







































Georgian Geographical Journal 2023, Vol.3 (2) 

 

The Geography of the Rugby World Cups and Some Tourism 

Issues 
Givi Tavadze1 

Abstract 

According to legend, a kind of sport called rugby was born in the English town of Rugby on April 7, 1823, when 

William Webb Ellis, a local student and football player, took a ball in his hands and put it down in the goal of the 

opposing team. This legend is officially denied today, but it is important because the cup of the Rugby World 

Championship is named the “William Webb Ellis Cup." Rugby was formed and spread during the 19th and 20th 

centuries, and both processes continue. Its spreading beyond the British Commonwealth became more or less 

difficult because of the conservatism of the Brits. For example, the British formed the “IRFB” (International 

Rugby Football Board) in 1886, which became the “IRB” (International Rugby Board) in 1997. However, as they 

did not admit France to this organisation, this state formed a separate union called “FIRA” (Fédération 

Internationale de Rugby Amateur) in 1934, which is “Rugby Europe” today. The first Rugby World Cup was held 

only in 1987 for various reasons. Nine tournaments were organised between 1987 and 2019, and the 10th one will 

open this year, in September–October 2023, on the 200th anniversary of the establishment of rugby. The 

arrangement of the world and regional championships often encounters problems, despite some written and 

unwritten laws. Tourism-related financial issues are one of the most significant troublemakers. They create 

obstacles for organising committees and hinder the spread of rugby’s popularity around the world. At the same 

time, they cause problems with the promotion of Georgia’s national team to a higher regional level, which is one 

of the most important goals for Georgian rugby players and supporters. The main sources of this article comprise 

some English and French magazines related to various world tournaments, interviews with rugby specialists, and 

the plentiful information accumulated during many years of my own connection with the world of rugby. 

Keywords: tournament, rugby, Rugby World Cup, National Team 

Introduction 

Rugby is spread on all six settled continents, and there is at least one state on all of them, the national 

team of which is constantly included or even does not leave the top ten of the world rugby rating. 

England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, and Italy are such countries in Europe. It is worth noting 

that, unlike football, Northern Ireland has no national team in rugby. Northern Ireland and the Republic 

of Ireland have one common national team. Among European countries, only England won the William 

Webb Ellis Cup once. Georgia’s national team stands more or less near these six countries. At the end 

of 2022, our players managed to defeat the national team of Italy for the first time, and then they 

succeeded in winning the match against Wales as well. The national teams of Romania, Russia, Spain, 

and Portugal are more or less equal to those of Georgia. Other states in Europe are not as good at rugby. 

Only Japan has a successful national team in Asia. However, there are no other teams on this large 

continent that could compete with the Japanese rugby players. 

The Republic of South Africa (South Africa) is a triple world champion and has the best national 

team in Africa. Namibia and Zimbabwe, the states of the South African Region, have weaker but still 

successful national teams. Namibia took part in all world cups beginning in 1999, whereas Zimbabwe 

was admitted to the first two tournaments instead of South Africa. 

Argentina has the most powerful national team on both American continents. Canada, the USA, and 

Uruguay have weaker teams, but they almost always participate in the Rugby World Cups. 

Australia and the Pacific Region comprise the most successful national teams. Australia has been the 

world champion twice, and New Zealand three times. Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga have strong national 

teams as well. 

Choosing the place for organising a championship has often been problematic for “IRB” leaders. It 

is established that one tournament is held in the southern hemisphere, and the next is held in the northern 

hemisphere. However, the naming of the concrete country becomes difficult for various reasons. First, 

rugby management tries to arrange the tournament in such “classical” rugby states as Australia, New 

Zealand, South Africa, the UK, and France. Only in 2019, for the first time, was the championship 

 
1 Human Geography Department, Vakhushti Bagrationi Institute, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, 

Georgia, givi.tavadze@tsu.ge 

 



Tavadze. Georgian Geographical Journal 2023, Vol.3 (1) 

organised beyond these countries in Japan. On the other hand, there was no attempt to arrange this 

tournament in Argentina, which has one of the most powerful teams in the world and the best in the 

Western hemisphere. 

Although Argentina always had a strong national team, which often occupied one of the top five 

positions in the world rating, for a long time, it was formed of amateurs, not professionals. This became 

the main reason why the championship was not organised in this state. Here, we should also name Italy, 

which is a member of Europe’s “Six Nations” championship as well as a constant participant in the 

World Cups. This state has all the means to host this tournament alone or at least with France; however, 

there was no mention of arranging the championship in Italy either. 

