# 2015 Rugby World Cup knockout stage

The knockout stage of the 2015 Rugby World Cup began on 17 October with two quarter-finals and concluded on 31 October with the final at Twickenham Stadium in London with all matches played over the course of three consecutive weekends.

## Qualified teams

Australia went unbeaten to finish in first place in Pool A, with Wales in second place. In Pool B, South Africa finished top despite losing their opening match against Japan, ahead of Scotland in second place. New Zealand also went unbeaten as winners of Pool C, with Argentina in second. Pool D was topped by Northern Hemisphere teams, with Ireland coming first and France in second.
| Pool | Winners | Runners-up |
| A | Australia | Wales |
| B | South Africa | Scotland |
| C | New Zealand | Argentina |
| D | Ireland | France |

## Bracket

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| 17 October – Twickenham Stadium | 17 October – Twickenham Stadium | | | |
| South Africa | 23 | | | |
| South Africa | 23 | 24 October – Twickenham Stadium | 24 October – Twickenham Stadium | | |
| Wales | 19 | 24 October – Twickenham Stadium | 24 October – Twickenham Stadium | |
| Wales | 19 | South Africa | 18 | |
| 17 October – Millennium Stadium | 17 October – Millennium Stadium | | South Africa | 18 | |
| 17 October – Millennium Stadium | 17 October – Millennium Stadium | New Zealand | 20 | |
| New Zealand | 62 | New Zealand | 20 | |
| New Zealand | 62 | | | | 31 October – Twickenham Stadium | 31 October – Twickenham Stadium |
| France | 13 | | | | 31 October – Twickenham Stadium | 31 October – Twickenham Stadium |
| France | 13 | | | | New Zealand | 34 |
| 18 October – Millennium Stadium | 18 October – Millennium Stadium | | | | | New Zealand | 34 |
| 18 October – Millennium Stadium | 18 October – Millennium Stadium | | | | Australia | 17 |
| Ireland | 20 | | | | Australia | 17 |
| Ireland | 20 | 25 October – Twickenham Stadium | 25 October – Twickenham Stadium | | | |
| Argentina | 43 | 25 October – Twickenham Stadium | 25 October – Twickenham Stadium | | | |
| Argentina | 43 | Argentina | 15 | | | |
| 18 October – Twickenham Stadium | 18 October – Twickenham Stadium | | Argentina | 15 | | | |
| 18 October – Twickenham Stadium | 18 October – Twickenham Stadium | Australia | 29 | | Third place | Third place |
| Australia | 35 | Australia | 29 | | Third place | Third place |
| Australia | 35 | | | | 30 October – Olympic Stadium | 30 October – Olympic Stadium |
| Scotland | 34 | | | | 30 October – Olympic Stadium | 30 October – Olympic Stadium |
| Scotland | 34 | | | | South Africa | 24 |
| | | | | | Argentina | 13 |

