Australia
- World Ranking 1
Australia
became the only team to lift the Webb Ellis Trophy twice,
following their convincing 35-12 defeat of France in the RWC
final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. Along with New Zealand
- who failed to live up to pre-Tournament expectations - Australia
were one of the favourites to become World Champions and they
did not disappoint.
They
were criticised during their pool matches for being to workmanlike
in their performances, but it was in the latter stages that
the Wallabies came into their own and showed that they possess
one of the most 'complete' set of players in the rugby world.
With
a solid front row unit, athletic and mobile locks, a powerful
back row and some of the best threequarters in the business,
the Wallabies, despite being pushed by South Africa in the
semi-finals, always looked like World Champions.
Centre
Tim Horan was named 'Player of the Tournament' and was a prince
among centres with some brilliant performances, whilst 'captain
marvel', John Eales always led by example.
Coach
Rod Macqueen proved a master tactitian, but perhaps one of
the most outstanding features of the Wallaby game was their
defence - conceding only one try throughout the competition.
On
current form, Australia will be difficult to beat in the forthcoming
Tri Nations series and bets are already being placed on the
Wallabies retaining their crown when the event lands on home
soil in 2003.
France
- World Ranking 2
Despite
stuttering through their pool matches and injuries to key
players, France produced one of the biggest upsets in RWC
history with their 43-31 semi-final win over New Zealand,
before losing to the Wallabies 35-12 in the final at the Millennium
Stadium.
France
once again proved that unpredictability was their strongest
weapon, following some unconvincing performances in early
stages.
They
earned a quarter-final meeting with Argentina after pool wins
over Canada (33-20), Namibia (47-13) and Fiji (28-19), and
ended the Pumas' dream of a semi-final spot with a 47-26 win.
What followed will be remembered as one of the greatest upsets
in rugby history, as France reverted to their unique brand
of open, attacking rugby, asking questions of an All Black
defence that enjoyed a 7-point cushion going into the interval.
France
produced a storming second-half performance, with Richard
Dourthe's try, which gave France a decisive 34-24 lead, perhaps
one of the defining moments of RWC '99. New Zealand had no
answer and France were on their way to their second RWC final
- ironically their first was back in 1987 when they lost to
New Zealand.
Australia
were a game to far however, but France's success has inspired
their clubs and players in the current European Cup competition
and makes them one of the favourites for the Six Nations,
after being awarded the wooden spoon less than 12 months ago.
South
Africa - World Ranking 3
The
Springboks failed in their bid to retain the crown of World
Champions, but captain Joost van der Westhuizen said that
South Africa were 'happy' with their efforts in the '99 Tournament.
Whilst van der Westhuizen's views may not be shared by his
fellow countrymen, South Africa will have considered themselves
unlucky not to reach the final, after losing narrowly to Australia
(21-27) in the semi-final. They topped Pool A following a
46-29 win over hosts Scotland and surprisingly modest defeats
of Spain (47-3) and Uruguay (39-3).
With
first choice fly-half Henry Honiball injured and doubts over
the Springboks' ability to re-create the form that brought
them 17 successive test victories between 1997 and 1998, they
silenced critics with a stunning 44-21 defeat of England in
the quarter-final, with fly-half Jannie De Beer smashing the
record for drop goals in a match, landing five to punish a
demoralised England team.
A
tense semi-final against the Wallabies followed and despite
playing into extra-time, South Africa lacked the 'killer blow'
to make it to their second successive RWC final. There were
some crumbs of comfort in their 22-18 win over the All Blacks
at the Millennium Stadium and despite not going home with
the Webb Ellis trophy, the Springboks finished a respectable
third and re a constant threat on the international scene.
New
Zealand - World Ranking 4
For
New Zealand, RWC'99 will be a Tournament they would rather
forget. The Tri Nations Champions started as one of the pre-Tournament
favourites, but the World Cup ended with a poor 4th place
finish, the resignation of coach John Hart and fierce criticism
from fans and pundits alike back in their native New Zealand.
