England National Rugby Union Team

The England rugby union team is the tournament’s most successful side of all time. To date, the England Six Nations team has celebrated 29 outright titles, a feat that puts them just ahead of Wales. Additionally, England have also enjoyed 10 shared wins and 13 Grand Slams. 

As one of the four founding Home Nations teams, England have competed in every format of the tournament since its inception in the 1800s. In fact, England’s Six Nations record includes inaugural victories in each of the Championships: England won the first Home Nations (1883), Five Nations (1910) and Six Nations (2000).

To date, the England rugby team has only missed two editions of the Six Nations. England were excluded from the 1888 and 1889 Home Nations due to their refusal to join the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) – now known as World Rugby. One year later, England joined the IRFB and they were reinstated in the competition.

Since then, England players have delivered some of the tournament’s most impressive performances. For example, the 2001 England Six Nations squad featured Jonny Wilkinson, who set the record for the most individual points in one Six Nations match – he scored 35 points against Italy. Meanwhile, Cyril Lowe’s record dates back to 1914, when he scored eight tries in one competition.

England at the Rugby World Cup

The England rugby team has participated in every edition of the Rugby World Cup. In 2003, England secured their first Webb Ellis Cup with a win against Australia at Stadium Australia. This was England’s second Rugby World Cup final – their first was in 1991 – and their second against Australia.

Although the Wallabies delivered a strong performance, it was Jonny Wilkinson’s boot that stole the show. With just 28 seconds left on the clock in extra time, Wilkinson scored his famous tournament-winning drop-goal. Two decades later, England are still the only northern hemisphere side to have won the Rugby World Cup.

Since their 2003 victory, England have reached the Rugby World Cup final a further two times. Sadly, they lost against South Africa on both occasions (2007 and 2019). Additionally, England have also appeared in two bronze-final matches; the team secured fourth place in 1995 and finished third in 2023.

Despite many impressive performances, England have also endured disappointing Rugby World Cup finishes. The team was eliminated in the quarter finals in 1987, 1999 and 2011, and they crashed out during the pool stage at the 2015 tournament, which they also hosted.