# 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 Union and Rugby World Cup Limited. The pre-event favourites were England, regarded by many at the time as the best team in the world. New Zealand, France, South Africa and defending champions Australia were also expected to make strong showings, with New Zealand being second favourites after victory in the southern-hemisphere Tri-Nations championship.
The tournament began with host nation Australia defeating Argentina 24–8 at Stadium Australia in Sydney. Australia went on to defeat New Zealand 22–10 in the semi-final, to play England in the final. Along with a try to Jason Robinson, Jonny Wilkinson kicked four penalties and then a drop-goal in extra time to win the game 20–17 for England, who became the first northern hemisphere team to win the Webb Ellis Cup and the only one as of 2025 (with their only title).

## Qualifying

The following 20 teams, shown by region, qualified for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Of the 20 teams, eight of those places were automatically filled by the teams that reached the quarter-final stages in 1999, including hosts and world champions Australia and did not have to play any qualification matches. A record 81 nations from five continents were involved in the qualification process designed to fill the remaining 12 spots, which began on 23 September 2000.
| Africa | Americas | Europe | Oceania/Asia |
| Namibia (Africa)  South Africa | Argentina  Canada (Americas 1)  United States (Repechage 1)  Uruguay (Americas 2) | England  France  Ireland (Europe 1)  Italy (Europe 2)  Romania (Europe 3)  Scotland  Georgia (Europe 4)  Wales | Australia  Fiji (Oceania 1)  New Zealand  Samoa (Oceania 2)  Tonga (Repechage 2)  Japan (Asia) |

## Host

Hosting rights to the tournament were initially awarded to both Australia and New Zealand; Australia would serve as the primary host, staging 25 of the 48 matches, while the other 23 would be played in New Zealand. Concerns were expressed in January 2001 that Australia might have been stripped of hosting rights after the International Rugby Board (IRB) removed official status from the 2001 Brisbane Sevens in response to the Australian government denying entry visas to the Fiji team; despite this, the IRB confirmed that Australia was still confirmed as host nation.
In March 2002, the Australian Rugby Union withdrew its offer to allow New Zealand to co-host the tournament after New Zealand Rugby failed to return the sub-host agreement by the deadline of 04:00 GMT on 8 March 2002. The New Zealand governing body had returned the documents, but with substantial changes relating to signage inside stadiums. New Zealand Rugby had intended for the annual National Provincial Championship to take place during the World Cup, and insisted on being able to honour its agreement with local sponsors, but this was not acceptable to the IRB. The ARU was then given 21 days to come up with alternative arrangements. Australia's new plans were ratified at an IRB meeting on 18 April 2003, confirming them as sole hosts of the tournament. The IRB was criticised from some quarters for its decision to strip New Zealand of the World Cup, and speaking to BBC Sport, former New Zealand number 8 Zinzan Brooke called on his former team to threaten a boycott of tournament. New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said the IRB and the ARU had not given enough time to find a solution; however, the head of the ARU, John O'Neill, said he feared Australia could lose the World Cup entirely as a result of the disagreement.