Organising support and tourism are other important issues. The first tournament was organised in 

Australia and New Zealand simultaneously, and both teams played only in their own stadiums. A more 

complex situation occurred at the second tournament in 1991. England was the official host of this 

championship, but Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and France also played in their own stadiums. 

The financial side of sports tourism has a significant influence on choosing a place. To date, all 

national teams and their supporters have had to leave the states where the championships were held and 

return home if they did not get into the play-off. However, the 2023 World Cup is arranged in France, 

and according to the local officials, all the players and their supporters will be allowed to stay in the 

country until the end of the tournament. If such tourist politics become usual, it will encourage further 

development of tourism and may motivate other countries to pay due attention to rugby and make them 

fight for the right to host this important tournament alone or with other states. 

1987 Rugby World Cup 

The “IRFB” decided to organise the world championship in 1985 on the initiative of Australia and 

New Zealand. All the members of this organisation supported this idea except the UK’s countries and 

Ireland, so these opponents had to agree. The “IRFB” leaders decided to organise the tournament in the 

states that offered this idea. Sixteen countries took part in the games, which were arranged in the cities 

and towns of Australia (2) and New Zealand (7). Although South Africa had one of the most successful 

national teams, it was cut off from this championship because of "apartheid" politics in this state. 

Zimbabwe had the right to take part on behalf of the African continent instead of South Africa. The 

USSR, which was one of 16 in the Rugby World Ranking, refused to take part, so the right to participate 

was granted to Tonga. 
Table 1. 1987 Rugby World Cup – Group Stage2 

Group Country 

Group A Australia, England, the USA, Japan 

Group B Wales, Ireland, Canada, Tonga 

Group C New Zealand, Fiji, Italy, Argentina 

Group D France, Scotland, Romania, Zimbabwe 

Seven European countries took part in the first championship: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, 

France, Italy, and Romania; one from Asia and one from Africa—Japan and Zimbabwe, respectively; 

three states were from both the Americas: Argentina, Canada, and the USA; and four from Australia 

and the Pacific: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga. Many people hoped that the hosts would meet 

in the final, though France managed to defeat Australia in one semifinal; New Zealand left no chances 

for Wales in the other semifinal. New Zealand defeated France too and won the first “William Webb 

Ellis Cup.” As for third place, Wales could defeat Australia in the difficult match. They won only by 

one point. 

 
2 These insertions show which place was occupied by various teams during group stages in different 

championships 



Tavadze. Georgian Geographical Journal 2023, Vol.3 (2) 

 

 

Figure 1. Hosts, Participants and Winners of the Rugby World Cup 1987 

1991 Rugby World Cup 

Soon after the end of the first championship, it was decided that the second tournament would be 

arranged in Europe. The well-known “Six Nations Championship” was the “Five Nations” one at that 

time, and Italy was not its participant yet. Therefore, five countries became hosts: England, Scotland, 

Wales, Ireland and France. 

The same seven European states, one country from Asia and one from Africa, took part in the second 

tournament. South Africa was dropped again. The same three states were from both Americas; as for 

the Pacific Region, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji played again, but Samoa replaced Tonga this time. 

Only countries of the “British Commonwealth” managed to occupy the first four positions in the second 

championship. England defeated Scotland in one semifinal and Australia beat New Zealand in the other. 

Australia defeated England with a good score in the final and won its first cup. New Zealand occupied 

third place. 
Table 2. 1991 Rugby World Cup – Group Stage 

Group Country 

Group A New Zealand, England, Italy, the USA 

Group B Scotland, Ireland, Japan, Zimbabwe 

Group C Australia, Samoa, Wales, Argentina 

Group D France, Canada, Romania, Fiji 



Tavadze. Georgian Geographical Journal 2023, Vol.3 (1) 

 

Figure 2. Hosts, Participants and Winners of the Rugby World Cup 1991 

1995 Rugby World Cup 

The place for the third championship should have been chosen in the southern hemisphere, so as 

South Africa had condemned the “Apartheid” politics this state was chosen. Sixteen countries had to 

take part in the tournament again, and 9 places were already occupied – 8 teams that played the quarter-

finals in the former tournament plus the host. The list is as follows: England, Scotland, Ireland, France, 

Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Samoa and South Africa. Forty-five national teams, including Georgia 

(for the first time), were competing for the remaining 7 places. It is interesting that Russia’s national 

team was able to defeat Georgia’s national team for the first and hopefully the last time. 

