Every major sport across the world has an international event where players represent their respective countries in the ultimate quest for national glory. Similarly in one of the most physical sports we know, rugby, there’s the Rugby World Cup, which was first initiated in 1987 and since then, it’s become a regular quadrennial event at the international level.
The 2023 Rugby World Cup was the tenth edition of this tournament and on this page, we’re going to cover every winning team of every edition of the Rugby World from start till date. From 1987 till date, no edition of this competition has been cancelled, preponed, or postponed and the event remains one of the most popular sporting events, administered by by World Rugby, the event’s governing body.
Complete Rugby World Cup winners list
The first edition of the competition was the Rugby World Cup 1987 in which a total of 16 participating nations contested for the trophy. Hosted in Australia and New Zealand, it was one of the host nations New Zealand who ended up lifting the trophy after beating France in the final to become the Rugby World Cup first winners, with an impressive 29-9 scoreline in the final.
SEE ALSO: List of top online sports betting websites
The latest edition to take place was 2023 Rugby World Cup and based on the past Rugby world cup winners details, you can place bets on future edition winners on one of the world’s leading bookmakers, Fun88. See below for our complete Rugby World Cup winners list, last updated on 26th October 2023, towards the end of the Rugby World Cup 2023:
Rugby World Cup all winners till date
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Final score | Host nation |
| 1987 | New Zealand | France | 29-9 | Australia, New Zealand |
| 1991 | Australia | England | 12-6 | England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales |
| 1995 | South Africa | New Zealand | 15-12 (a.e.t.) | South Africa |
| 1999 | Australia (2) | France | 35-12 | Wales |
| 2003 | England | Australia | 20-17 (a.e.t.) | Australia |
| 2007 | South Africa (2) | England | 15-6 | France |
| 2011 | New Zealand (2) | France | 8-7 | New Zealand |
| 2015 | New Zealand (3) | Australia | 34-17 | England |
| 2019 | South Africa (3) | England | 32-12 | Japan |
| 2023 | TBD | TBD | TBD | France |
| 2027 | TBD | TBD | TBD | Australia |
| 2031 | TBD | TBD | TBD | USA |
Australia won the next edition, beating England in the Rugby World Cup 1991 final, and they also went on to become the first country to make two entries into the Rugby World Cup winners list, beating France in the 1999 final a couple of editions later. Today, New Zealand and South Africa are the most successful teams in this competition’s history, with three (3) titles each, and either of them winning all of the last four editions of the Rugby World Cup.
SEE ALSO: List of best fantasy sports websites in India
South Africa has a 100% success rate in the Rugby World Cup finals, making it on three occasions and winning all three as well. On the other hand, England has been a bit unlucky, having made four Rugby World Cup finals but winning on only one occasion from them. The most emphatic win in a final in this tournament came in the 1999 World Cup final where Australia thumped France 35-12.
On the other hand, the closest finals in the history of this competition was the 8-7 final score when New Zealand trumped France in the 2011 Rugby World up final. What began as a 16-team competition in 1987 has now grown into a 24-team event which will be seen for the first time in the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
If you want to wager on this competition for daily matches as well as outright tournament winner betting, we’d recommend you register to Fun88 where you can find the most varied rugby betting markets. And for all updates on the Rugby World Cup and other sporting news from across the world, don’t forget to stay tuned to ReadScoops.com…
Register on Fun88 and get a 200 FREE Bet for sports betting
