After winning the Rugby World Cup at home twice in 1987 and 2011, the All Blacks won their first All Blacks title outside New Zealand by beating Australia in the final at Twickenham in 2015. New Zealand, Australia and South Africa regularly top the Rugby World Cup, with the latter two teams winning the Rugby World Cup twice and New Zealand three times.
They beat France 62-13 in the quarter-final, South Africa 20-18 in the semi-final and Australia 34-17 in the final to become the first nation to defend the world title and the first A country that has won the Bledisloe Cup three times. New Zealand beat France in the inaugural tournament final in 1987, again in the tournament final in New Zealand in 2011, and most recently in England in 2015, making it the second only team to win consecutive World Cups. In addition, the team has won the Rugby Championship 16 times and participated in four home Grand Slam tournaments (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales). The national team is currently number three in the Men’s World Rugby and is the only team other than the All Blacks that won the Rugby World Cup three times (1995, 2007 and 2019).
The national team is one of the strongest globally and has been in the top seven of the world rugby rankings since its inception in 2003. Since the Rugby World Rankings in 2003, New Zealand has held the top spot in the rankings longer than all other teams combined. Jordie Barrett was the only All Black to return to be named to the 15th Rugby World Cup despite New Zealand winning the trophy and finishing 5-1. Many national rugby teams have suffered their heaviest defeats against New Zealand: Argentina (91-8), Fiji (91-0), France (62-13), Ireland (60-0), Japan (145-17), Portugal. (108-13), Samoa (101-14), South Africa (57-0), Tonga (102-0, twice) and USA (104-14).
In 1888 the British team toured New Zealand and Australia, and in 1891 the British group toured South Africa, creating a model for international rugby matches. Tours continued to be popular with rugby teams during the last quarter of the 20th century. Rugby Union continues to grow into an international competition, evidenced by new tournaments such as the Pacific Rim Championship and the African Big Six Championships. Practice (international) matches (a series of two or more games between national teams) have historically been the pinnacle of rugby.
With a streak of victories and a runner-up medal against South Africa showing great promise in preparation for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, the question now turns to the future of Giteau Law’s Australian selection policy. South Africa won another rugby title in their watered-down 2019 edition. Can New Zealand win at the 2023 Rugby World Cup?
