Australia at the Rugby World Cup

Map of nations best results, excluding nations which unsuccessfully participated in qualifying tournaments.

The Australian national rugby union team, known as the Wallabies, together with South Africa and New Zealand, are the only teams to have won two Rugby World Cups. They have played all seven Rugby World Cup tournaments. Australia has also either hosted or co-hosted the Rugby World Cup on two occasions, in 1987 and 2003.

By position

• 1987 Fourth Place
• 1991

1991 Rugby World Cup Champions
Australia First title

• 1995 Eliminated in Quarter finals
• 1999

1999 Rugby World Cup Champions
Australia Second title

• 2003 Runner's -up
• 2007 Eliminated in Quarter finals
• 2011 Third Place

1987 -New Zealand & Australia

Group matches

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23 May 1987	Australia	19 – 6	England	Concord Oval, Sydney Referee: Keith Lawrence
	Tries: David Campese Simon Poidevin Con: Michael Lynagh Pen: Michael Lynagh (3)		Try: Mike Harrison Con: Jon Webb

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31 May 1987	Australia	47 – 12	United States	Ballymore, Brisbane Referee: Brian Anderson
	Tries: Andrew Leeds (2) Penalty try David Campese Brian Smith Andrew Slack Brett Papworth David Codey Con: Michael Lynagh (6) Pen: Michael Lynagh		Try: Ray Nelson Con: Ray Nelson Pen: Ray Nelson Drop: Dave Horton

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3 June 1987	Australia	42 – 23	Japan	Concord Oval, Sydney Referee: Jim Fleming
	Tries: Andrew Slack (2) Matthew Burke (rugby player born 1964) (2) Steve Tuynman Peter Grigg Mark Hartill David Campese Con: Michael Lynagh (5)		Tries: Eiji Kutsuki (2) Tsuyoshi Fujita Con: Minoru Okidoi Pen: Minoru Okidoi (2) Drop: Minoru Okidoi

Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	Pts
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

Quarter final

7 June 1987	Australia	30 – 24	Ireland	Concord Oval, Sydney Referee: Brian Anderson
	Tries: Burke McIntyre Smith Con: Lynagh (4) Pen: Lynagh (3)		Tries: Kiernan MacNeil Con: Kiernan (2) Pen: Kiernan

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Semi-final

13 June 1987	Australia	24 – 30	France	Concord Oval, Sydney Attendance: 17,768 Referee: Brian Anderson
	Tries: Campese Codey Con: Lynagh (2) Pen: Lynagh (3) Drop: Lynagh		Tries: Lorieux Sella Lagisquet Blanco Con: Camberabero (4) Pen: Camberabero (2)

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Third place play-off

18 June 1987	Australia	21 – 22	Wales	Rotorua International Stadium, Rotorua Referee: Fred Howard
	Tries: Burke Grigg Con: Lynagh (2) Pen: Lynagh (2) Drop: Lynagh		Tries: Roberts Moriarty Hadley Con: Thorburn (2) Pen: Thorburn (2)

1991 UK, Ireland and France

Group matches

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4 October 1991	Argentina	19 – 32	Australia	Stradey Park, Llanelli Referee: David Bishop
	Tries: Teran (2) Con: Del Castillo Pen: Del Castillo Drop: Arbizu (2)		Tries: Campese (2), Horan (2), Kearns Con: Lynagh (3) Pen: Lynagh (2)

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9 October 1991	Australia	9 – 3	Western Samoa	Pontypool Park, Pontypool Referee: Ed Morrison
	Pen: Lynagh (3)		Pen: Vaea

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12 October 1991	Wales	3 – 38	Australia	Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff Referee: Keith Lawrence
	Pen: Ring		Tries: Roebuck (2), Slattery, Campese, Horan, Lynagh Con: Lynagh (4) Pen: Lynagh (2)

Team	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Points
Australia	3	0	0	79	25	9
Western Samoa	2	0	1	54	34	7
Wales	1	0	2	32	61	5
Argentina	0	0	3	38	83	3

