The World Cup

The World's Most Famous Rugby Tournament

Prior to 1987, rugby was strictly regional. Besides the occasional expensive tours and exhibition games, teams from one nation were unable to compete against teams of another. The first Rugby World Cup, hosted in 1987, changed all that. Now, twenty national teams are chosen to compete in the prestigious World Cup, held over four years. It is the pinnacle of international rugby, where only the best are chosen to showcase their sport. Spurred onwards by the athletic feats of their heroes, new rugby fans are cropping up across the world, eager to engage in the unique, gripping sport called rugby.

The first World Cup, organized by the International Rugby Football Board, which is now the International Rugby Board (IRB), was hosted by powerhouses Australia and New Zealand. The All Blacks claimed victory over the Les Bleus and became the first international rugby champions. Currently, the South African Springboks hold the reigning title after winning the 2007 World Cup hosted in France. The winning team is awarded the silver-and-gold William Web Ellis trophy, an allusion to the legend of Ellis’s 1823 exploit from which rugby originated.

Twenty teams are selected from a pool of twenty-four nations to face off in the World Cup. The twelve top teams from the former World automatically advanced, with the remaining eight positions allocated per region – Europe and the Americas receive two slots, while Oceania, Africa and Asia receive one slot. Qualification is then determined by a regional tournament.

The entire tournament lasts more than a month as the twenty teams are divided into four separate pools. The winner and runner-up from each pool advance to the knock-out stage, where play progresses from quarterfinals to semifinals to finals. There can be no tie. Match time is extended. If neither team has gained ground during that time, a period of sudden death ensues, and a kicking competition is used as a last resort.

The World Cup has ignited an international passion for rugby. 300 million viewers tuned into the first match; the 2007 World Cup claimed over 3 billion viewers; the 2011 tournament is anticipated to garner nearly 4 billion views, making the Rugby World Cup the third most popular sporting event in the world, behind the FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympics. Rugby is the de facto national sport of several countries and is exploding in popularity in America, Europe and parts of Eastern Asia. Why? Because rugby does not demand $300 gridiron football uniforms or an ice rink for ice hockey; it takes a simple elliptical ball and a heart full of grit.

The 2011 Rugby World Cup will be hosted in England. Johnny Wilkinson and his team will be facing the aggressive All Blacks, and both will be fending off the returning champions, the Springboks. The Wallabies, Les Bleus, Red Dragons and other teams will make their appearance as well, each vying for a glimpse of the gilded William Web Ellis trophy. Let the games begin.

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