Delve into the 2003 Rugby World Cup here at RugbyPass. Our review contains all of the information any true rugby fan needs to know. Whether you’re eager to relive Jonny Wilkinson’s extra-time drop-goal or the semi final between Australia and New Zealand, our rugby gurus have packed this page with every detail.
Browse below to rediscover all of the exhilarating, tense and shocking matches from the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
Where was the 2003 Rugby World Cup held?
Hosts: Australia
Champions: England
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was held in Australia. Initial plans outlined Australia and New Zealand as co-hosts, although a contractual dispute led to the tournament being held in Australia. As such, the former champions hosted all 48 matches.
Once again, 20 teams competed to win the Webb Ellis Cup. Of these nations, England were heralded as the favourites. In fact, the England squad was regarded as the greatest rugby team in the world.
After being lauded before the competition, England succeeded in living up to their reputation. They beat Australia 20-17 in the final, with Jonny Wilkinson’s legendary drop-goal in extra time securing the win.
2003 Rugby World Cup: Statistics
From the squads and the host venues to the tournament’s top players, you’ll find all of the important statistics from the 2003 Rugby World Cup below.
Participating nations
In a change from the 1999 Rugby World Cup, the qualifying process was updated for the 2003 tournament. Like 1991 and 1995, eight places were automatically allocated to the teams that competed in the previous quarter finals.
A total of 81 nations participated in the qualification process and vyed for the remaining 12 spots. Here are the squads that competed at the 2003 Rugby World Cup:
Africa: Namibia and South Africa
Asia: Japan
Americas: Argentina, Canada, United States and Uruguay
Europe: England, France, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Scotland and Wales
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga
Matches, venues and attendance
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was contested in 11 stadiums. This included the home of the Wallabies, Stadium Australia. A total of 1,837547 spectators piled into these venues, with an average of 38,282 people per game.
Here’s a rundown of the venues that were used at the 2003 Rugby World Cup:
Stadium | Country | City | Capacity |
Stadium Australia | Australia | Sydney | 83,500 |
Sydney Football Stadium | Australia | Sydney | 42,500 |
Docklands Stadium | Australia | Melbourne | 56,347 |
Lang Park | Australia | Brisbane | 52,500 |
Subiaco Oval | Australia | Perth | 42,922 |
Adelaide Oval | Australia | Adelaide | 33,957 |
Willows Sports Complex | Australia | Townsville | 26,500 |
Canberra Stadium | Australia | Canberra | 25,011 |
Central Coast Stadium | Australia | Gosford | 20,059 |
York Park | Australia | Launceston | 19,891 |
Wollongong Showground | Australia | Wollongong | 18,484 |
Who won the Rugby World Cup in 2003?
Champions: England
Runner-up: Australia
Third place: New Zealand
England were the 2003 Rugby World Cup winners. They won all four of their pool-stage matches and their three knockout-stage games. This included their 20-17 win against Australia in the final. The Wallabies finished in second place. Australia won six matches before narrowly losing in the final against England.
New Zealand took third place. They won five matches before losing their semi-final clash against Australia. The All Blacks then defeated France 40-13 to finish third.
Top try and point scorers
England’s hero, Jonny Wilkinson, was the top point scorer at the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He scored 113 points. This figure outstripped France’s Frédéric Michalak and Australia’s Elton Flatley, who scored 101 and 100 points, respectively.
The tournament also delivered two top try scorers: Doug Howlett and Mils Muliaina. These two New Zealand players scored seven tries each.
2003 Rugby World Cup: Pool stage review
Like the inaugural tournament, the rugby superpowers monopolised the 2003 competition. This was particularly evident during the pool stage. Here, eight matches were won by at least 60 points. This included Australia’s record 142-point victory against Namibia.
However, the smaller nations did manage to deliver some exceptional performances. In fact, there were fears that these countries could overtake some rugby giants. This led to some hotly contested pool matches.
In terms of the format, the 2003 tournament removed the complex structure used in 1999. Instead, they reintroduced a four-pool format. This simpler configuration featured five teams per pool. Each team played the other teams in their pool once.