## Venues

The overall stadium capacity was 421,311 across 11 venues. This was a reduction from the 1999 Rugby World Cup in Wales (with games also held in England, France, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland) which had a total capacity of 654,677 across 18 venues.
The Adelaide Oval underwent a AU$20 million redevelopment for the 2003 Rugby World Cup, financed entirely by the South Australian Cricket Association, with two new grandstands built adjacent to the Victor Richardson Gates. Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane (formerly Lang Park) was a new A$280 million venue designed specifically for rugby league, rugby union and soccer, and was opened just prior to the start of the 2003 World Cup with a capacity of 52,500, some 12,000 more than the old Lang Park could hold. The Central Coast Stadium was also a newly built rectangular venue built for union, league and soccer. It was built on the site of the old Grahame Park ground and was opened in February 2000 at a cost of A$30 million.
The Sydney Football Stadium was one of two venues in Sydney that were used for football during the 2000 Olympic Games. The other venue in Sydney was Stadium Australia, which was the centrepiece of the 2000 Olympic Games. It was built as the main stadium of the 2000 Olympics at a cost of $690 million and with a capacity of 83,500 was the biggest stadium used in the 2003 World Cup (the stadium had an original capacity of 110,000 before undergoing a post-Olympics redevelopment from 2001 to 2003). The only stadium with a retractable roof used was the Docklands Stadium in Melbourne. Although the Docklands Stadium has movable seating which brings four sections of the lower bowl forward by 18 metres to create a more rectangular surround for the pitch, this was not used during the World Cup as it reduces the seating capacity of the stadium by approximately 3,500.
| Sydney | Sydney | Sydney | Melbourne | Melbourne | Brisbane |
| Stadium Australia | Sydney Football Stadium | Sydney Football Stadium | Docklands Stadium | Docklands Stadium | Lang Park |
| Capacity: 83,500 | Capacity: 42,500 | Capacity: 42,500 | Capacity: 56,347 | Capacity: 56,347 | Capacity: 52,500 |
| Perth | | | | | Adelaide |
| Subiaco Oval | | | | | Adelaide Oval |
| Capacity: 42,922 | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | Capacity: 33,597 |
| Townsville | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | Canberra |
| Willows Sports Complex | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | Canberra Stadium |
| Capacity: 26,500 | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | SydneyWollongongCanberraTownsvilleBrisbaneAdelaideLauncestonMelbourneGosfordPerth2003 Rugby World Cup (Australia) | Capacity: 25,011 |
| Gosford | Gosford | Launceston | Launceston | Wollongong | Wollongong |
| Central Coast Stadium | Central Coast Stadium | York Park | York Park | Wollongong Showground | Wollongong Showground |
| Capacity: 20,059 | Capacity: 20,059 | Capacity: 19,891 | Capacity: 19,891 | Capacity: 18,484 | Capacity: 18,484 |

## Referees

* Pablo De Luca
* Andrew Cole
* Stuart Dickinson
* Scott Young
* Peter Marshall
* Chris White
* Tony Spreadbury
* Joël Jutge
* Alain Rolland
* David McHugh
* Paul Honiss
* Paddy O'Brien
* Steve Walsh
* Jonathan Kaplan
* André Watson
* Nigel Williams

### Touch judges and television match officials

* Joël Dumé
* Donal Courtney
* Alan Lewis
* Giulio de Santis
* Kelvin Deaker
* Iain Ramage
* Mark Lawrence
* Nigel Whitehouse
Source:

## Pools and format

| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D |
| Australia  Ireland  Argentina  Namibia  Romania | France  United States  Japan  Fiji  Scotland | South Africa  England  Samoa  Georgia  Uruguay | New Zealand  Wales  Italy  Canada  Tonga |
Following criticism of the complex format used in the 1999 Rugby World Cup a new simpler format was introduced and the twenty teams were divided into four pools of five nations, with the top two in each pool moving on to the knock-out quarter-final stage. With forty matches to be played in the pool stage on top of the knock-out matches would make the event the largest Rugby World Cup tournament to be played to date. For the first time, a bonus point system was implemented in pool play. This system is identical to that long used in Southern Hemisphere tournaments, and was soon adopted in most European competitions (though not in the Six Nations until 2017):
* 4 points for a win
* 2 points for a draw
* 0 points for a loss (before possible bonus points)
* 1 bonus point for scoring 4 or more tries, or a loss by 7 points or fewer
A total of 48 matches (40 pool stage and eight knock-out) were played throughout the tournament over 42 days from 10 October to 22 November 2003.

## Summary
### Pool stage

The Australian media criticised the competition early in the tournament as the smaller nations were crushed by the rugby superpowers by 60 points or more, in particular a 142–0 victory by the host nation over Namibia, the largest winning margin in Rugby World Cup history. However, some of these smaller, third-tier nations, such as Japan, acquitted themselves well in their opening matches. The South Pacific island countries of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa were reported as being handicapped by several of their foreign-based key players being warned by their clubs that their contracts would not be renewed if they played in the competition.
The pool stage of the competition played out largely as expected, with some tension as to whether some of the "developing" nations would overtake some of the weaker major countries for the second quarter-final qualification place in each pool – in Pool A, Argentina lost to Ireland by only one point, when a victory would have carried them into the quarter-finals in Ireland's place; in Pool B, Fiji narrowly missed out on a quarter-final berth, having led Scotland 20–15 with five minutes to go in their deciding match, only for a yellow card to lock Apenisa Naevo to allow Scotland to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with a late converted try; in Pool D, Italy, despite missing the knockout stage, put up a good performance with two victories. In Pool C, Samoa gave England a fright with an adventurous approach that allowed them to take an early lead, but England overcame the early deficit and eventually won. This match was marked by controversy, as England technically fielded 16 players for 30 seconds during the game when Dan Luger came onto the pitch in substitution for Mike Tindall, who was receiving treatment for an injury but still on the pitch. England were fined £10,000 as a result.
The big clashes ran mainly to form. South Africa came through the pool in second place, after they lost to England, which meant a quarter-final against New Zealand. Australia, however, only beat Ireland by one point to top their pool, while Wales pushed the All Blacks to the wire in arguably the most entertaining game of the entire tournament; adopting a hyper-attacking style of play, they led 37–33 with just 20 minutes left, but New Zealand eventually proved too much in the 12-try thriller. France meanwhile routed Scotland to set up a quarter-final against Ireland.

