2015 Rugby World Cup in Review

Return to the excitement of the 2015 Rugby World Cup here at RugbyPass. Our rugby gurus have collated all of the data from this record-breaking tournament. This includes information about New Zealand’s third title and second consecutive win, as well as England’s pool stage elimination.

Whether you want to read about the 2015 Rugby World Cup groups or the final results, scroll down to rediscover every epic win, shocking loss and historic moment.

Where was the Rugby World Cup held in 2015?

Hosts: England
Champions: New Zealand 

The host of the 2015 Rugby World Cup was England. The tournament was played over 48 matches and 40 of these were held at venues in England. The eight remaining games were contested at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Despite hosting, England endured their worst ever Rugby World Cup finish. They were eliminated during the pool stage after two losses against Wales and Australia. This meant the 2015 knockout stage was the first that didn’t include a host nation.

In addition to England, 19 other teams competed to win the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Pre-event, reigning champions New Zealand were the favourites. With high expectations, the All Blacks excelled from the first whistle. However, they saved their best performance for the final, where they beat Australia 34-17.

2015 Rugby World Cup: Statistics

From the 2015 Rugby World Cup squads to the stadiums, attendance, winners and top try scorers, you’ll find all of the most important facts and statistics below.

Participating nations

Twenty teams qualified for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The first 12 places were automatically filled by the top 12 teams from the previous tournament. The remaining eight places were decided via regional competitions. In total, 96 teams participated in the qualification process.

The 20 squads that competed at the 2015 Rugby World Cup included:

• Africa: Namibia and South Africa

• Asia: Japan

• Americas: Argentina, Canada, the United States and Uruguay

• Europe: England, France, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Scotland and Wales

• Oceania: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga

Matches, venues and attendance

Who won the Rugby World Cup in 2015?

Champions: New Zealand
Runner-up: Australia
Third place: South Africa

New Zealand were the 2015 Rugby World Cup winners. The All Blacks won all seven of their matches, including an impressive 62-13 quarter final victory against France. They defeated Australia in the final to win their second consecutive (and third overall) Webb Ellis Cup. This left Australia in second place. The Wallabies won six games before losing the final to New Zealand.

South Africa won six of their seven games. They lost to New Zealand in the semi finals before defeating Argentina in the third-place play-off.

Top try and point scorers

The top point scorer at the 2015 Rugby World Cup was Nicolás Sánchez. The Argentine player racked up 97 points during the tournament. This placed him four points ahead of South Africa’s Handré Pollard.

Additionally, the top try scorer of the tournament was Julian Savea. He scored eight tries during the tournament. This equalled the record set by fellow All Black Jonah Lomu.

2015 Rugby World Cup: Pool stage review

The pool stage of the 2015 tournament featured a number of firsts. For example, five of the group matches saw teams play against one another for the first time in history. Meanwhile, England became the first solo host nation to fail to progress from the pool stage. 

Like previous years, the 2015 Rugby World Cup groups featured four pools. Each pool contained five teams and utilised a single round-robin format. This meant that each team competed against their opponents once.

Points were awarded during each of the pool-stage fixtures. Each nation received four points for a win and two for a draw. Additionally, teams were awarded bonus points. They received one bonus point for scoring a minimum of four tries or for losing by seven points or less.

Pool A

Pool A featured Australia, England, Fiji, Uruguay and Wales. It was known as the ‘group of death’ as the pool contained four of the top 10 ranked rugby teams in the world. 

Australia finished at the top of this pool. They won all four of their games and trounced the opposition, finishing the group with a +106 points difference.

This pool also produced a historic elimination for England. The England squad lost two of their pool matches: the first against Wales and the second against Australia.

Pool B

Japan, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa and the United States competed in pool B. South Africa came top of this pool and Scotland finished in second place.

Pool B also saw one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history: Japan’s 2015 Rugby World Cup victory over South Africa. The Brave Blossoms rattled the Springboks during their opening match. In a huge upset, Japan applied the pressure and pulled off a 34-32 win.