There were no alterations in the list of the European and Asian teams: England, Scotland, Wales, 

Ireland, France, Italy, Romania and Japan. Important changes happened in Africa: the Ivory Coast took 

part in the tournament together with the host South Africa. Argentina and Canada represented the 

western hemisphere, the USA could not obtain the right to participate this time, and neither could Fiji 

from the Pacific. Only Samoa and Tonga played with Australia and New Zealand from this region. 

South Africa proved that its exclusion from the former championships was a sport absurd. In the 

semifinals, the host defeated France and New Zealand – England. For “the southern final”, South Africa 

won and got its first cup. France defeated England and took third place. 
Table 3. 1995 Rugby World Cup – Group Stage 

Group Country 

Group A South Africa, Australia, Canada, Romania 

Group B England, Samoa, Italy, Argentina 

Group C New Zealand, Ireland, Wales, Japan 

Group D France, Scotland, Tonga, Ivory Coast 



Tavadze. Georgian Geographical Journal 2023, Vol.3 (2) 

 

Figure 3. The Host, Participants and Winners of the Rugby World Cup 1995 

1999 Rugby World Cup 

Important changes happened by the year 1999. Four places were added to the list of tournament 

participants. Wales was the official host of this championship, although games were also arranged in 

England, Scotland, Ireland and France. It is interesting that Georgia was trying to enter the 

championship again, and our team even defeated Tonga in Tbilisi, but they could not gather enough 

points in two games (at home and away). 

Eight European countries took part in this championship. Spain was the eighth country with the 

former seven countries. Only Japan was from Asia; South Africa and Namibia were from Africa. Four 

states took part from the western hemisphere: Canada, the USA, Argentina and Uruguay. Five states 

were from the Pacific: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. The 1999 championship, which 

was arranged in Europe, became a disaster for Europeans. Only France could save Europeans’ dignity 

more or less. Australia defeated South Africa in one semifinal and France beat New Zealand in the 

other. However, the Europeans lost in the final and Australia won the “William Webb Ellis Cup” for 

the second time. South Africa took third place. 
Table 4. 1999 Rugby World Cup – Group Stage 

Group Country 

Group A South Africa, Scotland, Uruguay, Spain 

Group B New Zealand, England, Tonga, Italy 

Group C France, Fiji, Canada, Namibia 

Group D Australia, Ireland, Romania, the USA 



Tavadze. Georgian Geographical Journal 2023, Vol.3 (1) 

 

Figure 4. The Host, Participants and Winners of the Rugby World Cup 1999 

2003 Rugby World Cup 

The fifth Rugby World Cup was arranged in Australia, and only one change was made in the list of 

participants. Georgia turned in the championship for the first time instead of Spain. It is important that 

as Georgia turned, it has not skipped even a single tournament yet. 

Georgia went to Group C with England, South Africa, Samoa and Uruguay. In spite of the great 

achievement and participation in the championship, our team could not show itself during the 

tournament and was heavily defeated by England, South Africa and Samoa. Uruguay defeated our 

players too, so Georgia left the championship without a point. Australia defeated New Zealand in one 

semifinal, England – France in the other. New Zealand heavily defeated France in the battle for the third 

place. As to the final, its fate was decided by one dropkick goal during the additional time, so England 

defeated Australia with the score 20:17. As a result, the William Webb Ellis Cup was won by his 

countrymen. 
Table 5. 2003 Rugby World Cup – Group Stage 

Group Country 

Group A Australia, Ireland, Argentina, Romania, Namibia 

Group B France, Scotland, Fiji, the USA, Japan 

Group C England, South Africa, Samoa, Uruguay, Georgia 

Group D New Zealand, Wales, Italy, Canada, Tonga 



Tavadze. Georgian Geographical Journal 2023, Vol.3 (2) 

 

Figure 5. The Host, Participants and Winners of the Rugby World Cup 2003 

2007 Rugby World Cup 

The sixth world cup was held in France. It hosted 9 European (including its own), 1 Asian, 2 African, 

3 American and 5 Pacific teams. Only one change occurred in the list of participant states. The European 

country Portugal took part in the championship instead of South American Uruguay. 

Georgia was in Group D with Argentina, France, Ireland and Namibia. Our national team improved 

its previous results and defeated Namibia with a score of 30:0. It should be noted that it was the best 

result the Georgians could achieve because no other teams in our group were easy opponents to us. 