## Quarter-finals
### South Africa vs Wales

* 17 October 2015 16:00 BST (UTC+01)
| South Africa | 23–19 | Wales |
| Try: Du Preez 75' m Pen: Pollard (5/7) 9', 13', 17', 21', 62' Drop: Pollard 52' | Report | Try: G. Davies 18' c Con: Biggar (1/1) 19' Pen: Biggar (3/4) 15', 47', 64' Drop: Biggar 40' |
* Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 79,572 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
| South Africa | Wales |
| FB | 15 | Willie le Roux |
| RW | 14 | JP Pietersen |
| OC | 13 | Jesse Kriel | 68' |
| IC | 12 | Damian de Allende |
| LW | 11 | Bryan Habana |
| FH | 10 | Handré Pollard | 77' |
| SH | 9 | Fourie du Preez (c) |
| N8 | 8 | Duane Vermeulen |
| OF | 7 | Schalk Burger |
| BF | 6 | Francois Louw | 68' |
| RL | 5 | Lood de Jager |
| LL | 4 | Eben Etzebeth | 68' |
| TP | 3 | Frans Malherbe | 61' |
| HK | 2 | Bismarck du Plessis | 12' to 24' | 12' to 24' | 56' |
| LP | 1 | Tendai Mtawarira | 57' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Adriaan Strauss | 12' | 24' | 56' |
| PR | 17 | Trevor Nyakane | 57' |
| PR | 18 | Jannie du Plessis | 61' |
| LK | 19 | Pieter-Steph du Toit | 68' |
| FL | 20 | Willem Alberts | 68' |
| SH | 21 | Ruan Pienaar |
| FH | 22 | Pat Lambie | 77' |
| CE | 23 | Jan Serfontein | 68' |
| Coach: ||
| Heyneke Meyer ||
| FB | 15 | Gareth Anscombe |
| RW | 14 | Alex Cuthbert |
| OC | 13 | Tyler Morgan | 68' |
| IC | 12 | Jamie Roberts |
| LW | 11 | George North |
| FH | 10 | Dan Biggar | 74' |
| SH | 9 | Gareth Davies | 71' |
| N8 | 8 | Taulupe Faletau |
| OF | 7 | Sam Warburton (c) |
| BF | 6 | Dan Lydiate | 68' |
| RL | 5 | Alun Wyn Jones |
| LL | 4 | Luke Charteris | 64' |
| TP | 3 | Samson Lee | 56' |
| HK | 2 | Scott Baldwin | 57' |
| LP | 1 | Gethin Jenkins | 56' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Ken Owens | 57' |
| PR | 17 | Paul James | 56' |
| PR | 18 | Tomas Francis | 56' |
| LK | 19 | Bradley Davies | 64' |
| FL | 20 | Justin Tipuric | 68' |
| SH | 21 | Lloyd Williams | 71' |
| FH | 22 | Rhys Priestland | 74' |
| CE | 23 | James Hook | 68' |
| Coach: ||
| Warren Gatland ||
* Man of the Match:
* Schalk Burger (South Africa)
* Touch judges:
* George Clancy (Ireland)
* JP Doyle (England)
* Television match official:
* Graham Hughes (England)

### New Zealand vs France

* 17 October 2015 20:00 BST (UTC+01)
| New Zealand | 62–13 | France |
| Try: Retallick 11' c Milner-Skudder 23' c Savea (3) 29' c, 38' m, 59' c Kaino 50' m Read 64' c Kerr-Barlow (2) 68' c, 71' c Con: Carter (7/9) 12', 25', 31', 60', 65', 68', 72' Pen: Carter (1/1) 7' | Report | Try: Picamoles 36' c Con: Parra (1/1) 37' Pen: Spedding (1/1) 9' Parra (1/2) 15' |
* Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 71,619 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
| New Zealand | France |
| FB | 15 | Ben Smith |
| RW | 14 | Nehe Milner-Skudder | 40' |
| OC | 13 | Conrad Smith | 52' |
| IC | 12 | Ma'a Nonu |
| LW | 11 | Julian Savea |
| FH | 10 | Dan Carter |
| SH | 9 | Aaron Smith | 65' |
| N8 | 8 | Kieran Read |
| OF | 7 | Richie McCaw (c) | 69' |
| BF | 6 | Jerome Kaino | 65' |
| RL | 5 | Sam Whitelock |
| LL | 4 | Brodie Retallick |
| TP | 3 | Owen Franks | 51' |
| HK | 2 | Dane Coles | 60' |
| LP | 1 | Wyatt Crockett | 25' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Keven Mealamu | 60' |
| PR | 17 | Joe Moody | 25' |
| PR | 18 | Charlie Faumuina | 51' |
| N8 | 19 | Victor Vito | 65' |
| FL | 20 | Sam Cane | 69' |
| SH | 21 | Tawera Kerr-Barlow | 65' |
| FH | 22 | Beauden Barrett | 40' |
| CE | 23 | Sonny Bill Williams | 52' |
| Coach: ||
| Steve Hansen ||
| FB | 15 | Scott Spedding |
| RW | 14 | Noa Nakaitaci |
| OC | 13 | Alexandre Dumoulin | | 61' |
| IC | 12 | Wesley Fofana |
| LW | 11 | Brice Dulin |
| FH | 10 | Frédéric Michalak | | 12' |
| SH | 9 | Morgan Parra | | 69' |
| N8 | 8 | Louis Picamoles | 47' | 72' |
| OF | 7 | Bernard Le Roux |
| BF | 6 | Thierry Dusautoir (c) |
| RL | 5 | Yoann Maestri |
| LL | 4 | Pascal Papé | | 48' |
| TP | 3 | Rabah Slimani | | 61' |
| HK | 2 | Guilhem Guirado | | 57' |
| LP | 1 | Eddy Ben Arous | | 61' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Dimitri Szarzewski | | 57' |
| PR | 17 | Vincent Debaty | | 61' |
| PR | 18 | Nicolas Mas | | 61' |
| N8 | 19 | Damien Chouly | | 72' |
| FL | 20 | Yannick Nyanga | | 48' |
| SH | 21 | Rory Kockott | | 69' |
| FH | 22 | Rémi Talès | | 12' |
| CE | 23 | Mathieu Bastareaud | | 61' |
| Coach: ||
| Philippe Saint-André ||
* Man of the Match:
* Julian Savea (New Zealand)
* Touch judges:
* Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
* John Lacey (Ireland)
* Television match official:
* Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
Notes:
* This was the largest winning margin in a Rugby World Cup knockout stage match, surpassing the 43-point winning margin New Zealand set against Wales in 1987.
* The nine tries scored by New Zealand is the most scored by one team in a Rugby World Cup knockout stage match.
* With his hat-trick of tries in this match, Julian Savea equalled Jonah Lomu and Bryan Habana's single-tournament record of eight tries.

