2003 Rugby World Cup - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup

Rugby World Cup

The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....

and was won by England

England national rugby union team

The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...

. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World Cup Limited. The pre-event favorites were England

England national rugby union team

, regarded by many at the time as the best team in the world after defeating all of the traditional southern hemisphere teams and also after winning the grand slam in the 2003 Six Nations Championship

2003 Six Nations Championship

The 2003 Six Nations Championship was the fourth series of the Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-ninth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...

and New Zealand, with France

France national rugby union team

The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...

, South Africa

South Africa national rugby union team

The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...

and defending champions Australia

Australia national rugby union team

The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...

all expected to make strong showings.

The tournament began with host nation Australia defeating Argentina 24–8 at Telstra Stadium

Telstra Stadium

Stadium Australia, currently also known as ANZ Stadium due to naming rights, formerly known as Telstra Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct of Homebush Bay...

in Sydney. Australia went on to defeat New Zealand 22–10 in the semifinal, to play England in the final. Along with a try to Jason Robinson

Jason Robinson

Jason Thorpe Robinson OBE is an English former international rugby union and rugby league player of the 1990s and 2000s. Playing at wing or fullback, he won fifty-one rugby union international test caps in total for England, and in rugby league he won twelve caps for Great Britain and seven for...

, Jonny Wilkinson

Jonny Wilkinson

Jonathan Peter "Jonny" Wilkinson OBE is an English rugby union player and member of the England national team. Wilkinson rose to acclaim from 2001 to 2003, before and during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and was acknowledged as one of the world’s best rugby players...

kicked four penalties and then a drop-goal in extra time to win the game 20–17 for England

England national rugby union team

, who became the first northern hemisphere team to win the Webb Ellis Cup

Webb Ellis Cup

The Webb Ellis Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of the Rugby World Cup. The Cup is named after William Webb Ellis, who is often credited as the inventor of rugby football. The trophy is silver gilt and has been presented to the winner of the Rugby World Cup since the first competition in 1987...

and become world champions for the first time.

Qualifying

The following 20 teams, shown by region, qualified for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Of the 20 teams, eight of those places were automatically filled by the teams that reached the quarter-final stages in 1999

1999 Rugby World Cup

The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...

, including hosts and world champions Australia

Australia national rugby union team

and did not have to play any qualification matches. A record 81 nations from five continents were involved in the qualification process designed to fill the remaining 12 spots, which began on 23 September 2000.

Africa	Americas	Europe	Oceania/Asia
(Africa)	(Americas 1) (Repechage 1) (Americas 2)	(Europe 1) (Europe 2) (Europe 3) (Europe 4)	(World Champions) (Oceania 1) (Oceania 2) (Repechage 2) (Asia)

Venues

Australia won the right to host the World Cup in 2003 without the involvement of New Zealand after a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World Cup Limited. The overall stadium capacity was reduced from the 1999 Rugby World Cup

1999 Rugby World Cup

in Wales.

The Adelaide Oval underwent a A$

Australian dollar

The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...

20 million redevelopment for the 2003 Rugby World Cup, financed entirely by the South Australian Cricket Association

South Australian Cricket Association

The South Australian Cricket Association is the peak body for the sport of cricket in South Australia. The association runs Adelaide Oval and the Southern Redbacks based in Adelaide, South Australia. SACA is the controlling body for the South Australian Grade Cricket League...

, with two new grandstands built adjacent to the Victor Richardson Gates. The Suncorp Stadium was a new A$280 million venue designed specifically for rugby, and was opened just before the start of the 2003 World Cup. The Central Coast Stadium was also a newly built venue, and opened in February 2000 at a cost of A$30 million.

Aussie Stadium was one of two venues in Sydney that were used for football during the 2000 Olympic Games. The other venue in Sydney was the Telstra Stadium

Telstra Stadium

which was the centrepiece of the 2000 Olympic Games. Formerly known as Stadium Australia, Telstra Stadium was built at a cost of over A$600 million and was the biggest stadium used in the 2003 World Cup. The only stadium with a retractable roof used was the Telstra Dome in Melbourne.

