A new dawn
The inaugural Rugby World Cup tournament was conceived and
held in the Antipodes. It was won by one of the hosts – New
Zealand, the most rugby obsessed of antipodean nations.
Captained by the scholarly scrum half David Kirk, the All Blacks
dominated their opponents in the pool. Scotland were swept
aside in the quarter-final as were Wales in the semi-final. In the
final the New Zealand forwards, with flanker Michael Jones to the
fore, overcame the French resistance and were justly crowned the
first ‘World Champions’.
Without doubt, the outstanding match of the tournament was
the semi-final between France and Australia. In the dying minutes,
with the score tied at 21-21, the great Serge Blanco strained every
sinew to score in the corner. France won the match that many
still judge to be the ‘greatest of all time’.
After losing heavily to New Zealand in the semi-final, Wales
showed their character by beating Australia at Rotorua to claim
third place.
The tournament confirmed what most people knew – that New
Zealand were the best in the world. The scale and commercial
impact of the first Rugby World Cup was relatively modest,
but it was a sign of things to come. The rugby world had
changed forever.