The Rugby World Cup is the most important trophy in rugby. So let’s take a look at the teams that have been the most successful when it comes to the Rugby World Cup.
Who has won the most Rugby World Cups? New Zealand and South Africa have both won the most Rugby World Cups. Both of those teams have won the tournament three times. Including two each of the last 4 tournaments.
The Rugby World Cup has taken place every four years since the tournament started in 1987. Therefore, there have been nine Rugby World Cup tournaments prior to the start of the 2023 tournament. Two teams have been able to win the most Rugby World Cups in that time.
| List of Rugby World Cup Champions | |
| Year | Winners |
| 1987 | New Zealand |
| 1991 | Australia |
| 1995 | South Africa |
| 1999 | Australia |
| 2003 | England |
| 2007 | South Africa |
| 2011 | New Zealand |
| 2015 | New Zealand |
| 2019 | South Africa |
New Zealand and South Africa are the two teams that have won the most Rugby World Cup trophies in the history of the Rugby World Cup. Both of those teams have won the tournament three different times.
New Zealand won their first Rugby World Cup in 1987, winning the very first competition in front of their home fans in Auckland. After a long drought for the team, they once again made it to the final in 2011, defeating France in a repeat of the 1987 final. Four years later New Zealand were once again in the final.
They defeated Australia to become the first team to win the tournament three times in 2015. They also became the first team to win the tournament back to back at the same time.
South Africa have also won the tournament three times. Having been excluded from the first two tournaments, the Springboks hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup and won the tournament in front of their home fans. Twelve years later, the Springboks were again in the Rugby World Cup Final.
They defeated England in a very close affair that did not feature any tries in the entire game. Twelve years after that, they were again in the final against England. The results were exactly the same, with a close kicking game eventually opened up by tries from both of the Springboks winners.
This was South Africa’s third Rugby World Cup title victory, equalling the record set by New Zealand. Both New Zealand and South Africa have the chance to become the sole leader in Rugby World Cup victories in 2023, as they will both go to four RWC titles if they win the tournament this year.
Australia also has the chance to join South Africa and New Zealand with three Rugby World Cup victories. The Wallabies are currently on two RWC victories and have the opportunity to win their third this year. It seems unlikely that Australia will be able to do this.
What is the best Rugby World Cup team in history?
There have been some phenomenal Rugby World Cup teams in the past. In terms of individual teams in one tournament, the All Blacks team of 2015 is certainly one of the best Rugby teams to ever feature in international rugby.
The All Blacks headed into the 2015 Rugby World Cup as defending champions, as well as the number one ranked team in the world. At this point, the All Blacks had held the number one spot in the world for all four years in between the two Rugby World Cups. There were high expectations on this New Zealand team and they certainly delivered.
Having cruised through the group stages with some massive wins over solid opposition, New Zealand faced France in the quarter-finals. France were the team that the All Blacks narrowly defeated four years ago in the final, but this game was not close at all.
A Julian Savea hattrick helped New Zealand smash France 62-13 in by far the most dominant quarter-final in that tournament. It was an incredible result and showed just how good New Zealand were. The semi-final was a lot closer. In an incredibly physical and tense game, the All Blacks managed to edge past South Africa and to the final.
Facing the old enemy Australia in the final, New Zealand showed that they were the best team in the world at the time by quite a big margin. Two tries either side of halftime meant that New Zealand always held the lead over Australia and the final was never massively close.
It was not just their dominant run to the Rugby World Cup title that makes this team one of the best of all time. This New Zealand team featured so many rugby legends. Dan Carter and Richie McCaw were the two leaders of this team, both seen as two of the best players to have played rugby in the sports history.
They had such a powerful and well organised pack including the legendary duo of Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock. In the backs, Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith were by far the best centre partnership in the world at the time. There has probably not ever been a better team at the Rugby World Cup.
Who are the bookies favourite to win the Rugby World Cup in 2023?
At the time of writing, the 2023 Rugby World Cup has not started yet. There are a lot of fans wondering who the bookies favourite for the tournament are, because there are four teams at the very top In the world at the moment.
New Zealand are currently the favourites for the tournament according to the majority of the bookies. It is not massively surprising that New Zealand are the favourites. The All Blacks have always been able to bring their game to a higher level at the Rugby World Cup, which is why the team have equalled the most victories at the tournament.
The All Blacks have been in very good form heading into this tournament, having won the Rugby Championship and all but one of their warm up games. A lot of bookies have France as the second favourites for the Rugby World Cup. Despite not winning the tournament in the past, France are one of the best teams in the world and have home advantage throughout the competition.