Joint 3rd. England 111 – 13 Uruguay (98 Points): 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool C
November 2nd 2003, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
England and Uruguay met to close out the pool stages at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, in a landslide victory that holds great significance in the RFU records books. This win marked England’s heaviest ever victory at the Rugby World Cup, as Sir Clive Woodward’s men hit triple digits on the road to becoming World Champions.
This match also marked the first ever meeting between England and Uruguay, with Steve Borthwick’s current side hoping to emulate this margin of victory as they take on a fellow South American outfit Chile, in a first time match-up this weekend. With progression out of Pool C all but secured back in ’03, England had already made the hard yards with wins over South Africa, Samoa and Georgia. However, England pulled no punches and saw out the pools in style, to send a message to the remaining opponents that stood in the way of their Web Ellis trophy.
Dynamic back Josh Lewsey equalised the England record for tries in an international test, as he ran in five scores against Uruguay. This performance stands the test of time in Rugby Word Cup history, as it remains the joint-second highest behind Marc Ellis’ six tries for the All Blacks against Japan in 1995. Lewsey also tied level with Wallabies legend Chris Latham, who scored five tries in a pool match just two weeks prior (more on that game later).
TRIES: 17 (Lewis Moody, Josh Lewsey (5), Ian Balshaw (2), Mike Catt (2), Andrew Gomarsall (2), Daniel Luger, Stuart Abbott, Jason Robinson (2), Will Greenwood)
CONVERSIONS: 13 (Paul Grayson (11), Mike Catt (2))
Joint 3rd. New Zealand 101 – 3 Italy (98 Points): 1999 Rugby World Cup Pool B
October 14th 1999, McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield
We are back with the All Blacks, in a match that had the potential to alter the trajectory of Italian rugby as we know it. New Zealand’s 98 point margin of victory all-but encapsulated Italy under a glass ceiling, during a time when the Azzurri were pushing for acceptance amongst Northern Hemisphere’s elite sides. Italy had long been vying for a spot in ‘Rugby’s Greatest Championship’, and this defeat provided the nay-sayers with ammunition against their eventual acceptance, as they joined the Six Nations a year later.
This win for the All Blacks stands as the only instalment on this list, which came at the expense of a modern day ‘tier one’ side. Italy had previously suffered a 67-7 defeat to England to start their pool stage campaign, with their fate going from bad to worse in the subsequent clash with New Zealand. Italy lined-up against a formidable All Blacks side, as the likes of Jonah Lomu, Glen Osbourne and Jeff Wilson ran riot on their defence. 14 tries coupled with the accurate boot of Tony Brown saw New Zealand hit triple digits, with the sole Italian points coming from Diego Dominguez’ one-off penalty.
The All Blacks and Italy will meet on Friday September 29th in Pool A of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. This upcoming clash will certainly be better contested than this match from ’95, as the Azzurri are in far better form today than they were 24 years ago. Italy have undergone a recent ‘renaissance’, with ex-All Black Kieran Crowley ready for his men to take on his former side. Italy have bolstered their squad with the likes of ex-England squad member Poalo Odogwu, and a core group of exciting young talents who will be full of fire to take on the All Blacks.
TRIES: 14 (Jeff Wilson (3), Glen Osbourne (2), Jonah Lomu (2), Taine Randell, Tony Brown, Christian Cullen, Mark Hammett, Daryl Gibson, Scott Robertson, Dylan Mika)
CONVERSIONS: 11 (Tony Brown – 11)
PENALTIES: 3 (Tony Brown – 3)