### Knockout stage

The quarter-final stage produced the widely predicted set of semi-finalists, although England again made heavy weather of defeating a resurgent Wales. England were widely rated the world's best team, but they struggled, at least in the first half, against a Welsh side full of belief after their game against New Zealand. However, spurred into action after the tactical substitution of Catt for Luger and by a Will Greenwood try, set up by a remarkable run by Jason Robinson from inside his own half, England pulled away in the second half, until a late Welsh try gave the scoreline the respectability that their first-half performance had deserved. France destroyed an Irish side who had gone into the match hopeful of a win, scoring 31 early points to put the game out of reach. In the other quarter-finals, a disappointing South Africa fell to a clinical New Zealand and Australia comprehensively defeated the Scots.
The first semi-final produced the first significant upset of the tournament, when Australia defeated the fancied New Zealand to become the first defending champions to reach the following championship final. Unfortunately, it was the last match for Australian star Ben Darwin, who badly injured his neck in a scrum. Although Darwin never played rugby again, the actions of Kees Meeuws – who immediately stopped exerting pressure when he heard the call "neck neck neck" – may well have saved his opponent's life and certainly prevented further injury. The match was decided by a Stirling Mortlock interception try, after a loose pass from highly rated All Blacks fly-half Carlos Spencer, and the excellent kicking of inside-centre Elton Flatley. George Gregan taunted his opponents in defeat with the comment, "Four more years boys, four more years".
The second semi-final saw France face England. The boot of Jonny Wilkinson was the difference between the two sides, with England coming out victors in torrential rain: although France scored the game's only try after an early English line-out error, they never seriously threatened the English line otherwise. With handling and place-kicking being so difficult in the wet and windy conditions (Wilkinson missed three kicks at goal, and Michalak missed four), England's superior forward pressure and territorial control forced France to concede a slew of penalties, of which Wilkinson kicked five, also adding three drop goals (two off his less-favoured right boot) - a remarkable display considering that the swirling winds made accurate kicking as difficult as the rain and mud made passing and running. French ill-discipline also cost them dear, with winger Christophe Dominici and flanker Serge Betsen both receiving yellow-cards for foul play: the former for a cynical trip on Jason Robinson, the latter for a late tackle on Wilkinson.
New Zealand played France in the third-place playoff, and New Zealand avenged their shock defeat to France in the semi-finals at the 1999 World Cup, running in 6 tries in a 40-13 demolition. Mils Muliaina and Doug Howlett scored a try a-piece, finishing as the tournament's joint-leading try-scorers with 7 tries.

### Final

The final between Australia and England was played at Sydney's Stadium Australia in front of a crowd of 82,957, and was refereed by veteran South African official André Watson, in so doing becoming the first, and so far only, referee to officiate two Rugby World Cup finals. Australia opened the scoring after they decided to run a penalty instead of kicking for touch. Lote Tuqiri beat England's right wing, Jason Robinson, to a high cross-field kick and went over for the first try, but Elton Flatley was not able to add the conversion.
The rest of the half was a tight affair, with England edging in front from applying pressure and Jonny Wilkinson's boot put them up to a 9–5 lead after Australian indiscipline gave away several penalties, but were unable to capitalise on their territory. Towards the end of the first half, England stretched their lead further. Lawrence Dallaglio made a break and popped the ball inside to Jonny Wilkinson, who drew the defence before putting Robinson away in the corner for a try. The conversion was missed, but England went in at half time leading by 14–5.
In the second half Australia tightened their discipline, and solid play forced mistakes from England. The game swung from end to end, with both sides having try-scoring opportunities, but neither able to take them. Australia managed to get points on the board and Elton Flatley scored two penalties to make the score 14–11 to England. In the 79th minute, Australia were putting pressure on England in their half, and Australia were awarded a penalty right before full-time, with the potential to tie the scores. Flatley converted it to make the score 14–14 and take the game into an additional 20 minutes' extra time.
England opened the scoring in extra time with another Wilkinson penalty, but with two and a half minutes of extra time remaining Australia were awarded another penalty, which Flatley kicked successfully. With 20 seconds left before sudden death, Wilkinson scored a drop goal to win the match and with it the world championship.