Stadium	Games	City	State	Capacity	Best Crowd
Telstra Stadium	7	Sydney	New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...	83,500	82,957 (Final: Australia Australia national rugby union team The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the... vs England England national rugby union team The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in... )
Aussie Stadium Aussie Stadium Sydney Football Stadium is located in Moore Park, in Sydney, New South Wales. It was built in 1988, to be the city's premier "rectangular field" for rugby league, rugby union and football for major matches and domestic competition...	5	Sydney	New South Wales	41,159	37,137 (Scotland Scotland national rugby union team The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011... vs. Fiji Fiji national rugby union team The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26... )
Central Coast Stadium	3	Gosford Gosford, New South Wales Gosford is a city located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 76 km north of the Sydney central business district...	New South Wales	20,119	19,653 (Japan Japan national rugby union team The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years... vs. United States United States national rugby union team USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position... )
WIN Stadium WIN Stadium Wollongong Showground is a rectangular multi-purpose stadium located in the city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawarra Steelers NRL team...	2	Wollongong Wollongong, New South Wales Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...	New South Wales	18,484	17,833 (France France national rugby union team The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams... vs. United States United States national rugby union team USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position... )
Suncorp Stadium Suncorp Stadium Lang Park is the original name of the site located in the Brisbane suburb of Milton, Queensland, Australia, now occupied by the major sports facility known by its sponsorship name, Suncorp Stadium...	9	Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...	Queensland Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...	52,500	48,778 (Australia Australia national rugby union team The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the... vs. Romania Romania national rugby union team The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the... )
Dairy Farmers Stadium Dairy Farmers Stadium The Willows Sports Complex, currently known as Dairy Farmers Stadium due to sponsorship rights, is a grass football stadium situated in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It has historically been used mainly for rugby league, and is the home ground of the National Rugby League club the North...	3	Townsville	Queensland	24,843	21,309 (France France national rugby union team The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams... vs. Japan Japan national rugby union team The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years... )
Telstra Dome	7	Melbourne	Victoria Victoria (Australia) Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....	53,371	54,206 (Australia Australia national rugby union team The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the... vs. Ireland Ireland national rugby union team The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union... )
Subiaco Oval Subiaco Oval Subiaco Oval , known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia...	5	Perth Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....	Western Australia	42,922	38,834 (South Africa South Africa national rugby union team The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental... vs. England England national rugby union team The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in... )
Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia...	4	Canberra Canberra Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...	Australian Capital Territory Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...	24,647	22,641 (Italy Italy national rugby union team The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,... vs. Wales Wales national rugby union team The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with... )
Adelaide Oval Adelaide Oval The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide... '"	2	Adelaide Adelaide Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...	South Australia	33,597	33,000 (Australia Australia national rugby union team The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the... vs. Namibia Namibia national rugby union team The Namibian rugby union team, nicknamed the Welwitschias or Biltongboere, represents Namibia at rugby union. Although they are a tier-three nation in the International Rugby Board tier system, the team have participated in all three Rugby World Cup competitions since their first appearance in 1999... )
York Park	1	Launceston Launceston, Tasmania Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...	Tasmania Tasmania Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...	19,891	15,457 (Namibia Namibia national rugby union team The Namibian rugby union team, nicknamed the Welwitschias or Biltongboere, represents Namibia at rugby union. Although they are a tier-three nation in the International Rugby Board tier system, the team have participated in all three Rugby World Cup competitions since their first appearance in 1999... vs. Romania Romania national rugby union team The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the... )

Pools & Format

Pool A	Pool B	Pool C	Pool D

Following the complex format used in the 1999 Rugby World Cup

1999 Rugby World Cup

a new simpler format was introduced and the twenty teams were divided into four pools of five nations, with the top two in each pool moving on to the knock-out quarter-final stage. With forty matches to be played in the pool stage on top of the knock-out matches would make the event the largest Rugby World Cup

Rugby World Cup

The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....

tournament to be played to date. For the first time, a bonus point system was implemented in pool play. This system is identical to that long used in Southern Hemisphere

Southern Hemisphere

The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...

tournaments, and was soon adopted in most European competitions (though not in the Six Nations

Six Nations Championship

The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....

