Rugby union doesn’t get the airtime that NRL or AFL get around most Australian dinner tables, but scratch the surface and there’s a genuinely wild history there — two World Cup wins, a bloke nicknamed “Nobody” because “nobody’s perfect,” a Grand Slam tour where one player scored a try in literally every single Test, and a rivalry with the All Blacks that’s been running since 1931.
We’ve pulled together 85 questions covering the Wallabies, the Wallaroos, the World Cup, the Bledisloe Cup, Super Rugby, and the basic rules for anyone who’s never quite worked out why the ball keeps going backwards. Good for a family trivia night, a long car trip, or just settling an argument about whether Australia has actually won the World Cup (they have — twice).
Jump to a category:
- Wallabies Basics & History
- Rugby World Cup Glory
- Legends of the Game
- Bledisloe Cup & Big Rivalries
- Records, Stats & Numbers
- Rules for Beginners
- Wallaroos & Women’s Rugby
- Super Rugby & Aussie Club Footy
- Bonus Tie-Breakers
Wallabies Basics & History
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What is the nickname of the Australian men’s national rugby union team? | The Wallabies |
| 2 | Which body governs rugby union in Australia? | Rugby Australia |
| 3 | What are the Wallabies’ national colours? | Green and gold |
| 4 | In what year did rugby first get played in Australia? | 1839, in Sydney |
| 5 | When did the Wallabies play their first-ever Test match? | 1899 |
| 6 | Who did Australia play in that first Test, and who won? | The British Isles (Lions) — Australia won 13–3 |
| 7 | Where was that first Test played? | Sydney |
| 8 | Before switching to green and gold, what colours did the Australian team originally wear? | State colours — NSW’s sky blue or Queensland’s maroon |
| 9 | What colour was Australia’s first official national rugby jersey? | Emerald green |
| 10 | Why did the team drop green as the main colour in favour of gold? | To avoid clashing with South Africa’s green Springboks jersey |
| 11 | Where does the name “Wallabies” come from? | It was adopted for the 1908 tour of Britain — “Kangaroos” was already taken by the rugby league team |
| 12 | What is Rugby Australia’s national team mascot called? | Wally |
Rugby World Cup Glory
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | How many times have the Wallabies won the Rugby World Cup? | Twice |
| 14 | In which years did Australia win the World Cup? | 1991 and 1999 |
| 15 | Who won the very first Rugby World Cup in 1987? | New Zealand (co-hosted by Australia and NZ) |
| 16 | Who did Australia beat in the 1991 World Cup final? | England (12–6, at Twickenham) |
| 17 | Who captained the Wallabies to their 1991 World Cup win? | Nick Farr-Jones |
| 18 | Who did Australia beat in the 1999 World Cup final? | France (35–12, in Cardiff) |
| 19 | Who captained the 1999 World Cup-winning Wallabies? | John Eales |
| 20 | Australia hosted the World Cup in 2003 — who beat them in the final? | England, 20–17 in extra time (thanks to a Jonny Wilkinson drop goal) |
| 21 | What is the trophy awarded to the Rugby World Cup winner called? | The Webb Ellis Cup |
| 22 | How many times has Australia hosted (or co-hosted) the Rugby World Cup? | Twice — 1987 (co-hosted with New Zealand) and 2003 (sole host) |
| 23 | In the 2015 World Cup final, who did Australia lose to, and by what score? | New Zealand, 34–17 at Twickenham |
| 24 | Who captained the Wallabies in that 2015 final? | Stephen Moore |
| 25 | Which country is confirmed to host the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027? | Australia |
Legends of the Game
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Who is the Wallabies’ all-time leading point scorer? | Michael Lynagh (911 points) |
| 27 | Who is the Wallabies’ all-time leading try scorer? | David Campese (64 tries) |
| 28 | What running move, still talked about today, is David Campese credited with inventing? | The “goose step” |
| 29 | Which Wallaby is the most-capped player in the team’s history? | James Slipper (151 caps, as a prop) |
| 30 | Before Slipper, who held the record for most Wallabies caps? | George Gregan (139 caps) |
| 31 | What position did George Gregan famously play? | Scrum-half (halfback) |
| 32 | What did George Gregan yell at the All Blacks near the end of the 2003 World Cup semi-final, as Australia held on to win? | “Four more minutes!” |
| 33 | Which Wallaby is the only man to win a World Cup both as a player (1991) and as captain (1999)? | John Eales |
| 34 | What was John Eales’s famous nickname, and why? | “Nobody” — because “nobody’s perfect” |
| 35 | Which Wallaby scored a try in all four Tests of the famous 1984 Grand Slam tour of the UK? | Mark Ella |
| 36 | Who captained the Wallabies on that 1984 Grand Slam tour? | Andrew Slack |
| 37 | What does a “Grand Slam” tour mean in rugby terms? | Beating all four Home Nations (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) on the one tour |
Bledisloe Cup & Big Rivalries
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | What is the Bledisloe Cup? | The trophy contested annually between Australia and New Zealand |
| 39 | In what year was the Bledisloe Cup first contested? | 1931 |
| 40 | Who is the Bledisloe Cup named after? | Lord Bledisloe, a former Governor-General of New Zealand who donated the trophy |
