History of the Finals
1987 Rugby World Cup
Overview
The inaugural Rugby World Cup was co‑hosted by New Zealand and Australia, featuring 16 nations. Seven spots were automatically filled by IRB members (New Zealand, Australia, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, and Wales), while the remaining teams—including Argentina, Fiji, Italy, Canada, Romania, Tonga, Japan, Zimbabwe, and the United States—were invited directly, with no qualification matches held. South Africa was excluded due to the international sports boycott of apartheid.
Tournament Highlights
-
Matches were largely one‑sided, with IRB members dominating.
-
12 of the 24 games saw teams score 40+ points.
-
Five of the seven highest‑scoring Rugby World Cup matches occurred during this edition.
-
Records were set for most points by an individual and most tries by a team.
The Final
New Zealand claimed victory at Eden Park, Auckland, defeating France 29–9 to become the first Rugby World Cup champions.
| Pool 1 | |||||||
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
| Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 41 | 6 |
| England | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 100 | 32 | 4 |
| United States | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 99 | 2 |
| Japan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 48 | 123 | 0 |
| Australia 19 - 6 England Japan 18 - 21 United States England 60 - 7 Japan Australia 47 - 12 United States Australia 42 - 23 Japan England 34 - 6 United States |
| Pool 2 | |||||||
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Ponts |
| Wales | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 31 | 6 |
| Ireland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 84 | 41 | 4 |
| Canada | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 65 | 90 | 2 |
| Tonga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 29 | 98 | 0 |
| Canada 37 - 4 Tonga Ireland 6 - 13 Wales Tonga 16 - 29 Wales Canada 19 - 46 Ireland Ireland 32 - 9 Tonga Canada 9 - 40 Wales |
| Pool 3 | |||||||
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
| New Zealand | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 190 | 34 | 6 |
| Fiji | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 56 | 101 | 2 |
| Italy | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 40 | 110 | 2 |
| Argentina | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 49 | 90 | 2 |
| New Zealand 70 - 6 Italy Argentina 9 - 28 Fiji New Zealand 74 - 13 Fiji Argentina 25 - 16 Italy Fiji 15 - 18 Italy New Zealand 46 - 15 Argentina |
| Pool 4 | |||||||
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Points |
| France | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 145 | 44 | 5 |
| Scotland | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 135 | 69 | 5 |
| Romania | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 61 | 130 | 2 |
| Zimbabwe | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 53 | 151 | 0 |
| France 20 - 20 Scotland Romania 21 - 20 Zimbabwe France 55 - 12 Romania Scotland 60 - 21 Zimbabwe Romania 28 - 55 Scotland France 70 - 12 Zimbabwe |
Winning Captain
David Kirk
New Zealand
Most Points
Grant Fox
126
Top Try Scorer
John Kirwan
6
Top Try Scorer
Craig Green
6
Winners
Runner-Up
3rd Place