"142-0" - Top 5 Biggest Rugby World Cup Wins Of All Time

After losing their first ever Rugby World Cup pool stage match against France, New Zealand performed as expected with a demolition job over Namibia. The All Blacks triumphed 71-3 against the Southern African nation, yet this is significantly less than New Zealand's record winning margin.

The Springboks also racked up a monstrous win over Romania, as the Eastern Europeans have had a tough start to their Rugby World Cup campaign in the 'Pool of Death'. South Africa opened the floodgates in a 76-0 landslide win, yet this doesn't eclipse their record win at the competition, that stands at 87-0 over Namibia in 2011.

These have all been impressive margins of victory, however they don't hold a candle to the biggest wins ever. Here are the top five biggest Rugby World Cup winning margins to date.

The fifth highest win in the history of the Rugby World Cup goes to the All Blacks, and get ready to be reading that name a lot throughout this article. The first side to win three Rugby World Cups, New Zealand have long been a dominant force on the grandest stage of international rugby. New Zealand entered the 2007 Rugby World Cup as favourites, and ran roughshod on Pool C with wash-out victories over Scotland, Italy, Romania and Portugal.

The demolition of Portugal was the highest-scoring, in what was only the second ever Rugby World Cup match for 'The Wolves'. Portugal are currently competing in their second tournament in France, with their maiden voyage being a baptism of fire at the hands of the All Blacks. New Zealand ran in 16 tries, with former Harlequin Nic Evans slotting an additional 14 conversions. The match was always going to be one way traffic, and the magnitude of the victory made New Zealand's eventual quarter-final elimination to France all the more shocking.

TRIES: 16 (Joe Rokocoko (2), Isaia Toeava, Ali Williams, Aaron Mauger (2), Jerry Collins, Chris Masoe, Andrew Hore, Brendan Leonard, Nic Evans, Andrew Ellis, Leon MacDonald, Conrad Smith (2), Carl Hayman)

CONVERSIONS: 14 (Nic Evans, 14)

Joint 3rd. England 111 - 13 Uruguay (98 Points): 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool C

England and Uruguay met to close out the pool stages at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, in a landslide victory that holds great significance in the RFU records books. This win marked England's heaviest ever victory at the Rugby World Cup, as Sir Clive Woodward's men hit triple digits on the road to becoming World Champions.

This match also marked the first ever meeting between England and Uruguay, with Steve Borthwick's current side hoping to emulate this margin of victory as they take on a fellow South American outfit Chile, in a first time match-up this weekend. With progression out of Pool C all but secured back in '03, England had already made the hard yards with wins over South Africa, Samoa and Georgia. However, England pulled no punches and saw out the pools in style, to send a message to the remaining opponents that stood in the way of their Web Ellis trophy.

Dynamic back Josh Lewsey equalised the England record for tries in an international test, as he ran in five scores against Uruguay. This performance stands the test of time in Rugby Word Cup history, as it remains the joint-second highest behind Marc Ellis' six tries for the All Blacks against Japan in 1995. Lewsey also tied level with Wallabies legend Chris Latham, who scored five tries in a pool match just two weeks prior (more on that game later).

TRIES: 17 (Lewis Moody, Josh Lewsey (5), Ian Balshaw (2), Mike Catt (2), Andrew Gomarsall (2), Daniel Luger, Stuart Abbott, Jason Robinson (2), Will Greenwood)

CONVERSIONS: 13 (Paul Grayson (11), Mike Catt (2))

Joint 3rd. New Zealand 101 - 3 Italy (98 Points): 1999 Rugby World Cup Pool B

We are back with the All Blacks, in a match that had the potential to alter the trajectory of Italian rugby as we know it. New Zealand's 98 point margin of victory all-but encapsulated Italy under a glass ceiling, during a time when the Azzurri were pushing for acceptance amongst Northern Hemisphere's elite sides. Italy had long been vying for a spot in 'Rugby's Greatest Championship', and this defeat provided the nay-sayers with ammunition against their eventual acceptance, as they joined the Six Nations a year later.

This win for the All Blacks stands as the only instalment on this list, which came at the expense of a modern day 'tier one' side. Italy had previously suffered a 67-7 defeat to England to start their pool stage campaign, with their fate going from bad to worse in the subsequent clash with New Zealand. Italy lined-up against a formidable All Blacks side, as the likes of Jonah Lomu, Glen Osbourne and Jeff Wilson ran riot on their defence. 14 tries coupled with the accurate boot of Tony Brown saw New Zealand hit triple digits, with the sole Italian points coming from Diego Dominguez' one-off penalty.