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Quarter final

20 October 1991	Ireland	18 – 19	Australia	Lansdowne Road, Dublin Referee: Jim Fleming
	Tries Hamilton Con: Keyes Pen: Keyes (3) Drop goals Keyes		Tries: Campese (2), Lynagh Con: Lynagh (2) Pen: Lynagh

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Semi final

27 October 1991	Australia	16 – 6	New Zealand	Lansdowne Road, Dublin Referee: Jim Fleming
	Tries: Campese, Horan Con: Lynagh Pen: Lynagh (2)		Pen: Fox (2)

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Final

27 October 1991	Australia	12 – 6	England	Twickenham, London Referee: Derek Bevan
	Tries: Daly Con: Lynagh Pen: Lynagh (2)		Pen: Webb (2)

1991 Rugby World Cup Champions
Australia First title

1995 South Africa

Group matches

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1995-05-25	South Africa	27 – 18	Australia	Newlands, Cape Town Attendance: 51 000 (capacity) Referee: Derek Bevan
	Tries: Pieter Hendriks, Joel Stransky Con: Joel Stransky Pen: Joel Stransky (4) Drop Goal: Joel Stransky		Tries: Phil Kearns, Michael Lynagh Con: Michael Lynagh Pen: Michael Lynagh Drop Goals:

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1995-05-31	Australia	27 – 11	Canada	Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth Attendance: 15 000 Referee: Patrick Robin
	Tries: Michael Lynagh, Tabua Tamanivalu, Joe Roff Con: Michael Lynagh (3) Pen: Michael Lynagh (2) Drop Goals:		Tries: Al Charron Con: Pen: Gareth Rees (2) Drop Goals:

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1995-06-03	Australia	42 – 3	Romania	Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch Attendance: 15 000 Referee: Naoki Saito
	Tries: Damian Smith, David Wilson, Joe Roff, Michael Foley, Matt Burke Con: Matt Burke (2), John Eales (4) Pen: Drop Goals:		Tries: Con: Pen: Ilie Ivancuic Drop Goals:

Team	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Points
South Africa	3	0	0	68	26	9
Australia	2	0	1	87	41	7
Canada	1	0	2	45	50	5
Romania	0	0	3	14	97	3

Quarter final

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15 September 2007	Australia	22 – 25	England	Newlands, Cape Town Referee: David Bishop
	Tries: Damian Smith Con: Michael Lynagh Pen: Michael Lynagh (5) Drop Goals:		Tries: Tony Underwood Con: Rob Andrew Pen: Rob Andrew (5) Drop Goals: Rob Andrew

1999 Wales

Group matches

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1999-10-03	Australia	57 – 9	Romania	Ravenhill, Belfast Referee: Paul Honiss
	Tries: Toutai Kefu (3), Joe Roff (2), Rod Kafer, Matthew Burke, Jason Little, Tim Horan Con: Matthew Burke (5), John Eales		Pen: Petre Mitu (3)

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1999-10-10	Ireland	3 – 23	Australia	Lansdowne Road, Dublin Referee: Clayton Thomas
	Pen: David Humphreys		Tries: Ben Tune, Tim Horan Con: Matthew Burke (2) Pen: Matthew Burke (2), John Eales

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1999-10-14	Australia	55–19	United States	Thomond Park, Limerick Referee: Andre Watson
	Tries: Scott Staniforth (2), Chris Latham, Chris Whitaker, Michael Foley, Matthew Burke, Stephen Larkham, Tiaan Straaus Con: Matthew Burke (5), Joe Roff Pen: Matthew Burke		Tries: Juan Grobler Con: Kevin Dalzell Pen: Kevin Dalzell (4)

Team	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	Points
Australia	3	0	0	135	31	6
Ireland	2	0	1	100	45	4
Romania	1	0	2	50	126	2
United States	0	0	3	52	135	0

