Rugby is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world and this often results in some dramatic moments as both teams leave everything on the field.
Here is a look at the highest scoring rugby games of all time where teams have gone that extra yard to achieve epic wins.
Royal Kituro 356-3 Soignies, 8th February, 2015
The highest scoring rugby match of all time came early in 2015 from Belgium. The scoreline might seem unbelievable but after video footage emerged validating the result it soon became clear why the final score resembled a cricket score more than a rugby score.
Things began to turn sour for Soignies before the match even began. The referee who was allocated the match failed to show up and after an hour delay a number of their players decided to leave. This left Soignies short on player numbers and the following 80 minutes was just Royal Kituro scoring 56 tries and 38 conversions as Soignies carried out their own protest at the no show from the ref by just standing by and letting Royal Kituro score.
Matches with such ludicrous scores often end up with huge winnings for punters that laid down bets on crazy outcomes (although most play it safe). Currently most sports bettors use online sportsbooks, taking advantage of options like in-game betting. You can find a good round up of sites to place your next rugby bet on at OnlineGambling.org.
New Zealand 145-17 Japan, 4th June, 1995
The 1995 Rugby World Cup will be remembered for the political side of things with the images of Nelson Mandela supporting the South African side on their route to glory but in the most poignant tournament in the history of the competition there was one game that went down in the record books.
New Zealand appeared to have their name written on the trophy that year with a squad that was led by Sean Fitzpatrick and included stars such as the late and great Jonah Lomu, Andrew Mehrtens, and Zinzan Brooke.
New Zealand ran in a World Cup record 21 tries as they trounced Japan. They would go on to reach the final only to lose to an extra time Joel Stransky drop goal as South Africa fulfilled their destiny but this was an All Blacks highlight.
Australia 142-0 Namibia, 24th October, 2003
The 2003 World Cup was dominated by two nations that were on a collision course from the very start. England and Australia would meet in the final that year with England winning at the death thanks to a Jonny Wilkinson drop goal but in the group stages Australia pulled off the biggest win in their history.
Namibia was resting a number of key players with a view to playing a full strength side against rivals Romania just a matter of days later and Australia took advantage of the situation. Chris Latham set the tone by scoring two tries in the opening 10 minutes and the flood gates opened. Mat Rogers earned a national record of 42 points in a stunning victory.
Madagascar 57-54 Namibia, 8th July, 2012
The 2012 Africa Cup was the surprising setting for one of the most obscene scorelines in the history of rugby. Madagascar and Namibia came up against each other in a Group 1B Final match. In an incredible game that went into extra time 111 points were shared between the two sides with Madagascar earning a shock 3 point win.
It was a game that saw a number of records broken. Namibia’s 54 point haul was the largest score by a losing side. The final score of 43-43 after 80 minutes was also the highest scoring draw in rugby history.
England 111-13 Uruguay, 2nd November, 2003
This match was predicted to be an easy win for England who were in fine form going in to Pool C but nobody anticipated the huge margin of victory for Sir Clive Woodward’s team. It was a result that set them well on their way to their maiden World Cup win and one that smashed the England rugby records.
Lewis Moody and Josh Lewsey ran in 5 tries each as England totalled 17 tries in a one-sided encounter. It was a game where England had even rested star kicker Wilkinson with his replacement Paul Grayson kicking 11 conversions. They also left other key players on the bench including captain Martin Johnson, winger Jason Robinson, and the influential Will Greenwood so it begs the question how many England could have won by if they fielded a full strength side.