The Rugby World Cup is a competition that decides the best national rugby team in the world. Since the inaugural tournament was co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia in 1987, the event has been held once four years. The Rugby World Cup 2011, which starts in New Zealand on September 9, is the seventh tournament.
The Rugby World Cup has been getting more attention each time. The sixth World Cup in 2007 attracted about 2.2 million spectators, along with a viewership allegedly as large as 4.2 billion, making it the third largest sporting event after the Soccer World Cup and Summer Olympic Games.
The winners of the tournament are awarded the Webb Ellis Cup named after William Webb Ellis, a boy generally considered to have invented Rugby in 1823 when he ran toward the goal with the ball in his hand during a football match.
Since the first Rugby World Cup, Southern Hemisphere nations claimed the title four times in a row. Then, England won the fifth Rugby World Cup, becoming the first Northern Hemisphere country to clinch the Webb Ellis Cup. Japan has participated in seven consecutive tournaments from the first through seventh Rugby World Cups. And it has been decided that the ninth Rugby World Cup in 2019 will be held in Japan for the first time in Asia. Let’s watch the world’s best exciting matches of Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand!

Host Nation Winner 1st 1978 New Zealand/Australia (co-hosts) New Zealand 2nd 1991 England Australia 3rd 1995 South Africa South Africa 4th 1999 Wales etc. Australia 5th 2003 Australia England 6th 2007 France South Africa 7th 2011 New Zealand 8th 2015 England 9th 2019 Japan

Schedule for Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand
(Japan time)

October 8 (Sat) Quarterfinals (2 matches) October 9 (Sun) Quarterfinals (2 matches) October 15 (Sat) Semifinals October 16 (Sun) Semifinals October 23 (Sun) Finals

* The schedule is subject to change. To check on the latest schedule, visit the Japan Rugby Football Union’s homepage (URL: http://sakura.rugby-japan.jp/).

Opening ceremony of Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand
 

Opening match in Rugby World Cup 2011 between the favorite All Blacks (New Zealand’s national team) and Tonga’s national team

Japan’s national team, winning the Asian qualifying round,
has participated in seven consecutive Rugby World Cups.

↑pagetop