01
3 Oct 1991
Rugby World Cup
Twickenham, London
England 12–18 New Zealand England lost
England tries: None
New Zealand tries: Michael Jones 50'
Hosted by England
1991
Rugby World Cup: England rugby union results and squad
England: Runners-up
How England performed
England hosted the 1991 Rugby World Cup and opened at Twickenham on 3 October with an 18–12 defeat by New Zealand. Geoff Cooke's side, captained by Will Carling, then beat Italy 36–6 and the United States 37–9 at the same ground to progress from the pool stage.
The knockout rounds took England away from home. They won 19–10 against France at the Parc des Princes in Paris, then edged Scotland 9–6 in the semi-final at Murrayfield to reach the final. Back at Twickenham on 2 November, Australia won the final 12–6, leaving England as runners-up. Their record read four wins and two defeats from six matches, with 119 points scored and 61 conceded, and both defeats came at Twickenham. It was a clear advance on 1987, when England had gone out in the quarter-finals.
- Head coach
- Geoff Cooke
- Captain
- Will Carling
- Record
- P6 W4 D0 L2
- Points
- 119 for, 61 against
England fixtures
England: 1991 Rugby World Cup
02
8 Oct 1991
Rugby World Cup
Twickenham, London
England 36–6 Italy England won
England tries: Rory Underwood 11', Jeremy Guscott 40', Jeremy Guscott 49', Jonathan Webb 61'
Italy tries: Marcello Cuttitta 58'
03
11 Oct 1991
Rugby World Cup
Twickenham, London
England 37–9 United States England won
England tries: Rory Underwood 8', Will Carling 32', Micky Skinner 62', Nigel Heslop 68', Rory Underwood 80'
United States tries: Ray Nelson 47'
04
19 Oct 1991
Rugby World Cup
Parc des Princes, Paris
France 10–19 England England won
England tries: Rory Underwood 19', Will Carling 80'
France tries: Jean-Baptiste Lafond 51'
05
26 Oct 1991
Rugby World Cup
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Scotland 6–9 England England won
06
2 Nov 1991
Rugby World Cup
Twickenham, London
England 6–12 Australia England lost
England tries: None
Australia tries: Tony Daly 30'
England statistics
Scorers
Rory Underwood4
Jeremy Guscott2
Will Carling2
Jonathan Webb1
Micky Skinner1
Nigel Heslop1
Full England squad
Squad
| Player | Pos | Club | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Olver | Hooker | Northampton | – |
| Brian Moore | Hooker | Harlequins | – |
| Gary Pearce | Prop | Northampton | – |
| Jason Leonard | Prop | Harlequins | – |
| Paul Rendall | Prop | Wasps | – |
| Jeff Probyn | Prop | Wasps | – |
| Paul Ackford | Lock | Harlequins | – |
| Nigel Redman | Lock | Bath | – |
| Wade Dooley | Lock | Preston | – |
| Michael Skinner | Flanker | Harlequins | 1 |
| Peter Winterbottom | Flanker | Harlequins | – |
| Gary Rees | Flanker | Nottingham | – |
| Dean Richards | Number 8 | Leicester | – |
| Mike Teague | Number 8 | Gloucester | – |
| Richard Hill | Scrum-half | Bath | – |
| Dewi Morris | Scrum-half | Orrell | – |
| Rob Andrew | Fly-half | Wasps | – |
| David Pears | Fly-half | Harlequins | – |
| Will Carling C | Centre | Harlequins | 2 |
| Jeremy Guscott | Centre | Bath | 2 |
| Simon Halliday | Wing | Harlequins | – |
| Nigel Heslop | Wing | Orrell | 1 |
| Rory Underwood | Wing | Leicester | 4 |
| Chris Oti | Wing | Wasps | – |
| Jonathan Webb | Fullback | Bath | 1 |
| Simon Hodgkinson | Fullback | Nottingham | – |