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This was suggested in the knockout stage of the competition where there were twice as many tries scored as in RWC 2011, and in the final where there were five tries and five penalty goals, a ratio of one to one. This was in sharp contrast to the six previous Rugby World Cup finals where only seven tries were scored and 37 penalty goals kicked. The emphasis on the value and importance of tries was also 62 WORLD RUGBY YEAR IN REVIEW 20152015 was a memorable year for world rugby. Rugby World Cup 2015 was not only a hugely successful and spectacular event, but the overall high quality and positivity of the rugby played may well have heralded a new era. ABOVE RIGHTThe game has evolved since RWC 1995 LEFTJulian Savea scores what was named IRPA Try of the Year 2015 against FranceANALYSING 20 YEARS OF PROFESSIONALRUGBYWORLD IN UNION | GAME ANALYSISNew Zealand highlights• They won all seven matches, scoring more tries than their opponents in every match• They scored 39 tries, averaging more than any other team• They kicked 11 out of 12 penalty goals• They successfully kicked two of three drop goals in the knockout stage• They were the most likely to produce a passing movement of three or more passes• They had the highest proportion of passes made by the backs• Their forwards and backs had high passing rates• Their ruck retention rate was not exceeded by any other team • They had the most successful lineout • They won 37 of 38 scrums • Their scrum was least likely to be reset, one of the least likely to end in a penalty and one of the most likely to result in a tryconfirmed by the progress to the final of New Zealand and Australia. In the seven matches that the finalists played against tier one opponents, 25 tries were scored and only 18 penalty goals kicked. What RWC 2015 suggested was that a successful playing formula is one where strength and fitness is allied to pace, skills and vision and this was clearly achieved by New Zealand in their successful title defence.