3. England 84 – 6 Georgia (78 Points) – 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool C
October 12th 2003, Subiaco Oval, Perth
The first of three matches to also appear on our list of ‘England’s first time opponents’, the inaugural clash between England and Georgia ended in a one way demolition, that ranks as England’s third biggest Rugby World Cup win to date. Despite this fixture being a simple win over a side who were then considered as ‘minnow’ opponents, England’s first match of the 2003 Rugby World Cup has been re-watched time and again on documentary DVDs, that tell the story of this historic campaign.
Back in ’03, the Eastern Europeans were far from the emerging rugby nation that we see today, and were a world away from their historic victory over Wales last Autumn. The stars of Sir Clive Woodward’s immortalised team were on full display, as England fans set their alarms and packed into pubs, to enjoy some breakfast with beers due to the Australian time zone difference.
Jonny Wilkinson led the way with 22 points from the kicking tee, as England hit top gear with an emphatic 12 tries against Georgia. 10 different names crossed over in Perth, as the score-board read like a role-call of England Rugby icons. There was little saving grace for the Georgian underdogs, who’s contributions to the score-line were a penalty each from Malkhaz Urjukashvili and Paliko Jimsheladze.
TRIES: 12 (Mike Tindall, Matt Dawson, Steve Thompson, Neil Back, Lawrence Dallaglio, Will Greenwood (2), Mark Regan, Ben Cohen (2), Jason Robinson, Daniel Luger)
CONVERSIONS: 9 (Jonny Wilkinson 5, Paul Grayson 4)
PENALTIES: 2 (Jonny Wilkinson)
2. England 101 – 10 Tonga (91 Points) – 1999 Rugby World Cup Pool B
October 15th 1999, Twickenham Stadium, London
We also shone a light on this match not too long ago, as England’s centurion breaking win over Tonga was also their first match against the Pacific Islanders. The two sides met just 13 days after England recorded the earlier landslide win over Italy, and they were full of fire heading into this third round match in the 1999 Rugby World Cup Pool Stages. After taking a 30-16 defeat to the All Blacks, England were eager to bounce back, and pulled no punches in this brutal win over Tonga.
After taking the pool stage defeat to New Zealand in round two, Sir Clive Woodward reinforced the urgency of a bonus point win, and securing a heavy points difference to progress out of the pool. England certainly achieved both objectives, with 13 tries shared between eight of England’s iconic names racking up an unobtainable lead. This match was the first time that England broke into triple digits for a Rugby World Cup win, as the floodgates opened in front of over 72,000 fans at Twickenham.
Despite this being the first time England had lined up against Tonga, the Twickenham faithful were more than familiar with some key players in the Sea Eagles’ set-up. Tongan fullback Sateki Tuipulotu was well known for his time at Leeds and Worcester Warriors. He kicked five consolation points that had little impact amongst the unrelenting England tries.
TRIES: 13 (Jeremy Guscott (2), Phil Greening (2), Daniel Luger (2), Austin Healy (2), Will Greenwood (2), Matt Dawson, Matt Perry, Richard Hill.)
CONVERSIONS: 12 (Paul Grayson)
PENALTIES: 4 (Paul Grayson)