Is it time for another round of the Rugby World Cup already? The men’s tournament is back, four years since the previous one, and teams are vying for the coveted Webb Ellis Cup.
What is Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is one of the premier international competitions in the sport of rugby union. It’s usually held every four years and features the best national teams from around the world. The tournament was first held in 1987 and has grown in size and stature since. It’s organized by World Rugby, the sport’s international governing body.
The tournament usually consists of a pool stage, followed by knockout rounds that culminate in a final. Teams are drawn into pools and play a round-robin within their group. The top teams from each pool then progress to the knockout stages, which consist of quarter-finals, semi-finals, and ultimately, the final.
The Rugby World Cup has been a showcase for some of the best talent in the sport and has been key in promoting rugby union worldwide. New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa have been dominant forces in the tournament’s history, but other nations like England, France, and Wales have also been strong competitors.
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Location & Tactics
What’s the location? The tournament begins with host nation France facing off against New Zealand in Paris this Friday. Various cities such as Saint-Étienne, Bordeaux, Marseille, Toulouse, Lille, Lyon, Nice, and Nantes will be the venues for the matches. The championship game will conclude the seven-week-long event at the Stade de France on October 28th.
What’s the game all about? In rugby, players are allowed to carry and kick the ball forward but must pass the ball backward. Scoring involves five points for a try, which is grounding the ball on or behind the opponent’s try-line, two points for a conversion following a try, and three points for either a penalty or drop goal.
Who Will Be the Champion?
Who’s expected to take the title? The competition is fierce and several teams have the potential to claim victory. New Zealand, the inaugural 1987 winners, also clinched the title in 2011 and 2015. South Africa won in the years 1995, 2007, and 2019. Australia’s wins came in 1991 and 1999, but they aren’t the frontrunners this time. England, the only team from the northern hemisphere to have won, did so in 2003. So, it would seem likely that either South Africa or New Zealand could take home the trophy, although France and Ireland, who currently hold the top world ranking and the Six Nations grand slam, are also strong contenders.
Any other terms to know? A good starting point is team nicknames: South Africa goes by the Springboks, New Zealand is known as the All Blacks, Australia are referred to as the Wallabies, and Argentina are called the Pumas. France is known as Les Bleus, and similarly, Italy is referred to as the Azzurri.
