2015 Rugby World Cup facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
2015 Rugby World Cup

Tournament details
Host nation	England
Dates	18 September – 31 October (44 days)
No. of nations	20 (96 qualifying)
Final positions
Champions	{{Country data  New Zealand (3rd title) | flaglink/core | variant = | size = | name = | altlink = national rugby union team | altvar = rugby union}}
Runner-up	{{Country data  Australia | flaglink/core | variant = | size = | name = | altlink = national rugby union team | altvar = rugby union}}
Third place	{{Country data  South Africa | flaglink/core | variant = | size = | name = | altlink = national rugby union team | altvar = rugby union}}
Tournament statistics
Matches played	48
Attendance	2,477,805 (51,621 per match)

The 2015 Rugby World Cup was a huge international rugby tournament. It happens every four years. England hosted the event from September 18 to October 31. Twenty countries competed. Only one team was new from the 2011 World Cup: Uruguay joined, replacing Russia. This was the first time no brand-new teams played in the tournament.

New Zealand won the cup. They beat Australia 34–17 in the final game. This was New Zealand's third win, and they were the first team to win two World Cups in a row! South Africa came in third place. They defeated Argentina. It was also the first time that no team from the Northern Hemisphere made it past the quarter-finals.

One of the most exciting games was when Japan played South Africa. Japan scored a winning try in the last minute! Many people called it the biggest upset in rugby history. The host team, England, was knocked out early. They lost to Wales and Australia. This was the first time the host country didn't make it to the knockout stage.

Choosing the Host Country

The International Rugby Board (IRB), now called World Rugby, asked countries to show interest in hosting the 2015 or 2019 tournaments. A record 10 countries wanted to host. These included Australia, England, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Russia, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales.

Many countries later decided not to bid. Jamaica was the first to withdraw. Russia focused on another rugby event. Australia, Ireland, and Scotland pulled out due to money reasons. Wales also withdrew but supported England's bid. Some games were even played in Wales.

Final Bids for Hosting

Four countries made final bids to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup. These were England, Japan, South Africa, and Italy. This was the most bids ever for the Rugby World Cup.

On July 28, 2009, the IRB announced the winners. England would host the 2015 World Cup. Japan would host the 2019 event.

England's Bid

England wanted to host the World Cup to add to its "Decade of Sport." This period included the 2012 Summer Olympics and other big events. England's bid promised to make a lot of money for the IRB. They hoped to sell 3 million tickets. This would bring in about £300 million for the IRB.

Italy's Bid

Italy wanted to host to help rugby grow in new areas. The 2007 World Cup was the first hosted by a non-English-speaking country. Italy offered its biggest cities and stadiums. They also highlighted their fast train system. Rugby was becoming more popular in Italy. The Stadio Olimpico in Rome was planned for the final game.

Japan's Bid

Japan was a strong choice. They had finished second in the bid for the 2011 event. Japan could help rugby grow in Asia. It has a large population and a strong economy. Japan also had many rugby players. They had experience hosting big events like the 2002 FIFA World Cup. This meant they already had the stadiums and transport needed.

South Africa's Bid

South Africa also wanted to host. They had tried to host the 2011 World Cup but didn't win. South Africa is in the same time zone as Europe. This is good for TV viewers. South Africa had also successfully hosted the 1995 Rugby World Cup. They were building new stadiums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Game Locations

The Rugby World Cup ball in the host cities of London and Cardiff

After England was chosen as the host, the stadiums were announced. The final list of venues was confirmed on May 2, 2013. There were 12 stadiums in England. One stadium, the Millennium Stadium in Wales, was also used. The IRB allowed this because of its large size and good location.

Two stadiums were only for rugby: Kingsholm Stadium and Sandy Park. Two were national rugby stadiums: Twickenham and the Millennium Stadium. Two were multi-purpose stadiums: Wembley Stadium and the Olympic Stadium. The rest were football grounds.

Some proposed stadiums were not chosen. These included the Stadium of Light and Anfield. Old Trafford was also removed from the list. Its owners had other commitments. Manchester City then offered their stadium for one match.

