2019 Rugby World Cup

2019 Rugby World Cup

Tournament details
Host nation	2019 Rugby World Cup
Dates	20 September – 2 November
No. of nations	20 (97 qualifying)
Final positions
Champions	South Africa (3rd title)
Runner-up	England
Third place	New Zealand
Tournament statistics
Matches played	45
Attendance	1,698,528 (37,745 per match)
Tries scored	285 (average 6.33 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Handré Pollard (69)
Most tries	Josh Adams (7)
Points scored	2,196 (average 48.8 per match)
← 2015 2023 →

The 2019 Rugby World Cup (Japanese: ラグビーワールドカップ2019) was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match was played at Ajinomoto Stadium in Chōfu, Tokyo, with the final match being held at International Stadium Yokohama in Yokohama. This was the first time that the tournament had taken place in Asia and outside the traditional Tier 1 rugby nations.

The tournament saw the first cancellation of matches at the Rugby World Cup with Typhoon Hagibis affecting three matches due to the expected impact on safety that the typhoon would have.

South Africa beat England 32−12 in the final to claim their third title, equalling New Zealand's record. In doing so, South Africa became the first team to win the title after losing a match in the pool stage. The defending champions, New Zealand, finished third after defeating Wales in the bronze final.