1991 Rugby World Cup in Review

Explore the 1991 Rugby World Cup here at RugbyPass. Our rugby gurus have been hard at work, compiling a comprehensive tournament review that’s packed with statistics. From the qualification process and the participating nations to the knockout stage and the final, our recap contains all of the information you need to know.

Browse this page to discover the 1991 Rugby World Cup results, including unforgettable clashes, impressive wins and upsetting losses.

Where was the 1991 Rugby World Cup held?

Hosts: England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales
Champions: Australia

The 1991 Rugby World Cup was held across the northern hemisphere. It was jointly hosted by five different nations: England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. 

Following their previous success, many expected the tournament to be a cakewalk for New Zealand. However, Australia played with an unparalleled fervour that made them almost unbeatable. This included the final, where the Wallabies defeated England 12-6.

1991 Rugby World Cup: Statistics

As it was hosted across five countries, organising the 1991 tournament was a monumental effort. We’ve outlined the key statistics below, from the teams and stadiums to some of the top-performing players.

Participating nations

Although the previous tournament utilised an invitational system, the 1991 Rugby World Cup introduced a qualification process. The first eight places were filled by the quarter-finalists from 1987, as all of these sides were given an automatic entry. A further 25 countries played regional qualifiers to compete for the eight remaining places.

This new process resulted in the addition of just one new nation: Western Samoa. They outperformed nations such as South Korea, Tunisia and Sweden to replace Tonga.

Here are the teams that competed at the 1991 Rugby World Cup:

• Previous quarter-finalists: Australia, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales
  
• Eight qualifiers: Argentina, Canada, Italy, Japan, Romania, United States, Western Samoa and Zimbabwe

Matches, venues and attendance

The 1991 Rugby World Cup was contested across 32 matches. These matches were held at 19 venues: eight in France, four in England, four in Wales, two in Ireland and one in Scotland. The overall attendance was 1,021,827 – more than double the previous tournament – with an average of 31,932 per game.

Here are the 1991 Rugby World Cup venues:

Who won the 1991 Rugby World Cup?

Champions: Australia
Runner-up: England
Third place: New Zealand

The 1991 Rugby World Cup winners were Australia. The Wallabies made easy work of their three pool-stage matches and delivered three thrilling knockout stage performances. In second place, England won four matches. They lost their first game against New Zealand but rallied before losing the final against Australia.

New Zealand finished in third place – a somewhat disappointing result after their previous win. The All Blacks won four matches before being thwarted by Australia in the semi-finals.

Top try and point scorers

Former Irish rugby player Ralph Keyes was the top point scorer at the 1991 Rugby World Cup. He amassed 68 points during the tournament. Additionally, the top try scorers were France’s Jean-Baptiste Lafond and Australia’s David Campese. They both scored six tries.

1991 Rugby World Cup: Pool stage review

The pool stage of the 1991 Rugby World Cup produced some of the biggest shocks in the history of the tournament. This included Wales’ upset loss against Western Samoa and Canada’s surprising victory against Fiji. As a result, Wales and Fiji made early exits from the competition.

In terms of structure, the 16 teams were split into four groups of four. Six games were played in each pool. This meant that every team faced each of their pool opponents once to play a total of three games.

In a change from the previous tournament, the points system was updated for 1991. Teams received three points for a win and two for a draw. However, losing teams were awarded one point for playing.

Pool 1

Pool 1 contained England, Italy, New Zealand and the United States. New Zealand finished top of the pool ahead of England, who they beat 18-12 at Twickenham.

Pool 2

Pool 2 was contested by Ireland, Japan, Scotland and Zimbabwe. Scotland won all three of their matches and finished at the top of their pool. The Scottish side repeatedly overpowered their opponents, defeating Japan and Zimbabwe by more than 30 points.

Pool 3

Pool 3 featured Argentina, Australia, Wales and Western Samoa. As expected, Australia emerged as the winners. However, this was also the pool that delivered some of the biggest upsets.