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Quarter final

1999-10-23	Wales	9 – 24	Australia	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 74,499 Referee: Colin Hawke
	Pens: Neil Jenkins (3)		Tries: George Gregan (2), Ben Tune Con: Matthew Burke (3) Pen: Matthew Burke

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Semi-final

1999-10-30	South Africa	21 – 27 (a.e.t)	Australia	Twickenham, London Attendance: 75,000 Referee: Derek Bevan
	Pen: Jannie de Beer (6) Drop: Jannie de Beer		Pen: Matthew Burke (8) Drop: Stephen Larkham

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Final

1999-11-06	Australia	35 – 12	France	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 74,500 Referee: André Watson
	Tries: Ben Tune, Owen Finegan Con: Matthew Burke (2) Pen: Matthew Burke (7)		Pen: Christophe Lamaison (4)

1999 Rugby World Cup Champions
Australia Second title

2003 Australia

Group matches

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2003-10-10	Australia	24 – 8	Argentina	Telstra Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 81,350 Referee: Paul Honiss
	Try: Sailor 20', Roff 74' Con: Flatley Pen: Flatley (4)		Try: Corleto 72' Pen: M. Contepomi

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2003-10-18	Australia	90 – 8	Romania	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 48,778 Referee: Pablo De Luca
	Tries: Flatley, Rogers (3), Burke (2), Larkham (2), Mortlock, Roff, Giteau, Tuqiri, Smith Con: Flatley (11) Pen: Flatley		Tries: Toderasc Pen: Tofan

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2003-10-25	Australia	142 – 0	Namibia	Adelaide Oval Attendance: 33,000 Referee: Joël Jutge
	Tries: Latham (5), Lyons, Mortlock, Tuqiri (3), Penalty try, Rogers (2), Paul, Giteau (3), Grey, Turinui (2), Burke, Roe Con: Rogers (16)

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2003-11-01	Australia	17–16	Ireland	Telstra Dome, Melbourne Attendance: 54,206 Referee: Paddy O'Brien
	Tries: Smith Pen: Flatley (3) Drop: Gregan		Tries: O'Driscoll Con: O'Gara Pen: O'Gara (2) Drop: O'Driscoll

Main article: 2003 Rugby World Cup

Team	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Against	BP	Points
Australia	4	0	0	273	32	2	18
Ireland	3	0	1	141	56	3	15
Argentina	2	0	2	140	57	3	11
Romania	1	0	3	65	192	1	5
Namibia	0	0	4	28	310	0	0

Quarter final

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8 November 2003	Australia	33 – 16	Scotland	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Referee: Steve Walsh
	Tries Gregan, Lyons, Mortlock Con: Flatley (3) Pen: Flatley (4)		Tries: Russell Con: Paterson Pen: Paterson (2) Drop Goals Paterson

semi final

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2003-11-15	Australia	22 – 10	New Zealand	Telstra Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 82,444 Referee: Chris White
	Try: Mortlock 9' c Con: Flatley Pen: Flatley (5)		Try: Thorne 35' c Con: MacDonald Pen: MacDonald

Final

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22 November 2003	Australia	17 – 20 (a.e.t)	England	Telstra Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 82,957 Referee: Andre Watson
	Tries Tuqiri Pen: Elton Flatley (4)		Tries: Robinson Pen: Wilkinson (4) Drop Goal Wilkinson

2007 France

Group Matches

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8 September 2007	Australia	91 – 3	Japan	Stade Gerland, Lyon Referee: Alan Lewis
	Tries: Rocky Elsom (3), Chris Latham (2), Berrick Barnes (2), Drew Mitchell, George Smith, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Nathan Sharpe, Adam Freier Con: Stirling Mortlock (7), Matt Giteau (3) Pen: Stirling Mortlock Drop Goals		Tries: Con: Pen: Kosei Ono Drop Goals:

