Rugby is an amazing sport. According to a legend, it originated from breaking the rules in another popular game—football. In 1823, a student, William Webb Ellis, took the ball in his hands during a football match in Rugby, an English town. From this moment, a long and glorious history of this sport began. In 1987, the World Rugby Cup began to be held. It attracts the attention of millions of spectators worldwide, and every professional rugby player wants to lift the World Cup over their head and be the winner.
Over the years, the sport has seen many exciting matches that have achieved legendary status. They not only fueled interest in the game but even influenced the political situation in some countries. This is a very amazing and fascinating part of history. You can learn about the interesting stages of development of this sport by contacting an online essay writing service and ordering a paper either on the topic of sports or on the topic of history. It all depends on what points you want to learn more about. We will move on to the most iconic rugby matches in history.
1995 Rugby World Cup Final: South Africa vs. New Zealand
The 1995 cup final has gone down in history not only as a spectacular and tense match in which the winner was decided in the final seconds. In regular times, the winner of the match cannot be determined. Extra time was scheduled. At the very end of the match, the referee awarded a penalty kick in favor of the South African team, and Joel Stransky took it. After a second of freeze and anticipation, the stands exploded in Johannesburg Stadium with shouts of joy and delight, and the New Zealand fans bowed their heads. The match’s final score was 15-12 in favor of the South African team.
However, the significance of this match extends beyond the realm of sports. It marked the first international appearance of the South African team after the end of apartheid, making it a pivotal moment in political history.
1999 Rugby World Cup Semi-Final: France vs. New Zealand
The match between France and New Zealand in the 1999 World Cup semi-finals has been among the most incredible comebacks in rugby history. The New Zealand team dominated the first half and the beginning of the second half. With the score 24-10 in favor of the New Zealanders, no one expected to change the course of the game. But what is commonly called a sporting miracle happened. The French team, captained by Rafael Ibanez, changed tactics and found the strength to make an incredible comeback. They were first able to get back and eventually snatch victory from the New Zealand team. The match ended with a score of 43-31 in favor of the French.
Although the French team lost to Australia in the final, many considered this match the best match of the cup. Ultimately, it reached the top of most spectacular rugby matches.
2003 Rugby World Cup Final: England vs. Australia
This match can safely be called a classic. The Australian team started aggressively, and it paid off. The score was opened by Elista Baxter, who scored 5:0 in favor of Australia. The English would not give up, and by 20 minutes, they regained the advantage, making the score 7:5 in their favor. By the end of the first half, they had increased their lead to 9 points. The teams went to the break with a score of 14:5 in favor of England. The Australian team wanted to return at any cost in the second half and snatch the victory. After several successful attacks, the team got their chance. Two penalty kicks by Alistair Baxter narrowed the gap, making the score 14:11. The last minutes of the second half were fiercely fought, but in the last seconds, Baxter scored another free kick, thus equalizing the score. In extra time, the hard-fought battle continued. The game was decided on 17 minutes of extra time. Jonny Wilkinson scored an incredible drop goal to put England ahead. The match ended with the score 17:14 in favor of England.
Jonny Wilkinson became a true national hero, and England’s victory in the World Cup made Rugby in the Foggy Albion even more popular. This match perfectly exemplifies how a resounding victory can change a country’s sports development. The story can also be safely used as a basis for student research and essays on sports.
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British and Irish Lions vs. South Africa 2009
This match was not a cup match or a qualifying match. Strictly speaking, there was not even one, but a series of so-called test matches. We are interested in the second match in the key of top rugby matches. It was held on June 27 at the stadium Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. The game began under the dictation of the South African team. At 24 minutes, the score was 8:3, which was in favor of the South African team. But in the end, “The British and Irish Lions” managed to seize the initiative, and the teams went to the break with the score 11:10 in favor of “The British and Irish Lions.” The second half was fiercely fought, and the final game deserves an Oscar for drama. By the final minutes, the teams scored 18:17 in favor of the British athletes. In the match’s final seconds, the referee fixes an infringement and gives the African team the right to a penalty kick. Later, this decision was controversial to many, but history can no longer be changed. Morné Steyn coolly converted the penalty kick and snatched victory for his team.
In Conclusion
The history of high-profile rugby matches is still relatively young. By the standards of other disciplines, the sport has only been on the international stage for a short time. In the future, we will see many more colorful matches that will go down in history and become classics.