### Ireland vs Argentina

* 18 October 2015 13:00 BST (UTC+01)
| Ireland | 20–43 | Argentina |
| Try: Fitzgerald 26' c Murphy 44' c Con: Madigan (2/2) 27', 45' Pen: Madigan (2/4) 20', 53' | Report | Try: Moroni 3' c Imhoff (2) 10' c, 73' c Tuculet 69' c Con: Sánchez (4/4) 5', 10', 70', 74' Pen: Sánchez (5/6) 13', 22', 51', 64', 77' |
* Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 72,316 Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
| Ireland | Argentina |
| FB | 15 | Rob Kearney |
| RW | 14 | Tommy Bowe | 13' |
| OC | 13 | Keith Earls |
| IC | 12 | Robbie Henshaw |
| LW | 11 | Dave Kearney |
| FH | 10 | Ian Madigan |
| SH | 9 | Conor Murray | 70' |
| N8 | 8 | Jamie Heaslip (c) |
| OF | 7 | Chris Henry |
| BF | 6 | Jordi Murphy | 70' |
| RL | 5 | Iain Henderson | 71' |
| LL | 4 | Devin Toner |
| TP | 3 | Mike Ross | 51' |
| HK | 2 | Rory Best | 66' |
| LP | 1 | Cian Healy | 51' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Richardt Strauss | 66' |
| PR | 17 | Jack McGrath | 51' |
| PR | 18 | Nathan White | 51' |
| LK | 19 | Donnacha Ryan | 71' |
| FL | 20 | Rhys Ruddock | 70' |
| SH | 21 | Eoin Reddan | 70' |
| FH | 22 | Paddy Jackson |
| WG | 23 | Luke Fitzgerald | 13' |
| Coach: ||
| Joe Schmidt ||
| FB | 15 | Joaquín Tuculet |
| RW | 14 | Santiago Cordero |
| OC | 13 | Matías Moroni | | 68' |
| IC | 12 | Juan Martín Hernández |
| LW | 11 | Juan Imhoff |
| FH | 10 | Nicolás Sánchez |
| SH | 9 | Martín Landajo | | 53' |
| N8 | 8 | Leonardo Senatore | | 23' | 28' | 51' |
| OF | 7 | Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe |
| BF | 6 | Pablo Matera |
| RL | 5 | Tomás Lavanini |
| LL | 4 | Guido Petti | | 60' |
| TP | 3 | Ramiro Herrera | 17' | | | 72' |
| HK | 2 | Agustín Creevy (c) | | 56' |
| LP | 1 | Marcos Ayerza | | 68' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Julián Montoya | | 56' |
| PR | 17 | Lucas Noguera Paz | | 68' |
| PR | 18 | Juan Pablo Orlandi | | 23' | 28' | 72' |
| LK | 19 | Matías Alemanno | | 60' |
| N8 | 20 | Facundo Isa | | | | 51' |
| SH | 21 | Tomás Cubelli | | 53' |
| CE | 22 | Jerónimo de la Fuente | | 68' |
| FB | 23 | Lucas González Amorosino |
| Coach: ||
| Daniel Hourcade ||
* Man of the Match:
* Nicolás Sánchez (Argentina)
* Touch judges:
* Romain Poite (France)
* Chris Pollock (New Zealand)
* Television match official:
* George Ayoub (Australia)
Notes:
* This was Argentina's first victory over Ireland since their 30–15 victory in the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
* This was Argentina's largest winning margin over Ireland, surpassing the 16-point margin recorded in June 2007.