However, Irish sportsmen and fans still had reason to feel nervous, as they won only 4 points (14:10), 

and the Georgians received 5 points after these two matches. The game against Argentina turned out to 

be the most difficult, and our players could not get even one try, unlike the games against Ireland and 

France. 

England defeated France in one semifinal and South Africa in Argentina in the other. South 

Americans astonished the whole Rugby world in the game for the third place as their team, which was 

considered “amateurs” by everyone, defeated the host, France (34:10). This victory brought a serious 

acclaim to the Argentinians. South Africa defeated England in the final and received “the William Web-

Ellis Cup” a second time. 
Table 6. 2007 Rugby World Cup – Group Stage 

Group Country 

Group A South Africa, England, Tonga, Samoa, the USA 

 

Group B Australia, Fiji, Wales, Japan, Canada 

Group C New Zealand, Scotland, Italy, Romania, Portugal 

Group D Argentina, France, Ireland, Georgia, Namibia 



Tavadze. Georgian Geographical Journal 2023, Vol.3 (1) 

 

Figure 6. The Host, Participants and Winners of the 2007 Rugby World Cup 

2011 Rugby World Cup 

The seventh world cup was arranged on 10 stadiums of New Zealand, and only one change was made 

in the list of the participants. Russia took part in the championship instead of Portugal. Georgia joined 

Group B with England, Argentina, Scotland and Romania. Our sportsmen were defeated by stronger 

opponents (41:10, 25:7 and 15:6, respectively); they won the match against Romanians (25:9) but could 

not improve or repeat the result of the previous championship. Georgians received only 4 points. 

According to the unconfirmed source, a new rule was enacted beginning from the seventh world 

championship: the teams holding third place in each group, as well as those participating in the play-

off, automatically become the participants of the next world championship. Pursuant to the 

aforementioned rule, future selections include teams that go to quarter-finals. As a result, 12 out of 20 

places in the world cup tournaments are occupied in advance. 
At the end of this World Cup, 2 out of 4 matches ended with the unusual scores for Rugby. France 

defeated Wales 9:8 in one semifinal, and New Zealand – Australia in the other. Australia ranked third, 

and New Zealand defeated France 8:7 in the final place and obtained the world cup for the second time. 
Table 7. 2011 Rugby World Cup – Group Stage 

Group Country 

Group A New Zealand, France, Tonga, Canada, Japan  

Group B England, Argentina, Scotland, Georgia, Romania 

Group C Ireland, Australia, Italy, the USA, Russia 

Group D South Africa, Wales, Samoa, Fiji, Namibia 



Tavadze. Georgian Geographical Journal 2023, Vol.3 (2) 

 

Figure 7. The Host, Participants and Winners of the Rugby World Cup 2011 

The Europeans experienced an absolute collapse in this world cup tournament, and even France could 

not save, as they had done before in 1999. Four European teams moved to the quarter-finals: England, 

Scotland, Ireland and France. However, the semifinals became absolutely southern. New Zealand 

defeated South Africa 20:18 in one of them, Australia beat Argentina 29:15 in the other one. The first 

three places were distributed among the “Southern Grands.” South Africa defeated Argentina in the 

battle for the third place; New Zealand surpassed Australia in the final place. As a result, New Zealand 

became the champion for the third time. 

2015 Rugby World Cup 

The eighths Rugby World Cup was officially held in England, actually in England and Wales. The 

traditional participants took part in this championship again. The following countries took part in the 

tournament: 8 European (England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Italy, Georgia, Romania), 1 Asian 

(Japan), 2 African (South Africa, Namibia), 4 American (Argentina, Uruguay, the USA, Canada) and 5 

Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.) Georgia played in Group C with New 

Zealand, Argentina, Tonga and Namibia, which brought double success to our sportsmen. First, they 

gained two victories, defeating Tonga and Namibia 17:10, 17:16 and occupying third place in the group. 

