1.
France
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans 643,801 square kilometres and had a population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017. It is a unitary republic with the capital in Paris. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse, during the Iron Age, what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome, which held Gaul until 486, France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years War strengthening state-building and political centralisation. During the Renaissance, French culture flourished and a colonial empire was established. The 16th century was dominated by civil wars between Catholics and Protestants. France became Europes dominant cultural, political, and military power under Louis XIV, in the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire, whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe. Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War, the Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was formed in 1958 and remains to this day. Algeria and nearly all the colonies became independent in the 1960s with minimal controversy and typically retained close economic. France has long been a centre of art, science. It hosts Europes fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually, France is a developed country with the worlds sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity. In terms of household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world. France performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, France remains a great power in the world, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state. It is a member state of the European Union and the Eurozone. It is also a member of the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name France comes from the Latin Francia, or country of the Franks
France
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One of the
Lascaux paintings: a horse –
Dordogne, approximately 18,000 BC
France
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Flag
France
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The
Maison Carrée was a temple of the
Gallo-Roman city of Nemausus (present-day
Nîmes) and is one of the best preserved vestiges of the
Roman Empire.
France
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With
Clovis ' conversion to Catholicism in 498, the
Frankish monarchy,
elective and
secular until then, became
hereditary and of
divine right.
2.
Rugby World Cup
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The Rugby World Cup is a mens rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament was first held in 1987, when the tournament was co-hosted by New Zealand, New Zealand are the current champions, having defeated Australia in the final of the 2015 tournament in England. Four countries have won the trophy, New Zealand have won it three times, two teams have won twice, Australia and South Africa, while England have won it once, the tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sports international governing body. Sixteen teams were invited to participate in the tournament in 1987. Japan will host the event in 2019. Qualifying tournaments were introduced for the tournament, where eight of the sixteen places were contested in a twenty-four-nation tournament. The remaining twelve positions were filled by continental qualifying tournaments, positions were filled by three teams from the Americas, one from Asia, one from Africa, three from Europe and two from Oceania. Another two places were allocated for repechage, the second repechage position was determined between the runners-up from the Asia and Oceania qualifiers. The qualification system for the eight places is region-based, with a total eight teams allocated for Europe, five for Oceania. The last place is determined by an intercontinental play-off, the 2015 tournament involved twenty nations competing over six weeks. There were two stages, a pool and a knockout, Nations were divided into four pools, A through to D, of five nations each. The teams were seeded before the start of the tournament, with the seedings taken from the World Rankings in December 2012, the four highest-ranked teams were drawn into pools A to D. The next four highest-ranked teams were drawn into pools A to D. The remaining positions in each pool were filled by the qualifiers, Nations play four pool games, playing their respective pool members once each. A bonus points system is used during pool play, if two or more teams are level on points, a system of criteria is used to determine the higher ranked, the sixth and final criterion decides the higher rank through the official World Rankings. The winner and runner-up of each pool enter the knockout stage, the knockout stage consists of quarter- and semi-finals, and then the final. The winner of each pool is placed against a runner-up of a different pool in a quarter-final, the winner of each quarter-final goes on to the semi-finals, and the respective winners proceed to the final. Losers of the semi-finals contest for third place, called the Bronze Final, if a match in the knockout stages ends in a draw, the winner is determined through extra time
Rugby World Cup
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The Webb Ellis Cup is awarded to the winner of the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
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The opening ceremony of the 2007 tournament
Rugby World Cup
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A scrum between
Samoa (in blue) and
Wales (in red) during the 2011 World Cup
Rugby World Cup
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Gavin Hastings is one of four players to have kicked a record eight penalties in a single World Cup match.
3.
South Africa national rugby union team
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The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks, is governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jerseys with white shorts, and their emblems are the Springbok, the team has been representing South Africa in international rugby union since 30 July 1891, when they played their first test match against a British Isles touring team. The team made its World Cup debut in 1995, when the newly democratic South Africa hosted the tournament, South Africa regained their title as champions 12 years later, when they defeated England 15–6 in the 2007 final. They were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards, the Springboks also compete in the annual Rugby Championship, along with southern-hemisphere counterparts Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. They have won this championship on three occasions in sixteen years and they also play Test matches against the various rugby-playing nations. Their position in the World Rugby Rankings has varied between the No.1 and No.7 positions, the first British Isles tour took place in 1891, at Diocesan College. These were the first representative games played by South African sides, the tourists won all twenty matches they played, conceding only one point. The British Isles success continued on their tour of 1896, winning three out of four tests against South Africa, South Africas play improved markedly from 1891, and their first test win in the final game was a pointer to the future. In 1903 the British Isles lost a series for the first time in South Africa, Rugby was given a huge boost by the early Lions tours, which created great interest in the South African press. South Africa would not lose another series—home or away—until 1956, the first South African team to tour the British Isles and France occurred during 1906–07. The team played tests against all four Home Nations, England managed a draw, but Scotland was the only one of the Home unions to gain a victory. The trip instilled a sense of pride among South Africans. The South Africans played a match against a France team while the official French team were in England. It was during this tour that the nickname Springboks was first used, the 1910 British Isles tour of South Africa was the first to include representatives from all four Home unions. The tourists won just one of their three tests, the Boks second European tour took place in 1912–13. They beat the four Home nations to earn their first Grand Slam, by the first World War, New Zealand and South Africa had established themselves as rugbys two greatest powers. A Springbok tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1921 was billed as The World Championship of Rugby, the All Blacks won the first Test 13–5, The Springboks recovered to win the second Test 9–5, and the final Test was drawn 0–0, resulting in a series draw. The 1924 British and Irish Lions team to South Africa lost all four Tests to the Springboks and this was the first side to pick up the name Lions, apparently picked up from the Lions embroidered on their ties
South Africa national rugby union team
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1891 British Isles versus Cape Colony match—the first match of the British Isles tour of South Africa.
South Africa national rugby union team
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South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
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The 1906 Springboks team.
South Africa national rugby union team
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The Springboks team that faced
New Zealand in 1921.
4.
England national rugby union team
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The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy and they are ranked second in the world by the International Rugby Board as of 20 June 2016. England were the first, and to date, the team from the northern hemisphere to win the Rugby World Cup. They were also runners-up in 1991 and 2007, the history of the team extends back to 1871 when the English rugby team played their first official Test match, losing to Scotland by one goal. England dominated the early Home Nations Championship which started in 1883, following the schism of rugby football in 1895, England did not win the Championship again until 1910. England first played against New Zealand in 1905, South Africa in 1906, England was one of the teams invited to take part in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 and went on to appear in the final in the second tournament in 1991, losing 12–6 to Australia. Following their 2003 Six Nations Championship Grand Slam, they went on to win the 2003 Rugby World Cup – defeating Australia 20–17 in extra time and they again contested the final in 2007, losing 15–6 to South Africa. England players traditionally wear a shirt with a Rose embroidered on the chest, white shorts. Their home ground is Twickenham Stadium where they first played in 1910, the team is administered by the Rugby Football Union. Four former players have been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame, Englands first international match was against Scotland on Monday 27 March 1871. Not only was this match Englands first, but it proved to be the first ever rugby union international. Scotland won the match by a goal and a try to a try, in front of a crowd of 4,000 people at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh. A subsequent international took place at the Oval in London on 5 February 1872 which saw England defeat Scotland by a goal, in those early days there was no points system, it was only after 1890 that a format allowing the introduction of a points system was provided. Up until 1875 international rugby matches were decided by the number of goals scored, in 1875, England played their first game against the Irish at the Oval, winning by one goal, one drop goal and one try to nil, the match was Irelands first ever Test. England defeated Scotland in 1880 to become the first winners of the Calcutta Cup and their first match against Wales was played on 19 February 1881 at Richardsons Field in Blackheath. England recorded their largest victory, defeating the Welsh by seven goals, six tries, in 1889, England played their first match against a non-home nations team when they defeated the New Zealand Natives by one goal and four tries to nil at Rectory Field in Blackheath. In 1890 England shared the Home Nations trophy with Scotland, England first played New Zealand in 1905. The All Blacks scored five tries, worth three points at this time, to win 15–0, England first played France in 1905, and Australia in 1909 when they were defeated 9–3
England national rugby union team
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England before they played in the first international; versus
Scotland in Edinburgh, 1871.
