No noise. No nonsense. Just England.
Hosted by Australia & New Zealand
England: Quarter-finals
How England performed
England's 1987 Rugby World Cup campaign, in a tournament co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, began with a 19–6 defeat by Australia at the Concord Oval in Sydney on 23 May. Under head coach Martin Green and captain Mike Harrison, England responded with two convincing pool wins at the same venue, beating Japan 60–7 and the United States 34–6 to earn a place in the knockout stage.
The campaign ended in the quarter-final at Ballymore in Brisbane on 8 June, where Wales won 16–3. England finished with two wins and two defeats from their four matches, scoring 103 points and conceding 48. Almost all of that scoring came in the victories over Japan and the United States; across the two defeats, against Australia and Wales, England managed only nine points.
England fixtures
Australia
19–6
England
England lost
England tries: Mike Harrison 47'
Australia tries: David Campese 50', Simon Poidevin 60'
Japan
7–60
England
England won
England tries: Rory Underwood 31', Gary Rees 38', Jamie Salmon 47', Dean Richards 49', Rory Underwood 56', Kevin Simms 62', Mike Harrison 66', Mike Harrison 68', Nigel Redman 76', Mike Harrison 78'
Japan tries: Katsufumi Miyamoto 42'
United States
6–34
England
England won
England tries: Peter Winterbottom 23', Peter Winterbottom 45', Mike Harrison 61', Wade Dooley 79'
United States tries: Mike Purcell 65'
Wales
16–3
England
England lost
England tries: None
Wales tries: Gareth Roberts 23', Robert Jones 45', John Devereux 80'
England statistics
Full England squad
| Player | Pos | Club | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Moore | Hooker | Nottingham R.F.C. | – |
| Graham Dawe | Hooker | Bath Rugby | – |
| Gary Pearce | Prop | Northampton Saints | – |
| Jeff Probyn | Prop | Wasps FC | – |
| Paul Rendall | Prop | Wasps FC | – |
| Gareth Chilcott | Prop | Bath Rugby | – |
| Nigel Redman | Lock | Bath Rugby | 1 |
| Steve Bainbridge | Lock | Fylde Rugby Club | – |
| Wade Dooley | Lock | Fylde Rugby Club | 1 |
| Jon Hall | Flanker | Bath Rugby | – |
| Peter Winterbottom | Flanker | Headingley | 2 |
| Gary Rees | Flanker | Nottingham R.F.C. | 1 |
| David Egerton | Number 8 | Bath Rugby | – |
| Dean Richards | Number 8 | Leicester Football Club | 1 |
| Richard Hill | Scrum-half | Bath Rugby | – |
| Richard Harding | Scrum-half | Bristol Rugby Club | – |
| Peter Williams | Fly-half | Orrell R.U.F.C. | – |
| Huw Davies | Fly-half | Wasps FC | – |
| Rob Andrew | Fly-half | Wasps FC | – |
| Kevin Simms | Centre | Wasps FC | 1 |
| Jamie Salmon | Centre | Harlequin F.C. | 1 |
| Fran Clough | Centre | Orrell R.U.F.C. | – |
| Mark Bailey | Wing | Wasps FC | – |
| Rory Underwood | Wing | R.A.F. / Leicester Football Club | 2 |
| Mike Harrison C | Wing | Wakefield RFC | 5 |
| Jonathan Webb | Fullback | Bristol Rugby Club | – |
| Marcus Rose | Fullback | Harlequin F.C. | – |
18+ only. Odds and offers are subject to change and to the bookmaker's terms. Set a budget, never chase losses, and treat betting as entertainment. National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133, free, 24/7.