### Post-final

After the final, Australian Prime Minister John Howard was widely criticised for his behaviour during the presentation ceremony. The offhand manner in which he presented the Webb Ellis Cup to the England captain was seen by many as a graceless piece of bad sportsmanship not befitting such a climactic sporting spectacle.
Three days after the final, the World Cup winning England team landed at Heathrow Airport in the early hours of the morning, emerging from their plane to a huge reception, despite the time. On 8 December, a national day of celebration took place in the form of a massive victory parade in the streets of London.

## Pool stage
### Pool A

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | Qualification |
| Australia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 273 | 32 | +241 | 2 | 18 | Quarter-finals |
| Ireland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 141 | 56 | +85 | 3 | 15 | Quarter-finals |
| Argentina | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 140 | 57 | +83 | 3 | 11 | |
| Romania | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 65 | 192 | −127 | 1 | 5 | |
| Namibia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 310 | −282 | 0 | 0 | |
* 10 October 2003
| Australia | 24–8 | Argentina |
| Try: Sailor 20' Roff 74' Con: Flatley Pen: Flatley (4) | | Try: Corleto 72' Pen: M. Contepomi |
* Stadium Australia, Sydney Attendance: 81,350 Referee: Paul Honiss (New Zealand)
* 11 October 2003
| Ireland | 45–17 | Romania |
| Try: S. Horgan Wood Hickie (2) Costello Con: Humphreys (3) O'Gara Pen: Humphreys (4) | | Try: Penalty try Maftei Con: Tofan Vioreanu Pen: Tofan |
* Central Coast Stadium, Gosford Attendance: 19,123 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
* 14 October 2003
| Argentina | 67–14 | Namibia |
| Try: Méndez Bouza (2) J. Fernández Miranda Penalty try (2) Gaitán (3) N. Fernández Miranda Con: Quesada (7) Pen: Quesada | | Try: Grobler Husselman Con: Wessels (2) |
* Central Coast Stadium, Gosford Attendance: 17,887 Referee: Nigel Williams (Wales)
* 18 October 2003
| Australia | 90–8 | Romania |
| Try: Flatley Rogers (3) Burke (2) Larkham (2) Mortlock Roff Giteau Tuqiri Smith Con: Flatley (11) Pen: Flatley | | Try: Toderașc Pen: Tofan |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 48,778 Referee: Pablo De Luca (Argentina)
* 19 October 2003
| Ireland | 64–7 | Namibia |
| Try: Quinlan (2) Dempsey Hickie Horan Miller (2) G. Easterby S. Horgan Kelly Con: O'Gara (7) | | Try: Powell Con: Wessels |
* Aussie Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 35,382 Referee: Andrew Cole (Australia)
* 22 October 2003
| Argentina | 50–3 | Romania |
| Try: Gaitán Hernández (2) M. Contepomi N. Fernández Miranda Bouza (2) Con: J. Fernández Miranda (4) Quesada (2) Pen: J. Fernández Miranda | | Pen: Tofan |
* Aussie Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 33,673 Referee: Chris White (England)
* 25 October 2003
| Australia | 142–0 | Namibia |
| Try: Latham (5) Lyons Mortlock Tuqiri (3) Penalty try Rogers (2) Paul Giteau (3) Grey Turinui (2) Burke Roe Con: Rogers (16) | | |
* Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Attendance: 28,196 Referee: Joël Jutge (France)
Largest winning margin in Rugby World Cup history.
* 26 October 2003
| Argentina | 15–16 | Ireland |
| Pen: Quesada (3) Drop: Quesada Corleto | | Try: Quinlan Con: Humphreys Pen: Humphreys O'Gara (2) |
* Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Attendance: 30,203 Referee: André Watson (South Africa)
* 30 October 2003
| Namibia | 7–37 | Romania |
| Try: Isaacs Con: Wessels | | Try: Petrechei Sîrbu Chiriac Teodorescu Săuan Con: Tofan (3) Pen: Tofan (2) |
* York Park, Launceston Attendance: 15,457 Referee: Peter Marshall (Australia)
* 1 November 2003
| Australia | 17–16 | Ireland |
| Try: Smith Pen: Flatley (3) Drop: Gregan | | Try: O'Driscoll Con: O'Gara Pen: O'Gara (2) Drop: O'Driscoll |
* Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Attendance: 54,206 Referee: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand)