### Australia vs Scotland

* 18 October 2015 16:00 BST (UTC+01)
| Australia | 35–34 | Scotland |
| Try: Ashley-Cooper 9' m Mitchell (2) 30' m, 43' c Hooper 40' m Kuridrani 64' c Con: Foley (2/5) 44', 65' Pen: Foley (2/2) 54', 80' | Report | Try: Horne 18' c Seymour 59' m Bennett 74' c Con: Laidlaw (2/3) 19', 75' Pen: Laidlaw (5/5) 14', 21', 34', 47', 69' |
* Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 77,110 Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
| Australia | Scotland |
| FB | 15 | Kurtley Beale |
| RW | 14 | Adam Ashley-Cooper |
| OC | 13 | Tevita Kuridrani |
| IC | 12 | Matt Giteau |
| LW | 11 | Drew Mitchell |
| FH | 10 | Bernard Foley |
| SH | 9 | Will Genia | 71' |
| N8 | 8 | Ben McCalman |
| OF | 7 | Michael Hooper |
| BF | 6 | Scott Fardy |
| RL | 5 | Rob Simmons | 66' |
| LL | 4 | Kane Douglas |
| TP | 3 | Sekope Kepu | 54' |
| HK | 2 | Stephen Moore (c) | 62' |
| LP | 1 | Scott Sio | 51' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Tatafu Polota-Nau | 62' |
| PR | 17 | James Slipper | 51' |
| PR | 18 | Greg Holmes | 54' |
| LK | 19 | Dean Mumm | 66' |
| FL | 20 | Sean McMahon |
| SH | 21 | Nick Phipps | 71' |
| CE | 22 | Matt To'omua |
| FH | 23 | Quade Cooper |
| Coach: ||
| Michael Cheika ||
| FB | 15 | Stuart Hogg |
| RW | 14 | Sean Maitland | 42' |
| OC | 13 | Mark Bennett |
| IC | 12 | Peter Horne | | 71' |
| LW | 11 | Tommy Seymour | | 63' |
| FH | 10 | Finn Russell |
| SH | 9 | Greig Laidlaw (c) |
| N8 | 8 | David Denton |
| OF | 7 | John Hardie |
| BF | 6 | Blair Cowan | | 67' |
| RL | 5 | Jonny Gray | | 67' |
| LL | 4 | Richie Gray |
| TP | 3 | WP Nel | | 75' |
| HK | 2 | Ross Ford | | 54' |
| LP | 1 | Alasdair Dickinson | | 47' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Fraser Brown | | 54' |
| PR | 17 | Gordon Reid | | 47' |
| PR | 18 | Jon Welsh | | 75' |
| LK | 19 | Tim Swinson | | 67' |
| N8 | 20 | Josh Strauss | | 67' |
| SH | 21 | Henry Pyrgos |
| CE | 22 | Richie Vernon | | 71' |
| WG | 23 | Sean Lamont | | 63' |
| Coach: ||
| Vern Cotter ||
* Man of the Match:
* Matt Giteau (Australia)
* Touch judges:
* Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
* Pascal Gaüzère (France)
* Television match official:
* Ben Skeen (New Zealand)
Notes:
* Fraser Brown and Tim Swinson were named to start, but after Ross Ford and Jonny Gray's three-match bans were overturned, they were named in the team minutes before kick off.
* Matt Giteau and Stephen Moore became the seventh and eighth Australian players to earn 100 test caps.
* The 34 points scored by Scotland were the most they had ever scored against Australia.
* After the match, World Rugby issued a statement over referee Craig Joubert's controversial decision to award a late penalty to Australia. The report concluded that while Joubert could not have consulted TMO at the time, his decision was in fact wrong, as the replay showed that Australia's Nick Phipps had played the ball before Scotland's Jon Welsh received it. The correct call should have been a scrum awarded to Australia for the original knock-on.

