Rugby union in South Africa Rugby union in South Africa Rugby union in South Africa is a very popular team sport, along with cricket and football, and is widely played all over the country. The National team is among the strongest in the world and has been ranked in the top seven of the World Rugby Rankings since its inception in 2003. The country hosted and won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and won again the 2007 tournament in France. Given South Africa's history, as with much else in South Africa, the organisation and playing of rugby has been entangled with politics, and racial politics
New Zealand at the Rugby World Cup New Zealand at the Rugby World Cup The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, have played 50 matches in the eight Rugby World Cup tournaments from 1987 to 2015. They won the 1987, 2011 and 2015 tournaments. They are the only team never to have lost a pool match and to have always qualified in first place from every group. Their worst performance was in 2007, when they lost a quarter-final to France; they have made it to at least the semi-finals at all the other tournaments. New Zealand hosted the inaugural tournament in