Scotland at the Rugby World Cup
Encyclopedia
Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
have played in every Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
since the inaugural tournament in 1987
1987 Rugby World Cup
The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. New Zealand and Australia agreed to co-host the first ever tournament with New Zealand hosting seventeen pool stage matches, two quarter-finals and the final with Australia being the junior partner hosting seven pool matches, two...
.
Their best finish was fourth in 1991
1991 Rugby World Cup
The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the...
. In their semi-final on October 26, 1991 Scotland lost 6–9 to England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
at Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
after Gavin Hastings
Gavin Hastings
Andrew Gavin Hastings, OBE is a former Scotland rugby union player. He is frequently considered one of the best, if not the best, rugby player to come out of Scotland. His nickname is "Big Gav".Hastings was born in Edinburgh...
missed a penalty almost in front of and a short distance from the posts. On October 30 Scotland lost the third-place play-off to New Zealand in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
13–6. Since then they have qualified for the quarter-finals in every tournament, except the most recent in 2011, but have not since qualified for the semi-finals.
Comprehensive team results
- W - Champions
- F - Runners Up
- SF - Third place
- SF - Fourth place
- QF - Quarterfinals
- R2 - Second Round
- R1 - First Round
- q - Qualified for forthcoming tournament
For each tournament, the flag of the host country and the number of qualified teams in each tournament (in parentheses) are shown.
| Team | 1987 1987 Rugby World Cup The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. New Zealand and Australia agreed to co-host the first ever tournament with New Zealand hosting seventeen pool stage matches, two quarter-finals and the final with Australia being the junior partner hosting seven pool matches, two... |
1991 1991 Rugby World Cup The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the... |
1995 1995 Rugby World Cup The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country.... |
1999 1999 Rugby World Cup The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland... |
2003 2003 Rugby World Cup The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World... |
2007 2007 Rugby World Cup The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,... |
2011 2011 Rugby World Cup The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia New Zealand |
 Kingdom of England |
 South Africa |
 Wales |
Australia |
 Early Modern France |
New Zealand |
|
| 16 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | |
| 6th | 4th | 6th | 6th | 8th | 8th | 9th | |
| Year | Stage | Team | Score | Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Pool 4 | 20-20 | Lancaster Park | ||
| 1987 | Pool 4 | 60-21 | Athletic Park | ||
| 1987 | Pool 4 | 28-55 | Carisbrook | ||
| 1987 | Quarter-final | 30-3 | Lancaster Park | ||
| 1991 | Pool B | 47-9 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1991 | Pool B | 51-12 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1991 | Pool B | 24-15 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1991 | Quarter-final | 28-6 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1991 | Semi-final | 6-9 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1991 | Third-place play-off | 6-13 | Cardiff | ||
| 1995 | Pool D | 0-89 | Rustenburg | ||
| 1995 | Pool D | 41-5 | Pretoria | ||
| 1995 | Pool D | 22-19 | Pretoria | ||
| 1995 | Quarter-final | 48-30 | Pretoria | ||
| 1999 | Pool 1 | 29-46 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1999 | Pool 1 | 43-12 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1999 | Pool 1 | 48-0 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1999 | Quarter-final play-off | 35-20 | Murrayfield | ||
| 1999 | Quarter-final | 18-30 | Murrayfield | ||
| 2003 | Pool B | 32-11 | Townsville | ||
| 2003 | Pool B | 39-15 | Brisbane | ||
| 2003 | Pool B | 51-9 | Sydney | ||
| 2003 | Pool B | 22-20 | Aussie Stadium | ||
| 2003 | Quarter-final | 33-16 | Brisbane | ||
| 2007 | Pool C | 56-10 | Saint-Étienne | ||
| 2007 | Pool C | 42-0 | Murrayfield | ||
| 2007 | Pool C | 0-40 | Murrayfield | ||
| 2007 | Pool C | 18-16 | Saint-Étienne | ||
| 2007 | Quarter-final | 19-13 | Stade de France | ||
| 2011 | Pool B | 34-24 | Invercargill | ||
| 2011 | Pool B | 15-6 | Invercargill | ||
| 2011 | Pool B | 13-12 | Wellington | ||
| 2011 | Pool B | 16-12 | Auckland |
Individual
Gavin HastingsGavin Hastings
Andrew Gavin Hastings, OBE is a former Scotland rugby union player. He is frequently considered one of the best, if not the best, rugby player to come out of Scotland. His nickname is "Big Gav".Hastings was born in Edinburgh...
