Story: Rugby union

Rugby World Cup winners

This table shows the winners of the eight rugby world cups since 1987, and New Zealand’s fate at those cups. For the five tournaments after 1987 New Zealand failed to win the cup and in fact only reached the final once, despite being the favourite on most occasions. The 2015 win was the first successful defence of the title by any team, and New Zealand's first away from home.

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How to cite this page:

Ron Palenski, 'Rugby union - Rugby World Cup', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/table/40038/rugby-world-cup-winners (accessed 19 March 2024)

Story by Ron Palenski, published 5 Sep 2013, updated 1 Sep 2016