The 1995 Rugby World Cup or the Webb Ellis Cup was held in South Africa in the months of May and June and was the first to be hosted by any single nation.
The first Rugby World Cup was held in the year 1987 in Australia and New Zealand and the second in 1991 saw main host England join hands with Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France to stage the matches.
The 1995 edition was the first Rugby World Cup for the hosts South Africa and the expectation in the country was really high.
The 1995 Rugby World Cup had 16 participating nations participating nations fighting for the trophy. Eight quarter-finalists from the earlier World Cup and the hosts South Africa gained automatic entry while the remaining teams of the total 16 positions to be filled in were chosen through regional qualifying rounds . The teams were grouped under four Pools and each pool had two automatically qualified teams and two teams who have played the qualifying tournament. After the group leg matches, the top two teams of each group advanced to the Quarter Finals and the winners of the four matches there advanced to the semifinal to face each other there. South Africa and New Zealand were the two teams to play in the final in which the hosts defeated the Kiwis through an extra-time goal.
Participating National Teams |
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | England | New Zealand | France |
| Australia | Western Samoa | Ireland | Scotland |
| Romania | Italy | Wales | Tonga |
| Canada | Argentina | Japan | Ivory Coast |
Stadium Venues |
| Stadium Name | Capacity | City Name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellis Park | 63000 | Johannesburg | South Africa |
| Loftus Versfeld | 50000 | Pretoria | South Africa |
| Newlands | 50000 | Cape Town | South Africa |
| Kings Park Stadium | 50000 | Durban | South Africa |
| Boet Erasmus Stadium | 38950 | Port Elizabeth | South Africa |
| Free State Stadium | 40000 | Bloemfontein | South Africa |
| Olympia Park | 30000 | Rustenburg | South Africa |
| Basil Kenyon Stadium | 22000 | East London | South Africa |
| Danie Craven Stadium | 16000 | Stellenbosch | South Africa |
1995 Rugby World Cup Results |
| Scheduled Date | Team 1 | Match Result | Team 2 | Stadium Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pool A |
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| 05/25/95 | South Africa | 27 – 18 | Australia | Cape Town |
| 05/26/95 | Canada | 34 – 3 | Romania | Port Elizabeth |
| 05/30/95 | South Africa | 21 – 8 | Romania | Cape Town |
| 05/31/95 | Australia | 27 – 11 | Canada | Port Elizabeth |
| 06/03/95 | Australia | 42 – 3 | Romania | Stellenbosch |
| 06/03/95 | South Africa | 20 – 0 | Canada | Port Elizabeth |
Pool B |
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| 05/27/95 | Italy | 18 – 42 | Samoa | East London |
| 05/27/95 | Argentina | 18 – 24 | England | Durban |
| 05/30/95 | Argentina | 26 – 32 | Samoa | East London |
| 05/31/95 | England | 27 – 20 | Italy | Durban |
| 06/04/95 | Argentina | 25 – 31 | Italy | East London |
| 06/04/95 | England | 44 – 22 | Samoa | Durban |
Pool C |
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| 05/27/95 | Japan | 10 – 57 | Wales | Bloemfontein |
| 05/27/95 | Ireland | 19 – 43 | New Zealand | Johannesburg |
| 05/31/95 | New Zealand | 34 – 9 | Wales | Johannesburg |
| 05/31/95 | Ireland | 50 – 28 | Japan | Bloemfontein |
| 06/04/95 | Ireland | 24 – 23 | Wales | Johannesburg |
| 06/04/95 | Japan | 17 – 145 | New Zealand | Bloemfontein |
Pool D |
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| 05/26/95 | Cote D’Ivoire | 0 – 89 | Scotland | Rustenburg |
| 05/26/95 | France | 38 – 10 | Tonga | Pretoria |
| 05/30/95 | France | 54 – 18 | Cote D’Ivoire | Rustenburg |
| 05/30/95 | Scotland | 41 – 5 | Tonga | Pretoria |
| 06/03/95 | Cote D’Ivoire | 11 – 29 | Tonga | Rustenburg |
| 06/03/95 | France | 22 – 19 | Scotland | Pretoria |
Quarter Finals |
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| 06/10/95 | France | 36 – 12 | Ireland | Durban |
| 06/10/95 | South Africa | 42 – 14 | Samoa | Johannesburg |
| 06/11/95 | Australia | 22 – 25 | England | Cape Town |
| 06/11/95 | New Zealand | 48 – 30 | Scotland | Pretoria |
Semi Finals |
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| 06/17/95 | South Africa | 19 – 15 | France | Durban |
| 06/18/95 | England | 29 – 45 | New Zealand | Cape Town |
3rd Place Play-Off |
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| 06/22/95 | England | 09 – 19 | France | Pretoria |
Final |
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| 06/24/95 | South Africa | 15 – 12 | New Zealand | Johannesburg |
Rugby League World Cup