4 points for a win
2 points for a draw
0 points for a loss (before possible bonus points)
1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries, regardless of the final score
1 bonus point for a loss by 7 points or fewer

A total of 48 matches (40 Pool Stage & 8 Knock-out) were played throughout the tournament over 42 days from Friday 10 October 2003 to Saturday 22 November 2003.

Pool Stage

The ARU's main promotion for the event was "Show Your True Colours". The Australian media criticised the competition early in the tournament as the smaller nations were crushed by the rugby superpowers by 60 points or more. However, some of these smaller, third tier nations, such as Japan

Japan national rugby union team

The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...

, acquitted themselves well in their opening matches. The South Pacific island countries of Fiji

Fiji national rugby union team

The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...

, Tonga

Tonga national rugby union team

The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...

and Samoa

Samoa national rugby union team

The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...

were reported as being handicapped as several of their key players who play abroad being warned by their clubs that their contracts would not be renewed if they played in the competition.

In the event, the group stage of the competition played out largely as expected, with some tension as to whether some of the "developing" nations would overtake some of the weaker major countries for the second quarter-final qualification place in each pool – in pool A, Argentina

Argentina national rugby union team

The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...

lost to Ireland

Ireland national rugby union team

The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...

by only one point, which would otherwise have carried them into the quarter-finals in Ireland's place; similarly in pool B Fiji lost to Scotland

Scotland national rugby union team

The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...

by only two points, while Italy

Italy national rugby union team

The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...

put up a good performance in pool D. In pool C, Samoa gave England

England national rugby union team

a fright with an adventurous approach that allowed them to take an early lead, however, England's superior fitness saw them through. This match was marked by controversy, as England fielded 16 players at one point during the game, coinciding with a last-gasp try-saving tackle, which may have won the game for the Samoans.

The big clashes ran mainly to form. A disappointing South Africa

South Africa national rugby union team

limped through the pool, eventually capitulating to England to relegate them to a difficult quarter final against New Zealand

All Blacks

The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....

. Australia

Australia national rugby union team

just beat Ireland to top their group, whilst Wales

Wales national rugby union team

The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...

pushed the All Blacks to the wire, after adopting an outgoing style of play with a fringe selection. France

France national rugby union team

beat Scotland to round out the quarter-finals.

Knock-out stage

The knock-out quarter-final stage produced the widely predicted set of semi-finalists, although England again made heavy weather of defeating a resurgent Wales. England were widely rated the world's best team, but they struggled against a Welsh side full of belief after their game against New Zealand. France destroyed an Irish side who had gone into the match hopeful of a win, scoring 31 early points to put the game out of reach. In the other quarter-finals, a disappointing South Africa fell to New Zealand and Australia defeated the Scots.

The first semi-final produced an upset, when Australia defeated the hugely fancied New Zealand to become the first defending champions to reach the following championship final. Unfortunately, it was probably the last match for Australian star Ben Darwin

Ben Darwin

Ben Darwin is a former Australian rugby union footballer. A graduate of the Australian Institute of Sport scholarship program, he played 28 times for the Wallabies, Australia’s national team, from 2001 to 2003. During this time, Darwin played games against the British and Irish Lions and was part...

, who injured his neck in a scrum

Scrum (rugby)

Scrum , in the sports of rugby union and rugby league, is a way of restarting the game, either after an accidental infringement or when the ball has gone out of play...

. Although Darwin never played rugby again the actions of Kees Meeuws

Kees Meeuws

Kees Junior Meeuws is a former New Zealand rugby union prop and current assistant coach of the Highlanders in the Super Rugby tournament. Meeuws played 42 tests for the All Blacks between 1998 and 2004, scoring 10 test tries...

– who immediately stopped exerting pressure when he heard the call "neck neck neck" – may well have saved his opponent's life and certainly prevented further injury. The match was decided by a Stirling Mortlock

Stirling Mortlock

Stirling Austin Mortlock is an Australian professional rugby union player. He has scored over 1,000 points in Super Rugby, and nearly 500 test points for the Wallabies. Mortlock is a former Wallaby and Brumbies captain, and the current captain of the Melbourne Rebels.-Early life:Mortlock began...

interception try, after a loose pass from highly-rated All Blacks fly-half, Carlos Spencer

Carlos Spencer

Carlos James Spencer is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who currently plays at fly-half for the Lions in the Super 14 and formerly for the New Zealand All Blacks. He is well known for his flamboyant, attacking play and ball handling skills. He has signed to play for the Lions for 2010 and 2011...

