THERE’S NO EASY way to break this to you, so we’re just gonna come out and say it: most Rugby World Cup finals are crap.
Sure, they’re enthralling, absorbing and intensely nail-biting, but when it comes to watch them back you more often than not discover that the pressure involved has caused many of the individual stars and collective systems to seize up.
It happens in all sports, semi-finals are the truly entertaining spectacles, finals are more like a test of mettle.
The plus side of this is that Saturday’s tournament decider between trans-Tasman rivals Australia and New Zealand (the first RWC meeting between the two that isn’t a semi-final) is set up to be the best of the eight finals to date.
Here’s how we ranked the other pile.
7. 2007: South Africa 15 England 6
2007 wasn’t just an awful tournament for undercooked/overcooked Ireland, only South Africa and Argentina came away happy.
The best recommendation we have for the below highlights package is that it includes footage of Percy Montgomery’s fabulous hair.
6. 1991: Australia 12 England 6
So bad, even the official Rugby World Cup channel could only bother to show us the final 30 seconds of the game as highlights.
5. 1999: Australia 35 France 12
Now we’re talking: TRIES!
Well, two of them between seven Matt Burke penalties after France turned up to the Millennium Stadium final not-so-fresh after their epic 43-31 semi-final win over New Zealand.
4. 1987: New Zealand 29 France 9
Over 48,000 people watched the inaugural World Cup final and, on home turf, New Zealand didn’t disappoint. The All Blacks cemented their position as the world’s most revered side by running in three tries to one including this sweet offload from Michael Jones to captain David Kirk.
3. 2011: New Zealand 8 France 7
It took 24 years and a return to home-field advantage for New Zealand to reclaim the William Webb Ellis trophy.
The 2011 final is memorable for so many wrong reasons – low-scoring, missed kicks and playmakers dropping like flies – but at least it had France encroaching on the Haka and a genuine tight contest until the end.
2. 1995: South Africa 15 New Zealand 12
The most famous and most iconic of finals. The All Blacks’ eventual fall to hosts South Africa did much more than mark the game’s crossing over into professionalism, it smashed down a lifetime’s worth of symbolic barriers.
Just don’t mention to food poisoning.
1. 2003: England 20 Australia 17
Not an immediate stand-out moment in rugby history in this part of the world, but England’s final victory was the most thrilling and entertaining tournament decider of them all.
Like ’95, nerves were tested to their limit in extra-time and the title was settled by a drop-goal. But England had to do it in hostile territory, against reigning champions Australia in Sydney.
The above highlights also include super bonus footage of 24-year-old Jonny Wilkinson smashing 21-year-old replacement Matt Giteau.
