Zimbabwe at the Rugby World Cup
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Zimbabwe have made two Rugby World Cup appearances – in 1987 and 1991.
In the 1987 Rugby World Cup, Zimbabwe were invited as the African entrant. No other African countries were invited, as South Africa was disqualified from the tournament on the basis of the continuing racist apartheid regime.
However, Zimbabwe succeeded in getting through 1991 Rugby World Cup qualifying, and hosted the Africa qualifications. In more recent years, Namibia has tended to beat them in African qualifying rounds, and Ivory Coast has also got through.
| Nation | Number of appearances | First appearance | Most recent appearance | Streak | Best result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Zimbabwe |
2 | 1987 | 1991 | 2 | No games won |
By position
- 1987 Rugby World Cup Eliminated in pool stages
- 1991 Rugby World Cup Eliminated in pool stages
- 1995 Rugby World Cup Did not qualify.
- 1999 Rugby World Cup Did not qualify.
- 2003 Rugby World Cup Did not qualify.
- 2007 Rugby World Cup Did not qualify.
- 2011 Rugby World Cup Did not qualify.
- 2015 Rugby World Cup Did not qualify.
Matches
1987 Rugby World Cup
Pool 4 games –
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 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 |
| 23 May 1987 |
| Romania | 21–20 | Zimbabwe |
| Tries: Paraschiv Toader Hodorca Pen: Alexandru (3) | Tries: Tsimba (2) Neill Con: Ferreira Pen: Ferreira (2) |
| Eden Park, Auckland Referee: Stephen Hilditch  |
| 30 May 1987 |
| Scotland | 60–21 | Zimbabwe |
| Tries: Tait (2) Tukalo (2) Duncan (2) Paxton (2) Oliver Hastings Jeffrey Con: Hastings (8) | Try: Buitendag Con: Grobler Pen: Grobler (5) |
| Athletic Park, Wellington Referee: David Burnett |
| 2 June 1987 |
| France | 70–12 | Zimbabwe |
| Tries: Modin (3) Camberabero (3) Charvet (2) Rodriguez (2) Durboca Esteve Laporte Con: Camberabero (9) | Try: Kaulbach Con: Grobler Pen: Grobler (2) |
| Eden Park, Auckland Referee: Derek Bevan  |
1991 Rugby World Cup
Pool B games –
Team Won Drawn Lost For Against Points 
Scotland
3 0 0 122 36 9 
Ireland
2 0 1 102 51 7 
Japan
1 0 2 77 87 5 
Zimbabwe
0 0 3 31 158 3
| 6 October 1991 |
Ireland  | 55–11 | Zimbabwe |
| Tries: Robinson (4), Popplewell (2), Geoghegan, Curtis Con: Keyes (4) Pen: Keyes (5) | Tries: Dawson, Schultz Pen: Ferreira |
| Landsdowne Road, Dublin Referee: Keith Lawrence  |
| 9 October 1991 |
| Scotland | 51–12 | Zimbabwe |
| Tries: Tukalo (3), Turnbull, S. Hastings, Stanger, Weir, White Con: Dods (5) Pen: Dods (2) Drop: Wylie | Tries: Garvey (2) Con: Currin (2) |
| Murrayfield, Edinburgh Referee: Don Reordan  |
| 14 October 1991 |
Japan  | 52–8 | Zimbabwe |
| Tries: Yoshida (2), Mashuho (2), Kutsuki (2), Horikoshi, Luaiufi, Matsuo Con: Hosokawa (2) Pen: Hosokawa (4) | Tries: Tsimba, Nguruve |
| Ravenhill, Belfast Referee: Rene Hourquet |
1995 Rugby World Cup
Did not qualify.
1999 Rugby World Cup
Did not qualify.
2003 Rugby World Cup
Did not qualify.
2007 Rugby World Cup
Did not qualify.
2011 Rugby World Cup
Did not qualify.
2015 Rugby World Cup
Did not qualify.
Overall record
| Country | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/- | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Romania |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 21 | −1 | 0 |
| Ireland |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 55 | −44 | 0 |
| Japan |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 52 | −44 | 0 |
| France |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 70 | −58 | 0 |
| Scotland |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 113 | −80 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 105 | 373 | −268 | 0 |
Hosting
So far Zimbabwe has not hosted any World Cup games.
References
- Davies, Gerald (2004) The History of the Rugby World Cup (Sanctuary Publishing Ltd, (ISBN 1860746020)
- Farr-Jones, Nick, (2003). Story of the Rugby World Cup, Australian Post Corporation, (ISBN 0-642-36811-2)