### Pool B

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | Qualification |
| France | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 204 | 70 | +134 | 4 | 20 | Quarter-finals |
| Scotland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 102 | 97 | +5 | 2 | 14 | Quarter-finals |
| Fiji | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 98 | 114 | −16 | 2 | 10 | |
| United States | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 86 | 125 | −39 | 2 | 6 | |
| Japan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 79 | 163 | −84 | 0 | 0 | |
* 11 October 2003
| France | 61–18 | Fiji |
| Try: Dominici (2) Harinordoquy Jauzion (3) Ibañez Con: Michalak (4) Pen: Michalak (6) | | Try: Naevo Caucaunibuca Con: Little Pen: Little (2) |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 46,795 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
* 12 October 2003
| Scotland | 32–11 | Japan |
| Try: Paterson (2) Grimes Taylor Danielli Con: Paterson Townsend Pen: Paterson | | Try: Onozawa Pen: Hirose (2) |
* Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville Attendance: 19,170 Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
* 15 October 2003
| Fiji | 19–18 | United States |
| Try: Naevo Con: Little Pen: Little (4) | | Try: Van Zyl Schubert Con: Hercus Pen: Hercus (2) |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 30,990 Referee: Joël Jutge (France)
* 18 October 2003
| France | 51–29 | Japan |
| Try: Michalak Rougerie (2) Pelous Dominici Crenca Con: Michalak (5) Merceron Pen: Michalak (3) | | Try: Konia Ohata Con: Kurihara (2) Pen: Kurihara (5) |
* Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville Attendance: 21,309 Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland)
* 20 October 2003
| Scotland | 39–15 | United States |
| Try: Danielli (2) Kerr Townsend Paterson Con: Paterson (4) Pen: Paterson (2) | | Pen: Hercus (5) |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 46,796 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
* 23 October 2003
| Fiji | 41–13 | Japan |
| Try: Tuilevu (2) Ligairi (2) Vunibaka Con: Little (2) Pen: Little (4) | | Try: Miller Con: Miller Pen: Miller Drop: Miller |
* Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville Attendance: 17,269 Referee: Nigel Williams (Wales)
Andy Miller's drop goal, at 52 metres, remains the longest in Rugby World Cup history.
* 25 October 2003
| France | 51–9 | Scotland |
| Try: Betsen Harinordoquy Michalak Galthié Brusque Con: Michalak (3) Merceron Pen: Michalak (4) Drop: Michalak Brusque | | Pen: Paterson (3) |
* Stadium Australia, Sydney Attendance: 78,974 Referee: David McHugh (Ireland)
* 27 October 2003
| Japan | 26–39 | United States |
| Try: Kurihara Ohata Con: Kurihara (2) Pen: Kurihara (4) | | Try: Hercus Eloff Schubert Van Zyl Khasigian Con: Hercus (4) Pen: Hercus (2) |
* Central Coast Stadium, Gosford Attendance: 19,653 Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
* 31 October 2003
| France | 41–14 | United States |
| Try: Liebenberg (3) Poux Bru Con: Merceron (2) Pen: Merceron (3) Drop: Yachvili | | Try: Hercus Schubert Con: Hercus (2) |
* WIN Stadium, Wollongong Attendance: 17,833 Referee: Paul Honiss (New Zealand)
* 1 November 2003
| Scotland | 22–20 | Fiji |
| Try: Smith Con: Paterson Pen: Paterson (5) | | Try: Caucaunibuca (2) Con: Little (2) Pen: Little (2) |
* Aussie Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 37,137 Referee: Tony Spreadbury (England)