London					Cardiff
Wembley Stadium	Twickenham		Olympic Stadium		Millennium Stadium
Capacity: 90,000	Capacity: 82,000		Capacity: 56,000		Capacity: 74,154
Newcastle					Manchester
St James' Park					City of Manchester Stadium
Capacity: 52,409					Capacity: 55,097
Birmingham					Leeds
Villa Park					Elland Road
Capacity: 42,785					Capacity: 37,914
Leicester	Brighton	Milton Keynes		Gloucester	Exeter
Leicester City Stadium	Brighton Community Stadium	Stadium MK		Kingsholm Stadium	Sandy Park
Capacity: 32,312	Capacity: 30,750	Capacity: 30,717		Capacity: 16,500	Capacity: 12,300

Team Training Bases

The 41 places where teams trained were announced in August 2014. Each base had outdoor and indoor training areas. They also had a swimming pool, gym, and hotel. Teams used these bases before and during the World Cup.

How Teams Qualified

Out of the 20 teams in the 2015 World Cup, 12 qualified automatically. They did this by finishing in the top three of their groups in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. The other eight teams qualified through regional competitions. England qualified automatically because they were the host nation.

Teams That Qualified

Here are the 20 teams that played in the tournament. Their world rankings before the tournament are in small numbers.

Asia Rugby (1 team)  Japan (13) Rugby Africa (2 teams)  South Africa (3)  Namibia (20) Sudamérica Rugby (2 teams)  Argentina (8)  Uruguay (19) NACRA (2 teams)  Canada (18)  United States (15)

Rugby Europe (8 teams)  England (4)  France (7)  Georgia (16)  Ireland (6)  Italy (14)  Romania (17)  Scotland (10)  Wales (5)

Oceania Rugby (5 teams)  Australia (2)  Fiji (9)  New Zealand (1)  Samoa (12)  Tonga (11)

Country qualified for World Cup      Country did not qualify      Country not an IRB member

The Draw for Pools

Teams were put into different groups (called pools) based on their world rankings. The draw happened on December 3, 2012, in London. The top 12 teams from the 2011 World Cup were placed into three bands.

• Band 1: Top 4 teams
• Band 2: Next 4 teams
• Band 3: Last 4 teams

The other 8 qualifying spots were put into Bands 4 and 5. This was based on how strong those regions usually are in rugby.

During the draw, a representative picked a ball from a pot. The first ball went to Pool A, the second to Pool B, and so on. Famous rugby players and officials helped with the draw.

Team Rosters

Each country could have a squad of 31 players. These lists had to be given to World Rugby by August 31, 2015. If a player got hurt, they could be replaced. But the injured player could not return to the team. There was also a 48-hour waiting period before a new player could play in a game.

Opening Ceremony

The Rugby World Cup started with an opening ceremony. It took place at Twickenham Stadium in London on September 18, 2015. The ceremony told the story of how rugby began. It featured a choir singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," a famous rugby song.

A former player represented each team. Martin Johnson, who won the World Cup with England, represented the host nation. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, helped open the tournament. He ended his speech by saying, "We're ready. Game on."

Pool Stage Games

In the first round, the 20 teams were split into four groups, called pools. Each pool had five teams. Every team played against every other team in their pool once.

Teams earned points for their games:

• 4 points for a win
• 2 points for a draw
• 0 points for a loss

Teams could also get bonus points:

• 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match.
• 1 bonus point for losing by fewer than eight points.

The top two teams from each pool moved on to the quarter-finals. The top three teams from each pool also automatically qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. (Japan had already qualified as the host).

How Ties Were Broken

If two or more teams had the same number of points, these rules decided who ranked higher:

1. The team that won the game between the tied teams.
2. The difference between points scored and points given up in all pool matches.
3. The difference between tries scored and tries given up in all pool matches.
4. Total points scored in all pool matches.
5. Total tries scored in all pool matches.
6. Official World Rugby Rankings from October 12, 2015.

If three teams were tied, the rules were used to find the first-place team. Then, the rules were used again to find the second-place team.