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15 September 2007	Australia	32 – 20	Wales	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Referee: Steve Walsh
	Tries: Chris Latham (2), Matt Giteau, Stirling Mortlock Con: Stirling Mortlock (2), Matt Giteau Pen: Stirling Mortlock (2) Drop Goals: Berrick Barnes		Tries: Jonathan Thomas, Shane Williams Con: James Hook Pen: Stephen Jones, James Hook (2) Drop Goals:

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23 September 2007	Australia	55 – 12	Fiji	Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier Referee: Nigel Owen
	Tries: Drew Mitchell (3), Matt Giteau (2), Adam Ashley-Cooper, Stephen Hoiles Con: Matt Giteau (4) Pen: matt Giteau (3) Drop Goals: Berrick Barnes		Tries: Isoa Neivua, Aca Ratuva Con: Seremaia Bai Pen: Drop Goals:

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29 September 2007	Australia	37 – 6	Canada	Stade Chaban Delmas, Bordeaux Referee: Chris White
	Tries: Drew Mitchell (2), Al Baxter, Adam Freier, George Smith, Chris Latham Con: Cameron Shepherd (2) Pen: Julian Huxley Drop Goals:		Tries: Con: Pen: James Pritchard (2) Drop Goals:

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Pool B games -

Main article: 2007 Rugby World Cup - Pool B

Team Pld W D L TF PF PA +/- BP Pts Australia 4 4 0 0 30 215 41 +174 4 20 Fiji 4 3 0 1 14 114 136 −22 3 15 Wales 4 2 0 2 23 168 105 +63 4 12 Japan 4 0 1 3 7 64 210 −146 1 3 Canada 4 0 1 3 6 51 120 −69 0 2 Quarter final 2007-010-06 Australia 10 – 12 England Stade Vélodrome, Marseille Referee: Alain Roland Tries: Lote Tuqiri Con: Stirling Mortlock Pen: Stirling Mortlock Drop Goals: Tries: Con: Pen: Jonny Wilkinson (4) Drop Goals: 2011 New Zealand Group Matches 11 September 2011 15:30 Australia 32 – 6 Italy North Harbour Stadium, Auckland Attendance: 25,731 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland) Try: Alexander 50' m Ashley-Cooper 55' c O'Connor 58' c Ioane 66' c Con: O'Connor (3/4) Pen: Cooper (2/3) 19', 30' Report Pen: Bergamasco (2/3) 38', 40+' 17 September 2011 20:30 Australia 6 – 15 Ireland Eden Park, Auckland Attendance: 58,678 Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand) Pen: O'Connor (2/4) 11', 23' Report Pen: Sexton (2/5) 17', 49' O'Gara (2/2) 62', 71' Drop: Sexton 19' 23 September 2011 20:30 Australia 67 – 5 United States Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington Attendance: 33,824 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) Try: Horne 8' m Elsom 11' m Beale 31' c Fainga'a (2) 35' m, 71' m Mitchell 45'c McCabe 48'm Ashley-Cooper (3) 59' c, 64' c, 66' c Samo 78' c Con: Beale (0/1) Cooper (2/5) Barnes (4/5) Report Try: Gagiano 23' m Con: Malifa (0/1) 1 October 2011 15:30 Australia 68 – 22 Russia Trafalgar Park, Nelson Attendance: 16,307 Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand) Try: Barnes (2) 7' m, 79' c Mitchell (2) 9' c, 49' c McCalman 12' c Pocock (2) 15' c, 22' c Moore 36' c Ashley-Cooper 39' c Ma'afu 42' c Con: O'Connor (9/10) Report Try: Ostroushko 33' m Simplikevich 60' c Rachkov 68' c Con: Kushnarev (0/1) Rachkov (2/2) Drop: Rachkov (1/1) 47' Team Pld W D L TF PF PA +/- BP Pts Ireland 4 4 0 0 15 135 34 +101 1 17 Australia 4 3 0 1 25 173 48 +125 3 15 Italy 4 2 0 2 13 