## Semi-finals

This was the first Rugby World Cup where no Northern Hemisphere team reached the semi-finals. The semi-final line-up consisted of the four Rugby Championship teams: New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Australia. Both matches were played at Twickenham which was also used for the same stage back in the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

### South Africa vs New Zealand

* 24 October 2015 16:00 BST (UTC+01)
| South Africa | 18–20 | New Zealand |
| Pen: Pollard (5/5) 3', 11', 21', 39', 58' Lambie (1/1) 69' | Report | Try: Kaino 6' c Barrett 52' c Con: Carter (2/2) 9', 53' Pen: Carter (1/2) 60' Drop: Carter 46' |
* Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 80,090 Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
| South Africa | New Zealand |
| FB | 15 | Willie le Roux |
| RW | 14 | JP Pietersen |
| OC | 13 | Jesse Kriel |
| IC | 12 | Damian de Allende | | 79' |
| LW | 11 | Bryan Habana | 52' |
| FH | 10 | Handré Pollard | | 65' |
| SH | 9 | Fourie du Preez (c) |
| N8 | 8 | Duane Vermeulen |
| OF | 7 | Schalk Burger | | | | 64' |
| BF | 6 | Francois Louw | | 29' to 35' | 29' to 35' |
| RL | 5 | Lood de Jager | | 60' |
| LL | 4 | Eben Etzebeth |
| TP | 3 | Frans Malherbe | | 60' |
| HK | 2 | Bismarck du Plessis | | 53' |
| LP | 1 | Tendai Mtawarira | | 53' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Adriaan Strauss | | 53' |
| PR | 17 | Trevor Nyakane | | 53' |
| PR | 18 | Jannie du Plessis | | 60' |
| LK | 19 | Victor Matfield | | 60' |
| FL | 20 | Willem Alberts | | 29' | 35' | 64' |
| SH | 21 | Ruan Pienaar |
| FH | 22 | Pat Lambie | | 65' |
| CE | 23 | Jan Serfontein | | 79' |
| Coach: ||
| Heyneke Meyer ||
| FB | 15 | Ben Smith |
| RW | 14 | Nehe Milner-Skudder | | 49' |
| OC | 13 | Conrad Smith |
| IC | 12 | Ma'a Nonu | | 52' |
| LW | 11 | Julian Savea |
| FH | 10 | Dan Carter |
| SH | 9 | Aaron Smith |
| N8 | 8 | Kieran Read |
| OF | 7 | Richie McCaw (c) |
| BF | 6 | Jerome Kaino | 39' | 67' |
| RL | 5 | Sam Whitelock |
| LL | 4 | Brodie Retallick |
| TP | 3 | Owen Franks | | 52' |
| HK | 2 | Dane Coles | | 67' |
| LP | 1 | Joe Moody | | 69' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Keven Mealamu | | 67' |
| PR | 17 | Ben Franks | | 69' |
| PR | 18 | Charlie Faumuina | | 52' |
| N8 | 19 | Victor Vito |
| FL | 20 | Sam Cane | | 67' |
| SH | 21 | Tawera Kerr-Barlow |
| FH | 22 | Beauden Barrett | | 49' |
| CE | 23 | Sonny Bill Williams | | 52' |
| Coach: ||
| Steve Hansen ||
* Man of the Match:
* Ben Smith (New Zealand)
* Touch judges:
* Romain Poite (France)
* John Lacey (Ireland)
* Television match official:
* George Ayoub (Australia)
Notes:
* New Zealand became the first team to reach four Rugby World Cup finals, having previously played in the 1987, 1995, and 2011 finals.
* New Zealand's Sonny Bill Williams, Jerome Kaino and Sam Whitelock played in a record 13 consecutive World Cup wins.