Expectation
was high and the All Blacks did not disappoint in their Pool
games, with wins over Tonga (45-9), Italy (101-3) and most
notably England (30-16). Their quarter-final against Scotland
at Murrayfield however was where the cracks started to appear,
as the plucky Scots put New Zealand on the back foot for much
of the second-half and exposed their inabilty to take their
opportunities and punish the opposition.
With
pressure mounting on coach Hart and captain Taine Randell
as they entered the semi-final against France, New Zealand
let a comfortable lead slip through their fingers, as France
finally discovered the form that had eluded them during the
pool matches.
New
Zealand seemed to lack the leadership and fire-power they
once had up front and the backs failed to gel as a unit and
preferred to play as individuals.
It
was clear that they had lost interest after losing to France
and an emotionally shattered team took to the field against
South Africa, a game they lost 22-18 to finish fourth overall.
Hart
has since resigned as coach but despite the obvious disappointment
at failing to reach their third RWC final, New Zealand will
undoubtedly bounce back. Their players are exposed to the
highest level of domestic and international rugby and with
such a strong infrastructure, the All Blacks will hope to
be back to their best in the new Millennium.
Argentina
- World Ranking 5
Argentina
overcame the odds to enjoy a successful World Cup campaign
and showed that one of rugby's sleeping giants had finally
woken from its slumber.
With
preparations hampered by political infighting and the resignation
of coach Hector Mendez, Kiwi coach Alex "Grizz" Wyllie was
handed the reigns at the 11th hour, which proved a blessing
in disguise for the Pumas.With a physical, technically astute
pack and a handful of talented threequarters, Argentina first
pushed Wales all the way in the opening match, before beating
Samoa 32-16 following a remarkable kicking display by their
mercurial fly-half Gonzalo Quesada.
They
overcame Japan 33-12 at the Millennium Stadium to qualify
as 3rd best for a quarter-final play-off against Ireland.
The form book was turned on its head, as the Pumas produced
a thrilling display against a complacent Irish team, winning
28-24.The Pumas eventually lost to France in the quarter-final,
but for a team that had only won one game in three World Cups
before arriving in Wales and reing predominantly amateur in
the age of professionalism, RWC'99 was a turning point for
Argentine rugby and a memorable Tournament for Wyllie and
his men.
England
- World Ranking 6
England,
along with the other home nations, failed to reach the semi-finals
of this year's World Cup despite meticulous preparation by
coach Clive Woodward and his management team. Following a
convincing 67-7 defeat of Italy in their opener, a bruising
encounter with New Zealand followed, where 'that man' Jonah
Lomu once again destroyed England's hopes as the All Blacks
won the crucial Pool B fixture 30-16.
A
win over Tonga followed, but with England finishing second
in the group and having to play an additional play-off game
against Fiji, they reached the quarter-final against South
Africa without enough gas left in the tank. The Springboks
played some of their best rugby of the Tournament against
Woodward's men and England had no answer to the boot of Jannie
de Beer, who slotted a world record five drop goals.
It
capped the end of a miserable spell for England, following
their prevous failure in the Five Nations. The RFU have since
hinted that Woodwards' reign as England coach may end after
their Six Nations campaign, where England will be eager to
re-establish themselves as one of the leading forces in world
rugby.
Scotland
- World Ranking 7
Scotland's
World Cup dream was brought to an end by New Zealand, following
an 18-30 defeat in their quarter-final at Murrayfield. Despite
not making it through to the last four, the Scots will still
feel proud of their achievements and proved they will be a
force to be reckoned with in this year's Six Nations Championship.
The
Five Nations champions were disappointing in their opener
against the Springboks, where unforced errors gifted South
Africa with two tries and eventually the game.Comfortable
wins over Uruguay (43-12) and Spain (48-0) followed, before
they met a plucky Samoan team in the quarter-final play-off.
