Argentina celebrate their third-place finish at the 2007 Rugby World Cup © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

Players/Officials: Gareth Cooper | Brian Lima | Agustin Pichot | Martyn Williams

Teams: Argentina | France | Georgia | Samoa | Tonga | Wales

2007
Argentina rounded-off their best World Cup to date by beating hosts France 34-10 at Parc des Princes, Paris, in the Bronze final. The superb Pumas returned to Paris and picked up their second win over the hosts at the tournament, this time running riot after a tense 17-12 win in the opening game at the Stade de France. Felipe Contepomi and Omar Hasan scored tries in the first half and Federico Martin Aramburu, Ignacio Corleto added to Contempomi's second after the break. France were stunned, having beaten the All Blacks but crashed out to England. Pumas skipper Agustin Pichot retired after the game, joining former fly-half Hugo Porta in the pantheon of all-time greats.

2005
Daniel James died at the age of 23. A promising hooker who had represented England Under-16s, he had been left paralysed when he broke his neck when a scrum collapsed during a training session at his club Nuneaton a year earlier. He chose to end his own life in a Swiss clinic which specialised in assisted suicide. "His death was an extremely sad loss for his family, friends and all those that care for him, but no doubt a welcome relief from the 'prison' he felt his body had become," his mother said. "He couldn't walk, had no hand function, but constant pain in all of his fingers. He was incontinent, suffered uncontrollable spasms in his legs and upper body and needed 24-hour care." His parents were interviewed by the police on their return to the UK but no action was taken.

2003
Wales remained on course for the World Cup quarter-finals with a hard fought 27-20 win over Tonga in Canberra. Tries from Gareth Cooper and Martyn Williams, who also notched a drop goal, and points from Stephen Jones saw them past the Islanders. Also, Samoa continued their decent run of form with a 46-9 victory over Georgia, with the legendary Brian Lima on the scoresheet at his fourth World Cup.

1967
Wales captain and star fly-half David Watkins signed for Salford rugby league club. The fee was reported to be £13,000, a new record for a rugby league signing.

1938
Glamorgan beat Monmouthshire 8-6 at Ebbw Vale without three of their leading players who missed the train connection at Cardiff. Neath's international flanker Cyril Challinor and another forward, Jack Brothers of Aberavon, played centre for the winners in a hastily rearranged side.

1952
Oxford Blue and England centre Brian Boobbyer quit rugby at 24 to become a worker for the Moral Rearmament Movement (known as the Oxford Group) in the Far East.

1966
The fifth Wallabies, led by John Thornett, made an inauspicious start to their British tour losing 17-14 through a last-minute penalty goal against the North-Eastern Counties at Gosforth.