Rugby Union World Cup 1995

1995 Rugby Union World Cup
host	South Africa
World Champion 2nd place 3rd place	South Africa New Zealand France
Duration	May 25 - June 24, 1995
Nations	51 (final tournament: 16)
Games	32
Top scorer	Thierry Lacroix (112)
Most attempts	Jonah Lomu and Marc Ellis (7 each)

The 3rd Rugby Union World Cup took place from May 25 to June 24, 1995 in South Africa . World champions were the Springboks , the South African national team , who defeated the New Zealand All Blacks in the final. The trophy was presented by President Nelson Mandela .

Venues

The 1995 World Cup was the first in which all games were played in a single country. Originally 14 venues were planned, but then in January 1994 the cities of Brakpan , Germiston , Pietermaritzburg , Potchefstroom and Witbank were removed from the event program, so that the games were concentrated on nine stadiums in as many cities.

Only three years after South Africa was re-accepted into the IRFB , this World Cup was also the first in which the participation of the South African team was permitted, as well as the first major international sporting event in South Africa since the end of apartheid politics .

Venues

city	Stadion	capacity
Johannesburg	Ellis Park Stadium	62,000
Pretoria	Loftus Versfeld Stadium	50,000
Durban	Kings Park Stadium	50,000
Cape Town	Newlands Stadium	50,000
Port Elizabeth	Boet Erasmus Stadium	38,950
Bloemfontein	Free State Stadium	30,000
Rustenburg	Olympic Park	30,000
East London	Basil Kenyon Stadium	22,000
Stellenbosch	Danie Craven Stadium	16,000

qualification

→ Main article : 1995 Rugby Union World Cup / qualification

16 teams had qualified for the 1995 World Cup. Of these, the quarter-finalists of the 1991 World Cup and hosts South Africa were automatically qualified (each marked with *). 35 teams played qualifying games for the remaining seven starting places.

Africa  Ivory Coast  South Africa * America  Argentina  Canada * Oceania  Australia *  New Zealand *  Tonga  Western Samoa *

Asia  Japan Europe  England *  France *  Ireland *  Italy  Romania  Scotland *  Wales

Preliminary round

There were three points for a win, two points for a draw and one point for a loss. The two best teams in each group qualified for the quarter-finals.

Group A

	country	Games	Victories	Unent.	Ndlg.	Game points	Diff.	Table points
1.	South Africa	3	3	0	0	68:26	+ 42	9
2.	Australia	3	2	0	1	87:41	+ 46	7th
3.	Canada	3	1	0	2	45:50	- 5th	5
4th	Romania	3	0	0	3	14:97	- 83	3

May 25, 1995	South Africa	27:18	Australia	Newlands Stadium , Cape Town

---

May 26, 1995	Canada	34: 3	Romania	Boet Erasmus Stadium , Port Elizabeth

---

May 30, 1995	South Africa	21: 8	Romania	Newlands Stadium, Cape Town

---

May 31, 1995	Australia	27: 11	Canada	Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth

---

June 3, 1995	Australia	42: 3	Romania	Danie Craven Stadium , Stellenbosch

---

June 3, 1995	South Africa	20: 0	Canada	Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth

Group B

	country	Games	Victories	Unent.	Ndlg.	Game points	Diff.	Table points
1.	England	3	3	0	0	95:60	+ 35	9
2.	Western Samoa	3	2	0	1	96:88	+ 8	7th
3.	Italy	3	1	0	2	69:94	- 25	5
4th	Argentina	3	0	0	3	69:87	- 18th	3

May 27, 1995	Italy	18:42	Western Samoa	Basil Kenyon Stadium , East London

---

May 27, 1995	Argentina	18:24	England	Kings Park Stadium , Durban

---

May 30, 1995	Western Samoa	32: 26	Argentina	Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London

---

May 31, 1995	England	27:20	Italy	Kings Park Stadium, Durban

---

June 4th 1995	Argentina	25:31	Italy	Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London

---

June 4th 1995	England	44:22	Western Samoa	Kings Park Stadium, Durban

Group C

	country	Games	Victories	Unent.	Ndlg.	Game points	Diff.	Table points
1.	New Zealand	3	3	0	0	222: 45	+ 177	9
2.	Ireland	3	2	0	1	93:94	- 1	7th
3.	Wales	3	1	0	2	89:68	+ 21	5
4th	Japan	3	0	0	3	55: 252	- 197	3

