Review all of the excitement from the 2011 Rugby World Cup here at RugbyPass. Our rugby gurus have analysed every point, try and match to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the tournament. Whether you want to revisit the 2011 Rugby World Cup pool stage or relive the best knockout matches, you’ll find all of the information on this page.
Take a look below to discover how New Zealand recaptured the Webb Ellis Cup.
Where was the 2011 Rugby World Cup held?
Hosts: New Zealand
Champions: New Zealand
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was held in New Zealand and all 48 matches were contested in the country. This made it the biggest ever sporting event to be held in New Zealand.
Like the previous three Rugby World Cups, 20 squads fought for the right to lift the Webb Ellis Cup. However, it was the hosts who were the outright favourites.
The All Blacks played with a mastery that no other squad could emulate. New Zealand’s attacking flair saw them outpace every team in their pool. Their dominance continued in the knockout stage before their trying final against France. Here the All Blacks emerged victorious and they beat Les Bleus 8-7.
2011 Rugby World Cup: Statistics
Whether you want to find out more about the participating squads and the venues or the top players and the best moments, we’ve detailed all of the essential statistics in the sections below.
Participating nations
The qualification process for the 2011 tournament involved 91 nations. The first 12 places were automatically taken by the top three teams from each of the 2007 pools. Meanwhile the eight remaining spots were decided by regional competitions.
Here are the squads that competed at the 2011 Rugby World Cup:
Africa: Namibia and South Africa
Asia: Japan
Americas: Argentina, Canada and the United States
Europe: England, France, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Russia, Scotland and Wales
Oceania: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga
Matches, venues and attendance
The 2011 Rugby World Cup featured 48 matches: 40 pool-stage games and eight knockout clashes. A total of 1,477,294 people attended these games, with an average of 30,777 spectators per match.
Here are the stadiums that hosted the 2011 Rugby World Cup:
Stadium | Country | City | Capacity |
Eden Park | New Zealand | Auckland | 60,000 |
Wellington Regional Stadium | New Zealand | Wellington | 40,000 |
Otago Stadium | New Zealand | Dunedin | 30,748 |
Waikato Stadium | New Zealand | Hamilton | 36,000 |
North Harbour Stadium | New Zealand | Auckland | 30,000 |
Rotorua International Stadium | New Zealand | Rotorua | 26,000 |
Stadium Taranaki | New Zealand | New Plymouth | 26,000 |
McLean Park | New Zealand | Napier | 22,000 |
Rugby Park Stadium | New Zealand | Invercargill | 20,000 |
Trafalgar Park | New Zealand | Nelson | 18,000 |
Northland Events Centre | New Zealand | Whangarei | 18,000 |
Arena Manawatu | New Zealand | Palmerston North | 15,000 |
Who won the Rugby World Cup in 2011?
Champions: New Zealand
Runner-up: France
Third place: Australia
New Zealand were the 2011 Rugby World Cup winners. They sailed through six of their matches and defeated France during a dramatic final. In second place, France lost three of their seven games. Les Bleus fell to the All Blacks twice, once during their pool-stage match and again during the final. They were also beaten by Samoa in their last pool game.
Australia finished in third place and won five of their seven matches. In an upset, they lost to Ireland during the pools. They were also overpowered by New Zealand in the semi finals. However, they prevailed against Wales in their third-place play-off.
Top try and point scorers
The 2011 Rugby World Cup top try scorers were Chris Ashton and Vincent Clec. They each scored six tries each. Meanwhile, Morné Steyn was the highest point scorer of the tournament. The South African scored 62 points, placing him 10 points ahead of Australia’s James O’Connor.
2011 Rugby World Cup: Pool stage review
The opening ceremony of the 2011 Rugby World Cup featured the traditional haka and the sipi tau. These dances were followed by the opening match, which saw New Zealand dominate Tonga.
The results of the 2011 Rugby World Cup pools were largely as expected. However, there were a few shocks. For example, France teetered on the verge of elimination in pool A while Ireland outplayed Australia in pool B.
During the pool phase, teams won four points for winning a match and two points in the event of a draw. They also received one bonus point for scoring four or more tries or for losing a game by seven or fewer points.
Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
Canada | Argentina | Australia | Fiji |
France | England | Ireland | Namibia |
Japan | Georgia | Italy | Samoa |
New Zealand | Romania | Russia | South Africa |
Tonga | Scotland | United States | Wales |
Pool A
Pool A consisted of Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand and Tonga. New Zealand trounced the opposition. They won all four of their matches and sat at the top of the table with a +191 points difference.
Although they still finished second, Les Bleus were almost eliminated by Tonga. Both teams won two games but France managed to secure their quarter-final spot because they accumulated two extra bonus points.
Pool A | |||||||
Team | Win | Draw | Loss | Points Difference | Tries scored | Bonus Points | Points |
New Zealand | 4 | 0 | 0 | +191 | 36 | 4 | 20 |
France | 2 | 0 | 2 | +28 | 13 | 3 | 11 |
Tonga | 2 | 0 | 2 | -18 | 7 | 1 | 9 |
Canada | 1 | 1 | 2 | -86 | 8 | 0 | 6 |
Japan | 0 | 1 | 3 | -115 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
Pool B
Argentina, England, Georgia, Romania and Scotland competed in pool B. England soared to the top of the table with 18 points and a +103 points difference. They won all four of their matches, including a hard-fought game against Scotland.
Argentina won three of their matches and finished in second place.
