Ranking the Men's RWC Winners
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For my money the top 3 is
- 2015 All Blacks
- 1999 Wallabies
- 2003 England
All Blacks top because they were the first team to successfully defend and their three knockout games they dealt with each opponent in a different way. I recently watched the France game and it was actually harder fought than the score line suggests. Beating South Africa in a tight match and then beating Australia with a flourish after a masterful substitution and weathering the Ben Smith sin binning.
99 Wallabies were basically impossible to score against in that tournament.
03 England beating the hosts and holders on home soil in a match that went to extra time.
Those three team were pure champion sides, full of great players, more organized and more professional than the opposition and they knew how to win in every conceivable way.
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These things are subjective and ultimately meaningless because all ten of those sides achieved their goal and got to drink from the cup of glory that is Bill, but my Top Four because they were first and daylight was second in their World Cups are:
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1987 All Blacks. Utterly dominant in every game they played in that World Cup. Daylight was second and third in that World Cup.
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2007 Springboks. Dominant. Great set of forwards. Didn't look for one second like losing all tournament, even if they didn't score a try in the final.
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2015 All Blacks. Needed a brilliant lineout steal by Sam Whitelock to see them home in epic Semi Final against the Boks, but that could have gone as other way. Nearly embarrassed by Argentina in their first game. But awesome against France in the QF and Australia in the Final. I loved the utter look of despair on Pocock as the ball bounced up for Beauden at the end for the final try. I had picture of it as my screen saver for years.
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Australia 1999. An amazing defensive team. Won their final against France easily. But needed extra time to see off the Springboks in the Semi Final.
1991 Australia nearly lost to Ireland in QF and England in the final.
1995 Springboks needed a dodgy decision by Derek Bevan to make the final and in the final extra time to see off an All Blacks team who been Suzied.
2003 England needed extra time and a late drop goal to beat the hosts in the final. 2002 England was the best England team I ever saw, by 2003 they were a little past their best already.
It so very nearly went horribly wrong for the 2011 All Blacks against France in the Final. I have never been so nervous watching a game as I was watching the clock tick in the last ten minutes of that one.
2019 Spingboks nearly lost in a dreadful Semi Final against Wales, but took it to a complacent English team in the Final.
2023 Springboks were the greatest escape artists of all-time rather than a dominant team in the tradition sense.
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One thing is funny in sports is how people interpret close wins.
Some would say close win = you got lucky. I think close wins by champion teams are the hallmark of greatness far more than blowouts because it is intestinal fortitude, bravery and smarts that win you the close ones.
Wrt the 2011 final that was probably an insanely tough watch for a Kiwi but it was a master class in winning a tight game. Playing without the ball l, tackling their hearts out and being disciplined and accurate.
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@nonpartizan said in Ranking the Men's RWC Winners:
99 Wallabies were basically impossible to score against in that tournament.
At the time everyone was calling Rod Macqueen's style of play various interpretations of "Brumbieleague". It was built around the interpretation from referees that heavily favoured the attacking side at ruck time, and criticised as eliminating competition for the ball and looking like RL.
What they forget is that we conceded one try the whole tournament to the USA when we ran out our second string team.
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@NTA said in Ranking the Men's RWC Winners:
@nonpartizan said in Ranking the Men's RWC Winners:
99 Wallabies were basically impossible to score against in that tournament.
At the time everyone was calling Rod Macqueen's style of play various interpretations of "Brumbieleague". It was built around the interpretation from referees that heavily favoured the attacking side at ruck time, and criticised as eliminating competition for the ball and looking like RL.
What they forget is that we conceded one try the whole tournament to the USA when we ran out our second string team.
I remember that. On that note, am I right in thinking that a lot of people used to complain about the Brumbies & Australia using the likes of Owen Finnegan to obstruct would be tacklers?
Truthfully I used to love the way Gregan worked with his back row off the back of the scrum. Some of those set plays were 👌
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@sparky said in Ranking the Men's RWC Winners:
These things are subjective and ultimately meaningless because all ten of those sides achieved their goal and got to drink from the cup of glory that is Bill, but my Top Four because they were first and daylight was second in their World Cups are:
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1987 All Blacks. Utterly dominant in every game they played in that World Cup. Daylight was second and third in that World Cup.
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2007 Springboks. Dominant. Great set of forwards. Didn't look for one second like losing all tournament, even if they didn't score a try in the final.
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2015 All Blacks. Needed a brilliant lineout steal by Sam Whitelock to see them home in epic Semi Final against the Boks, but that could have gone as other way. Nearly embarrassed by Argentina in their first game. But awesome against France in the QF and Australia in the Final. I loved the utter look of despair on Pocock as the ball bounced up for Beauden at the end for the final try. I had picture of it as my screen saver for years.
LOL there was one team that was going to win 2007 until Wayne Blind Freddy McFuckstick Barnes got involved. The Springboks were donkeys coming dead last in the TriNations two years running leading up to the RWC.
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@antipodean said in Ranking the Men's RWC Winners:
@sparky said in Ranking the Men's RWC Winners:
These things are subjective and ultimately meaningless because all ten of those sides achieved their goal and got to drink from the cup of glory that is Bill, but my Top Four because they were first and daylight was second in their World Cups are:
-
1987 All Blacks. Utterly dominant in every game they played in that World Cup. Daylight was second and third in that World Cup.
-
2007 Springboks. Dominant. Great set of forwards. Didn't look for one second like losing all tournament, even if they didn't score a try in the final.
-
2015 All Blacks. Needed a brilliant lineout steal by Sam Whitelock to see them home in epic Semi Final against the Boks, but that could have gone as other way. Nearly embarrassed by Argentina in their first game. But awesome against France in the QF and Australia in the Final. I loved the utter look of despair on Pocock as the ball bounced up for Beauden at the end for the final try. I had picture of it as my screen saver for years.
LOL there was one team that was going to win 2007 until Wayne Blind Freddy McFuckstick Barnes got involved. The Springboks were donkeys coming dead last in the TriNations two years running leading up to the RWC.
It all fell into place for the Boks in 07. They got Fiji in the QF who they struggled with, Argentina, and then an awful England side in the final who they already smashed 36-0 in pool play, and lets not forget that they almost lost to Tonga in pool play too.
How we didn't win the world cup in 07 is a mystery (obviously Wayne Barnes but still).
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