Say goodbye to the old Lansdowne Road.Links to details for each tournament:
The IRB held their annual board meeting on 20-21st March 1985 at the French Railways HQ in Paris. Each member nation had a single vote and the motion was carried 6 (Australia, England, France, New Zealand, South Africa, Wales) to 2 (Ireland and Scotland). It would be staged jointly by Australia and New Zealand from the 22nd May to the 20th June 1987. This gave the two host nations approx. two years to prepare. Read more
It may also interest you to know that Rugby League's World Cup was first held in 1954. Read more
The IRB Rugby World Cup (RWC) is now one of the the world's top three sporting competitions(the Olympics and the World Cup of Soccer being the other two).
Venue Result Captain Coach Referee New Zealand 29
France 9David Kirk Brian Lochore Kerry Fitzgerald (Aust) Australia 12
England 6Nick
Farr-JonesBob Dwyer Derek Bevan (Wales) South Africa 15
New Zealand 12Francois Pienaar Kitch Christie Ed Morrison (England) Australia 35
France 12John Eales Rod Macqueen Andre Watson (South Africa) Australia 17
England 20Martin Johnson Clive Woodward Andre Watson (South Africa) South Africa 15
England 6John Smit Jake White Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Year Match Attendance World
Television AudienceGross Commercial Income Net
Surplus1987 600,000 300 million £3.3 million £1.0 million 1991 1 million 1.75 billion £23.6 million £4.1 million 1995 1 million 2.67 billion £30.3 million £17.6 million 1999 1.75 million 3.1 billion £70 million £47.3 million 2003 1.8 million 3.4 billion £81.8 million £64.3 million 2007 2.2 million 4.2 billion £122.4 million
The first game of every world cup to date has been started by the same whistle. The whistle is nearly 100 years old and bears an inscription saying it was used by Gil Evans in the Test match between New Zealand and England in December 1905, a match the All Blacks won 15-0.
This piece of rugby history is also believed to have been used by Albert E. Freethy in the final of the 1924 Olympics in Paris when the United States beat hosts France 17-13 at the Colombes Stadium - the last time the sport of rugby union featured in the Games.
A year later Freethy blew the whistle to dismiss Cyril Brownlie in the Test between New Zealand and England at Twickenham in January 1925, making him the first player to be sent off in an international match.
The whistle has been housed in the New Zealand Rugby Museum in Palmerston North since 16 April 1969 when they held their inaugural function, having been given by Stan Dean, who for many years was the chairman of the NZRFU and manager of the 1924/25 All Blacks.