2011 Rugby World Cup

Lore & Background

The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005. The opening match saw the hosts, New Zealand, take on Tonga. The final was played at Eden Park in Auckland on 23 October 2011. The defending champions, South Africa, were eliminated by Australia 11–9 in the quarter-finals.

In Their Own Story

The rain lashed against the stands at Eden Park, turning the grass into a slick, treacherous battlefield. The clock ticked past eighty minutes, the score tied at 7-7, the air thick with the roar of eighty thousand Kiwis holding their breath. Richie McCaw, his face a mask of exhaustion and determination, gathered his forwards for one last defensive stand. The French pack surged forward, driving toward the try line, but the All Blacks held firm, a wall of black jerseys refusing to break. As the ball spilled loose in the chaos, Dan Carter picked it up under pressure. He didn't kick for touch; he stepped back, planted his foot, and struck the oval ball with pure instinct. It soared through the mist, bouncing once before settling perfectly between the posts. The whistle blew a second later. In that instant, twenty-four years of heartbreak evaporated, replaced by the deafening roar of a nation finally at peace.

Reader's Guide

The games ran over six weeks, commencing on 9 September 2011. The tournament featured 20 teams. Twelve teams qualified as a result of finishing in the top three in each pool in the 2007 tournament. The remaining eight berths were determined by regional qualifying tournaments. Of the 20 countries that competed in the previous World Cup in 2007, there was only one change – Russia replaced Portugal.

Did You Know?

• The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the largest sporting event ever held in New Zealand.
• Overseas visitors to New Zealand for the event totalled 133,000, more than the 95,000 that the organisers expected.
• The final was played on a date that fell on a long weekend of New Zealand's Labour Day holiday.
• Damage caused by the 2011 Christchurch earthquake forced the relocation of a number of cup matches, including the quarter-finals.