Best Drop Goals in Rugby
The drop-goal has always been an aspect of the game that has caused some of the most iconic wins in world rugby.
From Johnny Wilkinson in his white English strip to Ireland’s Johnny Sexton, the iconic Dan Carter of the All Blacks and of course Joel Stransky and Jannie de Beer of South Africa, their heroics sending drop goals at just the right time through the posts, have enthralled rugby fans through the world.
And just when it looked like the famous drop was about to become a dying art, it seems it is back in fashion.
This season’s introduction of goal-line drop-outs has seen an immediate change in approach from teams, dropping extra players into the backfield and opening up space for teams to attack from inside their own halves
Boeta Chamberlain, the Sharks fly-half, recently slotted a trio of drop goals in the United Rugby Championship victory over the Ospreys, two of which came from goal-line drop-outs, a new aspect of the game that has been introduced.
We have compiled a list of what we think are the top ten drop-goals in rugby history. Maybe your club team has won crucial games through a vital last minute drop-goal. This tactic has been the saviour of many teams in all levels of competitions all over the world.
We focused mostly on World Cup matches, with an exception here and there.
10. Chris Patterson / 2003 World Cup, Scotland vs Australia
By the time this legend of Scotland rugby hung up his boots, there were few records that did not have Paterson’s name next to it.
Paterson was a regular in the Scottish team for more than a decade after making his debut in 1999. The versatile back was also the first Scotland player to rack up 100 international appearances and still holds his country’s record for the most points of all time.
With his prolific boot , he managed to kick 36 consecutive goals for Scotland in the 2007/8 season, not missing a single attempt during the 2008 Championship.
But it wasn’t only in the Six Nations where he dominated the kicking honours, he was also in the top ten of multiple Championship record lists after making more than a half century of appearances during his 11-year career.
As his name is etched in Scotland and Championship history, it is only right that Paterson’s name appears on the list of all-time great drop goals.
9. Andy Miller / 2003 World Cup, Japan vs Fiji
Andrew Miller, fondly known as Andy, scored a drop goal from inside his own half for Japan during their Pool B clash Rugby World Cup against Fiji in October 2003 at the Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville in Australia.
The former professional rugby player from New Zealand was selected for the Japan squad for the 2003 Rugby World Cup where he kept the leading Japanese points scorer of all time, Keiji Hirose, out of the team.
He was a leading force in some of the Japanese’s credible performances and was noted as one of Japan's best players at the tournament.
But Miller will be remembered for his 52-meter drop goal against Fiji which was the longest in Rugby World Cup history. The ball traveled for eternity and even appeared to have more distance in it.
Unfortunately the RWC was his last outing for Japan after they briefly made a policy not to select foreign born players in 2004. Miller returned to New Zealand to play for Southland.
8. Gerry Brand / 1932, SA vs England
The name Gerald Hamilton `Gerry' Brand still appears in the Guiness Book of World Records for the longest drop goal in rugby union history.
The reason why this name might not be recognized by most, is because Gerry was born in 1906 in South Africa.
The kick that sent his name into the record books, was a monster of 77.7 meters on 2 January 1932 in a Test between South Africa and England at Twickenham.
Brand played for the Springboks between 1928 and 1938 with 16 Test caps which included 55 test career points, a 27-year record (1938–65), which was eventually surpassed by Keith Oxlee.
7. Percy Montgomery / 1999 World Cup, South Africa vs New Zealand
The Namibian born Montgomery is a Centurion with 102 test caps for South Africa between 1997 and 2008. The blond back was a steady operator over his career and there were times when he kicked like a dream.
Montgomery was a sensation as an attacker in the early part of his career, and then became the wise old master with the boot towards the end of it.
His long-range drop-goal during the Rugby World Cup third place play-off match between New Zealand and South Africa at the Millennium stadium in Cardiff on 4 November 1999 bounced off the crossbar before landing on the right side of the try line.
This kick was vital in securing a win for South Africa, defeating New Zealand 22-18.
6. Johnny Sexton / 2018 Six Nations, Ireland vs France
Paris was the scene for the pivotal moment of the 2018 Six Nations when Johnny Sexton stepped up to the place, sending a 45-metre drop goal at the end of a 41-phase move that clinched Ireland a famous victory over Les Bleus.
Forty-two seconds into the third minute of overtime, Sexton called for the ball and proceeded to land one of the boldest drop goals in Six Nations history to steal what ended up an outrageous win.
The French must have thought they had the match all but in the bag. All they had to, was win the ball back, via a legal turnover, penalty, or knock-on, and the game was done.
But Sexton had other ideas. He made the call and he received the ball from Murray just inside the France half. His connection was sweet and the ball shot off into the night sky, sucking the noise out of the Stade de France as it went.
The ball reached the top of its arc and began to drift slowly towards the posts, eventually clearing them by a couple of metres.