Pool C

Pool C comprised Argentina, Georgia, Namibia, New Zealand and Tonga. The winner of this pool was New Zealand. The All Blacks finished in first place while Argentina took second.

The All Blacks and Los Pumas thwarted Georgia, Namibia and Tonga. They defeated each of these teams by a margin of at least 29 points. However, this was also an incredibly successful pool for Namibia. They set several team records by scoring three tries against Tonga (their most in a single match) and earned their first Rugby World Cup bonus point.

Pool D

Canada, France, Ireland, Italy and Romania contested pool D. Ireland won all four of their matches and finished at the top of the pool. France came in second with three wins.

After 40 matches, eight squads progressed to the knockout stage. Here are the teams that successfully advanced:

• Pool A: Australia and Wales

• Pool B: South Africa and Scotland

• Pool C: New Zealand and Argentina

• Pool D: Ireland and France

2015 Rugby World Cup: Knockout stage review

From New Zealand’s evisceration of France in the quarter finals to their win against Australia in the final, here are the 2015 Rugby World Cup fixtures and results from the knockout stage:

2015 Rugby World Cup quarter finals

The 2015 Rugby World Cup quarter finals produced two outright victories and two tight matches. New Zealand sailed through after overpowering France 62-13 and Argentina outplayed Ireland in a game that ended 43-20.

The first of the hard fought matches was a tense game between South Africa and Wales. The game was dominated by two players: Handré Pollard booted five penalties for the Springboks while Dan Biggar kicked 14 points for Wales. Captain Fourie du Preez scored South Africa’s only try and stole the win 23-19. 

The last quarter final was a battle between Australia and Scotland. This dramatic match was decided by a controversial penalty. Although emotions ran high after Australia’s victory, Scotland’s 2015 Rugby World Cup finish was their best since 1991.

After the quarter finals, South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina and Australia went through to the semi finals.

2015 Rugby World Cup semi finals

The 2015 Rugby World Cup final was contested by New Zealand and Australia. The two nations played the game at Twickenham Stadium on 31 October 2015. 

The All Blacks started out strong and gained a 21-3 lead. But, the Wallabies came back determined and rallied to close the gap. With only four points between the two sides, it looked like Australia could clinch the win.

However, a try, a conversion, a penalty and a drop-goal from Dan Carter secured New Zealand’s victory. Ultimately, the 2015 Rugby World Cup final ended 34-17 to New Zealand. This was their second successive title and third World Championship win.

2015 Rugby World Cup third-place play-off

Held at Olympic Stadium, the bronze final was contested by South Africa and Argentina. With a squad that featured some of South Africa’s greatest names, the Springboks took third place and celebrated a glorious 24-13 win.

Rugby superstar Pollard excelled yet again and he booted 14 points for the Boks. Meanwhile JP Pietersen and Eben Etzebeth scored one try apiece.

2015 Rugby World Cup final

The 2015 Rugby World Cup final was contested by New Zealand and Australia. The two nations played the game at Twickenham Stadium on 31 October 2015. 

The All Blacks started out strong and gained a 21-3 lead. But, the Wallabies came back determined and rallied to close the gap. With only four points between the two sides, it looked like Australia could clinch the win. 

However, a try, a conversion, a penalty and a drop-goal from Dan Carter secured New Zealand’s victory. Ultimately, the 2015 Rugby World Cup final ended 34-17 to New Zealand. This was their second successive title and third World Championship win. 

The First Successive Webb Ellis Cup Win

From the all-southern hemisphere semi finals to New Zealand’s win, the 2015 Rugby World Cup was a phenomenal tournament. This was the year that the All Blacks set two records. They became the first team to win three world titles and they were also the first nation to successfully defend the Webb Ellis Cup.

Aside from the All Blacks, the Rugby World Cup in 2015 delivered milestones and upsets. Namibia enjoyed their most successful performance to date; Japan sent a shockwave with their win against South Africa; and England crashed out during the pool stage.