A
hard fought victory for the Scots (35-20) meant a quarter-final
meeting with New Zealand, where the invincible All Black machine
was starting to show signs of weakening. Scotland fought back
from 25-3 down at half-time, to win the second-half 15-5,
but it was a case of too little too late as the All Blacks
ran out eventual winners 30-18. Scotland's performance had
exposed New Zealand's inadequacies and despite losing the
match, they showed enough positive signs to suggest they will
be difficult to beat in the Six Nations Championship.
Wales
- World Ranking 8
Hopes
were high for the host nation leading up to RWC'99, with wins
over England, France, South Africa and Argentina. Graham Henry
tried to play down Wales' chances, with the weight of public
expectation heavy on his players' shoulders. However, the
pressure told in their opening match against the Argentina.
A wounded Pumas pack threw everything at Henry's men and Wales
were made to work hard for their 23-18 win.
A
comfortable 64-15 win over Japan followed, as Wales cut loose
to score eight tries and Neil Jenkins equalled Michael Lynagh's
international points scoring record of 911. However, the ghost
of '91 reappeared against Samoa, as Wales made countless basic
errors against a committed Samoan team who took their chances
to win 38-31.It was a setback for Wales and Graham Henry,
but following Argentina's win over Japan, Wales qualified
as pool winners and they met Australia in the quarter-final
at the Millennium Stadium.
Some
unique refereeing decisions and some intelligent interpretations
of the laws by the Australians frustrated Wales, who were
unable to get their game plan into action and the Welsh effort
was thwarted, with the Wallabies winning 24-9.
There
will be some hard work ahead for Wales if they are make an
impression in the Six Nations, but Henry has the players at
his disposal and with his promise that "the slate is wiped
clean," an injection of fresh legs and faces might give Wales
that extra edge.
Fiji
- World Ranking 9
Fiji
provided much of the entertainment and flair in Pool C, with
coach Brad Johnstone giving his players the confidence and
self belief that had previously been lacking.
Despite
their absence in the '95 World Cup, Fiji left an indelible
mark on the '99 Tournament, as they defeated Namibia (67-18)
and Canada (38-22) in their opening pool matches to set-up
a 'winner-takes-all' encounter with France in Toulouse. Fiji
made the early running, with second row Emori Katalau a towering
presence in the line-out and full-back Alfred Uluinayau playing
the French at their own game with a superb individual try
in the first-half. Unfortunately, some poor refereeing denied
Fiji a deserved victory, with France stealing the plaudits
28-19.
The
quarter-final play-off against England was where Fiji's World
Cup dream came to an end, losing 45-24, but having dominated
the 7-a-side code for so long, Fiji will be inspired to build
on this success despite the recent departure of coach Johnstone.
Ireland
- World Ranking 10
Irish
rugby sank to its knees when they lost 24-28 in the play-off
to Argentina, failing to reach the RWC quarter-finals for
the first time in their history.They had no illusions about
the difficulty of finishing top of their group - with Australia
obvious favourites to take poll position - but following wins
over USA (53-8) and Romania (44-14) confidence was high in
the build-up to their play-off.
There
were calls for the resignation of Kiwi coach Warren Gatland
and many of his senior players following a complacent and
lacklustre display against the Pumas, but Gatland and Team
Manager Donal Lenihan reed surprisingly upbeat.
"We
qualified for the World Cup, we got this far to the play-off.
I believe we have seen some progress in the last 18 months,"
said Lenihan, and Gatland added, "we have to go back to the
drawing board and prepare for the Six nations." With so many
of the home Unions targeting the Six Nations as a chance of
redeeming themselves following World Cup misery, there should
be some intriguing battles awaiting an eager rugby public
in the year 2000.
Samoa
- World Ranking 11
Samoa
reached the quarter-final stage in both the '91 and '95 World
Cup Tournaments, but failed to repeat their previous success
this year in Wales. They opened their campaign with an impressive
64-15 demolition of Japan in difficult conditions, before
losing to Argentina, who exposed Samoa's weaknesses in the
tight areas of play.
