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42-656: Slogan for 2006 season: TAFU ("Tough" in English). The acronym stands for Team, Aggression, Faith, Unity. In January 2008 it was announced that Stephen Larkham would be joining the team next season, but the team was relegated back to the Japan East League where Larkham would begin his career in Japan. In April 2008, Todd Louden was announced as head coach, to be assisted by Pote Human ( Daily Yomiuri , April 26, 2008). The team rebranded as Black Rams Tokyo following

84-763: A 29–0 win over the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, to make the Brumbies the first team to have held a team scoreless twice against the same opponent. During the qualifier round, the Brumbies convincingly beat the Stormers in Cape Town 39–19, to set up an away semi-finals against first seeds Hurricanes. The Brumbies lost this match 29–9 to be eliminated from Champions contention. On 27 February 2015, newly appointed Wallabies coach Michael Cheika appointed Larkham as

126-475: A competent defender in spite of his relatively light frame. He was also tried at inside centre by John Connolly for one test against Wales 2006 but the experiment was not regarded a success and he never played there again. He was famous for forming a long-standing half-back partnership with George Gregan , both of whom were foundation players with the ACT Brumbies rugby franchise. When both retired after

168-772: A cost of £126 million from Lottery money and private investment. Other venues in Wales were the Racecourse Ground and Stradey Park . An agreement was reached so that the other unions in the Five Nations Championship (England, France, Ireland and Scotland) also hosted matches. Venues in England included Twickenham Stadium and Welford Road Stadium , rugby union venues, as well as Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol, which normally hosts football, and

210-667: A reserve against Wales in Sydney in 1996 when he replaced injured Ben Tune on the wing, and then joined the Wallabies on their undefeated tour of Europe. In 1997, Larkham proved more than a capable replacement at fullback for the injured Matt Burke, with a two-try effort in the Wallabies final Test against Scotland at Murrayfield. On 16 January 2008 Larkham signed a three-year contract with Japanese club Ricoh Black Rams . After two full seasons in Japan, Larkham negotiated an early release in order to return to Australia. He played in Japan for

252-550: A single game. For the then Five Nations Championship teams who all played their pool matches in their own countries it was a case of mixed fortunes with France winning their pool without losing a game. Host Wales also won their pool, though they suffered 31–38 defeat at the hands of Samoa in front of a home crowd at the Millennium Stadium . However, as expected England , Ireland and Scotland all finished second in their pools and were forced to try to qualify for

294-480: A week long rest, in the quarter-finals. England , hosts Wales and Scotland were all knocked out, and France , who beat Argentina , were the only team left from the Northern Hemisphere. The semi-finals, which were both played at Twickenham Stadium , produced two of the most dramatic matches of the tournament, with Australia beating South Africa 27–21 in extra-time after normal time ended with

336-604: Is a retired Australian rugby union professional player, currently in the role of head coach for Brumbies . He spent his career with the Brumbies in Super Rugby , for whom he played from the inception of the professional Super 12 in 1996 through 2007. He is best known for his long tenure with the Wallabies at international level, for whom he played 102 times. After initial selection at fullback from 1996 to 1997, Larkham

378-414: The 1999 Rugby World Cup semi-final has gone down in rugby folklore as the defining moment in the Wallabies' victorious Rugby World Cup campaign. South Africa had got to the semi-final largely through the efforts of Jannie de Beer kicking five drop goals in their previous match. The fact that Larkham had quite a badly injured knee through the match caused Steve Smith to remark incredulously while calling

420-1170: The Irish Rugby Football Union ; Ravenhill Stadium ; and Thomond Park . France used five venues, the most of any nation, including the French national stadium, Stade de France , which hosted the final of the 1998 FIFA World Cup , and would later go on to host the finals of both the 2007 and 2023 editions of the tournament. [REDACTED]   South Africa [REDACTED]   Scotland [REDACTED]   Spain [REDACTED]   Uruguay [REDACTED]   New Zealand [REDACTED]   England [REDACTED]   Italy [REDACTED]   Tonga [REDACTED]   France [REDACTED]   Fiji [REDACTED]   Canada [REDACTED]   Namibia [REDACTED]   Wales [REDACTED]   Argentina [REDACTED]   Samoa [REDACTED]   Japan [REDACTED]   Australia [REDACTED]   Ireland [REDACTED]   United States [REDACTED]   Romania With