is by far the most successful Scottish world cup player, and has gained a number of records.
Points
| Points | Name | Country | App. | Tries | Con. | Pen. | Drop. | Tournament |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 227 | Gavin Hastings Gavin Hastings Andrew Gavin Hastings, OBE is a former Scotland rugby union player. He is frequently considered one of the best, if not the best, rugby player to come out of Scotland. His nickname is "Big Gav".Hastings was born in Edinburgh... (second position) |
13 | 9 | 39 | 36 | – | 1987 1987 Rugby World Cup The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. New Zealand and Australia agreed to co-host the first ever tournament with New Zealand hosting seventeen pool stage matches, two quarter-finals and the final with Australia being the junior partner hosting seven pool matches, two... , 1991 1991 Rugby World Cup The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the... , 1995 1995 Rugby World Cup The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country.... |
- Key: App = Appearances. Con = conversions. Pen = penalties. Drop = drop goals.
Conversions
Most overall conversions in final stages- Gavin HastingsGavin HastingsAndrew Gavin Hastings, OBE is a former Scotland rugby union player. He is frequently considered one of the best, if not the best, rugby player to come out of Scotland. His nickname is "Big Gav".Hastings was born in Edinburgh...
39 (1987–95)
Penalty goals
Most penalties in a match- Gavin HastingsGavin HastingsAndrew Gavin Hastings, OBE is a former Scotland rugby union player. He is frequently considered one of the best, if not the best, rugby player to come out of Scotland. His nickname is "Big Gav".Hastings was born in Edinburgh... 8 (v Tonga
, 1995)
Draws
20 - 20 (1987)Note, under the current points system of rugby union, France would have beaten Scotland 23-22 in the 1987 match.
Nil points
89 -0 (1995) 48 - 0 (1999) 42 - 0 (2007) 0 - 40 (2007)Hosting
Scotland has not yet been the main host of the World Cup, however, a number of World Cup games have been played in Scotland over the years. When World Cups have been in the Northern Hemisphere, Scotland has hosted games. All northern hemisphere tournaments have been in Europe so far.Second World Cup - 1991: England/Wales/Scotland/Ireland/France
The 1991 Rugby World Cup final was played in England, pool and finals games were played all over the main five European nations. Pool B games, which involved European nations, Scotland and Ireland, had all their games in either Dublin or EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
with one game being played in Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
.
Fourth World Cup - 1999: Wales
The 1999 World Cup was hosted by WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
with some games spread across Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. All Pool A games were held in Scotland. Second round play-offs and the quarter-finals were held at a variety of European venues.
Sixth World Cup - 2007: France
The 2007 competition was held in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, with some games played in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Two Pool C matches were held at Edinburgh's Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
.
2015
The host for the 2015 tournament2015 Rugby World Cup
The 2015 Rugby World Cup is scheduled to be the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament is scheduled to be hosted by England from 4 September to 17 October 2015. In addition, Cardiff's 74,500-seater Millennium Stadium in Wales will also be used...
will be England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, it has yet to be decided whether any games will be played in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
2019
The host for the 2019 tournament2019 Rugby World Cup
The 2019 Rugby World Cup is scheduled to be the 9th edition of the Rugby World Cup. At a special IRB meeting held in Dublin on 28 July 2009, Japan was announced as the host for the competition. This will be the first time this tournament to be held in Asia. Hong Kong and Singapore are expected to...
will be Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, so no games will be held in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.