New Zealand - Rugby World Cup Team Stats
New Zealand have won all five of their opening round matches and topped 40 points in four of them.
New Zealand have won every world cup group game and quarter final they have played in.
The only time they have lost more than one match in a tournament was in 1999 when they were beaten by France in the semi-final and South Africa in the play-off for third place.
New Zealand and Italy played in the first ever world cup match on Friday 22nd May 1987 when New Zealand ran out winners by 70-6.
When New Zealand won the first, and their only world cup to date in 1987, they were captained in every game by scrum half David Kirk. Kirk however was not the first choice captain. Andy Dalton was named team captain but suffered a hamstring injury before the world cup began and did not play a game.
Brothers Gary and Alan Whetton both played in the New Zealand pack in their winning team in 1987.
Grant Fox, in 1987, scored the most points ever in one world cup competition with 126.
Fox is also fourth highest world cup points scorer of all time with 170 to his name in world cups 1987 and 1991. Andrew Mehrtens is fifth with 163 in 1995 and 1999.
The two highest points scorers in one world cup match for New Zealand were both understudies to regular fly-half Andrew Mehrtens.Simon Culhane scored a world cup record 45 points against Japan in 1995 and in 1999 Tony Brown scored 36 points against Saturday’s opponents Italy
Culhane also kicked a world cup record 20 conversions in the Japan game.
Grant Fox has kicked the most conversions in one tournament with 30 in 1987.
New Zealand have scored more tries,184, than any other country in world cups.Only Australia and France have also scored more than 100.
New Zealand are the only country to have scored more than 1000 points in world cup history. Their total presently stands at 1384.
New Zealand have scored the most points in one set of Group fixtures with 282 in 4 matches in 2003.
The top seven men to have scored most tries in one tournament are all New Zealanders with Jonah Lomu leading the way with 8 in 1999.
Lomu has scored most overall tries in world cup final stages with 15 in 1995 and 1999.
Marc Ellis scored a world cup record 6 tries in the game against Japan in 1995.
Between 22nd May 1987 and 20th October 1991, New Zealand won 10 consecutive world cup matches.
Their 145-17 victory against Japan in 1995 is the most ever points scored in one world cup match.
New Zealand hold the record for scoring the biggest two semi-final wins with their 49-6 defeat of Wales in 1987 and 45-29 defeat of England in 1995.
Hooker Sean Fitzpatrick is third on the world cup appearance record playing 17 times during world cups 1987,1991 and 1995.
Fitzpatrick is the only New Zealander to have played in the two world cup finals they have reached,1987 and 1995.
Scrum half Graeme Bachop played for New Zealand in world cups of 1991 and 1995 and for Japan in 1999. His brother, fly-half, Stephen Bachop, played for Samoa in the 1991 and 1999 tournaments.
Brothers Zinzan and Robin Brooke both represented New Zealand in the 1995 tournament.
No New Zealander has ever been sent off in a world cup match and Chris Jack is the only man to receive a yellow card, against Canada in 2003.
