Irb Rugby World Cup 1987

WALES SQUAD
Richard Moriarty (Swansea, Captain), Paul Thorburn (Neath), Ieuan Evans (Llanelli), Adrian Hadley (Cardiff), Glenn Webbe (Bridgend), John Devereux (Bridgend), Mark Ring (Cardiff), Kevin Hopkins (Swansea), Bleddyn Bowen (SW Police), Jonathan Davies (Neath), Malcolm Dacey (Swansea), Robert Jones (Swansea), Ray Giles (Aberavon), Jeff Whitefoot (Cardiff), Anthony Buchanan (Llanelli), Steve Blackmore (Cardiff), Stuart Evans (Neath), Kevin Phillips (Neath), Billy James (Aberavon), Rob Norster (Cardiff), Steve Sutton (SW Police), Huw Richards (Neath), Gareth Roberts (Cardiff), Paul Moriarty (Swansea), Richie Collins (SW Police), Phil Davies (Llanelli).
Replacements: Alan Phillips (Cardiff) for James; Mark Titley (Bridgend) for Webbe; David Young (Swansea) for Evans; John Rawlins (Newport) for Whitefoot; Richard Webster (Swansea) for Norster.
Manager: Clive Rowlands; Coach: Tony Gray; Assistant Coach: Derek Quinnell.

WALES POOL 2

25th May 1987 – WALES 13 IRELAND 6 (Wellington)
Centre Mark Ring had the distinction of scoring Wales’ first Rugby World Cup try and his first for his country, as Richard Moriarty’s team overcame a 6-0 interval deficit to gain revenge over an Irish team which had beaten them in Cardiff six weeks earlier.
Ireland chose to use the notorious Athletic Park wind in the first half and knew they had blundered when they changed ends with only two Michael Kiernan penalties in the bag.
Paul Thorburn halved the deficit with a penalty and then joined the attack to help Ring score his try. Two drop goals from fly-half Jonathan Davies completed the victory.

WALES: P Thorburn (Neath), I Evans (Llanelli), J Devereux (Bridgend), M Ring (Cardiff), A Hadley (Cardiff), J Davies (Neath), R Jones (Swansea), J Whitefoot (Cardiff), K Phillips (Neath), S Evans (Neath), R Moriarty (Swansea, Captain), R Norster (Cardiff), G Roberts (Cardiff), P Moriarty (Swansea), R Collins (SW Police)
Scorers: Try – M Ring; Pen – P Thorburn; DGs – J Davies (2)
IRELAND: H MacNeil; T Ringland, B Mullin, M Kiernan, K Crossan, P Dean, M Bradley, P Orr, T Kingston, D Fitzgerald, D Lenihan (Captain), W Anderson, P Matthews, B Spillane, D McGrath
Replacements: J Glennon for P Matthews
Scorers: Pens – M Kiernan (2)
Referee: K Fitzgerald (Australia).

29th May 1987 – WALES 29 TONGA 16 (Palmerston North)
Glen Webbe was concussed by a head-high tackle but played on to complete a hat-trick of tries. His World Cup was over but Wales were on their way to the quarter-finals.
There was also another injury blow as Stuart Evans limped out of the tournament with his right leg in plaster up to his knee. Wales destroyed the Tongan scrum, but were out-fought in the loose and faded badly towards the end as the Tongans ran in two tries.
WALES: P Thorburn (Neath), G Webbe (Bridgend), K Hopkins (Swansea), M Ring (Cardiff), A Hadley (Cardiff), M Dacey (Swansea), R Jones (Swansea), A Buchanan (Llanelli), K Phillips (Neath), S Evans (Neath), R Moriarty (Swansea, Captain), H Richards (Neath), P Moriarty (Swansea), P Davies (Llanelli), G Roberts (Cardiff)
Replacements: J Davies (Neath) for Dacey; S Blackmore (Cardiff) for Evans
Scorers: Tries – G Webbe (3), A Hadley; Cons – P Thorburn (2); Pens – P Thorburn (2); DG – J Davies.
TONGA: Ete’Aki; Fiela, Mohi, Fuka, Vunipola; Amone, Fifita; Lutua, Fungavaka, Tupou, Tuungafasi, Fine, Kakato, Feilse, Valu (Captain)
Replacements: Liava’a for Amone; Va’Eono for Tupou.
Scorers: Tries – Fielea, Fifita; Con – Liava’a; Pens – Liava’a, Amone
Referee: D Bishop (New Zealand).

3rd June 1987 – WALES 40 CANADA 9 (Invercargill)
Wales ran in seven second half tries to overturn a 9-6 Canadian half-time lead with wing Ieuan Evans equalling the Welsh record of four tries in an international.
Jonathan Davies, leading the side, was in commanding form, and three of his seven breaks led to tries.
Wales scrum half Ray Giles clashed with opposite number Ian Stuart and the Canadian needed 10 stitches in a facial wound.
Wales were wearing green for the second successive game and all the points were scored by Welshmen – Canada’s teenage outside-half Gareth Rees, who has Welsh parents, kicking three penalties for the Canucks.
WALES: P Thorburn (Neath), I Evans (Llanelli), B Bowen (SW Police), J Devereux (Bridgend), A Hadley (Cardiff), J Davies (Neath, Captain), R Giles (Aberavon), J Whitefoot (Cardiff), A Phillips (Cardiff), S Blackmore (Cardiff), S Sutton (SW Police), R Norster (Cardiff), P Moriarty (Swansea), P Davies (Llanelli), G Roberts (Cardiff)
Replacements: R Moriarty (Swansea) for P Moriarty; K Hopkins (Swansea) for Bowen
Scorers: Tries – I Evans (4), B Bowen, J Devereux, A Hadley, A Phillips; Cons – P Thorburn (4)
CANADA: M Wyatt; P Palmer, T Woods, S McTavish, S Gray; G Rees, I Stuart; R McKellar, K Svoboda, B Handson, R Hindson, H de Goede (captain), D Breen, G Ennis, R Frame
Replacement: D Tucker for Stuart
Scorer: Pens – G Rees (3)
Referee: D Bishop (New Zealand).

