A Look Back On the Biggest International Wins in Rugby
Lewis Moody was a try scorer in England's huge win over Uruguay
Rugby is one of the most physically demanding and mentally exhilarating sports in the world, which often results in some incredible moments.
Over the years, there have been some astonishingly one-sided rugby features on the international scale. According to the Bleacher Report, the 1995 match between the All Blacks and Japan stands out in particular. With a 145-17 scoreline, it is the highest World Cup score of all time. Here is a look at the biggest international wins in this sport.
1. New Zealand Vs. Japan (145-17)
The 1995 match between New Zealand and Japan was spectacular to say the least. The All Blacks stole the game with an obscene 145-17 scoreline. Essentially, this means that the Bloemfontein match saw a whopping 162 scored points. Japan ran two tries while the All Blacks set a record with 21. Marc Ellis was responsible for six of these, setting the record for the most tries by a player in a single World Cup rugby match. In addition, debutant Simon Culhane converted 20 out of 21 tries, scoring a five-pointer and a total of 45 points from fly-half.
Culhane has since said of the match, “…We were pretty determined we weren’t going to let the All Black jersey down.” This match was the final in New Zealand’s pool stages and the playing team was basically the “B” team, making their win all the more impressive. Culhane also explained that momentum was crucial to the game, saying, “…We had a game-plan in place we’d tried to achieve all World Cup. It was about momentum and maintaining it for the World Cup.”
This remarkable game went down in history as the highest World Cup score of all time and the 21-tries record was only broken in 2003 by Australia.
2. Madagascar Vs. Namibia (57-54)
During the 2012 Africa Cup, Madagascar and Namibia set one of the most outrageous scorelines in rugby history. The two teams clashed during a Group 1B Final match, sharing a total of 111 points in a game that went into extra time. While the margin is not great, the incredible part is that Madagascar only won by 3 points. Namibia’s 54 score became the highest attained by a losing side and the final 43-43 score at 80 minutes is also the highest scoring draw in rugby history.
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3. Australia Vs. Namibia (142-0)
England and Australia dominated the 2003 World Cup finals in a highly contested match that England won at the death. But before these two teams could meet, Australia set a remarkable record, achieving the biggest rugby win in the country’s history and the biggest winning margin in history. Australia went head to head with Namibia during the group stages in Adelaide, beating them 142 points to none. The team also beat the record set by the All Blacks in 1995 for highest tries scored, getting a total of 22.
According to reports, Namibia had rested some of its top players with the plan being to play at full strength several days later against Romania. Unfortunately for them, Australia exploited this situation to give themselves one of the biggest rugby wins in history. Chris Latham scored two tries in the first 10 minutes, setting the stage for his teammate. Mat Rogers scored 42 points – a national record.
4. England Vs. Uruguay (111-13)
Many publications, including The Guardian predicted this match in favor of England. The team had great form going into Pool C but no sportsbook or expert could have predicted the margin of victory. During the largely one-sided game, England made 17 tries, with Josh Lewsey and Lewis Moody running in 5 each. Star kicker Wilkinson was benched and Paul Grayson, his replacement, kicked 11 conversions. Other key players who didn’t participate include winger Jason Robinson, captain Martin Johnson, and Will Greenwood. Given England’s 111-13 win, it is unfathomable what the scoreline would have been if the team had played in full strength. Still the 98-point margin was pretty impressive. It broke several English rugby records and set England on its way to its first World Cup win.
Conclusion
Rugby has witnessed more than enough upsets over the years and will likely continue to do so. It is fair to say that, like many sports, rugby can be unpredictable at times, making it all the more exciting. Although the New Zealand versus Japan game holds the top position on this list, the other games provided just as big a win for the teams that won. Check out
