Ranking every Rugby World Cup-winning team

South Africa again holds the Webb Ellis Trophy after beating New Zealand in Paris last Saturday. The Boks are now the only four-time winners, with New Zealand (3), Australia (2) and England (1) the only other teams to win the biggest prize in rugby. Let’s take a look at all the winning teams from worst to best.

Some incredible players were on display at Eden Park in 1987, with the likes of Sean Fitzpatrick, Buck Shelford, and Grant Fox for the All Blacks battling Philippe Sella and Serge Blanco of France. The Kiwis ran out 29-9 winners, dominating every team they came across. Rugby has changed so much that it’s hard to compare, but they don’t quite stack up.

There may be no more important moment for rugby in South Africa than Francois Pienaar and Nelson Mandela holding the World Cup trophy aloft, but compared to some of the other winning sides, this was as much about the moment as the talent of the team.

Any team featuring John Eales, Tim Horan, Michael Lynagh, and David Campese are more than deserving of their World Cup trophy. This was in the pre-professionalism era so competition wasn’t as fierce, hence their ranking at 8.

This Springbok team is full of legends of the game, but perhaps it’s fair to say none of them had peaked by 2007. As a group, they were at their best two years later for the Lions tour, yet they were able to grind out wins en route to a World Cup win, beating an England team that had no real right to be in the final.

The first team to win multiple World Cups, Australia had a team packed with superstars, some of whom were holdovers from the 1991 team. Their dominance was asserted in the final, winning 35-12 against France with Matt Burke kicking roughly 100,000 points.

Arguably the first team to truly embrace professionalism, this English team was led by imposing Martin Johnson and featured one of the greatest 10s rugby has ever seen in Johnny Wilkinson. Ultimately, the final came down to an extra-time drop goal from Wilkinson, suggesting they weren’t quite as dominant as some other winners.

Another team full of greats that probably weren’t at their peak during this edition of the World Cup. The Kiwis had the weight of the world on their shoulders playing at home, and injuries nearly set them back. It was a gutsy performance in the final, but arguably they should have lost to France.

South Africa powered their way to a World Cup win in 2019, despite nearly losing their semi-final matchup against Wales. Come final time, they were dominant from the get-go, battering England into submission and running out comfortable winners.

Potentially controversial, but despite South Africa’s incredible win at the most recent World Cup, they sit in the number two spot. Their run to the final and subsequent victory is one of the most impressive sporting achievements you’ll ever see. A tip of the cap to the Springboks, especially Rassie Erasmus who led the turnaround from the dark days of 2017 to now back-to-back championships.

Numbers one and two could easily be flipped, but the 2015 All Blacks team is probably the greatest rugby team ever assembled. Dan Carter, Aaron Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Kieran Read, etc, etc. This win felt inevitable from before a ball was kicked in anger, a truly incredible team. What we wouldn’t do to see them play the 2023 Boks side!