May 27, 1995	Japan	10:57	Wales	Free State Stadium , Bloemfontein

---

May 27, 1995	Ireland	19:43	New Zealand	Ellis Park Stadium , Johannesburg

---

May 31, 1995	Ireland	50:28	Japan	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

---

May 31, 1995	New Zealand	34: 9	Wales	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

---

June 4th 1995	Japan	17: 145	New Zealand	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

---

June 4th 1995	Ireland	24:23	Wales	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

Group D

	country	Games	Victories	Unent.	Ndlg.	Game points	Diff.	Table points
1.	France	3	3	0	0	114: 47	+ 67	9
2.	Scotland	3	2	0	1	149: 27	+ 122	7th
3.	Tonga	3	1	0	2	44:90	- 46	5
4th	Ivory Coast	3	0	0	3	29: 172	- 143	3

May 26, 1995	Ivory Coast	0:89	Scotland	Olympia Park , Rustenburg

---

May 26, 1995	France	38:10	Tonga	Loftus Versfeld Stadium , Pretoria

---

May 30, 1995	France	54:18	Ivory Coast	Olympia Park, Rustenburg

---

May 30, 1995	Scotland	41: 5	Tonga	Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

---

June 3, 1995	Ivory Coast	11:29	Tonga	Olympia Park, Rustenburg

---

June 3, 1995	France	22:19	Scotland	Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

Final round

	Quarter finals				Semifinals				final
	South Africa	42
	Western Samoa	14th
					South Africa	19th
					France	15th
	France	36
	Ireland	12
									South Africa	15th
									New Zealand	12 a.d.
	England	25th
	Australia	22nd
					England	29			Game for third place
					New Zealand	45
	New Zealand	48							France	19th
	Scotland	30th							England	9

Quarter finals

June 10, 1995	France	36:12	Ireland	Kings Park Stadium , Durban Referee: Ed Morrison (ENG)
	Attempts: Saint-André Ntamack Elevations: Lacroix (1) Penalty kicks : Lacroix (8)		Penalty Kicks: Elwood (4)

---

June 10, 1995	South Africa	42:14	Western Samoa	Ellis Park Stadium , Johannesburg Referee: Jim Fleming (SCO)
	Attempts: Williams (4) Rossouw Andrews Increases: Johnson (3) Penalty Kicks: Johnson (2)		Tries : Tatupu Nu'uali'itia Elevations: Fa'amasin

---

June 11, 1995	England	25:22	Australia	Newlands Stadium , Cape Town Referee: David Bishop (NZL)
	Attempts: T. Underwood Raids: Andrew (1) Penalty Kicks: Andrew (5) Dropgoals: Andrew (1)		Attempts: Smith Lynagh Penalty Kicks: Lynagh (5)

---

June 11, 1995	New Zealand	48:30	Scotland	Loftus Versfeld Stadium , Pretoria Referee: Derek Bevan (WAL)
	Attempts: Little (2) Lomu Mehrtens Bunce Fitzpatrick Increases: Mehrtens (6) Penalty kicks: Mehrtens (2)		Attempts: Weir (2) S. Hastings Increases: G. Hastings (3) Penalty kicks: G. Hastings (3)

Semifinals

June 17, 1995	South Africa	19:15	France	Kings Park Stadium , Durban Referee: Derek Bevan (WAL)
	Attempts: Kruger raises: Stransky (1) Penalty kicks: Stransky (4)		Penalty kicks: Lacroix (5)

---

June 18, 1995	England	29:45	New Zealand	Newlands Stadium , Cape Town Referee: Derek Bevan (WAL)
	Attempts: Carling (2) R. Underwood Increases: Andrew (3) Penalty kicks: Andrew (1)		Attempts: Lomu (4) Kronfeld Bachop Elevations: Mehrtens (3) Penalties: Mehrtens (1) Dropgoals: Brooke (1) Mehrtens (1)

3rd place match

June 22, 1995	France	19: 9	England	Loftus Versfeld Stadium , Pretoria Referee: David Bishop (NZL)
	Attempts: Roumat Ntamack Penalty kicks : Lacroix (3)		Penalty kicks: Andrew (3)

final

This was the only time until 2015 that two teams from the southern hemisphere faced each other in the final.