### Argentina vs Australia

* 25 October 2015 16:00 GMT (UTC+00)
| Argentina | 15–29 | Australia |
| Pen: Sánchez (5/5) 7', 24', 36', 45', 55' | Report | Try: Simmons 2' c Ashley-Cooper (3) 10' c, 32' m, 72' c Con: Foley (3/4) 3', 11', 73' Pen: Foley (1/2) 48' |
* Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 80,025 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
| Argentina | Australia |
| FB | 15 | Joaquín Tuculet |
| RW | 14 | Santiago Cordero |
| OC | 13 | Marcelo Bosch |
| IC | 12 | Juan Martín Hernández | | 44' |
| LW | 11 | Juan Imhoff | | 18' |
| FH | 10 | Nicolás Sánchez |
| SH | 9 | Martín Landajo | | 56' |
| N8 | 8 | Leonardo Senatore | | 49' |
| OF | 7 | Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe |
| BF | 6 | Pablo Matera |
| RL | 5 | Tomás Lavanini | 26' |
| LL | 4 | Guido Petti | | 58' |
| TP | 3 | Ramiro Herrera | | 61' |
| HK | 2 | Agustín Creevy (c) | | 31' |
| LP | 1 | Marcos Ayerza | | 61' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Julián Montoya | | 31' |
| PR | 17 | Lucas Noguera Paz | | 61' |
| PR | 18 | Juan Figallo | | 61' |
| LK | 19 | Matías Alemanno | | 58' |
| N8 | 20 | Facundo Isa | | 49' |
| SH | 21 | Tomás Cubelli | | 56' |
| CE | 22 | Jerónimo de la Fuente | | 44' |
| FB | 23 | Lucas González Amorosino | | 18' |
| Coach: ||
| Daniel Hourcade ||
| FB | 15 | Israel Folau | 65' |
| RW | 14 | Adam Ashley-Cooper |
| OC | 13 | Tevita Kuridrani |
| IC | 12 | Matt Giteau | 47' |
| LW | 11 | Drew Mitchell |
| FH | 10 | Bernard Foley |
| SH | 9 | Will Genia | 67' |
| N8 | 8 | David Pocock |
| OF | 7 | Michael Hooper |
| BF | 6 | Scott Fardy | 56' to 61' | 56' to 61' | 71' |
| RL | 5 | Rob Simmons | 67' |
| LL | 4 | Kane Douglas |
| TP | 3 | Sekope Kepu | 53' |
| HK | 2 | Stephen Moore (c) | 59' |
| LP | 1 | James Slipper | 53' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Tatafu Polota-Nau | 59' |
| PR | 17 | Toby Smith | 53' |
| PR | 18 | Greg Holmes | 53' |
| LK | 19 | Dean Mumm | 67' |
| N8 | 20 | Ben McCalman | 56' | 61' | 71' |
| SH | 21 | Nick Phipps | 67' |
| CE | 22 | Matt To'omua | 65' |
| CE | 23 | Kurtley Beale | 47' |
| Coach: ||
| Michael Cheika ||
* Man of the Match:
* Adam Ashley-Cooper (Australia)
* Touch judges:
* Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
* George Clancy (Ireland)
* Television match official:
* Ben Skeen (New Zealand)
Notes:
* Michael Hooper, just 3 years and 140 days since his debut, became the fastest player ever to earn his 50th test cap, surpassing Australia's Al Baxter's record of 4 years and 44 days, and became the youngest Australian to achieve the 50-test landmark.
* James Slipper became Australia's most capped prop, surpassing both Ben Alexander's and Benn Robinson's record of 72 caps.
* Australia became the second team, after New Zealand, to reach four Rugby World Cup finals, having previously played in the 1991, 1999, and 2003 finals.

