The greatest moments in Rugby World Cup history

Although rugby was founded in 1823 as the game we know today, the ancient Chinese and Roman people had played different kinds of games with the main goal of taking the ball to a certain line (objective) since the very beginning of civilization.

The predecessors of the current rugby game were found pretty much across the planet, including Marn Grook in Australia, Ki-o-rahi in New Zealand, Kemari in Japan, etc. In Europe, the countries like Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Italy had their own versions or interpretations of the game as well.

The maiden World Cup tournament in this sport, however, has not taken place until 1987. Since then, we have witnessed some amazing moments in this beautiful sport, involving sensational tries, shocks, phenomenal individual showings, as well as dramatic scores at the death of games.

It is very hard to highlight the top ten of the biggest moments in the history of the biggest competition in the sport. Personal preferences will always play a big factor in determining these. With attempts to be as objective as possible, we have created a list of the ten World Cup moments rugby fans will never forget.  

1987 – John Kirwan

One of the biggest moments in the history of the competition happened in the very inaugural World Cup game. It was an affair between New Zealand (hosts) and Italy. The host nation celebrated a commanding 70-6 victory but the game produced a historical moment when John Kirwan managed to beat Italy's full squad after receiving the ball in his own half. 

1991 – Western Samoa 

Wales were enormous favorites to dispatch Western Samoa in the group phase of the 1991 event on their soil. Nevertheless, the Western Samoans offered fantastic resistance on the occasion, keeping the game tight until the very final whistle. They eventually came on top 16-13 to produce one of the biggest upsets in the history of the tournament.

1995 – Jonah Lomu

Jonah Lomu was a 6 feet 5 inches New Zealander who managed to beat England on his own with a staggering individual performance in the 1995 semifinal. Lomu single-handedly eliminated the English team to help his New Zealand advance to the final of the competition. His display in that semifinal will be remembered forever. 

1995 – Nelson Mandela

We'll stay in 1995 and we'll go to the final where New Zealand faced South Africa. You must wonder what Nelson Mandela's name has to do with the history of the Rugby World Cup. The answer is very simple. The moment in which Mandela (one of the greatest persons in mankind's history) handed the winners' trophy to Francois Pienaar symbolized equality in a country torn between racial divisions. It was one of the sweetest moments of South African rugby as well. The African country dispatched New Zealand 15-12 in the final.

1999 – The French comeback  

New Zealand were massive favorites for the title in 1999. They still had an amazing generation led by the aforementioned star Johan Lomu. The All Blacks had been on the way to easily jump above France in the semifinal. However, Les Bleus responded with an amazing second-half display, scoring 33 unanswered points to shock the big favorites and advance to the final with a 43-31 victory.

2003 – The largest win in the history of the competition

‘We’ve seen some demolishing wins over the course of history but none came close to Australia’s thumping of Namibia in the group stage of the 2003 tournament’ said Mark Wighan, Rugby expert at Bettingtips4You.com. The Aussies destroyed the African outfit 142-0 on the occasion, showcasing the huge difference in quality between the two teams by scoring 22 tries.

2003 – Jonny Wilkinson

Australia may have claimed the highest-margin victory ever in 2003, but they came up empty-handed after the final clash against England. The Wallabies had a lead going into the final 20 seconds of the affair but Jonny Wilkinson changed the history of the sport, handing his England arguably their greatest victory ever with a kick (with his weaker foot) in the dying minutes of the affair.

2007 – Takudzwa Ngwenya

The match between South Africa and the United States in the 2007 tournament has brought a memorable moment when Takudzwa Ngwenya scored one of the most sensational tries in the history of the competition, breezing past Bryan Habana who was regarded as the quickest player on the planet back then. His try was not enough for the US' win on the occasion but it certainly deserves a place on this list.

2011 – Haka & Sipi Tau

The opening game of the 2011 event brought us the clash between New Zealand and Tonga. The two outfits came up with amazing pre-match rituals, known as the Sipi Tau (Tonga) and Haka (New Zealand). Everyone at the stadium felt goosebumps after the two nation’s traditional dances.

2015 – The Japanese shock 

South Africa suffered one of their most humiliating defeats ever in 2015 when they faced Japan. The Asian outfit had been winless on the biggest stage for 24 years but they have managed to force the overtime and eventually get the big win over favorites Springboks to claim one of the biggest shocks in the history of the tournament.