462-874: The McAlpine Stadium in Huddersfield, which normally hosts football and rugby league. Scottish venues included Murrayfield Stadium , the home of the Scottish Rugby Union ; Hampden Park , the home of the Scottish Football Association ; and the smallest venue in the 1999 tournament, Netherdale , in Galashiels , in the Scottish Borders . Venues in Ireland included Lansdowne Road , the traditional home of

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504-991: The Scottish Rugby Union would not fund the deal. Newly promoted Leeds expressed an interest, as did the Welsh side, the Dragons . However, in January 2008 it was announced that he will join Ricoh Black Rams of Japan. Larkham played for the ACT Veterans Rugby Club at the World Vintage Rugby Carnival in Hawaii in September 2012. During this carnival he also played as a reserve for an old boys team from Brazil who, not realising who he was, asked him to play second row because he

546-466: The 2007 World Cup before a knee injury sidelined him, which effectively ended his Test career as Australia were then knocked out of the competition before he could return. On 14 May 2007, despite larger offers from French and English teams, Larkham signed a contract with Edinburgh Rugby in Scotland to join them after the 2007 World Cup; however; this deal subsequently fell through, reportedly because

588-439: The 2007 World Cup, not only were they the two most-capped Wallabies , but they played in more Tests than any other scrum-half /fly-half combination in history, with 79 appearances together. So important were they to the team that in 2007 at Bruce Stadium ( Canberra Stadium ), a new stand was unveiled as the "Gregan-Larkham Stand" in honour of both players and their combination to the team. He played his last test against Japan in

630-610: The 2021–22 season to return to his native Australia. Larkham returned to Brumbies in July 2022 to take up the position of head coach for the 2023 and 2024 Super Rugby Pacific seasons. Larkham was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2012. He was admitted to the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2018. 1999 Rugby World Cup The 1999 Rugby World Cup ( Welsh : Cwpan Rygbi'r Byd 1999 ),

672-526: The Brumbies secure the top Australian conference position during the 2013 Super Rugby season , finishing second overall losing in the final to the Chiefs 27–22. In 2014, Jake White dramatically resigned as head coach, with Larkham and Laurie Fisher being appointed joint coaches for that season. They finished second in the Australian conference and fourth in the standings after the regular season. They faced

714-614: The Waratahs in the semi-final, losing 26–8 in Sydney. In 2015, Fisher left his role to join Gloucester , with Stephen being appointed head coach. In Larkhams's debut season as head coach, he led the Brumbies to the semi-final of the 2015 Super Rugby season , finishing sixth in the overall standings at the end of the regular season. The Brumbies finished with 9 out of 16 wins, which included 3 wins over South African opposition and 2 wins over New Zealand opposition. The season also included

756-489: The backs and attack coach for the national side for the 2015 Rugby World Cup . That campaign saw a marked improvement in the team's performance, with the Australians winning the shortened Rugby Championship competition that year, going on to eliminate World Cup hosts England in pool play, and contesting the final against New Zealand (losing 34–17). Larkham remained with the national side until February 2019, when he

798-401: The best third-placed side qualified for the quarter-final play-offs. Knock-out stage The five pool runners-up and the best third-placed team from the pool stage (which was Argentina ) contested the quarter-final play-offs in three one-off matches that decided the remaining three places in the quarter-finals, with the losers being eliminated. The unusual format meant that two pool winners in

840-490: The champions, runners-up and the third-placed nations at the 1995 and the tournament host, Wales . A record 65 nations from five continents were therefore involved in the qualification process designed to fill the remaining 16 spots. Wales won the right to host the World Cup in 1999. The centrepiece venue for the tournament was the Millennium Stadium , built on the site of the old National Stadium at Cardiff Arms Park at

882-405: The chance to overtake either of Samoa or Wales, but were 14 points short of overtaking Samoa's total score and a further 18 points short of Wales. The quarter-final play-offs were three one-off knock-out matches between the runners-up of each pool and the best third-placed side from all five pools to decide the remaining three places in the quarter-finals. The matches were played in mid-week between