Pool B | |||||||
Team | Win | Draw | Loss | Points Difference | Tries scored | Bonus Points | Points |
England | 4 | 0 | 0 | +103 | 18 | 2 | 18 |
Argentina | 3 | 0 | 1 | +50 | 10 | 2 | 14 |
Scotland | 2 | 0 | 2 | +14 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
Georgia | 1 | 0 | 3 | -42 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
Romania | 0 | 0 | 4 | -125 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Pool C
Pool C featured Australia, Ireland, Italy, Russia and the United States. Two teams emerged at the top: Ireland and Australia. The Irish side won all four of their matches to take first place. In a surprising turn of events, this included their 15-6 victory against Australia.
Following their defeat at the hands of the Irish, Australia finished in second place.
Pool C | |||||||
Team | Win | Draw | Loss | Points Difference | Tries scored | Bonus Points | Points |
Ireland | 4 | 0 | 0 | +101 | 15 | 1 | 17 |
Australia | 3 | 0 | 1 | +125 | 25 | 3 | 15 |
Italy | 2 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 13 | 2 | 10 |
United States | 1 | 0 | 3 | -84 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
Russia | 0 | 0 | 4 | -139 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
Pool D
Fiji, Namibia, Samoa, South Africa and Wales played in pool D. This was another hotly contested pool with South Africa and Wales vying for the top spot.
These two teams faced one another during their opening game. Here, South Africa sealed a 17-16 win. It was this victory that secured their place at the top of the table.
Pool D | |||||||
Team | Win | Draw | Loss | Points Difference | Tries scored | Bonus Points | Points |
South Africa | 4 | 0 | 0 | +142 | 21 | 2 | 18 |
Wales | 3 | 0 | 1 | +146 | 23 | 3 | 15 |
Samoa | 2 | 0 | 2 | +42 | 10 | 2 | 10 |
Fiji | 1 | 0 | 3 | -108 | 7 | 1 | 5 |
Namibia | 0 | 0 | 4 | -222 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Following the 40 pool-stage matches, the top two squads from each pool advanced to the quarter-finals. These teams were:
Pool A: New Zealand and France
Pool B: England and Argentina
Pool C: Ireland and Australia
Pool D: South Africa and Wales
2011 Rugby World Cup: Knockout stage review
From the close quarter final between Australia and South Africa to the nail-biting final between New Zealand and France, here’s an overview of the 2011 Rugby World Cup knockout stage results:
Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals | Third Place | Final | ||||
Team | Result | Team | Result | Team | Result | Team | Result |
Wales | 22 | ||||||
Ireland | 10 | France | 9 | ||||
France | 19 | Wales | 8 | ||||
England | 12 | Australia | 21 | New Zealand | 8 | ||
Australia | 11 | Wales | 18 | France | 7 | ||
South Africa | 9 | New Zealand | 20 | ||||
New Zealand | 33 | Australia | 6 | ||||
Argentina | 10 | ||||||
2011 Rugby World Cup quarter finals
The 2011 Rugby World Cup quarter finals comprised one hard fought victory and three definitive wins. Wales breezed through after crushing Ireland 22-10, France defeated England 19-12 and New Zealand vanquished Argentina 33-10.
The tense game saw defending champions, South Africa, take on Australia. Determined to hold onto their title, the Springboks played an ambitious game. They kept the Wallabies on their toes and spent more than 80% of the first 40 minutes in Australia’s half.
The Australian squad was accused of slowing the game down but their tactics eventually gave them the advantage and the Wallabies walked away with an unconvincing 11-9 win.
After the quarter finals, Wales, France, Australia and New Zealand contested the semi finals.
2011 Rugby World Cup semi finals
Held at Eden Park, the 2011 Rugby World Cup semi finals featured two contrasting matches. They kicked off with a dramatic battle between Wales and France. This was a controversial game for both teams; Sam Warburton was sent off and France were criticised for their lacklustre performance.
By the 80th minute, France claimed a subdued 9-8 win. Even French captain, Thierry Dusautoir, admitted they “didn't play rugby so well but we played with our heart."
In the second semi final, New Zealand skillfully outplayed Australia. However, it wasn’t an easy victory. The Wallabies continually tested their opponent’s defence, gaining territory and pushing the All Blacks to their limits.
The match ended 20-6 to New Zealand. When speaking about the game, Australian captain, James Horwill, said: “Credit to the All Blacks. They outplayed us and deserved to win.”
2011 Rugby World Cup third-place play-off
The contest for third place was fought by Wales and Australia. The two squads met at Eden Park where spectators watched as Wales attempted to regain ground. The Welsh side committed a slew of early errors that left them fighting a deficit during the first half.
With cheers from Wallabies’ supporters and audible gasps from Welsh fans, the two teams powered on. Although Wales improved in the second half, they couldn’t undo the damage. In the end, Australia beat the Welsh squad 21-18.
2011 Rugby World Cup final
The 2011 Rugby World Cup final featured New Zealand and France. The All Blacks entered the match with an unbeaten record while Les Bleus took to the field with two losses.
Held at Eden Park on 23 October 2011, this was a tight and thrilling final. Both sides scored one try – Dusautoir for France and Tony Woodcock for New Zealand. With few line-breaks, the key points were scored by the boot. François Trinh-Duc converted a try but it was Stephen Donald’s penalty that secured the deciding point.
New Zealand emerged as the 2011 Rugby World Cup final winner. The match ended 8-7 in their favour, an outcome that makes it the lowest scored Rugby World Cup final of all time.
New Zealand's Second Webb Ellis Cup Win
The 2011 Rugby World Cup delivered a predictable champion. As the top ranked rugby squad in the world, New Zealand were seen as something of a shoo-in. However, the All Blacks also produced a string of impressive performances.
Like the inaugural competition, the team won the 2011 tournament without losing a single match. On top of this, New Zealand became the first nation to secure two World Championship titles while hosting.
