It is a rarity in the modern rugby landscape, that two nations take on each other for the very first time. An upcoming clash in Pool D of the Rugby World Cup will be just that, as England take on Chile this Saturday, September 23rd.
With an earlier kick-off time than England’s previous World Cup matches, the action gets underway in Lille at 4:45pm (UK time). ‘Los Condores’ bring the element of surprise with them, as Steve Borthwick’s men have never previously battled against the side from South America. Chile are embarking on their maiden Rugby World Cup campaign, but are yet to find a win at the competition.
The Chileans’ first ever Rugby World Cup match was a 42-12 defeat to Japan a fortnight ago. Last weekend’s result followed suit, as Samoa ran out a resounding 43-10 score-line. England are heavily favourited coming into this match, with Steve Borthwick expected to shuffle the deck and utilise some of the fringe players in his Rugby World Cup squad. The likes of Harlequins hooker Jack Walker, and Racing 92 speedster Henry Arundell could well take centre stage in this battle against Chile.
This will be the first time since the 2003 Rugby World Cup, that England have taken on a nation for the first time in their history. Lets look back on the past five first time meetings, between England and their emerging challengers from across the world.
1. England 111 – 13 Uruguay: 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool C
November 2nd 2003, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
England fans will be hoping for history to repeat itself this year, as the last time England took on a new opponent for the first time ever, it was on the road to Rugby World Cup glory in 2003. Also, this first time meeting was against a South American nation, with Uruguay being on the losing side of a 111-13 landslide. England fans would be delighted to see Steve Borthwick’s men hit triple digits against Chile, in a replication of their record Rugby World Cup win back in ’03.
England were unstoppable at the powerful peak, as Sir Clive Woodward pieced together a colossal side of match-winners to bring the Web Ellis trophy home from Australia. With progression out of Pool C all but secured after a crucial win over the Springboks, England headed to Brisbane to run out an emphatic statement of intent ahead of the knock-out stages. Josh Lewsey equalised the England record for tries in an international test, as he ran in five scores against Uruguay.
Lewsey’s effort sits as the joint-second best try-scoring performance in a single Rugby World Cup match. He follows Marc Ellis’ six All Blacks tries against Japan in 1995, and ties level with Wallabies legend Chris Latham’s five scores against Namibia (also in 2003). Four England players all scored braces against Uruguay, as Ian Balsham, Mike Catt, Jason Robinson and Andrew Gommarsall built the imposing points tally. The additional scores for Woodward’s men came from Lewis Moody, Daniel Luger, Stuart Abbott and Will Greenwood. Paul Grayson added 11 conversions in the 17-try shut-out, with Mike Catt also slotting two from the tee.
2. England 84 – 6 Georgia 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool C
October 12th 2003, Subiaco Oval, Perth
We rewind just three weeks for the second entry on this reverse-chronological list, as England took on two first time opponents at the 2003 Rugby World Cup. In their opening match of their title winning campaign, the soon to be World Champions took on Georgia for the first time in their history. Back in ’03, the Eastern Europeans were far from the emerging rugby nation that we see today, and were a world away from their historic victory over Wales last Autumn.
England started their Rugby World Cup campaign on a mission, and pulled no punches despite running out in a heavily favoured match. The stars of the immortalised England team took centre stage in this victory, with Jonny Wilkinson leading the way with 22 points from the kicking tee. England scored 12 tries and clicked into their very best gear against Georgia, with 10 different names crossing over for tries in Perth. Mike Tindall got the scoring underway, as a ‘who’s who’ of England legends compiled an unobtainable points tally.
The score-sheet read like a role-call of icons: Mike Tindall, Matt Dawson, Steve Thompson, Neil Back, Lawrence Dallaglio, Will Greenwood (twice), Mark Regan, Ben Cohen (twice) Jason Robinson and Daniel Luger all crossed for tries. Wilkinson and Paul Grayson shared the conversions, with the Northampton Saints stalwart darting four additional arrows as Wilkinson’s World Cup understudy. The all-important match that started England off on an era defining journey. What looks like a straightforward win on paper, was a definitive tone setter for an unforgettable side that wore the red rose.