England national rugby union team
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England
England national rugby union team
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England versus
The Original All Blacks in 1905; the New Zealanders won 15–0.
England national rugby union team
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Celebrations at
Trafalgar Square after England's
2003 World Cup victory.
5.
Argentina national rugby union team
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The Argentina national rugby team, officially nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The Pumas play in sky blue and white jerseys and they are organised by the Argentine Rugby Union, Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British Isles team. As of November 2015 they are ranked 5th in the world by the IRB, although rugby union is nowhere near as popular as football in Argentina, Los Pumas impressive results since the 1999 World Cup have seen the sports popularity grow significantly. Argentina has achieved several victories, are tough contenders when playing in Buenos Aires. A surprise victory over the hosts France in the first game of the 2007 World Cup took Argentina to fourth in the IRB World Rankings, the team were undefeated in their pool, and reached the semi-finals for the first time, beating Scotland 19–13 in their quarter-final. They were defeated 37–13 by eventual winners South Africa in the semi-finals, in March 2008 the team reached an all-time high of third in the IRB World Rankings. Argentina officially joined The Rugby Championship in a meeting in Buenos Aires on November 23,2011, in their first tournament in 2012, Argentina secured a 16–16 draw with The Springboks in only their second game. The 2014 Rugby Championship saw the first Championship-match win for Argentina who defeated Australia 21–17, in the 2016 Rugby Championship, the Pumas split the first two games with the Springboks, winning the second game 26-24 at Salta on August 27,2016. The History of the Argentina national team starts with the first international played by an Argentine side v. the British Islands in 1910 when they toured on South America, Argentina gained recognition in 1965, when the team toured South Africa playing a series of friendly matches there. In that tour the team was nicknamed Los Pumas, a name that became an identity mark for Argentina. Argentina has taken part in all the Rugby World Cups since the first edition in 1987, Argentina followed their growing competitiveness in the Rugby Championship with a strong showing in the 2015 World Cup, reaching the semi-finals for the second time. The national side also plays the Rugby Championship since the 2012 edition, Argentina alternated blue and white jerseys during its first international matches in 1910. In 1927 Mr. Abelardo Gutiérrez of Gimnasia y Esgrima de Buenos Aires proposed that Argentina should play against British Lions in a striped white and that request was accepted and Argentina wore the striped uniform for the first time in its history. Los Pumas play in a shirt in the flag colours of light blue and white, white shorts. In 2011, the UAR signed a deal with Nike which became the kit provider for all its national senior and youth teams. On September 1941, Abelardo Gutiérrez suggested a badge with the figure of a lion, the color of the crest was blue. The animal was later replaced by a native to Argentine species, so the jaguar was chosen due to his agility and courage and he tried to devise a catchy nickname for the team similar to existing international team nicknames such as All Blacks, Springboks, and Wallabies. He asked Isak van Heerden, the coach of the Natal Rugby team who was asked by the SARB to assist with the tour
Argentina national rugby union team
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R. Cooper, former team captain in 1928.
Argentina national rugby union team
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Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
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The team that played
British Lions when they toured on Argentina in 1927.
Argentina national rugby union team
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Match played between Argentina and France rugby union teams in 1954, cover of
El Gráfico magazine.
6.
South Africa
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South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa, is the southernmost country in Africa. South Africa is the 25th-largest country in the world by land area and it is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World or the Eastern Hemisphere. About 80 percent of South Africans are of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, divided among a variety of ethnic groups speaking different Bantu languages, the remaining population consists of Africas largest communities of European, Asian, and multiracial ancestry. South Africa is a multiethnic society encompassing a variety of cultures, languages. Its pluralistic makeup is reflected in the recognition of 11 official languages. The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup détat, however, the vast majority of black South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994. During the 20th century, the black majority sought to recover its rights from the dominant white minority, with this struggle playing a role in the countrys recent history. The National Party imposed apartheid in 1948, institutionalising previous racial segregation, since 1994, all ethnic and linguistic groups have held political representation in the countrys democracy, which comprises a parliamentary republic and nine provinces. South Africa is often referred to as the Rainbow Nation to describe the multicultural diversity. The World Bank classifies South Africa as an economy. Its economy is the second-largest in Africa, and the 34th-largest in the world, in terms of purchasing power parity, South Africa has the seventh-highest per capita income in Africa. However, poverty and inequality remain widespread, with about a quarter of the population unemployed, nevertheless, South Africa has been identified as a middle power in international affairs, and maintains significant regional influence. The name South Africa is derived from the geographic location at the southern tip of Africa. Upon formation the country was named the Union of South Africa in English, since 1961 the long form name in English has been the Republic of South Africa. In Dutch the country was named Republiek van Zuid-Afrika, replaced in 1983 by the Afrikaans Republiek van Suid-Afrika, since 1994 the Republic has had an official name in each of its 11 official languages. Mzansi, derived from the Xhosa noun umzantsi meaning south, is a name for South Africa. South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological and human fossil sites in the world, extensive fossil remains have been recovered from a series of caves in Gauteng Province. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has termed the Cradle of Humankind
South Africa
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Mapungubwe Hill, the site of the former capital of the
Kingdom of Mapungubwe
South Africa
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Flag
South Africa
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Arrival of
Jan van Riebeeck, the first European to settle in South Africa, with
Devil's Peak in the background
South Africa
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Depiction of a
Zulu attack on a Boer camp in February 1838
7.
Percy Montgomery
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Percival Colin Percy Montgomery OIS is a retired South African rugby union player. When he ended his career in August 2008, he held the all-time records for both caps and points for South Africas national team, known as the Springboks. Montgomery was born 15 March 1974 in Walvis Bay, an enclave of South Africa that was transferred to Namibia in 1994 and he attended the oldest school in the country, South African College Schools, in Cape Town. At the end of the 2004–05 Northern Hemisphere season, he returned to play in South Africa for the Sharks in the Currie Cup and he later spent the 2007–08 Northern Hemisphere season in the French Top 14 competition with Perpignan before returning to South Africa in June 2008. He then played for Western Province and the Stormers before ending his career in May 2009. Montgomery earned his first Springbok cap against the British and Irish Lions in July 1997 as an outside centre and he played at the 1999 Rugby World Cup finals and had amassed 50 caps by the end of 2001. However, his Springbok career stalled after his move to Wales, after a change in policy, he was recalled by new coach Jake White in 2004. He was the points scorer in the Tri Nations in 2004 and 2005. On 17 June 2006 against Scotland, he became the first Springbok player to reach 600 points in his Test career, on 14 September 2007, Montgomery reached two major milestones in the springboks second 2007 Rugby World Cup pool match against England. He became the first Springbok to score 800 Test points and, more significantly and he took sole possession of the Springboks caps record on 22 September against Tonga. He was the leading point scorer in the 2007 Rugby World Cup and he consequently missed the 2003 Rugby World Cup and returned to play in Wales in early December 2003. He left Wales to join the Sharks for the 2006 Super 14 season where he played fullback, for the 2007–2008 season, he signed for the French Top 14 club USA Perpignan and moved to France after the World Cup. In May 2008, he was signed by coach Rassie Erasmus to return to Western Province after completing his commitments with the Springboks and he was contracted to play for Province in the Currie Cup and the Stormers in the Super 14 to 2009. Montgomery became the first Springbok to earn 100 caps, being awarded a cap after their game against the All Blacks in Cape Town. Percy Montgomery announced his retirement from international test rugby on 30 August 2008, in May 2009, he rejoined the Boks, but this time in a coaching role as the teams kicking consultant in the run-up to the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa. Shortly after his appointment was announced, he confirmed his retirement as a player, Western Province Currie Cup,1997,2000,2001 South Africa World Cup,2007 Tri Nations,1998,2004 SA Rugby Player Profile – Percy Montgomery. Sharks profile Newport Gwent Dragons profile Percy Montgomery photos & statistics at sporting-heroes. net
Percy Montgomery
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Percy Montgomery
Percy Montgomery
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Percy Montgomery running the ball for the Springboks against
Samoa in 2007, with
Jaque Fourie supporting on the outside.