### Pool C

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | Qualification |
| England | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 255 | 47 | +208 | 3 | 19 | Quarter-finals |
| South Africa | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 184 | 60 | +124 | 3 | 15 | Quarter-finals |
| Samoa | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 138 | 117 | +21 | 2 | 10 | |
| Uruguay | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 56 | 255 | −199 | 0 | 4 | |
| Georgia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 46 | 200 | −154 | 0 | 0 | |
* 11 October 2003
| South Africa | 72–6 | Uruguay |
| Try: Van der Westhuizen (3) Van Niekerk Botha (2) Delport Fourie Bands Rossouw Scholtz Greef Con: Koen (5) Hougaard | | Pen: Aguirre (2) |
* Subiaco Oval, Perth Attendance: 16,906 Referee: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand)
* 12 October 2003
| England | 84–6 | Georgia |
| Try: Tindall Dawson Thompson Back Dallaglio Greenwood (2) Regan Cohen (2) Robinson Luger Con: Wilkinson (5) Grayson (4) Pen: Wilkinson (2) | | Pen: Urjukashvili Jimsheladze |
* Subiaco Oval, Perth Attendance: 25,501 Referee: Pablo De Luca (Argentina)
* 15 October 2003
| Samoa | 60–13 | Uruguay |
| Try: Fa'asavalu (2) Lima (2) Tagicakibau Fa'atau Lemalu Vili Fe'aunati Palepoi Con: Va'a (3) Vili (2) | | Try: Capó Lemoine Pen: Aguirre |
* Subiaco Oval, Perth Attendance: 22,020 Referee: David McHugh (Ireland)
* 18 October 2003
| South Africa | 6–25 | England |
| Pen: Koen (2) | | Try: Greenwood Con: Wilkinson Pen: Wilkinson (4) Drop: Wilkinson (2) |
* Subiaco Oval, Perth Attendance: 38,834 Referee: Peter Marshall (Australia)
* 19 October 2003
| Georgia | 9–46 | Samoa |
| Pen: Jimsheladze (2) Drop: Jimsheladze | | Try: Tagicakibau Va'a Sititi So'oialo Fe'aunati Lima Con: Va'a (5) Pen: Va'a (2) |
* Subiaco Oval, Perth Attendance: 21,507 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
* 24 October 2003
| South Africa | 46–19 | Georgia |
| Try: Rossouw (2) Hougaard Van Niekerk Fourie Botha Burger Con: Hougaard (4) Pen: Hougaard | | Try: Dadunashvili Con: Jimsheladze Pen: Jimsheladze (3) Kvirikashvili |
* Aussie Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 34,308 Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
* 26 October 2003
| England | 35–22 | Samoa |
| Try: Back Penalty try Balshaw Vickery Con: Wilkinson (3) Pen: Wilkinson (2) Drop: Wilkinson | | Try: Sititi Con: Va'a Pen: Va'a (5) |
* Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Attendance: 50,647 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
* 28 October 2003
| Georgia | 12–24 | Uruguay |
| Pen: Urjukashvili Kvirikashvili (3) | | Try: Cardoso Lamelas Brignoni Con: Aguirre (2) Menchaca Pen: Menchaca |
* Aussie Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 28,576 Referee: Kelvin Deaker (New Zealand)
* 1 November 2003
| South Africa | 60–10 | Samoa |
| Try: Van Niekerk Muller Hougaard Smith Willemse Fourie Van der Westhuyzen De Kock Con: Hougaard (5) Koen (2) Pen: Hougaard Drop: Hougaard | | Try: Palepoi Con: Va'a Pen: Va'a |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 48,496 Referee: Chris White (England)
* 2 November 2003
| England | 111–13 | Uruguay |
| Try: Moody Lewsey (5) Balshaw (2) Catt (2) Gomarsall (2) Luger Abbott Robinson (2) Greenwood Con: Grayson (11) Catt (2) | | Try: Lemoine Con: Menchaca Pen: Menchaca (2) |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 46,233 Referee: Nigel Williams (Wales)

