20 things you never knew about the Rugby World Cup
1. Holders England are the only northern hemisphere side to have won the World Cup.
2. The first World Cup in 1987 was the only one which did not contain any pre-qualifying tournaments. Seven IRB member nations competed automatically while nine places were handed out by invitation.
3. South Africa won the tournament at the first attempt in 1995 after being banned from the sport because of apartheid for the first two competitions.
4. Jonny Wilkinson's 113-point return in England's successful 2003 campaign made him the second highest points scorer in a single competition, behind New Zealand's Grant Fox (126 points in 1987).
5 The record for tries in the World Cup is 15, held by All Black winger Jonah Lomu.
6. Lomu also holds the title of most tries in a single competition after running in eight in 1999.
7. Scotland's Gavin Hastings collected 227 World Cup points between 1987 and 1995, more than any other player.
8. Australia are the only country to have won the World Cup twice.
9. The Wallabies are also the only side to appear in three finals. England, New Zealand and France all have two appearances.
10. On the William Webb Ellis Trophy, one handle is decorated with a satyr (a mythological Greek creature which is part human, part horse) and the other is decorated with a nymph.
11. The 13 tries scored by England against Tonga in 1999 was their most prolific World Cup match ever. Australia hold the record with 22 touchdowns against Namibia four years ago.
12. There has only been one draw in the history of World Cup rugby with Scotland and France ending level on 20-20 in the first tournament.
13. The most points scored by one team in a single match came when New Zealand ran in 145 against Japan in 1995.
14. Fly-half Simon Culhane made his Test debut in that match, amassing 45 points with a tournament record 20 conversions and a try. He was dropped for the next match.
15. Mike Harrison was the scorer of England's first World Cup try, crossing the line in his side's 19-6 defeat to Australia.
16. Australia's 35-12 win over France in the 1999 final is the largest points deficit (23) to date, with three of the five showcases being decided by six points or less.
17. The 2003 World Cup final between England and Australia was shown in 205 countries.
18. New Zealand, who co-hosted the inaugural competition but missed out on a similar arrangement with Australia in 2003 after a falling out over advertising, will host the next tournament in 2011.
19. Kiwi Sean Fitzpatrick is the most experienced player in rugby World Cup history, earning 18 caps.
20. The IRB requires that the stadium which hosts the final game can seat at least 60,000 spectators.
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