Western Samoa made their tournament debut against Wales, defeating the Welsh side 16-13 in Cardiff. Wales then endured a second loss against Australia. This result eliminated the former semi-finalists from the competition.

Pool 4

Pool 4 consisted of Canada, Fiji, France and Romania. France outperformed all of their opponents in the group. Les Bleus won all three of their games and finished with a +57 points difference. However, the real story here was Canada.

The Canadian squad came second in their pool. They beat former quarter-finalists Fiji 13-3 and defeated Romania 19-11. This secured the Canucks a spot in the quarter-finals – their greatest Rugby World Cup performance to date.

Here are the eight teams that progressed to the knockout stage of the 1991 Rugby World Cup:

• Pool 1: New Zealand and England
• Pool 2: Scotland and Ireland
• Pool 3: Australia and Western Samoa
• Pool 4: France and Canada
  

1991 Rugby World Cup: Knockout stage review

From the closely contested quarter-final between Ireland and Australia to the Wallabies’ winning final, here are the 1991 Rugby World Cup results from the knockout stage:

1991 Rugby World Cup quarter finals

The 1991 Rugby World Cup quarter finals featured three outright victories and one down-to-the-wire match. England put in a resolute performance and defeated 1987 finalists France 19-10. This was followed by Scotland’s 28-6 victory against Western Samoa, as well as New Zealand’s 29-13 triumph over Canada.

The other quarter final was an epic showdown between Australia and Ireland that saw the Wallabies triumph 19-18. With just five minutes remaining, Ireland’s Gordon Hamilton stormed down the pitch, sprinting past Campese to ground the ball. The try was converted by Keyes, whose efforts gave the Irish side the lead.

However, with the seconds dwindling down, a moment of pure magic from David Campese unlocked the Irish defence once more and Michael Lynagh scored the all-important try.

1991 Rugby World Cup semi finals

The 1991 Rugby World Cup semi finals featured two nail-biting matches. A rain-soaked Murrayfield Stadium hosted a tough battle between England and Scotland. The fate of this tryless match was decided by Rob Andrew. He scored a late drop-goal that led to England’s 9-6 win.

The second semi-final was a southern hemisphere affair. Defending champions, New Zealand, faced Australia at Lansdowne Road. The All Blacks failed to score a try and the Wallabies won 16-6.

1991 Rugby World Cup third-place play-off

The third-place play-off was contested by New Zealand and Scotland at Cardiff Arms Park. The All Blacks managed to outpace their rivals, with Walter Little scoring one try and Jon Preston securing three penalties. Scotland’s points were scored by one player: Gavin Hastings. The former fullback converted two penalties. 

New Zealand claimed third place with a 13-6 victory. Scotland took fourth place, and this remains their best Rugby World Cup finish.

1991 Rugby World Cup final

The 1991 Rugby World Cup final was contested by Australia and England on 2 November 1991. The game was held in front of 56,208 spectators at Twickenham Stadium, London. It was a sad day for England supporters who mourned a 12-6 defeat on home soil.

Although England had performed admirably throughout the tournament, they were no match for the determined Wallabies. Australia had repeatedly trounced the opposition and they remained steadfast during the final. 

The England squad adopted an open playing style in the hopes of beating their rivals but it was to no avail. The Wallabies took an early lead and Australia’s Tony Daly scored the only try of the match.

Highlights of the second Rugby World Cup

The second Rugby World Cup was a hugely successful event. The attendance doubled from the previous tournament and the competition delivered several legendary matches. This included Western Samoa’s defeat of Wales, a result that will forever be remembered as the first true shock of the tournament. On top of this, the 1991 Rugby World Cup was the first to be hosted in the northern hemisphere. 

Away from the men’s game, 1991 was a big year for women’s rugby. The first women’s Rugby World Cup was also contested in the same year and the United States prevailed to claim a shock win.