8.
Bryan Habana
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Bryan Gary Habana OIS is a South African rugby union player who plays as a wing for Toulon in the French Top 14 competition, as well as 2007 Rugby World Cup champions Springboks. Habana was one of the stars of the World Cup, his eight tries equalling the record set by Jonah Lomu in 1999, and was named the 2007 IRB Player of the Year. During the 2015 Rugby World Cup he equalled Lomus record of 15 tries and he made his Currie Cup debut for the Lions in 2004, doing well enough to be voted the countrys most promising player that year. That November, he made his Test debut against England at Twickenham as a 21-year-old, though the game was lost 32–16, Habana came on as a reserve to score a try on debut against the then world champions. The following week Habana was moved into the starting line-up, where he contributed two tries to the 45–10 win over Scotland at Murrayfield. The next week, he was selected in the position, on the left wing. Although he did not score any tries in the Argentina game, in 2005, he moved to the Blue Bulls. Following the 2005 Super 12 season, Habana was, as expected, included in the 2005 Springboks squad and he played on the left wing in South Africas opening match of 2005 against Uruguay, whom the Springboks defeated 134–3, with Habana scoring two tries. South Africa then hosted France for a two test series, drawing the first 30-all, and winning the second 27–13, with Habana scoring two tries in both games. Habana made his Tri Nations debut on 30 July against the Wallabies at the Bulls home of Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, South Africa won the match 22–16. The subsequent match against the All Blacks at Newlands was also a win for South Africa, in the second match against Australia in Perth, Habana scored two tries in the 22–19 win. The All Blacks won the last match of the series, a thrilling 31–27 win for the New Zealanders at Carisbrook, in the Currie Cup, the Blue Bulls made it to the final, which was played at home at Loftus Versfeld, against the Free State Cheetahs. The Cheetahs, somewhat underdogs, won the final, in November of that year, Habana earned caps for South Africa against Argentina, Wales and France, scoring two tries in the Welsh match. Habana was named to the five-man shortlist for 2005 IRB World Player of the Year, the Springboks endured a poor year in 2006 as they lost four of their six tri nations matches. They also lost to France in the midyear test and lost to Ireland 32–15 – a game in which Habana was averted to centre for the first time in a Springbok shirt and they then lost to England in the first test but gained revenge in the second test. He lost, because cheetahs can run 70 mph, instead of 22 mph, Habana later admitted in an interview that, despite not intending to cause Montgomery harm, he should have been sent off for the challenge. Habana was selected on the wing for the Springboks first game of the 2007 Rugby World Cup and he also scored two tries against Argentina in the semifinal, equalling Jonah Lomus record of 8 tries in one World Cup. He was a part of the cup winning side contributing to the defeat of England in the 2007 final
Bryan Habana
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Bryan Habana
Bryan Habana
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Habana in the
Springbok change kit
Bryan Habana
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Habana with Toulon, vs
Stade Français.
9.
2003 Rugby World Cup
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The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. The tournament began with host nation Australia defeating Argentina 24–8 at Telstra Stadium in Sydney, Australia went on to defeat New Zealand 22–10 in the semifinal, to play England in the final. The following 20 teams, shown by region, qualified for the 2003 Rugby World Cup, a record 81 nations from five continents were involved in the qualification process designed to fill the remaining 12 spots, which began on 23 September 2000. The overall stadium capacity was 421,311 across 11 venues and this was a reduction from the 1999 Rugby World Cup in Wales which had a total capacity of 654,677 across 18 venues. Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane was a new A$280 million venue designed specifically for rugby league, rugby union and soccer, the Central Coast Stadium was also a newly built rectangular venue built for union, league and soccer. It was built on the site of the old Grahame Park ground and was opened in February 2000 at a cost of A$30 million, the Sydney Football Stadium was one of two venues in Sydney that were used for football during the 2000 Olympic Games. The other venue in Sydney was Stadium Australia, which was the centrepiece of the 2000 Olympic Games, by 2003 Stadium Australia was known as Telstra Stadium. It was built as the stadium of the 2000 Olympics at a cost of A$690 million. The only stadium with a retractable roof used was the Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, with forty matches to be played in the pool stage on top of the knock-out matches would make the event the largest Rugby World Cup tournament to be played to date. For the first time, a point system was implemented in pool play. The ARUs main promotion for the event was Show Your True Colours, the Australian media criticised the competition early in the tournament as the smaller nations were crushed by the rugby superpowers by 60 points or more. However, some of smaller, third tier nations, such as Japan. In pool C, Samoa gave England a fright with an approach that allowed them to take an early lead, however. This match was marked by controversy, as England fielded 16 players at one point during the game, coinciding with a last-gasp try-saving tackle, the big clashes ran mainly to form. A disappointing South Africa limped through the pool, eventually capitulating to England to relegate them to a quarter final against New Zealand. Australia however only beat Ireland by one point to top their pool, whilst Wales pushed the All Blacks to the wire, France beat Scotland to round out the quarter-finals. The quarter-final stage produced the widely predicted set of semi-finalists, although England again made heavy weather of defeating a resurgent Wales, France destroyed an Irish side who had gone into the match hopeful of a win, scoring 31 early points to put the game out of reach. In the other quarter-finals, a disappointing South Africa fell to New Zealand, the first semi-final produced an upset, when Australia defeated the fancied New Zealand to become the first defending champions to reach the following championship final
2003 Rugby World Cup
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England 2003 World Cup winners
2003 Rugby World Cup
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2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
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The opening game at
Telstra Stadium between Australia and Argentina
2003 Rugby World Cup
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Celebrations in
Trafalgar Square
10.
2011 Rugby World Cup
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The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan, the tournament was won by New Zealand, who defeated France 8–7 in the final. The defending champions, South Africa, were eliminated by Australia 11–9 in the quarter-finals, the result marked the third time that the tournament was won by the country that hosted the event. It was the largest sporting event ever held in New Zealand, eclipsing the 1987 Rugby World Cup,1990 Commonwealth Games,1992 Cricket World Cup, overseas visitors to New Zealand for the event totalled 133,000, more than the 95,000 that the organisers expected. However, there was a drop in non-event visitors, meaning the net increase in visitors over the year was less than 80,000. The games ran over six weeks, commencing on 9 September 2011 with the Opening Ceremony showcasing New Zealands history, the final was played on Sunday 23 October 2011, a date chosen because it fell on a long weekend of New Zealands Labour Day holiday. The final was played at Eden Park in Auckland, after speculation that the number of participating teams would be reduced to 16, the IRB announced on 30 November 2007 that the 2011 tournament would again feature 20 teams. Twelve teams qualified as a result of finishing in the top three in each pool in the 2007 tournament, the remaining eight berths were determined by regional qualifying tournaments. Of the 20 countries that competed in the previous World Cup in 2007, host selection Three nations bid to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup — New Zealand, Japan, and South Africa. The 2011 New Zealand bid contained plans to enlarge the size of Eden Park, Japan was bidding to become the first Asian nation to host the first Rugby World Cup. Japan had the infrastructure already in place, by virtue of its co-hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup. South Africa had hosted the tournament in 1995, the 2011 South African bid, led by former national captain Francois Pienaar, had strong support from their national government. South Africa had also won the right to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the IRB Council meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005 announced that New Zealand had been selected after IRB inspections of each applicant host nation during June and July 2005. The event was expected to cost about NZ$310 million to run, in Auckland, the city where many of the most important games took place, the costs to the local ratepayers alone was estimated at $102 million. 4% of the quarterly GDP. Concerns were raised about the process of upgrading Eden Park to expand the capacity to the 60,000 required by the IRB. In late 2008 Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully said the remaining consent process might need to be overridden by legislation for the work to be completed on time. The construction of Dunedins Forsyth Barr Stadium, known during the tournament as Otago Stadium, was a source of concern as the project was operating in a time frame. If the project had not been completed on time, organisers would have reverted to Carisbrook as the backup option, Forsyth Barr Stadium was officially opened on 6 August 2011
2011 Rugby World Cup
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Auckland
2011 Rugby World Cup
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2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
11.