POOL 2 FINAL STANDINGS

QUARTER-FINAL
8th June 1987 – WALES 16 ENGLAND 3 (Brisbane)
England had played all their Pool matches in Australia and even booked their accommodation for the semi-finals.
Wales had to travel up the length of New Zealand, across the Tasman Sea and then from Sydney to Brisbane for the quarter-final.
Wales had beaten England 19-12 in Cardiff, but went into this game as underdogs, especially as they had to draft in teenage prop David Young, who was playing club rugby in Australia, to shore up a front row that had lost Evans and Jeff Whitefoot.
The Welsh back row tipped the scales and skipper Moriarty had a great day at the line-out. But the star Welsh performer was Robert Jones, who crowned a great performance by outstripping Richard Harding to bag the try that put Wales on the winning trail.
WALES: P Thorburn (Neath), I Evans (Llanelli), J Devereux (Bridgend), B Bowen (SW Police), A Hadley (Cardiff), J Davies (Neath), R Jones (Swansea), A Buchanan (Llanelli), A Phillips (Cardiff), D Young (Swansea), R Moriarty (Swansea, captain), R Norster (Cardiff), G Roberts (Cardiff), P Moriarty (Swansea), R Collins (SW Police)
Replacement: H Richards (Neath) for Norster
Scorers: Tries – R Jones, G Roberts, J Devereux; Cons – P Thorburn (2)
ENGLAND: J Webb; M Harrison (captain), K Simms, J Salmon, R Underwood, P Williams, R Harding, P Rendall, B Moore, G Pearce, W Dooley, N Redman, P Winterbottom, D Richards, G Rees
Replacement: G Chilcott for Rendall
Scorer: Pen – J Webb
Referee: R Hourquet (France)

SEMI-FINAL
14th June 1987 – WALES 6 NEW ZEALAND 49 (Brisbane)
Wales crashed to their heaviest ever defeat in front of 20,000 at Ballymore and suffered further humiliation when Huw Richards became the first player to be sent off in the World Cup. He was suspended for a week.
The All Blacks ran in eight tries to make it nine consecutive victories over Wales (including the non-cap game of 1974) and Grant Fox became the first player to top 100 points in the World Cup as he took his tally to 109 with 17 against the Welsh.
WALES: P Thorburn (Neath), I Evans (Llanelli), J Devereux (Bridgend), B Bowen (SW Police), A Hadley (Cardiff), J Davies (Neath), R Jones (Swansea), A Buchanan (Llanelli), K Phillips (Neath), D Young (Swansea), R Moriarty (Swansea, captain), H Richards (Neath), P Moriarty (Swansea), P Davies (Llanelli), R Collins (SW Police)
Replacement: S Sutton (SW Police) for Collins
Scorers: Tries – J Devereux; Con – P Thorburn
NEW ZEALAND: J Gallagher; J Kirwan, J Stanley, W Taylor, C Green; G Fox, D Kirk (captain), S McDowell, S Fitzpatrick, J Drake, G Whetton, M Pierce, A Whetton, W Shelford, M Brooke-Cowden
Replacement: B McCahill for Stanley
Scorers: Tries – J Kirwan (2), W Shelford (2), J Drake, A Whetton, J Stanley, M Brooke-Cowden; Cons – G Fox (7); Pen – G Fox
Referee: K Fitzgerald (Australia)

THIRD PLACE PLAY-OFF
18th June 1987 – WALES 22 AUSTRALIA 21 (Rotorua)
Wales finished third in the pecking order of world rugby thanks to an injury time try from Adrian Hadley and touchline conversion from Paul Thorburn.
There were 34,000 at the game and they witnessed an explosive start when Wallaby flanker David Codey was sent off for dangerous footwork at a fourth minute ruck.
Wales introduced a second teenager to World Cup action, Swansea flanker Richard Webster, when Collins was ruled out with a back injury.
It looked as though the Wallabies were heading for victory at 21-16, but five minutes into injury time a devastating midfield charge by John Devereux paved the way for Hadley to cross at the left corner.
Thorburn stroked home the conversion to give Wales third place overall.
WALES: P Thorburn (Neath), I Evans (Llanelli), J Devereux (Bridgend), M Ring (Cardiff), A Hadley (Cardiff), J Davies (Neath), R Jones (Swansea), A Buchanan (Llanelli), A Phillips (Cardiff), S Blackmore (Cardiff), R Moriarty (Swansea, captain), S Sutton (SW Police), G Roberts (Cardiff), P Moriarty (Swansea), R Webster (Swansea)
Scorers: Tries – G Roberts, P Moriarty, A Hadley; Cons – P Thorburn (2); Pens – P Thorburn (2)
AUSTRALIA: A Leeds; D Campese, M Burke, A Slack (captain), P Grigg; M Lynagh, B Smith; A McIntyre, T Lawton, C Lillicrap, S Cutler, T Coker, D Codey, S Tuynman, S Poidevin
Replacements: N Farr-Jones for Grigg; E Rodriguez for Lillicrap
Scorers: Tries – M Burke, P Grigg; Cons – M Lynagh (2); Pens – M Lynagh (2); DG – M Lynagh
Referee: F Howard (England)

New Zealand went on to beat France in the Final and become the first Rugby World Cup Champions.