## Bronze final: South Africa vs Argentina

* 30 October 2015 20:00 GMT (UTC+00)
| South Africa | 24–13 | Argentina |
| Try: Pietersen 6' c Etzebeth 43' m Con: Pollard (1/2) 7' Pen: Pollard (4/5) 14', 33', 40', 48' | Report | Try: Orlandi 80' c Con: Sánchez (1/1) 80' Pen: Sánchez (1/1) 52' Drop: Sánchez 42' |
* Olympic Stadium, London Attendance: 55,925 Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
| South Africa | Argentina |
| FB | 15 | Willie le Roux | 64' |
| RW | 14 | JP Pietersen |
| OC | 13 | Jesse Kriel |
| IC | 12 | Damian de Allende |
| LW | 11 | Bryan Habana | 67' |
| FH | 10 | Handré Pollard |
| SH | 9 | Ruan Pienaar | 77' |
| N8 | 8 | Duane Vermeulen |
| OF | 7 | Schalk Burger | 53' | 61' | 66' |
| BF | 6 | Francois Louw | | 61' to 66' | 61' to 66' |
| RL | 5 | Victor Matfield (c) | 63' |
| LL | 4 | Eben Etzebeth |
| TP | 3 | Frans Malherbe | 61' | 70' |
| HK | 2 | Bismarck du Plessis | 49' |
| LP | 1 | Tendai Mtawarira | 40' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Adriaan Strauss | 49' |
| PR | 17 | Trevor Nyakane | 40' |
| PR | 18 | Jannie du Plessis | 61' | 70' |
| LK | 19 | Lood de Jager | 63' |
| FL | 20 | Willem Alberts | 53' |
| SH | 21 | Rudy Paige | 77' |
| FH | 22 | Pat Lambie | 64' |
| CE | 23 | Jan Serfontein | 67' |
| Coach: ||
| Heyneke Meyer ||
| FB | 15 | Lucas González Amorosino |
| RW | 14 | Santiago Cordero |
| OC | 13 | Matías Moroni |
| IC | 12 | Jerónimo de la Fuente | | 71' |
| LW | 11 | Horacio Agulla | | 58' |
| FH | 10 | Nicolás Sánchez (c) |
| SH | 9 | Tomás Cubelli | 5' | 53' |
| N8 | 8 | Juan Manuel Leguizamón |
| OF | 7 | Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe | | 53' |
| BF | 6 | Javier Ortega Desio |
| RL | 5 | Tomás Lavanini |
| LL | 4 | Matías Alemanno | | 47' |
| TP | 3 | Ramiro Herrera | | 55' |
| HK | 2 | Julián Montoya | | 77' |
| LP | 1 | Juan Figallo | | 15' to 22' | 15' to 22' | 61' | 64' | 71' |
| Replacements: ||
| PR | 16 | Lucas Noguera Paz | | 15' | 22' | 61' | 64' to 71' | 64' to 71' |
| PR | 17 | Juan Pablo Orlandi | | 55' |
| PR | 18 | Santiago García Botta | | 77' |
| LK | 19 | Guido Petti | | 47' |
| N8 | 20 | Facundo Isa | | 53' |
| SH | 21 | Martín Landajo | | 53' |
| FH | 22 | Santiago González Iglesias | | 71' |
| CE | 23 | Juan Pablo Socino | | 58' |
| Coach: ||
| Daniel Hourcade ||
* Man of the Match:
* Damian de Allende (South Africa)
* Touch judges:
* Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
* Chris Pollock (New Zealand)
* Television match official:
* Graham Hughes (England)
Notes:
* Pat Lambie earned his 50th test cap for South Africa.

