Rugby World Cup records billions of viewership every time it is held. The upcoming Rugby World Cup is set to be held this year, and it will be hosted by Japan.
We’re pretty sure that you are as excited about the upcoming World Cup as you are. To prepare you for the upcoming clashes, here is a list of Rugby World Cup facts you probably weren’t aware of in the past. This is a sponsored post. Now you can stream all Rugby World Cup matches live online here.
1. The Same Whistle!
You probably haven’t noticed this earlier but at the start of every Rugby World Cup tournament, the same whistle is blown for the opening game. The whistle that will be blown at the start of Rugby World Cup 2019 is the same one that was first used in 1905 by Welsh referee in the game between England and New Zealand.
2. Biggest Margin of Win
Australia faced Namibia back in 2003 and they destroyed their opponents to the fullest. The match ended 142-0, producing the biggest winning margin in Rugby World Cup history. This score is only beaten by New Zealand against Japan in 1995 when they won 145-17.
3. Top Points-Scorer in Finals
England’s hero Jonny Wilkinson, also referred to as King Jonny, dominated the 2003 World Cup campaign. He remains the top points-scorer in finals to this day. From one try, he scored 277 with 28 conversions, 58 penalties, and 14 drop-goals.
4. Most Red Cards in a Game
1995 Rugby World Cup proved eventful for the Canadian team. In a 20-0 defeat to South Africa, two of their players, Gareth Rees and Rod Snow, received red cards. That’s the most number of red cards in one game.
5. Most Tries
Both, New Zealand’s Jonah Lomu and South Africa’s Bryan Habana, have the joint record of recording most tries in one competition. Both made eight tries in 1995 and 2007 respectively.
6. Australia know how to play in Northern Hemisphere
While many consider it difficult for southern hemisphere teams to perform in the northern hemisphere, Australia faced no such discomforts in the past many years. The team even won the 1991 and 1999 World Cups, when both were held in the northern hemisphere.
7. Cricket and Rugby Star!
The Namibian player Rudie van Vuuren was the star in 2003 when he appeared in World Cups hosted by two unions in that year. He appeared in both the Cricket World Cup and Rugby World Cup in 2003.
8. The Reigning Champions in 1987
Although, the first ever Rugby World Cup happened in 1987, there was still a reigning champion at the time. Technically, USA was the reigning international champion at the time. The reason? They won the gold medal at the 1923 Summer Olympics rugby tournament.
9. The Young Gun
The youngest player to try-score in World Cup finals is the Wales winger George North. And scored two tries in the 81-7 victory over Namibia in 2011, when he was just 19 years and 166 days old.
10. Drop Goal Record
South Africa’s quarter-final victory over England in 1999 will remain in the history books because of the drop-goals record. Jannie de Beer scored five drop-goals in the 44-21 victory.
11. All-Blacks Dominance
All-Blacks have managed to reach the Semi-Final of every Rugby World Cup except for the one that was held in 2007.
12. Most Tries in One Match
Marc Ellis holds the record for most tries in one World Cup fixture. He made six in the 145-17 victory over Japan in 1995.
13. The Names of Men and Women Formats
Previously, the Rugby World Cup was named after the gender of the format. For instance, the tournament for women was named Women’s Rugby World Cup. This was changed recently when the Rugby Union decided to call both the men and women tournaments by the original name, i.e. Rugby World Cup, removing the gender association from the name.
14. The Team with Most Wins!
Plenty of teams have won the Rugby World Cup. The team that has won it the most number of times is New Zealand. The All Blacks managed to lift the trophy thrice in 1987, 2011, and 2015. Australia won the trophy twice in 1991, and 1999. South Africa also won twice in 1995, and 2007.
Now that you’re aware of every important Rugby World Cup fact, we suggest that you go through our guide of how to watch Rugby World Cup from anywhere!
