Webb Ellis Cup
The Webb Ellis Cup is the prestigious trophy awarded to the champion of the Rugby World Cup, which is the premier international championship for men's rugby union. Named after William Webb Ellis, who is often credited with inventing rugby in 1823, the cup has been in existence since the tournament's inception in 1987. New Zealand has claimed the trophy three times, while Australia and South Africa have each won it twice, and England once.
Before the Rugby World Cup, there was no formal international tournament for rugby union, although various regional competitions existed. The idea for a world championship gained traction in the 1960s, but it wasn't until lobbying efforts by countries like Australia and New Zealand that the International Rugby Football Board approved the tournament in 1985. The inaugural event was held in 1987 and co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, where New Zealand emerged victorious.
The Webb Ellis Cup itself is a beautifully crafted trophy, originally made in 1906, and stands thirty-eight centimeters tall. The competition follows a structured format with teams divided into pools, leading to knockout rounds, ultimately culminating in the final match where the cup is awarded. Over the years, many exceptional athletes have made their mark in the tournament, contributing to its rich history and global appeal.
Subject Terms
Webb Ellis Cup
The Webb Ellis Cup is the trophy awarded to the winning team of the Rugby World Cup, the international championship for men's rugby union. The trophy is named for William Webb Ellis, who, according to legend, invented the game of rugby in England in 1823. The cup was first awarded in 1987 and has since been won three times by New Zealand, twice each by Australia and South Africa, and once by England.
Origins and History
Prior to the institution of the Rugby World Cup, there was no official international rugby union championship tournament. Although various international competitions did exist, going back to the late nineteenth century, those contests were often limited in participation and acceptance. For instance, the Home Nations Championship, created in 1883, was more of a regional competition played among the countries of the United Kingdom and Ireland and later expanded into the Five Nations Championship when France joined in 1910. One obstacle to creating a truly global competition was the desire to maintain rugby as an amateur sport, unlike its cousins rugby league and association football, which had become professionalised.
A world championship series was proposed in the 1960s, resurfacing over the next several decades, but the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB), the sport's governing body, opposed the idea. However, thanks to lobbying by Australia and New Zealand, the IRFB (precursor to World Rugby) voted in favour of an international cup in March 1985, with concessions to South Africa that it could host once Apartheid ended and to France that non-IRFB members could participate. The inaugural tournament was held two years later, from May through June, and hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand. The latter won the cup by defeating France 29–9. The Rugby World Cup has been held every four years thereafter.
Prior to the 1987 tournament John Kendall-Carpenter, an organiser for the Rugby World Cup, and the secretary of the IRFB visited London, where they purchased a trophy from the House of Garrard, a crown jeweller also known for producing prize trophies, including the America's Cup and the Cricket World Cup. The cup they bought originally was crafted in 1906, based on an older cup designed by Paul de Lamerie. The silver and gold cup stands thirty-eight centimetres tall and has two ornamented scrolled handles. On its face are engraved the words 'International Rugby Football Board' and 'The Webb Ellis Cup'. In 1991 the cup was nicknamed Bill by the Australian team, the Wallabies.
Rules and Regulations
The Rugby World Cup is an international men's rugby union competition among twenty 'high-performance' unions. Like other rugby union events, the cup follows the laws and regulations outlined in the World Rugby Handbook. The teams are divided into four pools, each designated by a letter from A to D. To qualify for the Rugby World Cup, and a chance at the Webb Ellis Cup, teams must have finished among the top three of their respective pools at the preceding cup. Teams may also place into the tournament by competing in a series of regional and cross-regional qualifiers. Beginning with the 2019 Rugby World Cup, these included one European, two Oceania, two Americas, one African, one Europe/Oceania play-off and one repechage (a round robin among four runners-up from the other qualifiers).
During the cup, teams play one another within their pools to determine which teams will advance to the quarter-final round. The quarter-finalists then play one another in the semi-finals. The runner-up semi-finalists face off at the bronze finals, while the winning semi-finalists play one another in the finals. The victors in the final round win the Webb Ellis Cup.
Top Athletes
Since the founding of the Rugby World Cup, numerous players from Australia and New Zealand have distinguished themselves on the field. Michael Lynagh, a Wallabies five-eighth between 1985 and 1995, helped bring the Webb Ellis Cup to Australia in October 1991 after winning over England, 12–6. Lynagh retired from the sport four years later, after Australia's defeat in the quarter-finals of the tournament, with a record-setting 911 points tally.
Grant Fox, a five-eighth for New Zealand's All Blacks between 1985 and 1993, helped win the first Rugby World Cup in 1987 with his precise goal-kicking. Julian Savea, an All Black wing, scored eight tries across the 2015 World Cup, tying a tournament record and earning International Rugby Players Try of the Year in the match against France and a nomination for World Rugby Player of the Year. The latter honour was awarded to Savea's teammate, first five-eighth Daniel Carter, who was instrumental in New Zealand winning the Webb Ellis Cup by scoring four penalties, converting two tries and kicking a drop goal. In addition, Carter was named 2015 Man of the Match.
Bibliography
Davies, Gerald. The History of the Rugby World Cup. Viking, 2003.
Farr-Jones, Nick. Story of the Rugby World Cup. Australian Post, 2003.
Harding, Grant, and David Williams. The Toughest of Them All: New Zealand and South Africa—The Struggle for Rugby Supremacy. Penguin Books, 2000.
"The 1987 Rugby World Cup." New Zealand History, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, New Zealand Government, 21 Jan. 2016, nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/the-1987-rugby-world-cup. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.
Peatey, Lance. In Pursuit of Bill: A History of the Rugby World Cup. New Holland Publishers, 2011.
"Rugby World Cup Trophy: Who Was William Webb Ellis and What Is the Webb Ellis Cup?" Sporting News, 23 Oct. 2023, www.sportingnews.com/us/rugby-union/news/rugby-world-cup-trophy-william-webb-ellis-cup/52e6878ec3eaf6b1a8a0bfdd. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.