Pool A Matches

Australia beat England 33–13 at Twickenham Stadium in London.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	TF	PF	PA	+/−	BP	Pts
Australia	4	4	0	0	17	141	35	+106	1	17
Wales	4	3	0	1	11	111	62	+49	1	13
England	4	2	0	2	16	133	75	+58	3	11
Fiji	4	1	0	3	10	84	101	–17	1	5
Uruguay	4	0	0	4	2	30	226	–196	0	0

18 September 2015	England	35–11	Fiji	Twickenham Stadium, London
20 September 2015	Wales	54–9	Uruguay	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
23 September 2015	Australia	28–13	Fiji	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
26 September 2015	England	25–28	Wales	Twickenham Stadium, London
27 September 2015	Australia	65–3	Uruguay	Villa Park, Birmingham
1 October 2015	Wales	23–13	Fiji	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
3 October 2015	England	13–33	Australia	Twickenham Stadium, London
6 October 2015	Fiji	47–15	Uruguay	Stadium mk, Milton Keynes
10 October 2015	Australia	15–6	Wales	Twickenham Stadium, London
10 October 2015	England	60–3	Uruguay	City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester

Pool B Matches

South Africa beat the USA 64–0 at the Olympic Stadium in London.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	TF	PF	PA	+/−	BP	Pts
South Africa	4	3	0	1	23	176	56	+120	4	16
Scotland	4	3	0	1	14	136	93	+43	2	14
Japan	4	3	0	1	9	98	100	–2	0	12
Samoa	4	1	0	3	7	69	124	–55	2	6
United States	4	0	0	4	5	50	156	–106	0	0

19 September 2015	South Africa	32–34	Japan	Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton
20 September 2015	Samoa	25–16	United States	Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton
23 September 2015	Scotland	45–10	Japan	Kingsholm, Gloucester
26 September 2015	South Africa	46–6	Samoa	Villa Park, Birmingham
27 September 2015	Scotland	39–16	United States	Elland Road, Leeds
3 October 2015	Samoa	5–26	Japan	Stadium mk, Milton Keynes
3 October 2015	South Africa	34–16	Scotland	St. James' Park, Newcastle
7 October 2015	South Africa	64–0	United States	Olympic Stadium, London
10 October 2015	Samoa	33–36	Scotland	St. James' Park, Newcastle
11 October 2015	United States	18–28	Japan	Kingsholm, Gloucester

Pool C Matches

New Zealand beat Argentina 26–16 at Wembley Stadium in London.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	TF	PF	PA	+/−	BP	Pts
New Zealand	4	4	0	0	25	174	49	+125	3	19
Argentina	4	3	0	1	22	179	70	+109	3	15
Georgia	4	2	0	2	5	53	123	–70	0	8
Tonga	4	1	0	3	8	70	130	–60	2	6
Namibia	4	0	0	4	8	70	174	–104	1	1

19 September 2015	Tonga	10–17	Georgia	Kingsholm, Gloucester
20 September 2015	New Zealand	26–16	Argentina	Wembley Stadium, London
24 September 2015	New Zealand	58–14	Namibia	Olympic Stadium, London
25 September 2015	Argentina	54–9	Georgia	Kingsholm, Gloucester
29 September 2015	Tonga	35–21	Namibia	Sandy Park, Exeter
2 October 2015	New Zealand	43–10	Georgia	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
4 October 2015	Argentina	45–16	Tonga	Leicester City Stadium, Leicester
7 October 2015	Namibia	16–17	Georgia	Sandy Park, Exeter
9 October 2015	New Zealand	47–9	Tonga	St. James' Park, Newcastle
11 October 2015	Argentina	64–19	Namibia	Leicester City Stadium, Leicester

Pool D Matches

Ireland beat Canada 50–7 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	TF	PF	PA	+/−	BP	Pts
Ireland	4	4	0	0	16	134	35	+99	2	18
France	4	3	0	1	12	120	63	+57	2	14
Italy	4	2	0	2	7	74	88	–14	2	10
Romania	4	1	0	3	7	60	129	–69	0	4
Canada	4	0	0	4	7	58	131	–73	2	2

