History of rugby world cup
The first Rugby World Cup competition organized by the International Rugby Board (IRB) was held in 1987 in New Zealand and Australia and was a popular and financial success. It was staged four years after a failed attempt to launch a global “rebel” (that is, outside the control of the IRB) professional championship. Since 1987 Rugby World Cup has been hosted by Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, South Africa, and 2019 marks the first time the tournament is to be held in Asia, and also the first time that the event will take place outside the traditional heartland of the sport. By 2015, Rugby World Cup is the third largest international televised sporting event reaching over 200 countries and some 4 billion viewers.
Rugby World Cup 2019 runs from Friday 20 September to Saturday 2 November, with games played across Japan. New Zealand has won the last two Rugby World Cups, but will they make it a hat-trick in 2019?