. George Gregan

George Gregan

George Musarurwa Gregan AM is an Australian rugby union halfback who has made more appearances for his national team than any other player in the sport's history....

taunted his opponents in defeat with the comment, "Four more years boys, four more years".

The second semi-final saw France face England. The boot of Jonny Wilkinson

Jonny Wilkinson

was the difference between the two sides, with England coming out victors.

Final

The final between Australia and England was played at Sydney's Telstra Stadium

Telstra Stadium

in front of a crowd of 82,957. Australia opened the scoring after they decided to run a penalty instead of kicking for touch. Lote Tuquiri beat England's right wing, Jason Robinson

Jason Robinson

, to a high cross-field kick and went over for the first try, but Elton Flatley

Elton Flatley

Elton Flatley is a former Australian international rugby union footballer. At his best position of fly-half, Flatley was often able to dictate the game by kicking tactically or throwing simple passes in order to retain possession.Flatley tended to play internationally at centre...

was not able to add the conversion.

England dominated the rest of the half, opening up a 9–5 lead after Australian indiscipline gave away several penalties, but were unable to capitalise on their dominance. They nearly crossed the line on one occasion, when the Australian defence was stretched after a mistake and Ben Kay

Ben Kay

Benedict James Kay MBE is a retired English international rugby union footballer who played Second row forward for Leicester Tigers and .-Background:...

was given a potential try-scoring pass. He fumbled the ball over the line. Television replays showed Kay's reaction in four-letter words. Towards the end of the first half, England stretched their lead further. Lawrence Dallaglio

Lawrence Dallaglio

Lorenzo Bruno Nero "Lawrence" Dallaglio, OBE is a retired English rugby union player and former captain of the English national team. He played as a flanker or number eight for London Wasps and never played for another club, having arrived at Sudbury as a teenager...

made a break and popped the ball inside to Jonny Wilkinson

Jonny Wilkinson

, who drew the defence before putting Robinson away in the corner for a try. The conversion was missed, but England went in at half time leading by 14–5.

In the second half Australia tightened their discipline, and solid play forced mistakes from England. The game swung from end to end, with both sides having try-scoring opportunities, but neither able to take them. Australia managed to get points on the board and Elton Flatley

Elton Flatley

scored two penalties to make the score 14–11 to England. In the 79th minute, Australia were putting pressure on England in their half. England had a scrum and just needed to keep hold of the ball until time elapsed. Several scrums were reset after the front rows failed to engage properly and finally, the referee, André Watson

André Watson

André Jacobus Watson is a South African former rugby union referee. He officiated a record number of finals in the Rugby World Cup , the Currie Cup and Super Rugby .-Biography:...

, gave a controversial penalty to Australia, despite England's scrum dominating the rest of the game. Flatley converted it with the last kick of normal time to tie the score 14–14 and take it to 20 minutes' extra time.

England opened the scoring in extra time with another Wilkinson penalty, but with two and a half minutes of extra time remaining Australia were awarded another penalty, which Flatley kicked successfully. With 2 seconds left before sudden death, Wilkinson scored a drop goal to win the match and with it the world championship.

Post-final

Three days after the final, the new World Champion England team landed at Heathrow Airport in the early hours of the morning, emerging from their plane to a huge reception, despite the time. On 8 December a national day of celebration took place in the form of a massive victory parade in the streets of London.