| 41 | Which team has dominated Bledisloe Cup results across most of the professional era? | New Zealand |
| 42 | What is Australia’s nickname for their New Zealand rivals? | The All Blacks |
| 43 | Which regional competition do Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina contest every year? | The Rugby Championship |
| 44 | What was The Rugby Championship called before Argentina joined in 2012? | The Tri Nations |
| 45 | Which country administers the Springboks, Australia’s fierce rival from the Rugby Championship? | South Africa |
Records, Stats & Numbers
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 46 | What is the Wallabies’ biggest-ever Test win? | 142–0 against Namibia, at the 2003 World Cup |
| 47 | What is the Wallabies’ heaviest-ever Test defeat? | 53–8 against South Africa, in Johannesburg in 2008 |
| 48 | How many times has Australia won the Rugby Championship (or Tri Nations)? | Four times — 2000, 2001, 2011 and 2015 |
| 49 | What is the highest world ranking the Wallabies have ever held? | 2nd, back in 2004 |
| 50 | As of early 2026, roughly where do the Wallabies sit in the world rankings? | 8th |
| 51 | How many Rugby World Cups have the Wallabies appeared in, out of every tournament played? | All 10 — they’ve never missed one |
| 52 | Roughly how many people play club rugby union in Australia? | Around 85,000 registered club XV players |
| 53 | What is Rugby Australia’s official website domain? | rugby.com.au |
| 54 | Which Wallaby became the only Australian hooker to reach 100 Test caps? | Stephen Moore |
| 55 | Which stadium hosted the 1999 World Cup final, where Australia beat France? | The Millennium Stadium, Cardiff |
Rules for Beginners
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 56 | How many players are on a rugby union team on the field at once? | 15 |
| 57 | How many points is a try worth? | 5 |
| 58 | How many points is a conversion worth? | 2 |
| 59 | How many points is a penalty kick worth? | 3 |
| 60 | How many points is a drop goal worth? | 3 |
| 61 | How long is a full rugby union match? | 80 minutes, split into two 40-minute halves |
| 62 | What is it called when forwards bind together to contest the ball at a restart? | A scrum |
| 63 | What is it called when players are lifted to catch a throw-in after the ball goes out of bounds? | A lineout |
| 64 | What’s the basic passing rule in rugby that trips up a lot of newcomers? | You can’t pass the ball forward |
| 65 | Who is traditionally credited as the “father of rugby,” for supposedly picking up the ball and running with it during a football match? | William Webb Ellis |
Wallaroos & Women’s Rugby
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | What is the nickname of Australia’s women’s national rugby union team? | The Wallaroos |
| 67 | In what year did the Wallaroos play their first international Test? | 1994 |
| 68 | Who did the Wallaroos play in that first Test? | New Zealand |
| 69 | What is the Wallaroos’ best-ever World Cup result? | Third place, in 2010 |
| 70 | What stadium is considered the Wallaroos’ home ground? | Ballymore Stadium, in Brisbane |
| 71 | What rugby format made its Olympic debut at the Rio 2016 Games? | Rugby sevens |
| 72 | Which country’s women’s rugby sevens team won the first-ever Olympic gold medal in the sport, at Rio 2016? | Australia |
| 73 | How many players are on the field per side in rugby sevens? | 7 |
Super Rugby & Aussie Club Footy
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 74 | What is the name of Sydney’s Super Rugby team? | The NSW Waratahs |
| 75 | What is the name of Queensland’s Super Rugby team? | The Queensland Reds |
| 76 | What is the name of the ACT’s Super Rugby team, based in Canberra? | The ACT Brumbies |
| 77 | What is the name of Western Australia’s Super Rugby team? | The Western Force |
| 78 | Which Super Rugby club, based in Melbourne, was cut from the competition after the 2024 season due to financial trouble? | The Melbourne Rebels |
| 79 | What new domestic-only competition did Rugby Australia launch in 2025 for its four remaining Super Rugby clubs? | Super Rugby AUS |
| 80 | Which club won the inaugural Super Rugby AUS title in 2025? | The NSW Waratahs |
| 81 | What is the historic Sydney club rugby competition called? | The Shute Shield |
| 82 | What is the name of the top club rugby competition in Queensland? | Queensland Premier Rugby |
| 83 | Which wider regional competition do Australian Super Rugby clubs compete in alongside New Zealand, Fijian and other Pacific teams? | Super Rugby Pacific |
Bonus Tie-Breakers
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who is the only man to win a Rugby World Cup as both a player and a Wallabies captain? | John Eales |
| What score did Australia beat Namibia by at the 2003 World Cup — still their biggest-ever Test win? | 142–0 |
| In what year was the Bledisloe Cup first contested between Australia and New Zealand? | 1931 |
| Which Wallaby scored a try in every Test of the 1984 Grand Slam tour? | Mark Ella |
| Which country is set to host the men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027? | Australia |
More Trivia
Rugby not quite your code? Test yourself on cricket, netball or swimming trivia instead.
Got a question we should add, or spotted something that needs fixing? Let us know in the comments.