The Ivory Coast's only Rugby World Cup appearance was in 1995 when they were placed in Pool D with France, Scotland, and Tonga.
Their appearance in the 1995 Rugby World Cup was fairly notorious and controversial. In the opening game against Scotland, the Ivory Coast lost by 89 points to nil, a result which led many to question the inclusion of "minor" teams in the tournament. Worse still, three minutes into the third match, against Tonga, their winger Max Brito was crushed beneath several other players. Despite intensive care, Brito was left paralyzed below the neck. He had caught a high ball that had been kicked up the field, and set off on a counter-attack.Rugby World Cup History – The Plight of Max Brito Talking Rugby Union. 29-08-11. Accessed 20-09-11 He was tackled by Inoke Afeaki, the Tonga flanker, before a ruck formed over him. The ruck collapsed and several players fell on top of Brito, leaving him prone and motionless on the ground. Brito was taken to the intensive care unit of the Unitas Hospital in Pretoria with broken vertebrae.L’Historique du Biscarrosse Olympique Rugby Biscarrosse Rugby. Accessed 19-09-11 Operations were carried out to stabilize the fourth and fifth vertebrae, but Brito was left paralyzed below the neck.
In a 2007 interview, Brito was portrayed as living an unhappy life. He was quoted as saying that
Brito's injury raised concerns about the presence of such teams in a rugby union environment on the brink of professionalisation.
By position
Overall record CountryPldWDLFA+/−% 1——11129-180 1——11854-3601——1089-890 Total3——329172-1430
1995 Rugby World Cup Pool D matches -
Ivory Coast player Max Brito was left a quadriplegic after suffering a cervical spine injury in this match.
Team records Highest team score 18 vs 1995 11 vs 1995
Biggest score against 89 vs 1995 54 vs 1995 29 vs 1995
Worst losing margin 89 vs 1995 36 vs 1995 18 vs 1995
Individual records Most points 8 Victor Kouassi 6 Athanase Dali 5 Soumaila Okou 5 Aboubakar Camara 5 Soulama
Most points in a game 8 Victor Kouassi vs 6 Athanase Dali vs 5 Soumaila Okou vs 5 Aboubakar Camara vs 5 Soulama vs
Most tries 1 Soulama 1 Aboubakar Camara 1 Soumaila Okou
References Davies, Gerald (2004) The History of the Rugby World Cup (Sanctuary Publishing Ltd, () Farr-Jones, Nick, (2003). Story of the Rugby World Cup, Australian Post Corporation, ()