Discover the greatest moments from the 2019 Rugby World Cup. From the impact of Typhoon Hagibis to Japan's record finish, our rugby gurus have uncovered every fact and detail. Whether you want to relive a specific match or read an overview of the entire tournament, this review contains all of the information you need.
From the best tries of the 2019 Rugby World Cup to the impressive wins and upsets, scroll to find out more.
Where was the Rugby World Cup held in 2019?
Hosts: Japan
Champions: South Africa
The 2019 Rugby World Cup hosts were Japan. With the tagline once in a lifetime, hosting this tournament was a huge moment for Japan. In fact, it was the first time that the tournament had been held in Asia.
All 48 matches of the tournament were scheduled to be played in Japan. However, for the first time in the tournament's history, three games had to be cancelled. This was due to the arrival of Typhoon Hagibis, which also brought wet and stormy conditions.
After successfully retaining their title in 2015, New Zealand were the odds-on favourites for the 2019 competition. Sadly, the All Blacks failed to get past England and instead finished in third place. In the final, South Africa played their best rugby. They won the tournament after comprehensively defeating England.
2019 Rugby World Cup: Statistics
You'll find all of the key statistics from the 2019 Rugby World Cup in the sections below. This includes information about the participating squads, stadiums, attendance, top players and the final standings.
Participating nations
20 teams participated in the 2019 Rugby World Cup. The top 12 teams from the 2015 tournament were automatically granted spots and a further 71 nations competed to secure one of the remaining eight places. Six of these spots were filled via regional qualifying competitions and the last two places were decided via play-off and repechage.
Here are the squads that competed at the 2019 Rugby World Cup:
- Africa: Namibia and South Africa
- Asia: Japan
- Americas: Argentina, Canada, the United States and Uruguay
- Europe: England, France, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Russia, Scotland and Wales
- Oceania: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga
Matches, venues and attendance
The 2019 Rugby World Cup was contested across 45 matches. These games were held at 12 stadia across Japan. A total of 1,698,528 people attended these matches, which equates to 37,745 per game.
Here are the stadiums that were used during the 2019 Rugby World Cup:
| Stadium | Country | City | Capacity |
| International Stadium Yokohama | Japan | Yokohama | 72,327 |
| Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa | Japan | Fukuroi | 50,889 |
| Tokyo Stadium | Japan | Chofu (Tokyo) | 49,970 |
| City of Toyota Stadium | Japan | Toyota | 45,000 |
| Sapporo Dome | Japan | Sapporo | 41,410 |
| Oita Stadium | Japan | Oita | 40,000 |
| Kumamoto Stadium | Japan | Kumamoto | 32,000 |
| Kobe Misaki Stadium | Japan | Kobe | 30,132 |
| Hanazono Rugby Stadium | Japan | Higashiosaka (Osaka) | 24,100 |
| Kumagaya Rugby Stadium | Japan | Kumagaya | 24,000 |
| Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium | Japan | Fukuoka | 20,049 |
| Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium | Japan | Kamaishi | 16,020 |
Who won the Rugby World Cup in 2019?
Champions: South Africa
Runner-up: England
Third place: New Zealand
South Africa were the 2019 Rugby World Cup winners. The Springboks won six of their seven matches. They lost their opening pool game against New Zealand before concluding with a comprehensive victory during the final. By comparison, the England squad won five games. Their pool match against France was cancelled due to Typhoon Hagibis and they lost the final against South Africa.
New Zealand also won five of their matches. Like England, their pool-stage game against Italy was cancelled. The All Blacks were also defeated by England during their semi final. However, they beat Wales 40-17 during the third-place play-off.
Top try and point scorers
Wales Josh Adams topped the list of the top try scorers at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. During the tournament, he scored seven impressive tries. Meanwhile, South Africa's Handré Pollard was the top point scorer with 69 points. This put him 11 points ahead of England's Owen Farrell.