The All Blacks and Italy will meet on Friday September 29th in Pool A of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. This upcoming clash will certainly be better contested than this match from '95, as the Azzurri are in far better form today than they were 24 years ago. Italy have undergone a recent 'renaissance', with ex-All Black Kieran Crowley ready for his men to take on his former side. Italy have bolstered their squad with the likes of ex-England squad member Poalo Odogwu, and a core group of exciting young talents who will be full of fire to take on the All Blacks.

TRIES: 14 (Jeff Wilson (3), Glen Osbourne (2), Jonah Lomu (2), Taine Randell, Tony Brown, Christian Cullen, Mark Hammett, Daryl Gibson, Scott Robertson, Dylan Mika)

CONVERSIONS: 11 (Tony Brown - 11)

PENALTIES: 3 (Tony Brown - 3)

The third and final instalment from New Zealand, in what goes down as the second biggest margin of victory in a Rugby World Cup match. This ridiculous score-line saw the soon-to-be Rugby World Cup finalists decimate Japan with 21 tries. Simon Culhane's 20 conversions stands as an all-time best in Rugby World Cup matches, with no player being able to surpass his 28-year record.

Interestingly, the late, great Jonah Lomu did not feature amongst the 21 tries, as the iconic winger was rested after his Rugby World Cup debut against Ireland. The crammed schedule of the 1995 Rugby World Cup saw the matches played just four days apart, yet the All Blacks had significant squad depth to pull off this almighty win. The All Blacks' points tally of 145 does in fact set the all-time biggest total of World Cup points in one match, yet Japan's two tries from Hiroyuki Kajihara and the kicking of Keiji Hirose reduced the overall deficit, and stopped New Zealand from taking top spot on this list.

This record-setting match also included the aforementioned six tries from Marc Ellis, with no other player in Rugby World Cup history scoring a double hat-trick in a single tournament fixture. There were two additional 'hat-trick heroes' in the All Blacks squad, as Eric Rush and Jeff Wilson each crossed over for a trio of tries. Robin Brooke and Glen Osbourne each grabbed a brace against Japan, as the All Blacks racked up an unforgettable score-line, without their all-time great Jonah Lomu. Lomu holds the record for Rugby World Cup tries with 15, so just imagine how many more he would have added if he played against Japan that day.

TRIES: 21 (Marc Ellis (6), Eric Rush (3), Jeff Wilson (3), Robin Brooke (2), Glen Osbourne (2), Richard Loe, Simon Culhane, Paul Henderson, Craig Dowd, Namulauulu Ieremia

CONVERSIONS: 20 (Simon Culhane - 20)

1. Australia 142 - 0 Namibia (142 Points): 2003 Rugby World Cup Pool A

The biggest winning margin in the history of the Rugby World Cup, Australia undisputedly but Namibia to the sword in this pool stage match on home soil. The all-time triumph came at the expense of the Rugby World Cup's ultimate underdogs, with the majority of Namibian possession coming at the re-starting kick-offs. The Southern African side have taken some heavy World Cup losses in their history, yet this one truly stings for the Namibians.

Australia scored the record number of tries in a Rugby World Cup match in this fixture, as the Wallabies flooded the try-line time and again for 22 total scores. The score-board operator was amongst the hardest workers in Adelaide that night, as Australia ticked the board over with an average of 1.8 points per minute. The intensity of the Wallabies attack had to be admired, as so often you see sides build an unobtainable lead, and take the foot off the gas in the latter stages.

The Wallabies did no such thing, with the supporting sea of gold and green whipped into a frenzy for the full 80 minutes. Chris Latham scored five tries, which as mentioned is the all-time joint-second best try-scoring performance in a single Rugby World Cup match, alongside England's Josh Lewsey. Matthew Giteau grabbed a hat-trick, and Matthew Rogers and Morgan Turinuri each scored twice. To score 22 tries is one thing, but to not concede a single point was a whole new level of intense, as the Wallabies marched on towards the Rugby World Cup Final, and an eventual run in with England.

TRIES: 22 (Chris Latham (5), David Lyons, Stirling Mortlock, Lote Tuqiri, Matthew Rogers (2), Jeremy Paul, Matthew Giteau (3), Nathan Grey, Morgan Turinuri (2), Matthew Burke, John Roe)

CONVERSIONS: 16 (Matthew Rogers - 16)