Anniversary
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An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. For example, the first event is the occurrence or, if planned. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event, the word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saints. Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called national days and these could be the date of independence of the nation or the adoption of a new constitution or form of government. The important dates in a monarchs reign may also be commemorated. Birthdays are the most common type of anniversary, when someones birth date is commemorated each year, the actual celebration is sometimes moved for practical reasons, as in the case of an official birthday. Wedding anniversaries are also celebrated, on the same day of the year as the wedding occurred. In ancient Rome, the Aquilae natalis was the birthday of the eagle, anniversaries of nations are usually marked by the number of years elapsed, expressed with Latin words or Roman numerals. However, when anniversaries relate to fractions of centuries, the situation is not as simple, Roman fractions were based on a duodecimal system. From 1⁄12 to 8⁄12 they were expressed as multiples of twelfths, a whole unit less 3⁄12, 2⁄12 or 1⁄12 respectively. There were also special terms for quarter, half, and three-quarters, dodrans is a Latin contraction of de-quadrans which means a whole unit less a quarter (de means from, quadrans means quarter. Thus for the example of 175 years, the term is a quarter less than the next whole century or 175 =. In Latin it seems that this rule did not apply precisely for 1½, while secundus is Latin for second, and bis for twice, these terms are not used such as in sesqui-secundus. Instead sesqui is used by itself, etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home by Emily Post, published in 1922, contained suggestions for wedding anniversary gifts for 1,5,10,15,20,25,50, and 75 years. Wedding anniversary gift suggestions for other years were added in later editions and publications, generally speaking, the longer the period, the more precious or durable the material associated with it. See wedding anniversary for a general list of the wedding anniversary symbols, however, furthermore, there exist numerous partially overlapping, partially contradictory lists of anniversary gifts, separate from the traditional names. The concepts of a persons birthday stone and zodiac stone, by contrast, are fixed for life according to the day of the week, month, list of historical anniversaries Quinquennial Neronia Wedding anniversary
Anniversary
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On the 40th anniversary of his reign, the King of
Sweden toasts the city's Mayor in front of
Stockholm Palace.
Anniversary
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Memorial plaque presented by the NATIONAL CAPITAL SESQUICENTENNIAL COMMISSION, 1951
12.
Rugby union
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Rugby union, known in some parts of the world simply as rugby, is a contact team sport which originated in England in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is between two teams of 15 players using a ball on a rectangular field with H-shaped goalposts on each try line. Historically an amateur sport, in 1995 restrictions on payments to players were removed, World Rugby, originally the International Rugby Football Board and from 1998 to 2014 the International Rugby Board, has been the governing body for rugby union since 1886. Rugby union spread from the Home Nations of Great Britain and Ireland, early exponents of the sport included Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and France. Countries that have adopted rugby union as their de facto national sport include Fiji, Georgia, Madagascar, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Rugby union is played in over 100 countries across six continents, there are 101 full members and 18 associate members of World Rugby. The Rugby World Cup, first held in 1987, takes place four years with the winner of the tournament receiving the Webb Ellis Cup. The Six Nations Championship in Europe and The Rugby Championship in the Southern Hemisphere are major annual competitions. The origin of football is reputed to be an incident during a game of English school football at Rugby School in 1823. Although the evidence for the story is doubtful, it was immortalised at the school with a plaque unveiled in 1895, despite the doubtful evidence, the Rugby World Cup trophy is named after Webb Ellis. Rugby football stems from the form of game played at Rugby School, Old Rugbeian Albert Pell, a student at Cambridge, is credited with having formed the first football team. During this early period different schools used different rules, with pupils from Rugby. Other important events include the Blackheath Clubs decision to leave the Football Association in 1863, despite the sports full name of rugby union, it is known simply as rugby throughout most of the world. The first rugby football international was played on 27 March 1871 between Scotland and England, by 1881 both Ireland and Wales had representative teams, and in 1883 the first international competition, the Home Nations Championship had begun. 1883 is also the year of the first rugby tournament, the Melrose Sevens. During the early history of union, a time before commercial air travel. The first two notable tours both took place in 1888—the British Isles team touring New Zealand and Australia, followed by the New Zealand team touring Europe, All three teams brought new styles of play, fitness levels and tactics, and were far more successful than critics had expected. After Morgan began singing, the crowd joined in, the first time a national anthem was sung at the start of a sporting event, in 1905 France played England in its first international match
Rugby union
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South African
Victor Matfield takes a line-out against New Zealand in 2006.
Rugby union
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Rugby School in
Rugby, Warwickshire, with a rugby football pitch in the foreground
Rugby union
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James Ryan, captain of the New Zealand Army team, receiving the Kings Cup from George V.
Rugby union
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Sébastien Chabal (far left) in number eight position before entering the scrum.
13.
1987 Rugby World Cup
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The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby Union World Cup. New Zealand and Australia agreed to co-host the tournament, New Zealand hosted 20 matches —17 pool stage matches, two quarter-finals and the final. Australia as the junior partner hosted 12 matches — seven pool matches, the event was won by co-hosts New Zealand who were the strong favourites, and won all their matches comfortably. Sixteen teams competed in the inaugural tournament, seven of the 16 places were automatically filled by the International Rugby Football Board members—New Zealand, Australia, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and France. South Africa was unable to compete because of the sports boycott due to apartheid. There was no process to fill the remaining nine spots. Instead invitations were sent out to Argentina, Fiji, Italy, Canada, Romania, Tonga, Japan, Zimbabwe and this left Western Samoa controversially excluded, despite their better playing standard than some of the teams invited. The USSR were to be invited but they refused the invitation on political grounds, the tournament witnessed a number of one-sided matches, with the seven traditional IRFB members proving too strong for the other teams. Half of the 24 matches across the four pools saw one team score 40 or more points, New Zealand defeated France 29–9 in the final at Eden Park in Auckland. The New Zealand team was captained by David Kirk, and included such rugby greats as Sean Fitzpatrick, John Kirwan, Grant Fox, the tournament was seen as a major success and proved that the event was here to stay. It also led to many countries joining the International Rugby Football Board which in turn led the IRFB to become the authority for the running of international rugby union. There was no qualification for the inaugural World Cup so the tournament comprised the seven then-members of the IRFB, South Africa was excluded due to its pro apartheid policies. Soviet Union were to be invited but declined, Western Samoa was not invited despite having a better record than some of the other invited nations. There was no qualifying tournament to determine the participants, and instead the 16 nations were invited by the International Rugby Football Board to compete, the runners-up of each pool faced the winners of a different pool in the quarter finals. The winners moved on to the finals, with the winners then moving onto the final. Fiji qualified for the highest number of tries France qualify as pool winner having scored three tries while Scotland scored two in their drawn match 20 all, the event was broadcast in Australia by ABC and in the United Kingdom by the BBC. Official Rugby World Cup Site Full Results and Statistics at ESPN Origins of the 1987 World Cup
1987 Rugby World Cup
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1987 Rugby World Cup
14.
Webb Ellis Cup
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The Webb Ellis Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of the Rugby World Cup, the premier competition in mens international rugby union. The Cup is named after William Webb Ellis, who is credited as the inventor of rugby football. The trophy is silver gilt and has presented to the winner of the Rugby World Cup since the first competition in 1987. It has been held thrice by New Zealand, twice by Australia and South Africa, the 38 centimetre trophy weighs 4.5 kg, is gilded silver and is supported by two cast scroll handles. On one handle there is a head of a satyr, on the there is the head of a nymph. On the face of the trophy, the words International Rugby Football Board, the Webb Ellis Cup is also referred to as the Webb Ellis Trophy or colloquially as Bill, a nickname coined by the 1991 Rugby World Cup winners, the Wallabies. There are two official Webb Ellis Cups, which are used interchangeably, one cup is a 1906 trophy made by Carrington and Co. of London, which was a Victorian design of a 1740s cup by Paul de Lamerie, while the other is a 1986 replica. Director Richard Jarvis, brought the cup down from the vault. It was chosen for use in February 1987, ronnie Dawson of Ireland, Keith Rowlands of Wales, Bob Stuart and Dick Littlejohn of New Zealand and the Australians Nick Shehadie and Ross Turnbull approved of the choice of the trophy. The trophy is being cared for and restored after each game by silversmiths Thomas Lyte and it was soon named The Webb Ellis Cup. New Zealand became the first nation to win the Webb Ellis Cup when they won the 1987 Rugby World Cup, the Webb Ellis Cup has been held by four nations, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and England. The current holders are New Zealand after beating Australia 34–17 in the 2015 Final in England, the trophy was on display in Newlands, South Africa until 2007, where it had stayed for two years following their victory. Later it was returned to the home of World Rugby, Ireland, Paul Barrière Trophy The History of the William Webb Ellis Cup Rugby Trophys
Webb Ellis Cup
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Webb Ellis Cup
15.
