Rugby - WATCH: The first Rugby World Cup ever played!Rugby fever is everywhere. But what about the first RWC that's ever been played? WATCH footage from the first-ever game!
by Alex Coyne
21-09-2023 20:15
in Culture
The Springboks and Ireland will lock horns in a blockbuster Rugby World Cup 2023 Pool B match in Paris on Saturday, 23 September. Image by Rodger Bosch/AFP.
Rugby fever is everywhere as sports fans are glued to wherever they can find match broadcasts going on right now: the RWC 2023 is one of the most exciting sports events you could watch from anywhere.
--
ALSO READ: Manchester City beats Red Star Belgrade: Champions League
But what about the first Rugby World Cup that has ever been played?
We headed to YouTube and dug up some footage of the first ever Rugby World Cup match from 1987!
--
Here are all the cool facts and some of the footage from what's been called one of the most historical Rugby World Cup tournaments ever played.
When was the first RWC played? According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the first World Cup event was played in 1987.
ALSO READ: Kaizer Chiefs: Seen in FIFA 22 on PlayStation 5 and PC!
--
The World Cup took place in Australia and New Zealand, with both countries sharing hosting responsibility for the huge event. A total of 21 matches were played in New Zealand, and 11 were played on Australian soil.
ALSO READ: Why South Africans are drinking less BEER
The first match was New Zealand versus Italy on the 22nd of May, with NZ winning 70 6.
A total of 29 matches were played: Grant Fox from New Zealand was the top scorer for the World Cup, achieving 126 points.
WATCH: The first Rugby World Cup's FINAL match The final match of the first Rugby World Cup 1987 was between New Zealand and France.
Watch the whole match here on YouTube!
ALSO READ: Where and how to watch the 2023 Rugby World Cup
The second RWC would be played again in 1991.
South Africa would make history in 1995, participating in the historical next Rugby World Cup as a free country.
Rugby World Cup: Who won the first-ever RWC? So who won the Rugby World Cup back in 1987?
The game put New Zealand against France and New Zealand won the first RWC to be played. The score was an incredible 29 to 9.
If you're wondering about the stadium in the last game's footage: that's Eden Park in New Zealand, where the first 1987 World Cup started and ended.
READ MORE ARTICLES BY ALEX COYNE
Is jy Afrikaans? Kliek hier vir nuus in jou taal!
Africa Stories
13/10/2026
The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr Gayton McKenzie, invites suitably qu...
13/10/2026
The Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr Gayton McKenzie, invites members of ...
07/10/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the extensi...
02/10/2026
01 October 2026 | Johannesburg, South Africa - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an entity of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), is ...
01/10/2026
Johannesburg, South Africa, 30 September 2026 - The National Film and Video Foun...
23/09/2026
1. ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites applications from experienced producers who own or manage a South African product...
23/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the opening...
17/09/2026
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), in partnership with the Nation...
16/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible South African pro...
09/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible Tier 1 and 2 South African production companies to submit proposals to serve as the Facilitating ...
05/09/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
18/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
15/08/2026
14 August 2026 | Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), a...
14/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Ar...
08/08/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
28/07/2026
27 July 2026, Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...
20/07/2026
The NFVF, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, has released t...
09/07/2026
08 July 2026, Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...
06/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
01/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
10/06/2026
Production and Development Funding supports the creation of compelling, commercially viable, artistic and culturally relevant South African screen content. Deve...
09/06/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is a statutory body mandated to spearhead the equitable growth and development of the South African film and video...
19/05/2026
Press Release
18 May 2026, Johannesburg South Africa has been selected as the...
24/04/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
01/04/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...
26/03/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), has been tasked with administering the Sixth Presi...
24/03/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites eligible Tier 1 and 2 South African production companies to submit proposals to serve as the Facilitating ...
15/03/2026
Johannesburg, 14 March 2026 - On 13 and 14 March 2026, the 19th Annual South Afr...
12/03/2026
Johannesburg, 11 March 2026 - The 19th Annual South African Film and Television ...
03/03/2026
Click here for isiXhosa version.
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers from Matatiele and surrounding areas to...
17/02/2026
Johannesburg, 17 February 2026 - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), ...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture and custodian of the SAFTAs, is calling on all South Afri...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
09/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the call for training provider submissions is open. This funding aims to award grants ...
06/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
04/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites final-year animation students to participate in an exclusive creative showcase at the Annecy International...
02/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), is calling for applications from experienced Sou...
29/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in collaboration with a distribut...
28/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the Oudtshoorn Municipality, invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers to apply for the Sediba...
20/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
07/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in collaboration with a distributor, is commissioning new micro-budget fiction feature films and invites eligible...
31/10/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 October 2025
It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Segomotso Keorapetse, an award- winning South African television d...
29/10/2025
It's not the wonders of the world that make a place; it's the people. As...
07/10/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
02/10/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce the opening...
Rugby - WATCH: The first Rugby World Cup ever played!Rugby fever is everywhere. But what about the first RWC that's ever been played? WATCH footage from the first-ever game!