2019 Rugby World Cup: Pool stage review
The 2019 Rugby World Cup fixtures produced some astonishing results. Most notably, Japan soared to the top of their pool. Empowered by their home crowd, Japan trounced their opponents and secured a place in the quarter finals.
On top of this, the 2019 Rugby World Cup groups were impacted by Typhoon Hagibis. This led to the cancellation of three matches: two in pool B and one in pool C.
The 2019 Rugby World Cup pools divided the nations into four groups of five teams. Each team played each of the other teams in their pool once.
Each team was awarded four points for winning a match and two points for a draw. Bonus points were also up for grabs. Teams secured one bonus point for scoring four or more tries or for losing a match by seven or fewer points.
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
| Ireland | Canada | Argentina | Australia |
| Japan | Italy | England | Fiji |
| Russia | Namibia | France | Georgia |
| Samoa | New Zealand | Tonga | Uruguay |
| Scotland | South Africa | United States | Wales |
Pool A
Ireland, Japan, Russia, Samoa and Scotland contested pool A. Japan won all four of their matches to finish at the top of the table. This left Ireland in second place.
Japan earned several firsts during their pool-stage matches. Kotaro Matsushima made history by becoming the first Japanese player to score a hat-trick at the Rugby World Cup. Plus, Japan also became the first Tier 2 team to reach the knockout stages since 2007.
| Pool A | |||||||
| Team | Win | Draw | Loss | Points Difference | Tries scored | Bonus Points | Points |
| Japan | 4 | 0 | 0 | +53 | 11 | 3 | 19 |
| Ireland | 3 | 0 | 1 | +94 | 18 | 4 | 16 |
| Scotland | 2 | 0 | 2 | +64 | 16 | 3 | 11 |
| Samoa | 1 | 0 | 3 | -70 | 8 | 1 | 5 |
| Russia | 0 | 0 | 4 | -141 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Pool B
Pool B comprised Canada, Italy, Namibia, New Zealand and South Africa. New Zealand excelled from the off. They won three matches and finished in first place with 16 points. This positioned them just ahead of South Africa who finished with 15 points.
This pool featured two cancelled matches: New Zealand vs Italy and Namibia vs Canada. As a result, these four teams were awarded two points for a draw.
| Pool B | |||||||
| Team | Win | Draw | Loss | Points Difference | Tries scored | Bonus Points | Points |
| New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 0 | +135 | 22 | 2 | 16 |
| South Africa | 3 | 0 | 1 | +149 | 27 | 3 | 15 |
| Italy | 2 | 1 | 1 | +64 | 14 | 2 | 12 |
| Namibia | 0 | 1 | 3 | -70 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Canada | 0 | 1 | 3 | -141 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Pool C
Argentina, England, France, Tonga and the United States played in pool C. England dominated this pool. The England squad won three games and won the group with a +99 points difference. France finished in second place.
Like pool B, this group also had one cancellation: England vs France. This meant both teams were awarded two points for a draw.
| Pool C | |||||||
| Team | Win | Draw | Loss | Points Difference | Tries scored | Bonus Points | Points |
| England | 3 | 1 | 0 | +99 | 17 | 3 | 17 |
| France | 3 | 1 | 0 | +28 | 19 | 1 | 15 |
| Argentina | 2 | 0 | 2 | +15 | 14 | 3 | 11 |
| Tonga | 1 | 0 | 3 | -38 | 9 | 2 | 6 |
| United States | 0 | 0 | 4 | -104 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
Pool D
Pool D featured Australia, Fiji, Georgia, Uruguay and Wales. By the end of the pool stage, Wales sat at the top of the table. They won four matches and finished with 19 points. Australia also qualified with 16 points.