19 September 2015	Ireland	50–7	Canada	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
19 September 2015	France	32–10	Italy	Twickenham Stadium, London
23 September 2015	France	38–11	Romania	Olympic Stadium, London
26 September 2015	Italy	23–18	Canada	Elland Road, Leeds
27 September 2015	Ireland	44–10	Romania	Wembley Stadium, London
1 October 2015	France	41–18	Canada	Stadium mk, Milton Keynes
4 October 2015	Ireland	16–9	Italy	Olympic Stadium, London
6 October 2015	Canada	15–17	Romania	Leicester City Stadium, Leicester
11 October 2015	Italy	32–22	Romania	Sandy Park, Exeter
11 October 2015	France	9–24	Ireland	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Knockout Stage

After the pool stage, the tournament moved to the knockout stage. Teams played single-elimination matches. If a team lost, they were out of the tournament.

Quarter-Finals

	Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Final
	17 October – London (Twickenham)
	South Africa	23
	Wales	19
	17 October – Cardiff
	New Zealand	62
	France	13
	18 October – Cardiff
	Ireland	20
	Argentina	43
	18 October – London (Twickenham)
	Australia	35
	Scotland	34

Semi-Finals

	Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Final
	24 October – London (Twickenham)
	South Africa	18
	New Zealand	20
	25 October – London (Twickenham)
	Argentina	15
	Australia	29

Bronze Final

The Bronze Final is played between the two teams that lost in the semi-finals. They play for third place.

	Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Final
	30 October – London (Olympic)
	South Africa	24
	Argentina	13

The Grand Final

The final match decided the champion of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

	Quarter-finals				Semi-finals				Final
	31 October – London (Twickenham)
	New Zealand	34
	Australia	17

Awards and Top Players

At the 2015 World Rugby Awards, Japan's winning try against South Africa was named the best moment of the tournament. A "dream team" was also chosen. This team included the best players from the World Cup.

2015 Rugby World Cup Dream Team

Pos. Player FB 15 Ayumu Goromaru RW 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder OC 13 Conrad Smith IC 12 Matt Giteau LW 11 Julian Savea FH 10 Dan Carter SH 9 Greig Laidlaw

Pos. Player N8 8 David Pocock OF 7 Schalk Burger BF 6 Mamuka Gorgodze RL 5 Leone Nakarawa LL 4 Eben Etzebeth TP 3 Ramiro Herrera HK 2 Stephen Moore LP 1 Marcos Ayerza

Tournament Statistics

Most points

Player	Team	Points
Nicolás Sánchez	Argentina	97
Handré Pollard	South Africa	93
Bernard Foley	Australia	82
Dan Carter	New Zealand	82
Greig Laidlaw	Scotland	79

The player who scored the most points was Nicolás Sánchez from Argentina. He scored 97 points. Julian Savea from New Zealand scored the most tries, with eight. This tied the record for most tries in one tournament.

Match Officials

World Rugby chose 12 referees, 7 assistant referees, and 4 television match officials. These officials helped make sure the games were played fairly.

Media Coverage

ITV Sport was the main broadcaster for the 2015 World Cup in the UK. They showed all 48 matches live. Many other TV channels around the world also broadcast the games.

Video Game

An official video game for the tournament was released on September 4, 2015. It was called Rugby World Cup 2015. It was available on PC and various gaming consoles.

Tickets

Ticket prices were announced in November 2013. General ticket sales started in September 2014. Adult tickets for pool matches began at £15. Children's tickets were available from £7 for many games. Tickets for the final game cost between £150 and £715.

Images for kids

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  The Rugby World Cup ball in London

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  The Rugby World Cup ball in Cardiff

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  Wembley Stadium

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  Twickenham Stadium

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  Olympic Stadium

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  Millennium Stadium

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  St James' Park

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  City of Manchester Stadium

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  Villa Park

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  Elland Road

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  Leicester City Stadium

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  Brighton Community Stadium

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  Stadium MK

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  Kingsholm Stadium

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  Sandy Park

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  Australia beat England at Twickenham Stadium

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  South Africa beat the USA at the Olympic Stadium

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  New Zealand beat Argentina at Wembley Stadium

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  Ireland beat Canada at the Millennium Stadium