We’re exactly one week away from the start of the 2015 World Cup as the fans around the world eagerly await the hard-hitting action about to commence. But who exactly are some of the all-time greatest countries to have ever participated in this historic tournament over the years? Read on as we bring you the five all-time greats who have ever partaken in the race for the William Webb Ellis Cup.
For a more in-depth look at how the preliminary stage of the event has been mapped out, head on over to our previews of Pool A, Pool B, Pool C and Pool D.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]The Top 5 Countries in Rugby World Cup 2015
1. New Zealand
[sc:Other240banner ]There’s no reason to doubt New Zealand’s place atop the list of the best teams in the World Cup. Or better yet, in all of rugby. The All Blacks are the defending 2011 Rugby World Cup champs and have a lifetime record of 37-6 at the prestigious event.
Not only does New Zealand excel at the grandest of stages, the team also does so in impressive fashion. So far, the Kiwis have produced about three times as much points as their opponents have put up against them throughout the history of the World Cup. And even in the Rugby Championship (formerly the Tri Nations Series), New Zealand are winners of 13 out of the 19 championships since the inception of the tournament, including going 16-1-1 from their 2012 to 2014 championship runs.
Powered by rugby greats Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, together with arguably the best No. 8 in the world today in Kieran Read, the All Blacks are primed to once again paint the World Cup with their team’s colors to make it three William Webb Ellis Cups and counting.
2. South Africa
Whew, that was a close one. The South African national rugby union team’s trip to the World Cup was put in jeopardy after The Agency for New Agenda (ANA) requested for a court order to prevent the team from partaking in the tournament due to the lack of black players on the squad.
Thankfully, the case was dropped just recently, ensuring that the Springboks will be back on the pitch to wreak havoc in the World Cup, and that their current +650 odds of winning it all is still in play. And if there’s one team that can give New Zealand a fit in the tournament, it would be none other than this team.
South Africa was the last team to beat the All Blacks in October of last year, and it has won two of the World Cup’s seven editions. The Springboks also boast having the best young rugby player around in 21-year-old fly-half Handre Pollard, who has 65 points on two tries, 14 conversions and eight penalties after just nine career Test Matches.
3. Australia
Just like New Zealand and South Africa, the Australian national rugby union team has won two Rugby World Cup titles, with their latest dating back to 1999 in Wales. The Wallabies have also been runners-up and third- and fourth-placers on three other occasions in the tournament, so you know the boys from down under are always in the mix.
Australia also has a ton of momentum heading into the World Cup, having won nine of its past 10 Tests. Look for star players Quade Cooper, David Pocock and Will Genia to lead the Aussie surge. However, the Wallabies have a tough preliminary task of advancing from Pool A in this year’s World Cup by having to face the likes of Wales and the next team on our list.
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4. England
With the 2015 Rugby World Cup’s stage set to take place in London, England has the enviable perk of playing for the home crowd. And it’s not as if the English really need the support, because they have been in top-form in almost all of their appearances in the tournament. The team last won the Webb Ellis in 2003 and has also been a runner-up on two separate occasions, most notably the one from 1991 – the last time England played host to the event.
As mentioned earlier, Pool A is widely revered as the “Pool of Death” in this year’s World Cup with such tough competition within the group. However, with the way that England has played of late, they need not worry as much as their opponents should. The English have recently beaten Wales earlier this year, and also dealt a 26-17 beating of Australia last November.
5. Ireland
Is it really proper to place Ireland in the last spot of our list amongst all of the past Rugby World Cup champions if the Irish have never won the title themselves? Not only that, but they have played rather inadequately in all of their appearances of the event, failing to break out of the semifinal round on five opportunities.
Still, the Wolfhounds were fortunate enough to fall under Group D of this year’s World Cup. They have had a lot of success against the rest of the field, with the closest contender for the title being dwindling France. And with the return of prolific fly-half Jonathan Sexton (481 points in 51 caps) to the national team, Ireland is indeed looking like a swell and trendy +900 underdog pick to win their first-ever William Webb Ellis Cup.
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