Here are some fun facts on the Rugby World Cup 2019!
1. First time ever in Asia
This is the first time ever the Rugby World Cup is organized in Asia, and Japan has been given the honor to host this event.
2. New Zealand attempts a 3-peat
After back-to-back successful RWC campaigns in 2011 and 2015, the team from the land of the long white cloud is attempting to win the RWC 3 times in a row. No other team has ever successfully defended their crown back-to-back.
Photo: Planet Rugby
3. First player to play 5 campaigns
Sergio Parisse from Italy will feature in his 5th RWC campaign, the first player in history to do so! Make it 6, Sergio!
4. Teams from the Southern Hemisphere dominate Rugby World Cups
England is the only team from the northern hemisphere that has won the William Webb Elis trophy. This was back in 2003. Southern Hemisphere teams have historically performed better, including New Zealand (won 3 times), Australia (twice) and South Africa (twice).
Photo: Serious About Rugby League
5. The Tournament’s Oldest Player
At 38 years old, Luke Thompson, representing Japan, is the oldest player at this year’s RWC. However, he is not the oldest in the history of the tournament! The oldest player to make an appearance in a RWC match was Diego Ormaechea from Uruguay at the 1999 RWC. He was 40 years old.
Catch all 48 LIVE matches of the Rugby World Cup 2019 on Bein Sports Channel 825 or Astro GO, free for all Astro Sports Pack Customers!
Listen to the preview of the matches as well as the post-match discussions on Scrumtime with Rugby Pundit, Capo Rod and the first Malaysian Professional Player, Marc Le via the SYOK app.
By: Capo Rod