This tournament also saw the introduction of the bonus point system. As such, teams were awarded four points for a win and two points for a draw. On top of this, teams received one bonus point for scoring at least four tries or for losing by seven points or less.
Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
Argentina | France | England | Canada |
Australia | Fiji | Georgia | Italy |
Ireland | Japan | Samoa | New Zealand |
Namibia | Scotland | South Africa | Tonga |
Romania | United States | Uruguay | Wales |
Pool A
Pool A was played by Argentina, Australia, Ireland, Namibia and Romania. Australia defeated Ireland 17-16 and emerged as the pool winners. This left Ireland in second place. However, Argentina almost pipped Ireland to their quarter-final spot.
In a hard fought match, Los Pumas lost to Ireland by a single point. If Argentina had secured a win, Ireland would have been eliminated.
Pool A | |||||||
Team | Win | Draw | Loss | Points Difference | Tries scored | Bonus Points | Points |
Australia | 4 | 0 | 0 | +241 | 38 | 2 | 18 |
Ireland | 3 | 0 | 1 | +85 | 17 | 3 | 15 |
Argentina | 2 | 0 | 2 | +83 | 18 | 3 | 11 |
Romania | 1 | 0 | 3 | -127 | 8 | 1 | 5 |
Namibia | 0 | 0 | 4 | -282 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Pool B
Fiji, France, Japan, Scotland and the United States competed in pool B. France outperformed their opponents and won the pool. Scotland took second place but they only just managed to clinch their quarter final spot.
This was due to a clash between Fiji and Scotland, a game that almost caused an upset. Fiji led Scotland during the first 75 minutes and looked like they would win this all-important encounter. However, Scotland elevated their gameplay and clinched a 22-20 victory.
Pool B | |||||||
Team | Win | Draw | Loss | Points Difference | Tries scored | Bonus Points | Points |
France | 4 | 0 | 0 | +134 | 23 | 4 | 20 |
Scotland | 3 | 0 | 1 | +5 | 11 | 2 | 14 |
Fiji | 2 | 0 | 2 | -16 | 10 | 2 | 10 |
United States | 1 | 0 | 3 | -39 | 9 | 2 | 6 |
Japan | 0 | 0 | 4 | -84 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Pool C
Pool C contained England, Georgia, Samoa, South Africa and Uruguay. England beat South Africa to finish at the top of the table. The Springboks landed in second place.
This pool also featured a dramatic match between Samoa and England. This time, Samoa launched a series of daring attacks that allowed them to take an early lead. Fortunately, England prevailed. They turned the tables on the deficit and won 35-22.
Pool C | |||||||
Team | Win | Draw | Loss | Points Difference | Tries scored | Bonus Points | Points |
England | 4 | 0 | 0 | +208 | 34 | 3 | 19 |
South Africa | 3 | 0 | 1 | +124 | 27 | 3 | 15 |
Samoa | 2 | 0 | 2 | +21 | 18 | 0 | 10 |
Uruguay | 1 | 0 | 3 | -199 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
Georgia | 0 | 0 | 4 | -154 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Pool D
Canada, Italy, New Zealand, Tonga and Wales played in pool D. New Zealand emerged as the winners while Wales took second place. Additionally, it was a match between these two rivals that led to one of the competition’s most thrilling clashes.
Wales led the game 37-33 and backed New Zealand into a difficult corner. With only 20 minutes left on the clock, the All Blacks stepped up a gear. They scored an additional 16 points and the game ended 53-37.
Pool D | |||||||
Team | Win | Draw | Loss | Points Difference | Tries scored | Bonus Points | Points |
New Zealand | 4 | 0 | 0 | +225 | 42 | 4 | 20 |
Wales | 3 | 0 | 1 | +34 | 14 | 2 | 14 |
Italy | 2 | 0 | 2 | -46 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
Canada | 1 | 0 | 3 | -81 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
Tonga | 0 | 0 | 4 | -132 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
Across 40 matches, 20 teams competed to progress to the knockout stage. Only the top two teams from each pool qualified for the quarter finals.