June 24, 1995	South Africa	15:12 a.d.	New Zealand	Ellis Park Stadium , Johannesburg Referee: Ed Morrison (ENG)
	Penalty kicks: Stransky (3) Dropgoals: Stransky (2)		Penalty kicks: Mehrtens (3) Dropgoals: Mehrtens (1)

World Champion 1995

South Africa
(first title)

statistics

Teams

team	Games	Victories	Unent.	Ndlg.	Points	tries	elevated Ungen	criminal kicks	Drop goals
New Zealand	6th	5	0	1	327	41	34	14th	4th
France	6th	5	0	1	184	17th	9	26th	1
Scotland	4th	2	0	2	179	20th	14th	17th	0
England	6th	4th	0	2	158	11	8th	25th	4th
South Africa	6th	6th	0	0	144	13	8th	18th	3
Western Samoa	4th	2	0	2	110	15th	7th	7th	0
Australia	4th	2	0	2	109	12	11	9	0
Ireland	4th	2	0	2	105	13	11	6th	0
Wales	3	1	0	2	89	9	7th	8th	2
Argentina	3	0	0	3	69	8th	4th	7th	0
Italy	3	1	0	2	69	7th	5	7th	1
Japan	3	0	0	3	55	8th	6th	1	0
Canada	3	1	0	2	45	4th	2	6th	1
Tonga	3	1	0	2	44	6th	4th	2	0
Ivory Coast	3	0	0	3	29	3	1	4th	0
Romania	3	0	0	3	14th	1	0	3	0
total	32				1730	188	131	160	16

Most points scored

rank	player	team	position	Games	tries	elevated Ungen	criminal kicks	Drop goals	Total
1.	Thierry Lacroix	France	Connection half	6th	4th	7th	26th	0	112
2.	Gavin Hastings	Scotland	Goalkeeper	4th	5	14th	17th	0	104
3.	Andrew Mehrtens	New Zealand	Connection half	5	1	14th	14th	3	84
4th	Rob Andrew	England	Connection half	5	0	5	20th	3	79
5.	Joel Stransky	South Africa	Connection half	5	1	4th	13	3	61
6th	Michael Lynagh	Australia	Connection half	3	2	5	9	0	47
7th	Simon Culhane	New Zealand	Connection half	1	1	20th	0	0	45
8th.	Neil Jenkins	Wales	Connection half	3	0	7th	8th	1	41
9.	Diego Domínguez	Italy	Connection half	3	1	5	7th	1	39
10.	Marc Ellis	New Zealand	Outer three-quarters	5	7th	0	0	0	35
	Jonah Lomu	New Zealand	Outer three-quarters	5	7th	0	0	0	35

Most attempts made

rank	player	team	position	Games	tries
1.	Marc Ellis	New Zealand	Outer three-quarters	5	7th
	Jonah Lomu	New Zealand	Outer three-quarters	5	7th
3.	Gavin Hastings	Scotland	Goalkeeper	4th	5
	Rory Underwood	England	Outer three-quarters	6th	5
5.	Adriaan Richter	South Africa	Number eight	3	4th
	Chester Williams	South Africa	Outer three-quarters	3	4th
	Thierry Lacroix	France	Connection half	6th	4th
8th.	Joe Roff	Australia	Outer three-quarters	2	3
	Eric Rush	New Zealand	Outer three-quarters	2	3
	George Harder	Western Samoa	Outer three-quarters	3	3
	Gareth Thomas	Wales	Outer three-quarters	3	3
	Paolo Vaccari	Italy	Inner three quarters	3	3
	Josh Kronfeld	New Zealand	Winger	5	3
	Walter Little	New Zealand	Outer three-quarters	5	3
	Émile N'Tamack	France	Outer three-quarters	5	3
	Glen Osborne	New Zealand	Goalkeeper	5	3
	Jeff Wilson	New Zealand	Outer three-quarters	5	3
	Philippe Saint-André	France	Outer three-quarters	6th	3

Movie

The 1995 Rugby Union World Cup played a central role in the 2009 US film Invictus . The film, based on the book Playing the Enemy by John Carlin , describes how the then President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, used the World Cup to cross racial boundaries through his support for the white South African national team, the Springboks , which had recently been divided by apartheid away to one. The film was directed by Clint Eastwood . The main roles are Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as a team captain Francois Pienaar to see.

Web links

• Review of worldcupweb.com (archived) ( Memento from September 7, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
• John Carlin, How apartheid died on a rugby field , Oct 7, 2008, Cape Argus, p. 13 & iol.co.za