Wales
were unable to exert similar forward pressure as Samoa repeated
their memorable '91 upset to defeat the hosts 38-31 in front
of a full crowd at the Millennium Stadium. As runners-up in
their Pool, they faced a difficult trip to Murrayfield for
a play-off against Scotland, but despite the efforts of inspirational
skipper Pat Lam and Va'aiga Tuigamala Samoa's World Cup was
brought to an end. Coach Bryan Williams and skipper Lam have
since left the Samoan set-up, with Lam adding, "this was my
last game for Samoa and I want to thank all my supporters
- it's very tough to be going out but it allows the young
guys to go through."
Canada
- World Ranking 12
This
was Canada's fourth appearance in the Rugby World Cup and
despite reaching the quarter-finals in '91,the 'Canucks' failed
to make it past the pool stage this year in France. They lost
their opening match to the Pool C hosts 33-20, but showed
that a quarter-final spot was not beyond their capabilities.
They
were surprised by Fiji in their next match however, losing
38-22 and with only a slim mathematical chance of making the
play-offs, they were playing for pride in their final pool
game against Namibia - a game they won 72-11. It was a huge
disappointment for captain Gareth Rees, the only man to compete
in four World Cups, who was hoping to end his international
career on a high.
Canada
does possess the player base and talent to improve, but financial
difficulties - as highlighted by captain Rees during the Tournament
-proves a difficult hurdle for the Canadians to overcome.
An improved showing in the annual Epson Cup competition would
be step in the right direction, but in the current climate,
Canada are finding it difficult to break into the higher echelons
of the game.
Romania
- World Ranking 13
Romania
finished above the USA in Pool E thanks to their narrow 27-25
defeat of the American Eagles. Romania also showed glimpses
of former glory in their matches against Australia and Ireland
despite losing 57-9 and 44-14 respectively.
In
the backs, centre Catalin Draguceanu and wing Gheorghe Solomie
were the pick of the bunch, with Solomie in particular causing
many problems for his opponents when given the chance to attack.
The pack performed adequately, with their tight-play the strongest
weapon in their armoury, but Romania's failure to perform
as a unit and tendency to give away penalties hampered their
progress.
They
realise that there is still a long way to go before they can
return to the halcyon days of the late 70s and early 80s when
Romanian rugby was at its best. They face a struggle to hold
on to the best of their home grown talent, with many preferring
to play their club rugby in France, but Romania continue to
work hard and, albeit slow, are making progress towards building
for the future.
Tonga
- World Ranking 14
Tonga
were the surprise package of Pool B and their 'hard-hitting',
physical approach to the game was not lost on their opponents
in this group. They proved worthy opposition for the All Blacks
in their opening game despite losing 45-7 and went on to beat
Italy 28-25 in an enthralling encounter at Welford Road, Leicester.
Tonga
were determined to finish with a 'bang' against England, but
sadly some over-enthusiasm and ill-discipline cost them dearly,
with the dismissal of prop Ngalu Ta'u for striking flanker
Richard Hill ending Tonga's hopes of contesting the game despite
showing early promise. With many of Tonga's players currently
plying their trade in Wales and some positive performances
eminating from the World Cup, Tonga can only hope to improve
and will aim for a quarter-final place in Australia 2003.
Uruguay
- World Ranking 15
Competing
in their first Rugby World Cup Tournament, Uruguay were dismissed
as genuine contenders prior to the competition, but the 'Teros'
proved that they were not here to make up the numbers.
They
were led by the oldest man in the competition, 40-year-old
No.8 Diego Ormaechea, and their strong forwards and formidable
scrummaging proved a handful for their opponents in Pool A.
The Teros put Spain to the sword 27-15, before losing to Scotland
(43-12) and South Africa (39-3).
Both
matches gave Uruguay the opportunity to test themselves against
some of the best players in the world, a challenge which their
committed forwards and talented young backs relished.Similarly
to Spain, the experiences of RWC'99 will enable Uruguay to
strengthen the game in their country which is a crucial part
of developmental cog in the wheel of South American rugby.
USA
- World Ranking 16
USA
finished bottom of Pool E, after failing to win a single game
in their group, but captain Dan Lyle still insists that USA
rugby will one day become a success. There is no doubt that
the USA came to Ireland full of good intentions and can boast
that they were the only team to score a try against Australia
during RWC '99.