Pool A

Pld	W	L	PF	PA	BP	Pts
4	4	0	273	32	2	18
4	3	1	141	56	3	15
4	2	2	140	57	3	11
4	1	3	65	192	1	5
4	0	4	28	310	0	0

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This remains the biggest winning margin in Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....

history.
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Pool B

Pld	W	L	PF	PA	BP	Pts
4	4	0	204	70	4	20
4	3	1	102	97	2	14
4	2	2	98	114	2	10
4	1	3	86	125	2	6
4	0	4	79	163	0	0

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Andy Miller's drop goal, at 52 metres, remains the longest in Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....

history.
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Pool C

Pld	W	L	PF	PA	BP	Pts
4	4	0	255	47	3	19
4	3	1	184	60	3	15
4	2	2	138	117	2	10
4	1	3	56	255	0	4
4	0	4	46	200	0	0

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Pool D

Pld	W	L	PF	PA	BP	Pts
4	4	0	282	57	4	20
4	3	1	132	98	2	14
4	2	2	77	123	0	8
4	1	3	54	135	1	5
4	0	4	46	178	1	1

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Knockout stage

Quarter-finals

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Semi-finals

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Third-place play-off

Final

Team

Team statistics
Played	Won	Lost	Points Difference	Tries Scored	Conversions	Penalties	Drop Goals	Yellow Cards
7	7	0	239	36	27	23	8	1
7	6	1	267	43	32	21	1	1
7	6	1	260	52	40	6	1	1
7	5	2	112	29	22	22	4	5
5	3	2	104	27	17	7	1	1
5	3	2	63	20	16	9	1	1
5	3	2	23	17	14	11	1	2
5	3	2	−12	12	8	13	1	1
4	2	2	83	18	13	6	2	1
4	2	2	−16	10	6	12	0	3
4	2	2	21	18	12	8	0	1
4	2	2	−46	5	5	14	0	2
4	1	3	−39	9	7	9	0	1
4	1	3	−81	4	2	9	1	1
4	1	3	−127	8	5	5	0	1
4	1	3	−199	6	4	6	0	0
4	0	4	−84	6	5	12	1	0
4	0	4	−132	7	4	1	0	4
4	0	4	−154	1	1	12	1	2
4	0	4	−282	4	4	0	0	1

Top point scorers

Top ten point scorers
Player	Position	Played	Tries Scored	Conversions	Penalties	Drop Goals	Total Points	Yellow Cards
Jonny Wilkinson Jonny Wilkinson Jonathan Peter "Jonny" Wilkinson OBE is an English rugby union player and member of the England national team. Wilkinson rose to acclaim from 2001 to 2003, before and during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and was acknowledged as one of the world’s best rugby players...	Fly-half	6	0	10	23	8	113	0
Frédéric Michalak Frédéric Michalak Frédéric Michalak is a French rugby union footballer, who currently plays in South Africa for the Sharks in Super Rugby and the Natal Sharks in the Currie Cup. His early career was spent playing for his hometown team, Toulouse, in the Top 14 and in the Heineken Cup...	Fly-half	6	2	17	18	1	101	0
Elton Flatley Elton Flatley Elton Flatley is a former Australian international rugby union footballer. At his best position of fly-half, Flatley was often able to dictate the game by kicking tactically or throwing simple passes in order to retain possession.Flatley tended to play internationally at centre...	Centre	6	1	16	21	0	100	0
Leon MacDonald Leon MacDonald Leon Raymond MacDonald is a retired New Zealand rugby union footballer, and now assistant coach for the Tasman Makos rugby team, who played 56 tests for the national team, All Blacks. He plays first five-eighths and fullback.-Biography:MacDonald was born in Blenheim, New Zealand, and attended...	Centre	7	4	20	5	0	75	0
Chris Paterson Chris Paterson Chris Paterson is a Scotland internationalist who plays for RaboDirect Pro12 side Edinburgh Rugby. He is Scotland’s record cap and points holder with 109 caps and 809 points. Paterson is capable in a range of positions, including fullback, wing and fly-half. In recent years Paterson has played...	Fly-half	5	3	7	13	1	71	0
Mat Rogers Mat Rogers Matthew S. "Mat" Rogers is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He also played rugby union at the highest levels, becoming a dual-code international. The son of the late Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks legend and CEO Steve Rogers, Mat played for the Sharks...	Full-back	7	5	16	0	0	57	1
Mike Hercus Mike Hercus Mike Hercus is a retired American rugby union footballer who played at fly-half for the USA Eagles and several top level professional clubs around the globe....	Fly-half	4	2	7	9	0	51	0
Rima Wakarua Rima Wakarua Rima Wakarua is an Italian rugby union footballer. He plays for SKG Gran Parma at fly half.-Biography:Wakarua is a naturalized Italian, having moved there in 1999, and is born of a New Zealand father and Scottish mother...	Fly-half	3	0	4	14	0	50	0
Earl Va'a Earl Va'a Earl Va'a is a Samoan rugby union footballer. He plays as a fly-half.-Rugby league:Va'a started his career playing rugby league for the Wainuiomata Lions in New Zealand and in 1994 and 1995 he represented the Wellington City Dukes in the Lion Red Cup...	Fly-half	4	1	10	8	0	49	0
Daniel Carter Daniel Carter (rugby player) Daniel William "Dan" Carter is a New Zealand rugby union player.He is currently the highest points scorer in test match rugby and is regarded as one of rugby's greatest ever fly-halves.-Early life:...	Centre	5	2	19	0	0	48	0