92 95 −3 2 10 United States 4 1 0 3 4 38 122 −84 0 4 Russia 4 0 0 4 8 57 139 −139 1 1 Quarter Finals 9 October 2011 18:00 NZDT (UTC+13) South Africa 9 – 11 Australia Regional Stadium, Wellington Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand) Pen: Steyn (2/4) 39', 56' Drop: Steyn (1/1) 60' Lambie (0/1) Report Try: Horwill 11' m Con: O'Connor (0/1) Pen: O'Connor (2/2) 17', 72' Semifinal 2011-10-16 20:30 New Zealand 20 – 6 report = [ (Report)] Australia Eden Park, Auckland Referee: Craig Joubert Tries: Nonu Pen: Weepu Drop: Cruden Pen: O'Connor Drop: Cooper Third place play-off 21 October 2011 20:30 NZDT (UTC+13) Wales 18 – 21 Australia Eden Park, Auckland Attendance: 53,014 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) Try: Shane Williams 50' m Halfpenny 80+' c Con: Hook (0/1) S. Jones (1/1) Pen: Hook (1/2) 20' Halfpenny (0/1) S. Jones (1/1) 71' Drop: Shane Williams (0/1) Tracker Try: Barnes 12' c McCalman 76' m Con: O'Connor (1/2) Pen: O'Connor (2/4) 54', 58' Drop: Barnes (1/1) 68' Hosting 1987 Australia hosted the first 1987 Rugby World Cup, along with New Zealand. Games were hosted at the following stadiums - City Stadium Capacity Brisbane Ballymore Stadium 24,000 Sydney Concord Oval 20,000 Most of the pool games were in New Zealand, but the semi-finals, and one of the quarter finals, were played in Australia. 2003 The opening game at Telstra Stadium between Australia and Argentina in 2003. Venues Australia won the right to host the World Cup in 2003 without the involvement of New Zealand after a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World Cup Limited. The overall stadium capacity was reduced from the 1999 Rugby World Cup in Wales. The Adelaide Oval underwent a A$20 million redevelopment for the 2003 Rugby World Cup, financed entirely by the South Australian Cricket Association, with two new grandstands built adjacent to the Victor Richardson Gates. The Suncorp Stadium was a new A$280 million venue designed specifically for rugby, and was opened just before the start of the 2003 World Cup. The Central Coast Stadium was also a newly built venue, and opened in February 2000 at a cost of A$30 million. Aussie Stadium was one of two venues in Sydney that were used for football during the 2000 Olympic Games. The other venue in Sydney was the Telstra Stadium which was the centrepiece of the 2000 Olympic Games. Formerly known as Stadium Australia, Telstra Stadium was built at a cost of over A$600 million and was the biggest stadium used in the 2003 World Cup. The only stadium with a retractable roof used was the Telstra Dome in Melbourne. Stadium Games City State Capacity Best Crowd Telstra Stadium 7 Sydney New South Wales 83,500 82,957 (Final: Australia vs England) Aussie Stadium 5 Sydney New South Wales 41,159 37,137 (Scotland vs. Fiji) Central Coast Stadium 3 Gosford New South Wales 20,119 19,653 (Japan vs. United States) WIN Stadium 2 Wollongong New South Wales 18,484 17,833 (France vs. United States) Suncorp Stadium 9 Brisbane Queensland 52,500 48,778 (Australia vs. Romania) Dairy Farmers Stadium 3 Townsville Queensland 24,843 21,309 (France vs. Japan) Telstra Dome 7 Melbourne Victoria 53,371 54,206 (Australia vs. Ireland) Subiaco Oval 5 Perth Western