All Blacks win the first World Cup

With Michael Jones, John Kirwan and captain David Kirk scoring tries, the All Blacks defeated France 29–9 at Eden Park, Auckland. Kirk became the first captain to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.

The first Rugby World Cup was hosted by New Zealand and Australia. Rugby powerhouse South Africa did not compete due to the international sports boycott that was in place because of its apartheid policies.

In the opening match of the tournament All Black winger John Kirwan ran almost the length of the field, beating most of the Italian team to score a memorable try. The All Blacks won 70–6 and went on to win their pool after comfortable victories over Fiji and Argentina. Their form carried over into the knockout phase, in which Scotland was defeated 30–3 and Wales 49–6 before the final showdown with France

The Webb Ellis Cup proved to be an elusive holy grail for New Zealand players and fans. Despite heading the world rankings for most of the next 24 years, the All Blacks did not taste success again until 2011 when New Zealand once more hosted the tournament. The 2011 final was a repeat of 1987, France vs New Zealand. This time it was a near thing as the All Blacks hung on grimly to win 8-7.

In the 2015 World Cup, hosted by England, the All Blacks defeated Australia in the final 34-17 to become the first team to win back-to-back titles and the first team to win the cup three times.

Image ref: David Kirk holding the Webb Ellis Cup (BBC)