Top try scorers

Top ten try scorers
Player	Position	Played	Tries	Conversions	Total Points	Yellow Cards
Doug Howlett Doug Howlett Douglas Charles Howlett is a professional New Zealand rugby union player of Tongan descent. He is primarily a wing but he has also covered fullback at national and international levels. He currently plays in Ireland with Munster. He is the brother of former Tongan rugby league international Phil...	Wing	7	7	0	35	0
Mils Muliaina Mils Muliaina Junior Malili Muliaina , better known as Mils Muliaina, is a rugby union player. He plays for the Chiefs in Super Rugby and New Zealand at international level. He was born in Salesi, Samoa, then moved with his family to Invercargill, New Zealand, at the age of two...	Full-back	7	7	0	35	0
Joe Rokocoko Joe Rokocoko Josevata Taliga "Joe" Rokocoko is a professional New Zealand rugby union player. Rokocoko is known for his speed and strength which has accounted for his prolific try strike rate...	Wing	5	6	0	30	0
Will Greenwood Will Greenwood William John Heaton "Will" Greenwood, MBE is an English former rugby union footballer of the 1990s and 2000s.-Career:...	Centre	6	5	0	25	0
Chris Latham Chris Latham (rugby player) Chris Latham is an Australian rugby union player, who played fullback for the Worcester Warriors, following a long career with the Queensland Reds and Australia....	Full-back	1	5	0	25	0
Josh Lewsey Josh Lewsey Owen Joshua Lewsey MBE is a former English rugby union footballer who played fullback, wing or centre for Wasps.-Career:...	Full-back	5	5	0	25	0
Mat Rogers Mat Rogers Matthew S. "Mat" Rogers is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He also played rugby union at the highest levels, becoming a dual-code international. The son of the late Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks legend and CEO Steve Rogers, Mat played for the Sharks...	Full-back	7	5	16	57	1
Lote Tuqiri	Wing	7	5	0	25	0
Pablo Bouza Pablo Bouza Pablo Bouza is a rugby union player and former rugby league player who has so far won 38 caps playing at No 8, flanker or lock for the Argentine rugby union side...	No. 8	2	4	0	20	0
Christophe Dominici Christophe Dominici Christophe Dominici is a former French rugby union footballer of Italian origin. He played wing for Stade Français and France. He has been a coach with Stade Français since the start of the 2008/9 season and a board member since 2009/10 season.-Club career:Christophe Dominici was born in Toulon...	Wing	5	4	0	20	1
Caleb Ralph Caleb Ralph Caleb Stan Ralph is a New Zealand rugby union footballer. Ralph began his first-class career with Bay of Plenty, then moved to Auckland before heading to Canterbury. He started his Super Rugby career with the Chiefs in 1997, Blues , Crusaders and a cameo role with the Queensland Reds...	Wing	2	4	0	20	0

See also: 2003 Rugby World Cup drop goal scorers
2003 Rugby World Cup drop goal scorers
This article charts the drop goal scorers during the 2003 Rugby World Cup.8 drop goals Jonny Wilkinson2 drop goals Ronan O'Gara Dimitri Yachvili1 drop goal Nicolas Brusque Ignacio Corleto George Gregan Derick Hougaard Paliko Jimsheladze Aaron Mauger Frédéric Michalak Andrew Miller Brian O'Driscoll...

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External links

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