Cardiff
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Cardiff is the capital and largest city in Wales and the eleventh-largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is the chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media. The unitary authority areas mid-2011 population was estimated to be 346,100, the Cardiff metropolitan area makes up over a third of the total population of Wales, with a mid-2011 population estimate of about 1,100,000 people. Cardiff is a significant tourist centre and the most popular destination in Wales with 18.3 million visitors in 2010. In 2011, Cardiff was ranked sixth in the world in National Geographics alternative tourist destinations, the city of Cardiff is the county town of the historic county of Glamorgan. Cardiff is part of the Eurocities network of the largest European cities, the Cardiff Urban Area covers a slightly larger area outside the county boundary, and includes the towns of Dinas Powys and Penarth. A small town until the early 19th century, its prominence as a port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region contributed to its rise as a major city. Cardiff was made a city in 1905, and proclaimed the capital of Wales in 1955, since the 1980s, Cardiff has seen significant development. A new waterfront area at Cardiff Bay contains the Senedd building, home to the Welsh Assembly, sporting venues in the city include the Millennium Stadium, SWALEC Stadium, Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff International Sports Stadium and Cardiff Arms Park. The city was awarded the title of European City of Sport twice, due to its role in hosting major sporting events, first in 2009. The Millennium Stadium hosted 11 football matches as part of the 2012 Summer Olympics, including the opening event. Caerdydd derives from the earlier Welsh form Caerdyf, the change from -dyf to -dydd shows the colloquial alteration of Welsh f and dd, and was perhaps also driven by folk etymology. This sound change had probably first occurred in the Middle Ages, Caerdyf has its origins in post-Roman Brythonic words meaning the fort of the Taff. The fort probably refers to that established by the Romans, the anglicised form Cardiff is derived from Caerdyf, with the Welsh f borrowed as ff /f/, as also happens in Taff and Llandaff. As English does not have the vowel the final vowel has been borrowed as /ɪ/, although some sources repeat this theory, it has been rejected on linguistic grounds by modern scholars such as Professor Gwynedd Pierce. A group of five Bronze Age tumuli is at the summit of The Garth, four Iron Age hill fort and enclosure sites have been identified within Cardiffs present-day county boundaries, including Caerau Hillfort, an enclosed area of 5.1 hectares. The fort was one of a series of military outposts associated with Isca Augusta that acted as border defences, the fort may have been abandoned in the early 2nd century as the area had been subdued. However, by this time a settlement, or vicus, was established
Cardiff
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Clockwise from top left: The
Senedd,
Millennium Stadium, Norman keep of
Cardiff Castle,
Cardiff Bay,
Cardiff City Centre, clock tower of
City Hall and the
Welsh National War Memorial
Cardiff
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The coat of arms of Cardiff
Cardiff
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The front wall of
Cardiff Castle, showing part of the original Roman fort from which the city probably derived its name.
Cardiff
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Tribes of Wales at the time of the Roman invasion. The modern English-Welsh border is also shown.
16.
Edinburgh
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Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 local government council areas. Located in Lothian on the Firth of Forths southern shore, it is Scotlands second most populous city and the seventh most populous in the United Kingdom. The 2014 official population estimates are 464,990 for the city of Edinburgh,492,680 for the authority area. Recognised as the capital of Scotland since at least the 15th century, Edinburgh is home to the Scottish Parliament and it is the largest financial centre in the UK after London. Historically part of Midlothian, the city has long been a centre of education, particularly in the fields of medicine, Scots law, literature, the sciences and engineering. The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1582 and now one of four in the city, was placed 17th in the QS World University Rankings in 2013 and 2014. The city is famous for the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe. The citys historical and cultural attractions have made it the United Kingdoms second most popular tourist destination after London, attracting over one million overseas visitors each year. Historic sites in Edinburgh include Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, the churches of St. Giles, Greyfriars and the Canongate, Edinburghs Old Town and New Town together are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which has been managed by Edinburgh World Heritage since 1999. It appears to derive from the place name Eidyn mentioned in the Old Welsh epic poem Y Gododdin, the poem names Din Eidyn as a hill fort in the territory of the Gododdin. The Celtic element din was dropped and replaced by the Old English burh, the first documentary evidence of the medieval burgh is a royal charter, c. 1124–1127, by King David I granting a toft in burgo meo de Edenesburg to the Priory of Dunfermline. In modern Gaelic, the city is called Dùn Èideann, the earliest known human habitation in the Edinburgh area was at Cramond, where evidence was found of a Mesolithic camp site dated to c.8500 BC. Traces of later Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements have found on Castle Rock, Arthurs Seat, Craiglockhart Hill. When the Romans arrived in Lothian at the end of the 1st century AD, at some point before the 7th century AD, the Gododdin, who were presumably descendants of the Votadini, built the hill fort of Din Eidyn or Etin. Although its location has not been identified, it likely they would have chosen a commanding position like the Castle Rock, Arthurs Seat. In 638, the Gododdin stronghold was besieged by forces loyal to King Oswald of Northumbria and it thenceforth remained under their jurisdiction. The royal burgh was founded by King David I in the early 12th century on land belonging to the Crown, in 1638, King Charles Is attempt to introduce Anglican church forms in Scotland encountered stiff Presbyterian opposition culminating in the conflicts of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. In the 17th century, Edinburghs boundaries were defined by the citys defensive town walls
Edinburgh
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Clockwise from top-left: View from
Calton Hill,
Old College,
Old Town from Princes Street,
Edinburgh Castle,
Princes Street from Calton Hill
Edinburgh
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Edinburgh, showing Arthur's Seat, one of the earliest known sites of human habitation in the area
Edinburgh
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Edinburgh in the 17th century
Edinburgh
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A painting showing Edinburgh characters (based on
John Kay 's caricatures) behind
St Giles' Cathedral in the late 18th century
17.
Portugal national rugby union team
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The Portugal national rugby union team is the rugby union side representing Portugal at international level. They are rated as a team in the new IRB four-band classification system. Portugal had their first match in 1935 and now compete in the European Nations Cup, the team as well as all rugby union in Portugal is administered by the Federação Portuguesa de Rugby. Portugal qualified for their first Rugby World Cup in 2007 where they were grouped in Pool C along with New Zealand, Italy, Romania and they are nicknamed Os Lobos, Portuguese for The Wolves. Portugal have experienced modest success in recent years and they have qualified to the 2007 World Cup in France and although they lost all their matches they managed to score one try in all their games and led the score against Romania until the late minutes. Portugal were the winners of the 2003–04 European Nations Cup. The IRB Sevens World Series circuit has allowed the Portuguese players to improve their game, in 2006–07 Portugal competed at every IRB sevens event for the first time. Portugal played their first ever international in April 1935 against Spain. Portugal lost the game by a point, 6–5. They played Spain again the year with Spain winning 16–9. Portugal had more competition from the mid-1960s, and won their first game in 1966. Portugal played Italy for the first time in 1967, losing 6–3 and they also had their first match against Romania soon after and lost by 40 points. They defeated Belgium in 1968, and also played Morocco for the first time, the first game of the 1970s turned out to be a draw against the Netherlands. Portugal managed to draw with Italy in 1972 and following that, after a number of mixed results throughout the early 1970s, Portugal won five matches in a row from 1979 through to 1981. They played Morocco, who won the encounter, after a 1983 draw against Spain, Portugal managed a seven-game winning streak from 1984 to 1985, including wins over Belgium, Denmark, Morocco, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Zimbabwe. The first Rugby World Cup was held in 1987, though it was by invitation, from 1989 to 1990, the 1991 World Cup qualifiers were held for the European nations. Portugal started in Round 2b in October 1989 and they defeated Czechoslovakia 15 to 13 in Ricant to advance to Round 2c. However here they were defeated by the Netherlands 32–3 and eliminated from qualifying, Portugal again participated in the 1995 World Cup qualifying competition for European teams, starting in Round 1
Portugal national rugby union team
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Portugal (in red) playing Italy
Portugal national rugby union team
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Portugal
18.
