Rugby World Cup

Lore & Background

Before the Rugby World Cup, there was no truly global rugby union competition, but there were a number of other tournaments. One of the oldest is the annual Six Nations Championship, which started in 1883 as the Home Nations Championship, a tournament between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It expanded to the Five Nations in 1910, when France joined the tournament. France did not participate from 1931 to 1939, during which period it reverted to a Home Nations championship. In 2000, Italy joined the competition, which became the Six Nations. Rugby union was also played at the Summer Olympic Games, first appearing at the 1900 Paris games and subsequently at London in 1908, Antwerp in 1920, and Paris again in 1924. France won the first gold medal, then Australasia, with the last two being won by the United States. However rugby union ceased to be on Olympic program after 1924. The idea of a Rugby World Cup had been suggested on numerous occasions going back to the 1950s, but met with opposition from most unions in the IRFB. The idea resurfaced several times in the early 1980s, with the Australian Rugby Union (ARU; now known as Rugby Australia) in 1983, and the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU; now known as New Zealand Rugby) in 1984 independently proposing the establishment of a world cup. A proposal was again put to the IRFB in 1985 and this time passed 10–6. The delegates from Australia, France, New Zealand and South Africa all voted for the proposal, and the delegates from Ireland and Scotland against; the English and Welsh delegates were split, with one from each country for and one against. The inaugural tournament, jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, was held in May and June 1987, with sixteen nations taking part. The inaugural World Cup in 1987, did not involve any qualifying process; instead, the 16 places were automatically filled by seven eligible International Rugby Football Board (IRFB, now World Rugby) member nations, and the rest by invitation. New Zealand became the first-ever champions, defeating France 29–9 in the final. The subsequent 1991 tournament was hosted by England, with matches played throughout Britain, Ireland and France. Qualifying tournaments were introduced for the second tournament, where eight of the sixteen places were contested in a twenty-four-nation tournament. This tournament saw the introduction of a qualifying

In Their Own Story

The air inside Eden Park was thick with humidity and a silence so profound it felt heavy enough to crush stone. On the pitch, the All Blacks stood in two lines, eyes fixed on the South African Springboks across the halfway mark. The referee's whistle had not yet blown, but the tension was already a physical force. Dan Carter adjusted his headband, his breath visible in the cool Auckland night. Beside him, Richie McCaw looked down at the grass, grounding himself before the storm. As the first notes of the Haka began to rumble from the throat of the captain, the stadium seemed to hold its breath. The rhythm built, a heartbeat syncing with thousands of fans, until the final stomp echoed like thunder, shaking the very foundations of the ground. In that suspended second between the challenge and the kickoff, history waited.

Reader's Guide

Under the current format, 24 teams qualify for each Rugby World Cup. Twelve teams qualified automatically for the 2027 edition, as a consequence of finishing top three in their 2023 pool. The qualification for the remaining 12 spots was allocated regionally; with a total of ten teams allocated for Europe, seven for the Pacific, two for South America - an additional space for a play-off between South America and the Pacific - two for Africa, one for Asia. The last place is determined by an intercontinental play-off. The tournament involves twenty-four nations competing over six weeks in October and November. There are two stages—a pool, followed by a knockout round. Nations are divided into four pools, A through to D, of four nations each. The teams are seeded based on the World Rankings. The six highest-ranked teams are drawn into pools A to F. This process is repeated down the seeding order, with a caveat to ensure the host country shall always be in Pool A. Nations play three pool games, playing their respective pool members once each. A bonus points system is used during pool play. If two or more teams are level on points, a system of criteria determines the higher ranked. Sixteen teams—the winner and runner-up from each of the six pools, plus the four best third placed teams—enter the knockout stage. The knockout stage consists of a round-of-sixteen, quarter-final, semi-finals, and then a final round which includes a bronze medal match and the Rugby World Cup Final. If a match in the knockout stages ends in a draw, the winner is determined through extra time. If that fails, the match goes into sudden death and the next team to score any points is the winner.

Did You Know?

• The tournament was first held in 1987 and was co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia.
• New Zealand became the first-ever champions, defeating France 29–9 in the final.
• South Africa is the current champion, having defeated New Zealand in the final of the 2023 tournament.
• The Webb Ellis Cup is named after William Webb Ellis who, according to a popular legend, invented rugby by picking up the ball during a football game and running with it.