## Final: New Zealand vs Australia

* 31 October 2015 16:00 GMT (UTC+00)
| New Zealand | 34–17 | Australia |
| Try: Milner-Skudder 39' c Nonu 42' m Barrett 79' c Con: Carter (2/3) 40', 80' Pen: Carter (4/4) 8', 27', 36', 75' Drop: Carter 70' | Report | Try: Pocock 53' c Kuridrani 64' c Con: Foley (2/2) 54', 65' Pen: Foley (1/1) 14' |
* Twickenham Stadium, London Attendance: 80,125 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
| New Zealand | Australia |
| FB | 15 | Ben Smith |
| RW | 14 | Nehe Milner-Skudder | 65' |
| OC | 13 | Conrad Smith | 40' |
| IC | 12 | Ma'a Nonu |
| LW | 11 | Julian Savea |
| FH | 10 | Dan Carter |
| SH | 9 | Aaron Smith | 71' |
| N8 | 8 | Kieran Read |
| OF | 7 | Richie McCaw (c) | 80' |
| BF | 6 | Jerome Kaino | 71' |
| RL | 5 | Sam Whitelock |
| LL | 4 | Brodie Retallick |
| TP | 3 | Owen Franks | 54' |
| HK | 2 | Dane Coles | 65' |
| LP | 1 | Joe Moody | 59' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Keven Mealamu | 65' |
| PR | 17 | Ben Franks | 59' |
| PR | 18 | Charlie Faumuina | 54' |
| N8 | 19 | Victor Vito | 71' |
| FL | 20 | Sam Cane | 80' |
| SH | 21 | Tawera Kerr-Barlow | 71' |
| FH | 22 | Beauden Barrett | 65' |
| CE | 23 | Sonny Bill Williams | 40' |
| Coach: ||
| Steve Hansen ||
| FB | 15 | Israel Folau |
| RW | 14 | Adam Ashley-Cooper |
| OC | 13 | Tevita Kuridrani |
| IC | 12 | Matt Giteau | 26' |
| LW | 11 | Drew Mitchell | 66' | 71' |
| FH | 10 | Bernard Foley |
| SH | 9 | Will Genia | 70' |
| N8 | 8 | David Pocock |
| OF | 7 | Michael Hooper |
| BF | 6 | Scott Fardy | 61' |
| RL | 5 | Rob Simmons |
| LL | 4 | Kane Douglas | 15' |
| TP | 3 | Sekope Kepu | 59' |
| HK | 2 | Stephen Moore (c) | 55' |
| LP | 1 | Scott Sio | 59' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Tatafu Polota-Nau | 55' |
| PR | 17 | James Slipper | 59' |
| PR | 18 | Greg Holmes | 59' |
| LK | 19 | Dean Mumm | 15' |
| N8 | 20 | Ben McCalman | 61' |
| SH | 21 | Nick Phipps | 70' |
| CE | 22 | Matt To'omua | 66' | 71' |
| CE | 23 | Kurtley Beale | 26' |
| Coach: ||
| Michael Cheika ||
* Man of the Match:
* Dan Carter (New Zealand)
* Touch judges:
* Jérôme Garcès (France)
* Wayne Barnes (England)
* Television match official:
* Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
Notes:
* New Zealand became the first team to retain the Rugby World Cup title, and win a third World Cup title.
* This was the first time New Zealand won the World Cup on foreign soil.
* The aggregate 51 points scored was the most ever in a Rugby World Cup final.
* Ben Smith became the first player to receive a yellow card in a Rugby World Cup final.
* New Zealand's Sonny Bill Williams, Jerome Kaino and Sam Whitelock played in a record 14th consecutive World Cup wins.
* Fourteen New Zealand players joined five Australians and one South African as winners of multiple Rugby World Cups. McCaw became the first player to captain two World Cup winners.