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924-467: The completion of the pool stage and the start of the quarter-finals. The matches produced fairly easy wins for England , beating Fiji 45–24, and also for Scotland , beating Samoa 35–20. However, the final match produced the shock of the round where Argentina upset Ireland 28–24 in Lens . The winners from the quarter-final play-offs, who had played in mid-week, joined the pool winners, who had enjoyed

966-479: The expansion of the Rugby World Cup from 16 to 20 teams an unusual and complex format was used with the teams split into five pools of four teams with each team playing each other in their pool once. Points system The points system that was used in the pool stage was unchanged from both 1991 and 1995 : The five pool winners qualified automatically to the quarter-finals. The five pool runners-up and

1008-534: The first half of the 2010–11 Top League season playing for the Ricoh Black Rams in Japan and then returned to Canberra in November 2010 to take up the role of attack coach for the Brumbies. Larkham's conversion from fullback to flyhalf is now hailed as a Rod Macqueen masterstroke that put the Wallabies on track to win the 1999 Rugby World Cup . This was initially a controversial selection as his tactical kicking

1050-686: The game for English ITV "He can barely stand on that leg and yet he just thwacked it over." The feat was even more remarkable as Larkham's eyesight was very poor at the time. Since 1999 he has had laser surgery to correct his vision, however at the time he could not see the goal posts clearly. Following Australia's victory over France in the World Cup final, several television commercials aired in Australia humorously mocking Larkham's lack of kicking prowess. The commercial featured players and coaches expressing their astonishment that Larkham scored. The commercial begins with Larkham's school coaches saying he

1092-603: The head coach of Tony Rea who left the franchise at the end of that season. Larkham and newly appointed head coach Jake White made a formidable duo, as during the 2012 Super Rugby season , the Brumbies went from being the fourth best Australian franchise to the second best behind the Queensland Reds . Larkham's attacking influence saw the Brumbies pick up 5 bonus points wins, and an overall better point difference in favor of for. He guided Matt To'omua and Christian Lealiifano to world class fly-half options, which helped

1134-618: The newly built Millennium Stadium in Cardiff , with Wales beating Argentina in a hard-fought game 23–18 to get their campaign off to a positive start. The Pool stage of the tournament played out as was widely expected with the Tri Nations teams of New Zealand (who inflected a massive 101–3 win against Italy at the McAlpine Stadium in Huddersfield ), South Africa and Australia all winning their pools easily without losing

1176-491: The only team ever to win after having to qualify for the tournament, with a 35–12 triumph over France , who were unable to repeat their semi-final victory over pre-tournament favourites New Zealand . The overall attendance for the tournament was 1.75 million. The following 20 teams, shown by region, qualified for the 1999 Rugby World Cup. Of the 20 teams, only four of those places were automatically allocated and did not have to play any qualification matches. These went to

1218-403: The qualification process, with 14 nations progressing directly to the tournament. the remaining two qualifiers were determined by a repechage , introduced for the first time in the tournaments history. This was also the first World Cup to feature 20 teams (expanded from 16). The 20 teams were divided into five pools of four. The winner of each pool progressed to the last eight automatically, with

1260-448: The quarter-finals via the play-offs alongside fellow runners-up Samoa and Fiji , and Argentina as the best third placed side from all five pools, having been the only third-placed side to win two matches (against Samoa and Japan). Indeed, Argentina had finished level with Wales and Samoa on 7 points each in the group stages, and could only be separated by "total points scored": playing and winning their final match against Japan, they had

1302-502: The quarter-finals would have to play each other. From the quarter-final stage it became a simple knockout tournament. The semi-final losers played off for third place. The draw and format for the knock-out stage was set as follows. Quarter-final play-offs draw Quarter-finals draw Semi-finals draw A total of 41 matches (30 pool stage and 11 knock-out) were played throughout the tournament over 35 days from 1 October 1999 to 6 November 1999. The tournament began on 1 October 1999 in

