List of international rugby rivalries

In International Rugby Union history there have been a number of notable rivalries. This list reflects some of the great rivalries.[1][2][3]

For the purpose of this article only, the criteria for inclusion are (all must be met):

  • The two nations must have played each other at least 35 times.
  • Both nations must at least be a Tier One or Tier Two rugby nation.
  • The two nations must have had their first match played in 1980 or earlier.
Rivalry Period Meetings Overall Head to Head Most Wins Name of Trophy Ref
New Zealand vs Australia 1903–2024 179 126–45 (8 draws) New Zealand Bledisloe Cup [4]
England vs Scotland 1871–2025 143 77–47 (19 draws) England Calcutta Cup [5]
England vs Ireland 1875–2025 143 81–54 (8 draws) England Millennium Trophy [6]
Ireland vs Scotland 1877–2025 143 72–66 (5 draws) Ireland Centenary Quaich [7]
England vs Wales 1881–2025 143 70–61 (12 draws) England [8]
Wales vs Ireland 1882–2025 136 70–59 (7 draws) Wales [9]
Wales vs Scotland 1883–2025 131 75–53 (3 draws) Wales Doddie Weir Cup [10]
England vs France 1906–2025 112 61–44 (7 draws) England [11]
New Zealand vs South Africa 1921–2024 108 62–42 (4 draws) New Zealand Freedom Cup [12]
France vs Wales 1908–2025 105 51–51 (3 draws) Tie [13]
France vs Ireland 1909–2025 104 60–37 (7 draws) France [14]
France vs Scotland 1910–2025 104 61–40 (3 draws) France Auld Alliance Trophy [15]
Fiji vs Tonga 1924–2024 95 65–27 (3 draws) Fiji [16]
South Africa vs Australia 1933–2024 95 52–40 (3 draws) South Africa Mandela Challenge Plate [17]
Samoa vs Tonga 1926–2024 70 39–27 (4 draws) Samoa [18]
Canada vs U.S.A 1977–2024 66 39–25 (2 draws) Canada [19]
New Zealand vs France 1906–2025 67 51–15 (1 draw) New Zealand Dave Gallaher Trophy [20]
England vs Australia 1909–2024 56 28–27 (1 draw) England Ella-Mobbs Trophy [21]
Fiji vs Samoa 1924–2024 56 32–21 (3 draws) Fiji [22]
France vs Argentina 1949–2024 56 40–15 (1 draw) France [23]
Australia vs France 1928–2023 52 29–21 (2 draws) Australia Trophée des Bicentenaires [24]
Uruguay vs Chile 1948–2023 50 39–10 (1 draw) Uruguay [25]
Australia vs Wales 1908–2024 49 34–14 (1 draw) Australia James Bevan Trophy [26]
South Africa vs England 1906–2024 47 29–16 (2 draws) South Africa [27]
New Zealand vs England 1905–2024 46 36–8 (2 draws) New Zealand Hillary Shield [28]
Italy vs Romania 1936–2023 44 25–16 (3 draws) Italy [29]
Spain vs Portugal 1935–2024 42 27–13 (2 draws) Spain [30]
Australia vs Argentina 1979–2024 41 29–9 (3 draws) Australia Puma Trophy [31]
New Zealand vs Ireland 1905–2024 38 32–5 (1 draw) New Zealand [32]
Australia vs Ireland 1927–2024 38 22–15 (1 draw) Australia Lansdowne Cup [33]
Australia vs Scotland 1927–2024 35 22–13 (0 draws) Australia Hopetoun Cup [34]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Top 5 international rugby rivalries of all time | RugbyPass rugby rivalries". www.rugbypass.com. 2022-08-22. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  2. ^ Team, The Rugby Paper (2025-01-09). "Top Seven Rugby Rivalries That Defined the Sport". The Rugby Paper. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  3. ^ Steven (2018-11-14). "The eight biggest rivalries in world rugby ranked". Ruck. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  4. ^ "Rugby Database: All Blacks vs Australia rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  5. ^ "Rugby Database: England vs Scotland rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  6. ^ "Rugby Database: England vs Ireland rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  7. ^ "Rugby Database: Ireland vs Scotland rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  8. ^ "Rugby Database: England vs Wales rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
  9. ^ "Rugby Database: Ireland vs Wales rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  10. ^ "Rugby Database: Wales vs Scotland rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  11. ^ "Rugby Database: England vs France rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  12. ^ "Rugby Database: All Blacks vs South Africa rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  13. ^ "Rugby Database: France vs Ireland rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  14. ^ "Rugby Database: France vs Wales rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  15. ^ "Rugby Database: France vs Scotland rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  16. ^ "Rugby Database: Fiji vs Tonga rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  17. ^ "Rugby Database: Australia vs South Africa rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  18. ^ "Rugby Database: Tonga vs Samoa rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  19. ^ "Results and Statistics | International | Canada vs USA | Rugby Kick Off". www.rugbykickoff.com. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  20. ^ "Rugby Database: France vs All Blacks rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  21. ^ "Rugby Database: Australia vs England rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  22. ^ "Results and Statistics | International | Fiji vs Samoa | Rugby Kick Off". www.rugbykickoff.com. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  23. ^ "Rugby Database: Argentina vs France rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  24. ^ "Rugby Database: Australia vs France rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  25. ^ "Results and Statistics | International | Spain vs Portugal | Rugby Kick Off". www.rugbykickoff.com. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  26. ^ "Rugby Database: Australia vs Wales rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  27. ^ "Rugby Database: England vs South Africa rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  28. ^ "Rugby Database: England vs All Blacks rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  29. ^ "Results and Statistics | International | Romania vs Italy | Rugby Kick Off". www.rugbykickoff.com. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  30. ^ "Results and Statistics | International | Spain vs Portugal | Rugby Kick Off". www.rugbykickoff.com. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  31. ^ "Rugby Database: Australia vs Argentina rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  32. ^ "Rugby Database: Ireland vs All Blacks rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  33. ^ "Rugby Database: Australia vs Ireland rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  34. ^ "Rugby Database: Australia vs Scotland rugby stats". www.rugbydatabase.co.nz. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
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