Here are the teams that qualified for the knockout stage of the 2003 Rugby World Cup:
Pool A: Australia and Ireland
Pool B: France and Scotland
Pool C: England and South Africa
Pool D: New Zealand and Wales
2003 Rugby World Cup: Knockout stage review
Here are the teams that qualified for the knockout stage of the 2003 Rugby World Cup:
Pool A: Australia and Ireland
Pool B: France and Scotland
Pool C: England and South Africa
Pool D: New Zealand and Wales
From a resurgent Wales in the quarter finals to the nail-biting battle between Australia and England, here are the 2003 Rugby World Cup results from the knockout stage of the tournament:
Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals | Third Place | Final | ||||
Team | Result | Team | Result | Team | Result | Team | Result |
New Zealand | 29 | ||||||
South Africa | 9 | Australia | 22 | ||||
Australia | 33 | New Zealand | 10 | ||||
Scotland | 16 | New Zealand | 40 | England | 20 | ||
France | 43 | France | 13 | Australia | 17 | ||
Ireland | 21 | England | 24 | ||||
England | 28 | France | 7 | ||||
Wales | 17 | ||||||
2003 Rugby World Cup Quarterfinals
The 2003 Rugby World Cup quarter finals delivered four predictable results. The All Blacks beat the Springboks 29-9, Scotland fell to the Wallabies 33-16 and Les Bleus sailed past Ireland 43-21.
The most challenging match was fought between England and Wales. Bolstered by their pool stage win against New Zealand, the Welsh squad delivered a remarkable first half performance. After a gruelling start, England regained ground. Despite a respectable showing from Wales, England won 28-17.
As a result, New Zealand, Australia, France and England continued to the semi finals.
2003 Rugby World Cup Semi-Finals
The 2003 Rugby World Cup semi finals delivered one upset and one resounding victory. The upset came in the form of Australia hammering New Zealand. Buoyed by a home crowd at Stadium Australia, Elton Flatley outplayed the opposition and kicked 17 points for the Wallabies. The match ended 22-10 to Australia.
Celebrating their win, George Gregan could be heard tormenting the All Blacks. He called “four more years boys, four more years.”
The definitive victory saw England clobber France at Stadium Australia. The two squads competed in the pouring rain, but Wilkinson didn’t let the weather dampen his game. Although he missed three kicks, he still landed five penalties and three drop-goals. Meanwhile, France’s Serge Betsen scored the only try of the match as England triumphed 24-7.
2003 Rugby World Cup Third Place Play-Off
Held at Stadium Australia, the third-place play-off was a piece of cake for New Zealand. The All Blacks orchestrated a comprehensive 40-13 triumph against France. New Zealand scored six tries while Pépito Elhorga ran in Les Bleus’ only try.
2003 Rugby World Cup Final
The 2003 Rugby World Cup final was contested at Stadium Australia on 22 November. This action-packed match delivered one of the most dramatic finals in the tournament’s history.
The entire game was neck-and-neck. Australia started out strong with an early penalty but things soon changed. England edged ahead during the first half, while the Wallabies battled to regain ground during the second. A late penalty and a conversion from Flatley equalised the score 14-14.
It was a similar story during extra time. Wilkinson kicked a penalty for England and Flatley did the same for Australia. Finally, with 28 seconds left on the clock, Wilkinson kicked his iconic extra-time drop-goal. His effort took the score to 20-17 and England lifted the Webb Ellis Cup.
The Only Northern Hemisphere Win
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was a notable tournament. For the first time, smaller rugby nations raised their game and proved they were capable of tussling with rugby giants. The likes of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga supplied spectacular performances in the pool stage, while the heavyweights delivered impressive knockout stage performances.
To date, England remains the first and only side from the northern hemisphere to win the title. This achievement has been credited to Jonny Wilkison, whose 2003 Rugby World Cup performance cemented his legendary status.
