2011 Rugby World Cup: LKF (Little Known Facts)
Perhaps the most recognizable Kiwi brand is its national rugby team, the iconic All Blacks. Long regarded as one of the most consistently formidable sides in the game, it seems appropriate that they will play host to the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
But, as the much anticipated competition gets closer (time to book your flights to New Zealand?) how much do you know about the tournament? Here are a few facts about the history of the competition…
- The first ever Rugby World Cup was staged in Australia and New Zealand in 1987
- This year’s competition in NZ will be the seventh tournament
- The 2011 Rugby World Cup will be the largest sports event ever hosted in New Zealand, with over 70,000 international visitors expected to attend
- The tournament will take place over seven weekends between September 10 to October 22
-The final will take place in Auckland over NZ’s Labour Day weekend
- New Zealand received an A+ rating from the chairman of the International Rugby Board for their preparatory work ahead of the competition
- 20 nations will compete at this years Rugby World Cup
- The opening match is between New Zealand and Tonga
- The same whistle has been used to sound the beginning of the inaugural match in every tournament since 1987
- The very same whistle was first used way back in 1905, during a match between England and New Zealand which the All Blacks won 15-0
- The most tries by an individual team in a world cup match was 22, scored by Australia against Namibia in 2003
- The same match holds another record – the biggest winning margin ever in a World Cup game, with a final score of 142-0
- The most tries by a single player in a World Cup game was 6, scored by Marc Ellis for New Zealand against Japan in 1995
- The most individual tries in a World Cup was 8, scored by Jonah Lomu for the All Blacks during the 1999 tournament
- Sean Fitzpatrick of New Zealand made 17 appearances for his country across three tournaments (1987, 1991, 1995) – the most ever World Cup appearances by a player.
