England has been crowned champion of the 2003 Rugby World Cup after the English team defeated Australia, 20-17, in the tightly-contested final at Sydney's Telstra Stadium on November 22, 2003. It's England's first Rugby World Cup championship.
The final match was played through extra time after the game was drawn twice, first at 14-14 just before full time, then at 17-17 during the extra time.
The final 2003 Rugby World Cup rankings:
- Winner: England
- Runner Up: Australia
- Third: New Zealand
- Fourth: France
The play-off match between New Zealand and France was held at Sydney's Telstra Stadium on November 20. New Zealand defeated France, 40-13, to occupy third position in the Cup.
Arduous journey
The 2003 rugby journey was long and arduous. In the process, teams from 12 nations were eliminated at the end of the pool matches on November 2. By the end of the quarter finals, four more teams had been eliminated, leaving Australia, England, France and New Zealand to contest the semi finals.
Heavily favored New Zealand lost its semi final match to Australia. The following night, semi finalist France lost to England, 7-24.
- The Rugby World Cup semi final between France and England, played at Sydney's Telstra Stadium, was won by England, 24-7. Englnd advanced to the final to battle Australia for the Cup.
- The first do-or-die semi final between Australia and New Zealand was played at Sydney's Telstra Stadium on November 15. Australia defeated New Zealand, 22-10.
- Australia won in Pool A and met Pool B runner up Scotland in the November 8 quarter finals. Australia defeated Scotland, 33-16, and moved to the semi finals. Scotland was elimianted from the competition.
- France won in Pool B and met Pool A runner up Ireland in the November 9 quarter finals. France defeated Ireland, 43-21, and moved to the semi finals. Ireland was eliminated.
- England won in Pool C and met Pool D runner up Wales in the November 9 quarter finals. England defeated Wales, 28-17, and moved to the semi finals. Wales was eliminated.
- New Zealand won in Pool D and met Pool C runner up South Africa in the November 8 quarter finals. New Zealand defeated South Africa, 29-9, and moved to the semi finals. South Africa was eliminated.
The sudden-death quarter final matches for the Rugby World Cup were played on the weekend of November 8 and 9 with the winners moving on to the semi finals and the losers saying goodbye.
Third largest sporting event
The 2003 Rugby World Cup, the third-largest sporting event in the world after the Olympics and the Soccer World Cup, and with a global television audience estimated at 4 billion, kicked off in Sydney at Telstra Stadium on the night of October 10.
The elimination round in the pool matches, played in 10 Australian cities from the start of the Cup games, ended on November 2. The final is to be played on November 22 in Sydney.
Teams from 20 countries were in the four pools of 2003 Rugby World Cup competition.
Pool A: Australia, Argentina, Ireland, Namibia, Romania
Pool B: France, Scotland, Fiji, Japan, USA
Pool C: South Africa, England, Samoa, Georgia, Uruguay
Pool D: New Zealand, Wales, Italy, Canada, Tonga
Team standings: Four points were awarded for a win, two points for a draw. One bonus point was awarded for scoring four or more tries in a match. One bonus point was awarded for a loss by seven points or less.
As at the start of the semi finals, 16 teams had already been eliminated.
Next page > Schedule of Matches > Page 1, 2, 3, 4
