |
South Africa | 42–14 | Western Samoa | Ellis Park, Johannesburg Referee: Jim Fleming (Scotland) |
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Tries: Williams (4), Rossouw, Andrews Con: Johnson (3) Pen: Johnson (2) |
Tries: Tatupu, Nu'uali'itia Con: Fa'amasin (2) |
11 June 1995 |
England | 25–22 | Australia | Newlands, Cape Town Referee: David Bishop (New Zealand) |
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Tries: T. Underwood Con: Andrew Pen: Andrew (5) Drop: Andrew |
Report | Tries: Smith Con: Lynagh Pen: Lynagh (5) |
11 June 1995 |
New Zealand | 48–30 | Scotland | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Referee: Derek Bevan (Wales) |
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Tries: Little (2), Lomu, Mehrtens, Bunce, Fitzpatrick Con: Mehrtens (6) Pen: Mehrtens (2) |
Tries: Weir (2), S. Hastings Con: G. Hastings (3) Pen: G. Hastings (3) |
17 June 1995 |
South Africa | 19–15 | France | Kings Park Stadium, Durban Referee: Derek Bevan (Wales) |
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Tries: Kruger Con: Stransky Pen: Stransky (4) |
Pen: Lacroix (5) |
18 June 1995 |
England | 29–45 | New Zealand | Newlands, Cape Town Referee: Stephen Hilditch (Ireland) |
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Tries: Carling (2), R. Underwood (2), Con: Andrew (3) Pen: Andrew |
Report | Tries: Lomu (4), Kronfeld, Bachop Con: Mehrtens (3) Pen: Mehrtens Drop: Z. Brooke, Mehrtens |
22 June 1995 |
France | 19–9 | England | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Referee: David Bishop (New Zealand) |
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Tries: Olivier Roumat, Ntamack Pen: Lacroix (3) |
Pen: Andrew (3) |
24 June 1995 |
South Africa | 15 – 12 (a.e.t.) | New Zealand | Ellis Park, Johannesburg Attendance: 63,000 Referee: Ed Morrison (England) |
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Pen: Stransky (3) Drop: Stransky (2) |
Report | Pen: Mehrtens (3) Drop: Mehrtens |
Every World Cup, members of the press and coaches of each team vote for the best playes in the championship, the best XV. This is the final list for the 1995 Rugby World Cup:
The South African Mint issued a one ounce gold proof "Protea" coin with a total mintage of 406 pieces to commemorate the event being hosted by South Africa.
Preceded by 1991 Rugby World Cup |
Rugby World Cup 1995 South Africa |
Succeeded by 1999 Rugby World Cup |
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