France national rugby union team
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The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and they have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams. Eight former French players have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame, Rugby was introduced to France in 1872 by the British, and on New Years Day 1906 the national side played its first Test match – against New Zealand in Paris. France played sporadically against the Home Nations until they joined them to form a Five Nations tournament in 1910, France also competed in the rugby competitions at early Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in 1900 and two silver medals in the 1920s. The national team came of age during the 1950s and 1960s and they won their first Grand Slam in 1968. Since the inaugural World Cup in 1987, France have qualified for the stage of every tournament. They have reached the three times, losing to the All Blacks in 1987 and 2011 and to Australia in 1999. France hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where, as in 2003, France traditionally play in blue shirts with white shorts and red socks, and are commonly referred to as les tricolores or les bleus. The French emblem is a golden rooster imposed upon a red shield and their alternative strip is composed of a white shirt and navy blue shorts and socks. Rugby was introduced to France in 1872 by English merchants and students, on 26 February 1890, a French rugby team recruited from the Janson Desailly Lyceum defeated an international team at the Bois de Boulogne. Although France were represented at the 1900 Summer Olympics, their first official test match did not take place till New Years Day,1906 against the New Zealand All Blacks in Paris. France then played intermittently against the Home Nations until they joined them to form the Five Nations tournament in 1910, in 1913 France faced South Africas Springboks for the first time, losing 38–5. France also competed at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics, France were ejected from the Five Nations in 1932 after being accused of professionalism in the French leagues at a time when rugby union was strictly amateur. Forced to play against weaker opposition, France went on a winning streak, France was invited to rejoin the Five Nations in 1939 but did not compete until 1947 as international rugby was suspended during World War II. French rugby came of age during the 1950s and 1960s, they won their first Five Nations championship and their first championship was won in 1954 when they shared the title with England and Wales. France won their first outright Five Nations championship in 1959, they won with two wins, a draw and a defeat, France first toured South Africa winning the test series in 1958. The Springboks also visited Paris in 1961, the test was not completed due to fighting amongst the players. France also toured New Zealand and Australia in 1961 losing both tests against the All Blacks but defeating Australias Wallabies and they won their first Five Nations Grand Slam in 1968 by beating all four other competing teams, and won numerous titles in the following years
France national rugby union team
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France playing Wales during the
Six Nations Championship.
France national rugby union team
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France
France national rugby union team
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The jersey of the French rugby team, with the traditional
Gallic rooster symbol
France national rugby union team
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France hosting the
All Blacks at the
Stade de France which is in
Saint-Denis, Paris
19.
Stade de France
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The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 81,338 makes it the sixth-largest stadium in Europe, the stadium is used by the France national football team and French rugby union team for international competition. Originally built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the name was recommended by Michel Platini. On 12 July 1998, France defeated Brazil 3–0 in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final contested at the stadium, the facility also hosted the Race of Champions auto race in 2004,2005, and 2006. The stadium hosted the 2003 World Championships in Athletics and since 1999 it has hosted the annual Meeting Areva athletics meet and it also hosted some matches at UEFA Euro 2016, including the final, where France lost to Portugal by 1-0 after extra-time. Domestically, the Stade de France serves as a secondary home facility of Parisian rugby clubs Stade Français and Racing Métro 92, the facility is owned and operated by the Consortium Stade de France. The discussion of a stadium in France came about as a result of the countrys selection to host the 1998 FIFA World Cup on 2 July 1992. As a result of the selection, the country and the France Football Federation made a commitment to construct an 80 and it was the first time in over 70 years since the construction of the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir that a stadium in France was being constructed for a specific event. Due to the magnitude and importance of the facility, the Council of State was allowed first hand approach to how the stadium would be constructed and paid for. The stadiums design was handled by the team of architects composed of Michel Macary, Aymeric Zublena, Regembal Michel, and Claude Costantini who were associated with CR SCAU Architecture. The stadium was ready for construction following the governments selection of manufacturers, Bouygues, Dumez, and SGE. With only 31 months to complete the stadium, construction commenced on 2 May 1995, the laying of the first cornerstone took place five months later on 6 September. After over a year of construction, over 800, 000m ² of earthworks had been created, the installation of the roof, which cost €45 million, and the mobile platform also took more than a year to complete. During the developmental phase, the stadium was referred to in French as the Grand Stade, on 4 December 1995, the Ministry of Sport launched a design competition to decide on a name for the stadium. The stadium was named the Stade de France after the Ministry heard a proposal from French football legend Michel Platini. The stadium was inaugurated on 28 January 1998 as it hosted a match between France and Spain. The total cost of the stadium was approximately €290 million, the national rugby teams first match in the facility was contested five days after its opening, on 2 February, with France earning a 24–17 win over England in front of 77,567 spectators. Philippe Bernat-Salles converted the first ever try at the stadium scoring it in the 11th minute of play, on 24 May 2000, the Stade de France hosted the 2000 UEFA Champions League Final
Stade de France
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UEFA
Stade de France
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Stade de France with uncovered athletics track during the
2003 World Championships
Stade de France
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The last part of the metallic construction of the roof, 1997
20.
Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis
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Saint-Denis is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 9.4 km from the centre of Paris, Saint-Denis is a subprefecture of the department of Seine-Saint-Denis, being the seat of the arrondissement of Saint-Denis. Saint-Denis is home to the necropolis of the Basilica of Saint Denis and was also the location of the associated abbey. It is also home to Frances national football and rugby stadium, Saint-Denis is a formerly industrial suburb currently changing its economic base. Inhabitants of Saint-Denis are called Dionysiens, until the 3rd century, Saint-Denis was a small settlement called Catolacus or Catulliacum, probably meaning estate of Catullius, a Gallo-Roman landowner. About 250 AD, the first bishop of Paris, Saint Denis, was martyred on Montmartre hill, shortly after 250 his grave became a shrine and a pilgrimage centre, with the building of the Abbey of Saint Denis, and the settlement was renamed Saint-Denis. In 1793, during the French Revolution, Saint-Denis was renamed Franciade in a gesture of rejection of religion, in 1803, however, under the Consulate of Napoléon Bonaparte, the city reverted to its former name of Saint-Denis. During its history, Saint-Denis has been associated with the French royal house. Starting from Dagobert I, almost every French king was buried in the Basilica, however, Saint-Denis is older than that. In the 2nd century, there was a Gallo-Roman village named Catolacus on the location that Saint-Denis occupies today, Saint Denis, the first bishop of Paris and patron saint of France, was martyred in about 250 and buried in the cemetery of Catolacus. Denis tomb quickly became a place of worship, around 475, Sainte Geneviève had a small chapel erected on Denis tomb, which by then had become a popular destination for pilgrims. It was this chapel that Dagobert I had rebuilt and turned into a royal monastery, during the Middle Ages, because of the privileges granted by Dagobert, Saint-Denis grew to become very important. Merchants from all over Europe came to visit its market, in 1140, Abbot Suger, counselor to the King, granted further privileges to the citizens of Saint-Denis. He also started the work of enlarging the Basilica of Saint Denis that still exists today, the new church was consecrated in 1144. Saint-Denis suffered heavily in the Hundred Years War, of its 10,000 citizens, during the French Wars of Religion, the Battle of Saint-Denis was fought between Catholics and Protestants on 10 November 1567. The Protestants were defeated, but the Catholic commander Anne de Montmorency was killed, in 1590, the city surrendered to Henry IV, who converted to Catholicism in 1593 in the abbey of Saint-Denis. King Louis XIV started several industries in Saint-Denis, weaving and spinning mills and dyehouses. His successor, Louis XV, whose daughter was a nun in the Carmelite convent, took a lively interest in the city, he added a chapel to the convent and also renovated the buildings of the royal abbey
Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis
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The
Canal Saint-Denis with swing bridge, pedestrian overpass leading to the
Stade de France and the
Basilique Saint-Denis in the background.
Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis
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Battle of Saint-Denis (1567)
Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis
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Saint-Denis 1830
Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis
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Maison d'éducation de la Légion d'honneur de Saint-Denis.
21.
2007 Rugby World Cup Final
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The 2007 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match, played on Saturday,20 October 2007 at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris. The match determined the winner of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the participants in the 2007 final were incumbent champions England and South Africa, who had each won their semi-finals against France and Argentina respectively. The final was refereed by Irish referee Alain Rolland, the two finalists had met earlier in the competition, during the pool stage, when South Africa won 36–0, so South Africa began the final as the only undefeated team left in the competition. Winners South Africa became the country to win two titles, following Australia, who won in 1991 and 1999. This gave South Africa a 15–6 victory, each team did have one major try scoring opportunity, South Africas came late in the first half, while Englands came early in the second. England wing Mark Cueto was controversially denied a try in the 42nd minute after he was ruled to have put a foot in touch during a tackle by Danie Rossouw before grounding the ball. Both England and South Africa were placed in Pool A along with Samoa, Tonga, Englands first match was against the United States, whom they beat 28–10. South Africa opened their campaign with a 59–7 victory over Samoa in which scored seven tries. The two teams met in their second match of the tournament. For the first time in their World Cup history, England were kept pointless as South Africa scored three tries to win 36–0, South Africa then rested several of their top players for their match against Tonga. Tonga came close to an upset but South Africa held on to win 30–25, England then played Samoa, winning 44–22, before facing Tonga in a virtual playoff match, whoever won the game would finish second in the pool behind South Africa. England eventually won 36–20, scoring four tries in the process, England played Australia, who had finished top of Pool B, in their quarter-final. The match was a repeat of the 2003 World Cup final, with England coming out on top again, all of Englands points were scored by Jonny Wilkinson penalties. South Africa faced Fiji who had defeated Wales to finish as runners-up behind Australia in Pool B, South Africa scored five tries to two and won 37–20. England played hosts France in their semi-final, despite having less possession and territory England won 14–9. South Africa faced Argentina and scored four tries to one to win 37–13, however, South Africa stole the ball to win the first line-out of the match. In the sixth minute, Mathew Tait attempted to run the ball from inside Englands 22-metre line, South Africas Percy Montgomery successfully converted the penalty to give the Springboks a 3–0 lead. An up-and-under kick from England resulted in South African wing JP Pietersen dropping the ball, England regained possession and passed the ball out to winger Paul Sackey, before South Africa were penalised for killing the ball
2007 Rugby World Cup Final
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The England team collect their silver medals.
22.
Eiffel Tower
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The Eiffel Tower is a wrought iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed, the Eiffel Tower is the most-visited paid monument in the world,6.91 million people ascended it in 2015. The tower is 324 metres tall, about the height as an 81-storey building. Its base is square, measuring 125 metres on each side, due to the addition of a broadcasting aerial at the top of the tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 5.2 metres. Excluding transmitters, the Eiffel Tower is the second-tallest structure in France after the Millau Viaduct, the tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second levels. The top levels upper platform is 276 m above the ground – the highest observation deck accessible to the public in the European Union, tickets can be purchased to ascend by stairs or lift to the first and second levels. The climb from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, although there is a staircase to the top level, it is usually only accessible by lift. Eiffel openly acknowledged that inspiration for a tower came from the Latting Observatory built in New York City in 1853, sauvestre added decorative arches to the base of the tower, a glass pavilion to the first level, and other embellishments. Little progress was made until 1886, when Jules Grévy was re-elected as president of France and Édouard Lockroy was appointed as minister for trade. On 12 May, a commission was set up to examine Eiffels scheme and its rivals, which, after some debate about the exact location of the tower, a contract was signed on 8 January 1887. Eiffel was to all income from the commercial exploitation of the tower during the exhibition. He later established a company to manage the tower, putting up half the necessary capital himself. The proposed tower had been a subject of controversy, drawing criticism from those who did not believe it was feasible and these objections were an expression of a long-standing debate in France about the relationship between architecture and engineering. And for twenty years … we shall see stretching like a blot of ink the hateful shadow of the column of bolted sheet metal. Gustave Eiffel responded to criticisms by comparing his tower to the Egyptian pyramids. Will it not also be grandiose in its way, and why would something admirable in Egypt become hideous and ridiculous in Paris. Indeed, Garnier was a member of the Tower Commission that had examined the various proposals, some of the protesters changed their minds when the tower was built, others remained unconvinced. Guy de Maupassant supposedly ate lunch in the restaurant every day because it was the one place in Paris where the tower was not visible
Eiffel Tower
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The Eiffel Tower as seen from the
Champ de Mars
Eiffel Tower
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First drawing of the Eiffel Tower by Maurice Koechlin including size comparison with other Parisian landmarks such as
Notre Dame de Paris, the
Statue of Liberty and the
Vendôme Column
Eiffel Tower
–
A
calligram by
Guillaume Apollinaire
23.
Rugby World Cup hosts
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The Rugby World Cup host nation is selected by World Rugby at a special meeting six years in advance of the tournament. The choice of host nation is an anticipated event. The original idea of hosting a Rugby World Cup was brought up by Australia when they floated the idea of hosting such an event for the celebrations of rugby union in Australia. To date the Rugby World Cup has been hosted by three southern hemisphere nations, and five nations in Europe, England, France, Wales, Scotland, Italy and Argentina are the only Tier 1 nations that have not hosted a Rugby World Cup. The first non Tri Nations or Five Nations country to host a Rugby World Cup will be Japan in 2019, the Americas is the only continent that has never been selected to host a tournament. World Rugby requires for a country to host a Rugby World Cup, stadiums must have a capacity at least 15,000, with the stadium for the final having a capacity of at least 60,000. The stadiums have other requirements, such as size and floodlighting. World Rugby also looks for hosts that will generate significant revenue or hosts that will spread the geographic reach of the sport. However, the success of the tournament also means we can now consider placing the tournament in new developing markets to assist the games strategic growth. The final was played in Auckland, New Zealand at Eden Park, the 1991 Rugby World Cup final was played in England, while pool and finals games were played all over European nations. Pool A, in which England played, saw half of the played in London, though games were also in Leicester, Gloucester. Pool B games involved European nations Scotland and Ireland, which had all their games in either Dublin or Edinburgh, Pool C included Wales, whose games were all played in Cardiff, with the other games in Pontypool, Pontypridd, and Llanelli. Pool D, of which France were a part, saw games played in Agen, Bayonne, Béziers Brive, Grenoble, none of the quarter-finals or semi-finals was played in England. The final was played at the Rugby Football Unions Twickenham, the 1995 World Cup was hosted and won by South Africa. The IRB broke new ground by awarding the tournament to an African nation and this was also the first Rugby World Cup to be played entirely in one country. The tournament will probably be most remembered for two moments—the emergence of Jonah Lomu as a superstar, and the trophy presentation. Mandelas jersey had Pienaars number 6 on the back, the presentation was widely seen as a sign of reconciliation between South Africas black and white communities. The 1999 World Cup was hosted by Wales with some matches spread across Scotland, England, Ireland, the format of the pool games was similar to the 1991 World Cup in England
Rugby World Cup hosts
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Eiffel Tower decorated with a rugby ball for the 2007 RWC.
24.