Australia 42,922 38,834 (South Africa vs. England) Canberra Stadium 4 Canberra Australian Capital Territory 24,647 22,641 (Italy vs. Wales) Adelaide Oval'" 2 Adelaide South Australia 33,597 33,000 (Australia vs. Namibia) York Park 1 Launceston Tasmania 19,891 15,457 (Namibia vs. Romania) Future world cups Australia has bid for the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cups. It lost both bids, to England and Japan. Overall record Australia vs Played Win Draw Lost Win % Argentina 2 2 0 0 100% Canada 2 2 0 0 100% England 5 2 0 3 40% Fiji 1 1 0 0 100% France 2 1 0 1 50% Ireland 5 4 0 1 80% Italy 1 1 0 0 100% Japan 2 2 0 0 100% Namibia 1 1 0 0 100% New Zealand 3 2 0 1 66% Romania 3 3 0 0 100% Russia 1 1 0 0 100% Scotland 1 1 0 0 100% South Africa 3 2 0 1 66% United States 3 3 0 0 100% Wales 5 4 0 1 80% Samoa 1 1 0 0 100% Overall 39 32 0 7 83% Australian records at the Rugby World Cup World Cup Champions 1991  1991 Rugby World Cup Champions  Australia First title 1999  1999 Rugby World Cup Champions  Australia Second title Team Records Highest total of points in a game 142 vs Namibia, 2003 91 vs Japan, 2007 90 vs Romania, 2003 68 vs Russia, 2011 67 vs United States, 2011 57 vs Romania, 1999 55 vs United States, 1999 55 vs Fiji, 2007 Individual Records Most World Cup Matches 20 George Gregan (1995,1999,2003,2007) 15 John Eales (1991,1995,1999) 15 Nathan Sharpe (2003,2007,2011) 15 David Campese (1987,1991,1995) 14 Jason Little (1991,1995,1999) 14 Tim Horan (1991,1995,1999) 14 Joe Roff (1995,1999) Most Points Overall 195 Michael Lynagh (1987,1991,1995) 125 Matt Burke (1995,1999) 100 Elton Flatley 60 Matt Giteau (2003,2007) 57 Stirling Mortlock (1999,2003,2007) 57 Mat Rogers (2003,2007) Most Points in a Game 42 vs Namibia - Mat Rogers 2003 30 vs Romania - Elton Flatley 2003 27 vs Fiji - Matt Giteau 2007 25 vs France - Matt Burke 1999 25 vs Namibia - Chris Latham 2003 24 vs South Africa - Matt Burke 2003 Most Tries Overall 11 Chris Latham (1999,2003,2007) 10 David Campese (1987,1991,1995) 10 Drew Mitchell (2007,2011) 7 Matt Giteau (2003,2007) 7 Adam Ashley-Cooper (@007,2011) 7 Joe Roff (1995,1999) Most Tries in a Game 5 vs Namibia - Chris Latham 2003 3 vs Romania - Toutai Kefu 1999 3 vs Fiji - Drew Mitchell 2007 3 vs United States - Adam Ashley-Cooper 2011 3 vs Romania - Mat Rogers 2003 3 vs Namibia - Lote Tuqiri 2003 3 vs Namibia - Matt Giteau 2003 3 vs Japan - Rocky Elsom 2003 Most Penalty Goals 33 Michael Lynagh (1987,1991,1995) 21 Elton Flatley (1999,2003) 19 Matt Burke (1995,1999) 7 James O'Connor (2011) Most Penalty Goals in a Game 8 vs South Africa - Matt Burke 1999 7 vs France - Matt Burke 1999 5 vs England - Michael Lynagh 1995 5 vs New Zealand - Elton Flatley 2003 Most Drop Goals 3 Berrick Barnes (2007,2011) 2 Michael Lynagh (1987,1991,1995) 1 George Gregan (1995,1999,2003,2007) 1 Stephen Larkham (1999,2003,2007) 1 Quade Cooper (2011) Portrayal on screen Australia can be seen playing South Africa in the feature film Invictus based on the 1995 Rugby World Cup. References Davies, Gerald (2004) The History of the Rugby World Cup (Sanctuary Publishing Ltd, (ISBN 1-86074-602-0) Farr-Jones, Nick, (2003). Story of the Rugby World Cup, Australian Post Corporation, (ISBN 0-642-36811-2)