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1344-681: The rebranding of the Top League to the Japan Rugby League One ahead of 2022. 2005 February 13. Ricoh Black Rams v Toyota Jido Shokki - placed third in the Top League Challenge Series. The Black Rams Tokyo squad for the 2024–25 season is: Props Hookers Locks Flankers No8s Scrum-halves Fly-halves Centres Wingers Fullbacks Utility Backs Stephen Larkham Stephen Larkham (born 29 May 1974)

1386-486: The remaining quarter-finalists determined by three play-off matches, played between the runners-up from each pool and the best third-placed team. The tournament began with the opening ceremony in the newly constructed Millennium Stadium , with Wales beating Argentina 23–18, and Colin Charvis scoring the first try of the tournament. Australia won the tournament, becoming the first nation to do so twice and also to date

1428-681: The scores locked at 18-18. The second semi-final between favourites New Zealand and underdogs France was an all-time classic, as France overturned a 24–10 deficit to win 43–31 and reach their second World Cup final. France and Australia met at the Millennium Stadium on 6 November 1999, with Australia winning 35–12 to become the first team to win the Webb Ellis Cup twice. The cup was presented by Queen Elizabeth II to Australian captain John Eales . The overall attendance for

1470-513: The tournament was 1.75 million. The tournament's top point scorer was Argentina's Gonzalo Quesada , who scored 102 points. Jonah Lomu scored the most tries, eight in total, a rugby world cup record. British television rights holders ITV acted as the host broadcaster for the tournament, with S4C also broadcasting matches in the Welsh language . with coverage shown in 209 countries, to an audience of 3.1 billion viewers. In Australia,

1512-546: Was a poor kicker, and had never successfully scored a drop-goal in a match. The climax of the commercial features then-captain John Eales , as well as Matt Burke , Kearns and MacQueen each saying "Don't kick it!" as footage of the moment is replayed. The commercial is available to view on YouTube . Larkham was an important part of the Australian 2003 World Cup squad which lost in the tournament final to England. He has suffered greatly from injuries through his career, especially to his knees and right elbow. Despite these he remained

1554-407: Was controversially sacked by Cheika after coming under intense pressure following a number of years of poor results. Larkham joined Irish provincial side Munster as their senior coach ahead of the northern hemisphere 2019–20 season, where he works alongside head coach Johann van Graan , defence coach JP Ferreira and forwards coach Graham Rowntree . Larkham left Munster upon the conclusion of

1596-461: Was one of the best flyhalves in world rugby, with reputation as an elusive runner and the lynchpin of a potent backline. He first gained notice in 1995 when he was plucked from reserve grade club rugby to represent ACT in the Super 12 as a utility back in the Brumbies squad, playing a number of Super 12 games before attracting the attention of the national selectors. Larkham made his test debut as

1638-557: Was regarded as too weak for the position; however, his ability to get the Australian back line going and to slide through gaps himself quickly ended the debate. Simon Poidevin while commenting for Australian TV remarked during the third test against the All Blacks in 1998 that "anyone who thinks (Larkham) is a dud flyhalf needs their head read" (i.e. is wrong) and this was eventually accepted to be correct. Larkham's famous 48m-drop goal to seal victory over South Africa in extra time of

1680-675: Was tall. Despite his other commitments, Larkham occasionally still plays with the ACT Veterans to help them raise funds for the charities they support. On 18 February 2018, he received the GENLEC Player of the Day jacket for his great play and sportsmanship in the Clare Holland Cup charity match. In 2010, Larkham returned to the Brumbies ahead of the 2011 Super Rugby season to take up the role of attack coach. He worked under

1722-423: Was the first-choice Australian fly-half from 1997 to 2007, playing in the 1999 , 2003 , and 2007 Rugby World Cups . Having started his career as a fullback, Larkham developed into one of the greatest fly-halves in the history of Australian rugby, being named in 2005 at the position in Australia's team of the decade (the "decade" being the first 10 years of professional rugby union). At his peak, Larkham

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1764-474: Was the fourth Rugby World Cup , the quadrennial international rugby union championship, the first World Cup to be held in the sport's professional era . Four automatic qualification places were available for the 1999 tournament; Wales qualified automatically as hosts, and the other three places went to the top three teams from the previous World Cup in 1995 : champions South Africa , runners-up New Zealand and third-placed France . 63 nations took part in

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