Although international rugby has been played for well over a century, the Rugby World Cup is a relatively recent phenomenon. The first tournament took place in May and June 1987, with games played in both New Zealand and Australia. The final was held at Eden Park, Auckland, on 20 June, where the home team beat France to become the inaugural holders of the Webb Ellis Cup.
The long road to the cup - 1987 Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup fever
The World Cup - New Zealand cricket
A brief history
New Zealand's Black Caps were 1 of 16 teams competing in the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies during March and April 2007. The teams are divided into four groups of four, with the top two teams in each group then competing in a 'Super 8' format to determine the semi-finalists.
Steve Sumner at the 1982 Soccer World Cup
All Whites beat Australia on road to Spain
The New Zealand football team’s 2–0 victory in Sydney was a defining moment in an epic qualifying campaign for the 1982 World Cup finals. The team was the first from this country to make it to the finals of the sport’s premier international tournament. Local football fans had to wait 27 long years before another New Zealand team reached the finals by defeating Bahrain 1–0 in a two-legged qualification play-off in 2009.
Organising the tournament - 1987 Rugby World Cup
Getting down to business
Rugby News world cup preview issue, 1987
The 1987 Rugby World Cup preview edition of Rugby News (NZ)
The All Black with the number seven on his back is Jock Hobbs, a former captain of the team and now chairman of the New Zealand Rugby Union. He had actually retired by the time of the 1987 World Cup and was replaced at this position by Michael Jones (who scored the first try of the tournament).
The other All Black pictured is John Kirwan, who scored a famous try against Italy in the first game of the World Cup. He was passed the ball following the Italians' kick-off and ran more than 80 metres to score, side-stepping about half the Italian team as he did so. He also scored a crucial try, despite a hamstring injury, in the final against France.
Rugby News world cup cover, July 1987
This cover of Rugby News features the iconic image of All Black captain David Kirk holding the Webb Ellis Cup.
Rugby News world cup cover, June 1987
Cover of Rugby News (UK), June 1987
The dots on the map, at first glance, mark the cities where matches were played. Yet there are three in far north Queensland and one in Central Otago where no matches were played. Also, several actual New Zealand venues are missing. Was it drawn by someone who did not know Antipodean geography?
Webb Ellis Cup
The Webb Ellis Cup, trophy for the Rugby World Cup competition
The union that wins the Rugby World Cup final keeps the Webb Ellis Cup until the next tournament. At 38 cm high, the gilded silver trophy is similar in size to football’s FIFA World Cup. Both are dwarfed by the Bledisloe Cup, which is competed for annually by the All Blacks and the Wallabies, and by the Dave Gallaher Cup, which has been contested in recent years by New Zealand and France. The Six Nations Trophy is also large – it was designed to hold the contents of five bottles of champagne.
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