WILLIAM WEBB ELLIS
First and foremost any rugby fan should know that the father of rugby was a schoolboy called William Webb Ellis who attended Rugby School in 1823. So legend has it was the first person to pick up a ball and run with it instead of kicking it around a muddy field. Sounds a lot like someone having a tantrum to me?
The veracity of the story is in question by historians but has become legend enough for the World Cup to name their prized cup in honour: the William Webb Ellis Trophy.
First team to smash the 100 points barrier (rugby’s answer to the four minute mile) was Wales against Portugal, played in Lisbon in 1994. Score was 102-11.
Of course the All Blacks had to be in here. They destroyed Japan in a 1995 Wold Cup game. 145-17.
The record for the highest number of points score in an international game is held by Hong Kong. In 1994 Hong Kong annihilated Singapore, in Kuala Lumpur 164-0.
One of the hottest locations is Bahrain where Rugby is played on desert sand.
One of the coldest locations, in Russia, reached minus 23 degrees Celsius. Players wore balaclavas, gloves and layers of tracksuits.
On high in Indonesia a rugby pitch is found at the summit of a mountain.
On a low, the Amman Rugby Club play on the bed of the Dead Sea. 385 metres below sea level.
Pieter Nel was about to play in the 1990 Currie Cup final in Pretoria when he stepped on to the pitch. He slipped on cow dung deposited by the team mascot bull and injured his ankle. Cue claims of bull s**t.
John Leslie, playing for Scotland against Wales at Murrayfield in 1999 scored after nine seconds.
Wales v Ireland in 1930. Howie Jones and Harry Peacock, for Wales, both grounded the ball to score a try. The referee being unable to tell which player grounded first awarded the first, and only, joint try.
John and Francis Luscombe of England were the first brothers to play together in an international game in 1871.
Stewart and Jim Boyce of Australia were the first twin brothers to play an international game in 1964.
The very first international game was England V Scotland in 1871, won by Scotland.
The first World Cup was in 1987 hosted by Australia and New Zealand. Won by New Zealand against France 29-9.
The oldest player to compete in the World Cup was Diego Ormaechea in 1999. He was 40 years and 26 days old.
The youngest player to compete in a World Cup final was Jonah Lomu in 1995. He was 20 years and 43 days old.
The only team to have played in a World Cup without scoring a try is Spain.
The most tries scored in a World Cup match is six. By Marc Ellis for New Zealand, against Japan in 1995