### Pool D

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | Qualification |
| New Zealand | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 282 | 57 | +225 | 4 | 20 | Quarter-finals |
| Wales | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 132 | 98 | +34 | 2 | 14 | Quarter-finals |
| Italy | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 77 | 123 | −46 | 0 | 8 | |
| Canada | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 54 | 135 | −81 | 1 | 5 | |
| Tonga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 46 | 178 | −132 | 1 | 1 | |
* 11 October 2003
| New Zealand | 70–7 | Italy |
| Try: B. Thorn R. Thorne Howlett (2) Spencer (2) Rokocoko (2) Marshall Carter MacDonald Con: Carter (6) Pen: Spencer | | Try: Phillips Con: Peens |
* Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Attendance: 41,715 Referee: Andrew Cole (Australia)
* 12 October 2003
| Wales | 41–10 | Canada |
| Try: Parker Cooper M. Jones Charvis Thomas Con: Harris (5) Pen: Harris (2) | | Try: Tkachuk Con: Pritchard Drop: Ross |
* Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Attendance: 24,874 Referee: Chris White (England)
* 15 October 2003
| Italy | 36–12 | Tonga |
| Try: M. Dallan D. Dallan (2) Con: Wakarua (3) Pen: Wakarua (5) | | Try: Payne Tuʻifua Con: Tuipulotu |
* Canberra Stadium, Canberra Attendance: 18,967 Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
* 17 October 2003
| New Zealand | 68–6 | Canada |
| Try: Ralph (2) So'oialo (2) Muliaina (4) Meeuws Nonu Con: Carter (9) | | Pen: Barker (2) |
* Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Attendance: 38,899 Referee: Tony Spreadbury (England)
* 19 October 2003
| Wales | 27–20 | Tonga |
| Try: Cooper M. Williams Con: S. Jones Pen: S. Jones (4) Drop: M. Williams | | Try: Hola Kivalu Lavaka Con: Hola Pen: Hola |
* Canberra Stadium, Canberra Attendance: 19,806 Referee: Paul Honiss (New Zealand)
* 21 October 2003
| Italy | 19–14 | Canada |
| Try: Parisse Con: Wakarua Pen: Wakarua (4) | | Try: Fyffe Pen: Barker (3) |
* Canberra Stadium, Canberra Attendance: 20,515 Referee: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand)
* 24 October 2003
| New Zealand | 91–7 | Tonga |
| Try: Braid Carter Flynn Ralph (2) Spencer Meeuws Penalty try Muliaina (2) MacDonald Howlett (2) Con: MacDonald (12) Spencer | | Try: Hola Con: Tuipulotu |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 47,588 Referee: Pablo De Luca (Argentina)
* 25 October 2003
| Italy | 15–27 | Wales |
| Pen: Wakarua (5) | | Try: M. Jones Parker D. Jones Con: Harris (3) Pen: Harris (2) |
* Canberra Stadium, Canberra Attendance: 22,641 Referee: Andrew Cole (Australia)
* 29 October 2003
| Canada | 24–7 | Tonga |
| Try: Fauth Abrams Con: Pritchard Pen: Ross (4) | | Try: Kivalu Con: Hola |
* WIN Stadium, Wollongong Attendance: 15,630 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
* 2 November 2003
| New Zealand | 53–37 | Wales |
| Try: Rokocoko (2) MacDonald Williams Howlett (2) Spencer Mauger Con: MacDonald (5) Pen: MacDonald | | Try: Taylor Parker Charvis S. Williams Con: S. Jones (4) Pen: S. Jones (3) |
* Stadium Australia, Sydney Attendance: 80,012 Referee: André Watson (South Africa)

## Knockout stage

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| 8 November – Melbourne | 8 November – Melbourne | | | |
| New Zealand | 29 | | | |
| New Zealand | 29 | 15 November – Sydney (Telstra) | 15 November – Sydney (Telstra) | | |
| South Africa | 9 | 15 November – Sydney (Telstra) | 15 November – Sydney (Telstra) | |
| South Africa | 9 | New Zealand | 10 | |
| 8 November – Brisbane | 8 November – Brisbane | | New Zealand | 10 | |
| 8 November – Brisbane | 8 November – Brisbane | Australia | 22 | |
| Australia | 33 | Australia | 22 | |
| Australia | 33 | | | | 22 November – Sydney (Telstra) | 22 November – Sydney (Telstra) |
| Scotland | 16 | | | | 22 November – Sydney (Telstra) | 22 November – Sydney (Telstra) |
| Scotland | 16 | | | | Australia | 17 |
| 9 November – Melbourne | 9 November – Melbourne | | | | | Australia | 17 |
| 9 November – Melbourne | 9 November – Melbourne | | | | England (a.e.t.) | 20 |
| France | 43 | | | | England (a.e.t.) | 20 |
| France | 43 | 16 November – Sydney (Telstra) | 16 November – Sydney (Telstra) | | | |
| Ireland | 21 | 16 November – Sydney (Telstra) | 16 November – Sydney (Telstra) | | | |
| Ireland | 21 | France | 7 | | | |
| 9 November – Brisbane | 9 November – Brisbane | | France | 7 | | | |
| 9 November – Brisbane | 9 November – Brisbane | England | 24 | | Third place | Third place |
| England | 28 | England | 24 | | Third place | Third place |
| England | 28 | | | | 20 November – Sydney (Telstra) | 20 November – Sydney (Telstra) |
| Wales | 17 | | | | 20 November – Sydney (Telstra) | 20 November – Sydney (Telstra) |
| Wales | 17 | | | | New Zealand | 40 |
| | | | | | France | 13 |