One
of the problems they face however is trying to make the sport
more attractive in a country with a population of 274 million
people and where rugby union is low down the pecking order
of sports. Many of the players realise that RWC '99 is the
perfect stage for them to try and capture the imagination
of the American public, but with huge geographical and financial
difficulties affecting preparation, the USA still struggle
on the World stage.
They
will not give up without a fight however, as anyone who watched
the USA during their pool matches will have realised, and
they will need to re resilient in their quest to put American
rugby on the map.
Namibia
- World Ranking 17
Having
qualified for their first RWC Tournament after the topping
the African Qualifying Group, Namibia became the whipping
boys out in France, following defeats to Fiji (67-18), a below
par France (47-13) and Canada (72-11).
Preparations
for RWC '99 did not go smoothly, with political upheavals
resulting in the National side being banned from international
competition, which was subsequently removed prior to the World
Cup. Nonetheless, as Argentina proved, problems off the field
cannot always be used as an excuse for results on it and Namibia
were simply unable to compete at this level.
They
arrived in France with a very young squad of players - an
average age of 23 - and they can only hope that these youngsters
will benefit from being exposed to this level of rugby and
improve standards for the future.
Japan
- World Ranking 18
Epson
Cup winners Japan had high hopes leading up to this Tournament
and were determined not to finish bottom of Pool D. Sadly,
their lack of physical presence - particularly in the forwards
- was once again exploited as the Japanese failed to win a
single match.
The
recruitment of former All Blacks Jamie Joseph (No.8) and scrum-half
Graeme Bachop added experience to the cherry and whites, but
their talented backs were often starved of the ball for long
periods of play. Captain Andrew McCormick - the first Kiwi
to captain a Japanese side - was impressive behind the scrum,
along with home grown talent Pat Tuidrake, the winger who
crossed for an impressive try against Wales.
McCormick
later said that, "a lack of exposure and experience at this
level" had hampered Japan's hopes of success, but that they
will work harder in the future to improve Japanese rugby and
build on their success in the Epson Cup.
Italy
- World Ranking 19
It
was a pretty miserable Rugby World Cup for the Azzurri, as
they failed to win a single pool match and fell to a century
of points against New Zealand. It was a far cry from the '91
Tournament where they held the All Blacks to a 21-31 scoreline.
They
also suffered a heavy defeat against England (67-7) and were
unlucky against Tonga, where a last minute drop goal from
full-back Sateki Tu'uipulotu gave the islanders a 28-25 win.
It has been a difficult time for Italy in recent months, with
the departure of coach Goerges Coste prior to the World Cup
and the sudden death of centre Ivan Francescato casting a
shadow over Italian rugby.
They
will no doubt be boosted by the arrival of new coach Brad
Johnstone, the 49-year-old former All Black captain who replaces
Massimo Mascioletti, who stepped down following their World
Cup disappointment. Johnstone took Fiji to the quarter-finals
of RWC'99 and Italy will hope that he can inspire them to
greater things as they prepare for their inaugural Six Nations
campaign.
Spain
- World Ranking 20
Despite
losing all their Pool matches in this year's Rugby World Cup,
Spain proved themselves worthy contenders for a country where
rugby is still a minority sport.
The
one-sided, 100-point scorelines that many predicted never
emerged and Spain played with total commitment throughout
the competition. They would have hoped for at least one victory,
their opener against Uruguay, but eventually lost to a heavier,
more physical Teros side.
Having
lost their first game, they faced the daunting prospect of
tackling the then World Champions South Africa, who turned
out a 2nd XV. Spain competed well, holding the Springboks
0-0 for the first quarter of the game. They eventually lost
47-3, before also losing 48-0 to Scotland in a typically spirited
Spanish performance.
Despite
leaving the World Cup without a win under their belts, the
experience of RWC'99 will be a vital stepping stone for Spain
as they attempt to develop and improve the game of rugby union
in their country.
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