This pool produced a surprise result. Uruguay defeated Fiji 30-27 to claim their first Rugby World Cup win since 2003. Additionally, Australia and Wales battled through a tense encounter. Despite pressure from the Wallabies, Wales held their nerve and won 29-25.
| Pool D | |||||||
| Team | Win | Draw | Loss | Points Difference | Tries scored | Bonus Points | Points |
| Wales | 4 | 0 | 0 | +67 | 17 | 3 | 19 |
| Australia | 3 | 0 | 1 | +68 | 20 | 4 | 16 |
| Fiji | 1 | 0 | 3 | +2 | 17 | 3 | 7 |
| Georgia | 1 | 0 | 3 | -57 | 9 | 1 | 5 |
| Uruguay | 1 | 0 | 3 | -80 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
Following the 40 pool-stage matches, the top two teams from each group progressed to the quarter finals. Here are the teams that advanced:
- Pool A: Japan and Ireland
- Pool B: New Zealand and South Africa
- Pool C: England and France
- Pool D: Wales and Australia
2019 Rugby World Cup: Knockout stage review
From England crushing Australia in the quarter finals to South Africa's Webb Ellis Cup win, here are the 2019 Rugby World Cup knockout stage results:
| Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals | Third Place | Final | ||||
| Team | Result | Team | Result | Team | Result | Team | Result |
| England | 40 | ||||||
| Australia | 16 | England | 19 | ||||
| New Zealand | 46 | New Zealand | 7 | ||||
| Ireland | 14 | New Zealand | 40 | South Africa | 32 | ||
| Wales | 20 | Wales | 17 | England | 12 | ||
| France | 19 | South Africa | 19 | ||||
| South Africa | 26 | Wales | 16 | ||||
| Japan | 3 | ||||||
2019 Rugby World Cup quarter finals
The 2019 Rugby World Cup quarter finals featured three decisive victories and one closely contested match. With 20 points from Owen Farrell's boot, England delivered a 40-16 win against Australia. Next, New Zealand hammered Ireland 46-14. Meanwhile, South Africa defeated Japan 26-3.
The tense game was contested by Wales and France. The first half ended in France's favour and they were up 19-10 at half time. In the second half, a red card for Sébastien Vahaamahina rallied Wales. Then, a late converted try from Ross Moriarty secured Wales the necessary points and they won the match 20-19.
After the four quarter finals, England, New Zealand, Wales and South Africa progressed to the semi finals.
2019 Rugby World Cup semi finals
The 2019 Rugby World Cup semi finals were played at International Stadium Yokohama. England got off to an excellent start as Manu Tuilagi scored the team's only try just two minutes in. They continually outpaced the All Blacks and two penalties from George Ford during the last quarter of the game secured their 19-7 win.
The second semi final was a thrilling match between Wales and South Africa. The Springboks started out strong and held a small lead going into the second half. A penalty by Dan Biggar evened the score before Damian de Allende scored South Africa's sole try.
A try from Josh Adams saw the Welsh squad level the playing field. However, Handré Pollard booted South Africa's three winning points and the match ended 19-16.
2019 Rugby World Cup third-place play-off
New Zealand faced Wales in the bronze final at Tokyo Stadium. After their defeat at the hands of the England squad, the All Blacks returned ready to redeem themselves and deliver a compelling win.
New Zealand controlled the game from the off. The All Blacks got six tries over the line and left Wales floundering in their wake. This included one try from Richie Mo'Unga, who also completed five conversions. By the final whistle, New Zealand had secured a third place finish thanks to a comprehensive 40-17 win.
2019 Rugby World Cup final
The 2019 Rugby World Cup final was contested by England and South Africa. These two squads met at International Stadium Yokohama on 2 November 2019. England entered the pitch as the favourites but a convincing performance from South Africa saw the Springboks claim the title.
This was a match plagued by injuries. England's Kyle Sinckler left the pitch after three minutes while South Africa's Bongi Mbonambi and Lood de Jager were removed 21 minutes in.
Handling errors from the English squad left the Springboks with a 12-6 lead at half time. A try from Makazole Mapimpi increased the gap to 25-12 and then another try from Cheslin Kolbe not long before the final whistle secured the title. Ultimately, South Africa triumphed 32-12.
Third title for the Springboks and Typhoon Hagibis
The 2019 Rugby World Cup produced some spectacular results and truly memorable moments. This is particularly true for the hosts who progressed to