### Quarter-finals

* 8 November 2003
| New Zealand | 29–9 | South Africa |
| Try: MacDonald 16' c Mealamu 59' m Rokocoko 72' m Con: MacDonald Pen: MacDonald (3) Drop: Mauger 45' | | Pen: Hougaard (3) |
* Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Attendance: 40,734 Referee: Tony Spreadbury (England)
* 8 November 2003
| Australia | 33–16 | Scotland |
| Try: Mortlock 46' c Gregan 59' c Lyons 64' c Con: Flatley (3) Pen: Flatley (4) | | Try: Russell 80' c Con: Paterson Pen: Paterson (2) Drop: Paterson 38' |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 45,412 Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
* 9 November 2003
| France | 43–21 | Ireland |
| Try: Magne 3' c Dominici 29' c Harinordoquy 33' c Crenca 47' c Con: Michalak (4) 4', 31', 34', 48' Pen: Michalak (5) 21', 39', 42', 60', 72' | Report | Try: Maggs 52' c O'Driscoll (2) 65' c, 80+2' c Con: Humphreys (3) 53', 66', 81' |
* Docklands Stadium, Melbourne Attendance: 33,134 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
* 9 November 2003
| England | 28–17 | Wales |
| Try: Greenwood 44' c Con: Wilkinson Pen: Wilkinson (6) Drop: Wilkinson 80+1' | | Try: S. Jones 30' m Charvis 35' m M. Williams 71' c Con: Harris |
* Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 45,252 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)

### Semi-finals

* 15 November 2003
| New Zealand | 10–22 | Australia |
| Try: Thorne 35' c Con: MacDonald Pen: MacDonald | | Try: Mortlock 9' c Con: Flatley Pen: Flatley (5) |
* Stadium Australia, Sydney Attendance: 82,444 Referee: Chris White (England)
* 16 November 2003
| France | 7–24 | England |
| Try: Betsen 10' c Con: Michalak | | Pen: Wilkinson (5) Drop: Wilkinson (3) 9', 38', 58' |
* Stadium Australia, Sydney Attendance: 82,346 Referee: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand)

### Third-place play-off

* 20 November 2003
| New Zealand | 40–13 | France |
| Try: Jack 12' c Howlett 20' c Rokocoko 51' c Thorn 54' c Muliaina 58' c Holah 72' m Con: MacDonald Carter (4) | | Try: Elhorga 42' c Con: Yachvili Pen: Yachvili Drop: Yachvili |
* Stadium Australia, Sydney Attendance: 62,712 Referee: Chris White (England)

### Final

* 22 November 2003
| Australia | 17–20 (a.e.t.) | England |
| Try: Tuqiri 6' m Pen: Flatley (4) | Report | Try: Robinson 38' m Pen: Wilkinson (4) Drop: Wilkinson 100' |
* Stadium Australia, Sydney Attendance: 82,957 Referee: André Watson (South Africa)

## Statistics

The tournament's top point scorer was England's Jonny Wilkinson, who scored 113 points. Doug Howlett and Mils Muliaina scored the most tries, seven in total.
| Player | Team | Position | Played | Tries | Conv­ersions | Penal­ties | Drop goals | Total points | Yellow cards |
| Jonny Wilkinson | England | Fly-half | 6 | 0 | 10 | 23 | 8 | 113 | 0 |
| Frédéric Michalak | France | Fly-half | 6 | 2 | 17 | 18 | 1 | 101 | 0 |
| Elton Flatley | Australia | Centre | 6 | 1 | 16 | 21 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
| Leon MacDonald | New Zealand | Centre | 7 | 4 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 75 | 0 |
| Chris Paterson | Scotland | Fly-half | 5 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 71 | 0 |
| Mat Rogers | Australia | Full-back | 7 | 5 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 1 |
| Mike Hercus | United States | Fly-half | 4 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 51 | 0 |
| Rima Wakarua | Italy | Fly-half | 3 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 50 | 0 |
| Earl Va'a | Samoa | Fly-half | 4 | 1 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
| Dan Carter | New Zealand | Fly-half | 5 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 0 |

## Broadcasters

The event was broadcast by Seven Network and Fox Sports in Australia and by ITV in the United Kingdom.