History of the Rugby World Cup

Christiaan Steenekamp

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After four long and agonising years, it is time again for the Rugby World Cup. This time it is even more interesting, since South Africa will be defending our world title after winning the Webb Ellis trophy in 2019 in Japan.

Time for a recap of the previous winners of the World Cup, since history repeats itself, according to most high school history teachers. The competition started in 1987, and while teams from the Northern Hemisphere have played in seven of the nine finals, it is the Southern Hemisphere teams that have lifted the trophy eight times. Unlike other sports, Northern Hemisphere versus Southern Hemisphere rivalries are real and are played each year as part of the November international rugby season. This being said, with pressure mounting on the Northern Hemisphere teams to win the trophy, this might be the tournament where we will see a winner from the North. France (the host) and Ireland (ranked first in the world) are certainly favourites. But, back to the past:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1987 New Zealand
                           2. 1991 Australia
                           3. 1995 South Africa
                           4. 1999 Australia
                           5. 2003 England
                           6. 2007 South Africa
                           7. 2011 New Zealand
                           8. 2015 New Zealand
                           9. 2019 South Africa

Let us hope history repeats itself and that the Bokke will bring back the gold again!