This gave our team a direct pass to the next world championship. In addition, our sportsmen could stand 

face to face “the Hakka” – the salute and war dance of New Zealanders, which is a great honour for all 

rugby lovers. In spite of the fact that Argentina and New Zealand heavily defeated Georgia, our 

sportsmen got one try against “the All Black” (the nickname of the New Zealand National Team), which 

became another symbolic success for our team. 
Table 8. 2015 Rugby World Cup – Group Stage 

Group Country 

Group A Australia, England, Wales, Fiji, Uruguay 

Group B South Africa, Scotland, Japan, Samoa, the USA 



Tavadze. Georgian Geographical Journal 2023, Vol.3 (1) 

Group C New Zealand, Argentina, Georgia, Tonga, Namibia 

 

Group D Ireland, France, Italy, Romania, Canada 

 

Figure 8. The Host, Participants and Winners of the Rugby World Cup 2015 

2019 Rugby World Cup 

Only one change occurred in the list of participants of the ninth World Cup. Russia replaced 

Romania. In addition, the tournament was organised in Asia and Japan for the first time. Georgia was 

in Group D with Australia, Wales, Fiji and Uruguay. It was quite a difficult group, and the maximum 

possible result should have been the repetition of the previous achievement. The Georgians defeated 

Uruguay with a large score and gained 5 points from one match. However, they could overcome neither 

Wales nor Fiji, not to mention Australia. It must be noted that the game against Australia was a step 

forward that enriched our experience of playing against the “Southern Grands.” All semifinals and finals 

of the ninth championship became “intercontinental”. England defeated New Zealand in one semifinal 

and South Africa surpassed Wales in the other. The third place was occupied by New Zealand, whereas 

South Africa left no chances to England in the final and gained “the William Web-Ellis Cup” for the 

third time. 
Table 9. 2019 Rugby World Cup – Group Stage 

Group Country 

Group A Japan, Ireland, Scotland, Samoa, Russia 

Group B New Zealand, South Africa, Italy, Namibia, Canada 

Group C England, France, Argentina, Tonga, the USA  

Group D Wales, Australia, Fiji, Georgia, Uruguay 



Tavadze. Georgian Geographical Journal 2023, Vol.3 (2) 

 

Figure 9. The Host, Participants and Winners of the Rugby World Cup 2019 

Conclusion 

The geography of the Rugby World Cups shows that this sport is quite conservative. There is an 

admitted idea that divides the world national teams into the 1st and 2nd levels, but in my opinion, such 

dividing does not show their actual possibilities. I would like to offer you another idea: The highest 

level comprises the national teams that obtained the World Cup at least once: New Zealand, South 

Africa, Australia, and England, as well as the teams that occupied the second or third places at least 

once: Argentina, France, and maybe Wales. The high-level group comprises the national teams that 

stably participate in the play-off: Scotland, Ireland, Japan, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and perhaps Canada. It 

is interesting that this group does not include Italy, the 1st level team, because despite this level, Italy’s 

national team never played in a play-off. The next group is the medium level, which includes the teams 

that permanently obtain the right to take part in the World Cup tournaments: Italy, Romania, Georgia, 

Namibia, the USA, and Uruguay. 

The Rugby World Championships are characterised by a number of peculiarities. For example, 

Zimbabwe, which took part in the first and second championships, never played again. The same may 

be said about Ivory Coast, which participated only in 1995. Some European teams lack stability: Spain, 

Portugal, and Russia. In 2023, the national team of Chile, South America, will play in the tenth World 

Cup tournament for the first time. 

The geography of the places where the championship is held and, accordingly, the inflow of tourists 

and finances are also conservative. Time and the next World Cup tournaments will show if the promise 

made by France to let all the tourists stay in the country until the end of the championship brings positive 

results. It would also be interesting to learn whether different states will express more interest in 

obtaining the right to host the World Cup or whether the 2019 tournament held in Japan was just an 

exception. 

Competing interests 

The authors declare that they have no competing interests. 

References 

[1] Rugby World Cup 1999, Le magazine officiel de la coupe du monde de rugby. 



Tavadze. Georgian Geographical Journal 2023, Vol.3 (1) 

[2] Rugby World Cup 2003, Magazine officiel de la coupe du monde de Rugby. 

[3] Rugby World Cup, 2003, the Ultimate Guide. 

[4] Atlas Coupe du monde de rugby, Australie 2003. 

[5] IRB Rugby World Cup 2003, Team Media Guide. 

[6] Rugby World Cup 2007, Coupe du monde de Rugby France 2007. 

[7] IRB Rugby World Cup 2003, Official Match Day Program, Match 8, 19, 25, 32. 

[8] IRB Rugby World Cup 2007, Official Match Day Program, 09, 16, 31, 38. 

[9] IRB Rugby World Cup 2015, Match 02, 13, 23, 32. 

 

 