Sexton’s reaction said it all. Ireland, in command for so long but then all of a sudden on the brink of defeat, had won brilliantly.
5. Dan Carter / 2015 World Cup, New Zealand vs Australia
Carter had kicked four penalties and two conversions during the World Cup final against the Wallabies at Twickenham on that day, but a 40-metre drop goal proved to be his crowning glory in the win over their archrivals.
Carter could not dream of a better finale to his 12-year, 112-cap All Black career, and few would deny him his moment of glory.
With nearly ten minutes left on the clock in the biggest game of 2015, Dan Carter didn't quite fancy being ahead of the Wallabies by only four points (21-17).
In true Carter fashion, he decided to take the game into his own hands and slot one through the posts to extend that tight lead for the All Blacks.
It gave the nation some much needed breathing space as the clock wound down to another famous New Zealand World Cup win!.
4. Johnny Wilkinson / 2007 World Cup, England vs Australia
Jonny Wilkinson’s extra-time drop goal during the World Cup final at Stadium Australia in 2003 gave England a dramatic 20-17 win over the Wallabies.
There were just 26 seconds left on the clock when Wilkinson kicked a right-footed drop goal to clinch a 20-17 victory and deliver England their first World Cup triumph.
The 2003 World Cup winner has done it all bar feature in a victorious Lions tour in an international career that span over 16 years.
Ask any England rugby fan what the greatest moment in rugby history was, and they are almost guaranteed to be unanimous in their response. Without hesitation, it is likely to be England’s Rugby World Cup victory over Australia in 2003, and the kick that won it for them.
Wilkinson has knocked over 36 international drop goals in his career, which makes him the most prolific drop-goal kicker in the Test game’s history.
But none were as impressive and important as the right-footed effort in 2003 that clinched the Rugby World Cup for England in extra time in Sydney.
3. Zinzan Brooke / 1995 World Cup
Forwards have a lot of attributes in the game of rugby, they need speed, strength, fitness, tackling and handling skills. Kicking is normally not one of those attributes.
That is why the name of All Black great Zinzan Brooke might raise a few eyebrows as he was one of the worlds’ best loose forwards.
It is not often that forwards get to kick at goal, but that didn't stop Zinzan Brooke during the Rugby World Cup against England in 1995.
The 40m drop goal against England in the 1995 World Cup Semi Final has gone down as one of the most amazing and unexpected moments to be seen on a rugby field since the game began over a hundred years ago.
Brooke had caught the ball 50 meters out and near the right touchline. He dropped for goal and it went over.
It was a moment of sheer cheek and ingenuity which should never have come off.
It broke English hearts on a day that was dominated by the power and pace of big Jonah Lomu. And then that man Brooke slotted a drop kick from close to halfway which just rubbed more salt into the English’ wound.
Zinzan was one of the most talented forwards to play the game, and at that time, way ahead of his peers in terms of ball skills and general talent. He scored 17 test tries, a record for a forward, and slotted three drop goals, making him a giant of the game and a legend both on and off the pitch.
2. Jannie de Beer / 1999 World Cup, South Africa vs England
The drop goal will never become a dying art. It has saved many teams from defeat.
But Springbok Jannie de Beer took it to the next level when he not only sent one or two drop goals through the posts in the 1999 World Cup quarter final against England in the Stade de France, but five.
The then 28 year old scored three in the first half and two after the break as he contributed another five penalties and two conversions in the 44-21 win over Clive Woodward's side. He missed none of his efforts on goal that day, recording a terrific 12 out of 12.
Remarkably, all five drop-goals were kicked in the second half after South Africa held a slender 16-12 lead at half-time, while he also succeeded with a couple of conversions and four penalties.
Unfortunately he could not emulate the same plan during the semi final against Australia, as he only scored the one drop goal despite numerous attempts as the Wallabies learned from the mistakes England made in the quarter finals by not giving de Beer any space. That semi final loss was his last game for the Springboks. Despite only making 13 appearances for his country, his name is still remembered for that historic day in Paris in 1999.
1. Joel Stransky / 1995 World Cup, South Africa vs New Zealand
It must be the most famous triple-pointer in the history of the sport.
The scene was set for an iconic Rugby World Cup final between the hosts, South Africa, and New Zealand at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg.
No-one could have predicted the outcome, even if they had to rewrite the script a hundred times.
Three seconds - that's all it took from the time the ball left Joel Stransky's boot until it whistled through the rugby posts. In those three seconds, Stransky went from Springbok player to Springbok legend and earned the adulation of a nation. His fairy-tale drop goal in the dying minutes of the 1995 Rugby World Cup final sealed SA's win against the all-powerful All Blacks and played a role in inspiring unity in a divided country.
Prior to that moment in the final, Joel Stransky kicked off the World Cup by becoming the first Springbok in history to score all four possible ways in one test (a try, a conversion, four penalty goals and a drop goal) as South Africa defeated reigning World Champions Australia, 27-18.