World XV
| Coach(es) |
Robbie Deans Bernard Laporte (Jul/Aug 2015) | |
|---|---|---|
| Captain(s) | Bakkies Botha (Jul/Aug 2015) | |
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| First match | ||
South Africa .svg.png){kind=small} 45–24 World XV(27 August 1977) | ||
| Largest win | ||
Japan  20–45 World XV(15 August 2015) | ||
| Largest defeat | ||
South Africa  46–10 World XV(11 July 2015) | ||
The World XV is a rugby union team, typically composed of invited players from various countries across the world. Various World XVs have been arranged from time to time, often to take part in celebration and testimonial games, usually against national teams, but these have not been considered test matches by most nations.
History
Traditionally, the World XV side plays in various locations, often as the away team. They have played all the "big 3" southern hemisphere nations (Australia, New Zealand and South Africa), first playing South Africa in Pretoria on 27 August 1977. The World side included Gareth Edwards, JPR Williams, Willie John McBride, and Sandy Carmichael. A crowd of 65,000 watched as Morné du Plessis' South Africans led by 22-14 at half-time to eventually defeat the World XV by 45-24. During the match Argentinian flyhalf Hugo Porta came on as a replacement. Flank Theuns Stofberg added two tries to one each by Gerrie Germishuys, Hermanus Potgieter ,[1] Dawie Snyman, and Barry Wolmarans (on debut) for the Springboks.[2] Four days later the World XV played Western Province at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town. This time Porta started alongside Williams, McBride, and Carmichael, with Alan Sutherland facing off against Du Plessis. At 3.30pm coloured player Errol Tobias, representing the South African Federation, was on the reserve bench for the World XV, as he had been for the 2pm match between a Presidents' X and Western Province B.[3] In 1980 and 1983, they played Argentina, where in the first match, that match was played at Ferrocaril Oeste, Buenos Aires.[4] Argentina went into half time ahead by 16 points to nil and despite an excellent display in the second half by the World XV Argentina were able to secure a 36-22 win. The second match, went to Atlanta Stadium, Buenos Aires, where Argentina secured a second victory 28-20.
In 1989 a World XV, sanctioned by the IRB and funded by South African Breweries, played two tests against South Africa in celebration of the centenary of the South African Rugby Board (SARB). The Springboks won both, by 20-19 at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town and the second by 22-16 on September 2 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
In 1992, they toured New Zealand, playing three matches against the All Blacks in New Zealand. The first encounter between the two sides, ended in a 24–14 win for the World XV, the first time the side has won against a national team. However, New Zealand won the second match 54–26, World XV' biggest defeat, and the third match 26–15. The tour was to mark the centenary of the New Zealand Rugby Union in 1992. In May and June 2006 a World XV, sponsored by South African company Steinhoff Holdings and coached by Bob Dwyer, played three games - against Saracens in London, then against South Africa at Ellis Park and Western Province XV at Newlands. The latter match was a testimonial for former South Africa captain Corné Krige, who led the Western Province side. In December 2006, again coached by Dwyer, a Steinhoff-backed World XV played a South Africa XV at Walkers Stadium in Leicester, losing 32-7, in what was the first ever match a World XV side has played a national side at a neutral venue. This game was to mark the centenary of South Africa's overseas tours.
In 2008, World XV played one of the Six Nations Championship sides for the first time. They played a Wales XV side, which acted as a testimonial match for Welsh legend Shane Williams. In total there were 19 tries scored in the match, which was played at the Millennium Stadium, with Williams scoring the match winner as Wales won 65–57. Later in 2008, the World XV played a Coronation Tongan XV side, in a game to celebrate the coronation of Tonga's King, George Tupou V. Tonga won the match 60–26, beating the Colin Charvis captained side that included players from Australia, England, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa and Wales.[5]
In 2014, the World XV side led by Matt Giteau returned to South Africa for the first time since 2006, where the Springboks won 45–24. Coached by Nick Mallett, the team featured players such as James O'Connor, Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell, Hosea Gear, François Trinh-Duc, BJ Botha, Carl Hayman, Steffon Armitage and Julien Bonnaire.[6]
International matches
Overall
| Against | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0% |
 Australia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
 New Zealand | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33% |
| South Africa | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0% |
 Tonga | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Japan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Total | 17 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 6.25% |
Squad for Japan match 2015
The World XV was coached by Robbie Deans for the match against Japan on the 15th of August 2015. They won the match 45 - 20, which was their greatest victory to date. [9]
Note: Italics denotes the traditional uncapped player(s) - Bold denotes player(s) that have represented the World XV in previous matches Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
Previous squads
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Original World XV
Head Coach: 
Syd Millar
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Starting XV
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Replacements
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1986 IRB sanctioned team
- In 1986, to celebrate the centenary of the International Rugby Board (IRB), two international XVs were put together:
- a Rest of the World XV played the British Lions on 16 April 1986, winning 15-7 at Cardiff Arms Park.
- an Overseas Unions rugby union team played the Five Nations XV on Saturday, 19 April 1986, winning 32-13 at Twickenham Stadium.
See also
References
- ↑ Hermanus Potgieter Scores During the Match Between a World XV and South Africa, 27 August 1977. Accessed: 2012-12-31. YouTube link..
- ↑ "World XV tour - Pretoria, 27 August 1977. South Africa (22) 45 - 24 (12) World XV (FT)". Retrieved 2012-12-31.
- ↑ "1977 Western Province V World XV Rugby Programme". Archived from the original on 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
- ↑ Scrum.com match summary for 1980 World XV vs Argentina
- ↑ Tonga beat World XV
- ↑ Springboks to open season against World XV - TVNZ, 8 April 2014
- ↑ Language no barrier to Lochore. SMH. 12 May 1988.
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/7402976.stm
- ↑ "Japan Vs World XV at Prince Chichibu Memorial Ground 15th Aug 2015". www.ultimaterugby.com. Retrieved 2015-09-24.