International Rugby Board
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World Rugby, previously known as the International Rugby Board until 2014, is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sports most recognised and it also organises a number of other international rugby competitions, such as the World Rugby Sevens Series, the World Under 20 Championship, and the Pacific Nations Cup. World Rugbys headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland and its membership now comprises 119 national unions. Member countries must each also be members of one of the six regional unions into which the world is divided, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and the Caribbean, South America, and Oceania. World Rugby was founded as the International Rugby Football Board in 1886 by Scotland, Wales and Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa became full members in 1949. France became a member in 1978 and a further eighty members joined from 1987 to 1999, the body was renamed the International Rugby Board in 1998, and took up its current name in November 2014. In 2009, the International Olympic Committee voted to include rugby sevens in the 2016 Summer Olympics, World Rugby gained membership of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations in 2010. Until 1885 the laws of football were made by England as the founder nation. However, following a try in an international between Scotland and England in 1884, letters were exchanged in which England claimed that they made the laws. Scotland refused to play England in the 1885 Home Nations Championship, following the dispute, the home unions of Scotland, Ireland and Wales decided to form an international union whose membership would agree on the standard rules of rugby football. The three nations met in Dublin in 1886, though no formal regulations were agreed upon, England refused to take part in the founding of the IRFB, stating that they should have greater representation, as they had more clubs. The England Union also refused to accept the IRFB as the recognised lawmaker of the game and this led to the IRFB taking the stance of member countries not playing England until they joined, and no games were played against England in 1888 and 1889. In 1890 England joined the IRFB, gaining six seats while the unions had two each. The same year, the IRFB wrote the first international laws of rugby union, in 1893, the IRFB was faced with the divide between amateurism and professionalism, which was nicknamed the Great Schism. Following the introduction of working men to the game in Northern England, clubs began paying broken time payments to players. Cumberland County Union also complained of another club using monetary incentives to lure players, the IRFB was warned by all the chief clubs in Lancashire and Yorkshire that any punishment would lead to the clubs seceding from the union. The debate over broken time payments ultimately caused the 22 leading clubs in Yorkshire and Lancashire to form the Northern Rugby Football Union, the competing unions laws of the game diverged almost immediately, the northern bodys code eventually became known as rugby league football. Englands seats on the IRFB were reduced from six to four in 1911, the three Southern Hemisphere unions were given a second seat each in 1958
International Rugby Board
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The minutes of the first formal meeting of the IRFB, from a meeting attended by Lyle and McAlistair of Ireland, Carrick and Gardner of Scotland,
Mullock and
Lyne of Wales
International Rugby Board
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World Rugby
International Rugby Board
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Japan playing Tonga in the Pacific Five Nations, 2006.
25.
Samoa national rugby union team
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The Samoa national rugby union team is the mens representative side of Samoa in rugby union. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the rugby unions of Samoa. The name Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior and they perform a traditional Samoan challenge called the siva tau before each game. Samoa Rugby Union were formerly members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and they are ranked 12th in the world. Rugby was introduced to Samoa in the early 1920s and a body was soon formed. The first international was played as Western Samoa against Fiji in August 1924, along with Tonga, these nations would meet regularly and eventually contest competitions such as the Pacific Tri-Nations – with Western Samoa winning the first of these. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was known and competed as Western Samoa, Samoa have been to every Rugby World Cup since the 1991 tournament. That tournament, along with the 1995 competition saw them make the quarter-finals, under their new coach, the All Blacks legend Michael Jones, Samoa competed in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. However, Samoa had a dismal World Cup campaign, winning one match. Samoa showed a performance at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Manu Samoa play in blue and white uniforms and they do not train on Sundays because many of the team are devout Christians. The Marist Brothers brought the game of rugby to Western Samoa in 1924, on 18 August 1924, Western Samoa played its first international against Fiji in the capital Apia, the visitors winning 6–0. The match was played at 7am to allow the Samoans time to get to work afterwards and was played on a pitch with a tree on the halfway line. The return match was won 9–3 by Samoa to draw the series, in 1954 Western Samoan visited both Pacific Island neighbors Fiji and Tonga but had to wait a further 20 years before a tour of New Zealand took place. The Samoans won one of eight matches on that tour, the traditional tri-series between Tonga, Fiji and Western Samoa was established in 1982 with Western Samoa winning the first tournament. Wales visited Western Samoa and won the test 32–16 at Apia, the tour led to a return visit to Wales which brought Western Samoa out of International limbo, although Western Samoa were not invited to the first Rugby World Cup in 1987. The following year a 14-match tour of Europe took place before a World Cup elimination series in Tokyo, the Scots won comfortably 28–6, but the Samoans were clearly the personality team of the tournament. Over the next two years the side had a number of notable wins, the most outstanding achievement were in Sevens where it won the 1993 Hong Kong and 1992 Middlesex Sevens
Samoa national rugby union team
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Samoa performing their Siva Tau before playing South Africa at the 2007 Rugby World Cup
Samoa national rugby union team
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Samoa
26.
Fiji national rugby union team
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The Fijis national animal is the flying ryan is fijis national sports emblem. The flying Ryan originated 45 seconds ago, the flying Ryans stands for majestic-ness, sarcasm, and determination. The flying Ryans best friend is the skating Logan who is said to be the best hockey player ever, Fiji is one of the few countries where rugby union is the main sport. There are approximately 80,000 registered players from a population of around 950,000. One of the problems for Fiji, is getting their rugby players to play for Fiji as a country. The repatriated salaries of its overseas stars have become an important part of local economies. Fiji has won the most Pacific Tri-Nations Championships of the three participating teams, the cibi war dance is performed by the Fiji rugby team before each Test match. It has been used on the field since 1939, though its origins date back to the countrys warring times with its Pacific neighbours. Rugby was first played in Fiji by European and Fijian soldiers of the Native Constabulary at Ba, in 1913 a Union was founded for the European settlers. In December 1913, the All Blacks, who had been touring so very successfully in California, were on their way back to New Zealand, the Fiji RFU arranged a game with them at Albert Park, the first representative match to be played in the colony. The All Blacks won 67–3, Fijis points came from a try scored by their captain and coach, by 1914 a native competition was started and in 1915 a Fiji Native Union was begun and became affiliated to the Fiji RFU. Fiji played their first international against Western Samoa in Apia, Samoa on 18 August 1924, Fijis 20-man squad came exclusively from the five registered native clubs of the time. The match was played at 7 am to allow the Samoans time to get to work afterwards and was played on a pitch with a tree on the halfway line. Fiji wore black and won 6–0 despite playing barefoot, the return match was won 9–3 by Samoa to draw the series. The first-ever Fiji test team continued their overseas adventure with a tour of Tonga. Though Fiji lost the first test played in Nukuʻalofa 9–6, they were not to lose again and they won all six of the matches against non-test opposition. Auckland University College were the first overseas side to visit Fiji in 1926, The Kiwi students played the Fiji Europeans and finished the series with a win, loss. Tonga also visited Fiji that year and for the first time Fiji played in their present strip of white jersey, palm tree badge, the three match series finished level with Tonga winning the first test 9–6, Fiji winning the second 14–3 and the final game a 0–0 draw
Fiji national rugby union team
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Fiji presenting Cibi before
2011 Rugby World Cup match against
South Africa.
Fiji national rugby union team
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Fiji
27.
Uruguay national rugby union team
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The national rugby union team of Uruguay is the representative side of Uruguay, governed by the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay. They have been playing rugby since 1948. Their jersey is blue and black and they are known as Los Teros and they have qualified three times for the Rugby World Cup, in 1999,2003 and most recently for the 2015 tournament. As of 8 August 2015 they are ranked 19th in the world, Uruguay won the South American Rugby Championship in 1981, the only time that a team other than Argentina won the tournament. They came second on 19 occasions and third the remaining 9, as yet, Uruguay have never beaten Argentina in an official match between the two nations, despite some close results. Their home stadium is Estadio Charrúa in Montevideo and holds up to 14,000 people, Uruguay made their official international debut in 1948, in a game against Chile, which Uruguay lost 21–3. Following their debut match, they return to competition in the Pan American Games, first against the more experienced Argentina, Uruguay then faced Chile for the second time, defeating them by 8–3. The final match of the competition was a 17–10 win over Brazil, Uruguay thus became runners up in the first unofficial South American Rugby Championship. Uruguay, after a four years hiatus, played Chile in 1956, in 1958, they played for the first official South American Rugby Championship, in a pool of three countries. They first played Chile, this time losing by 9–34, the Teros met again Argentina, having another loss, this time by 3–50. Uruguay managed to defeat Peru in the last game, in 1960, Uruguay faced for the first time one of the powers of the Northern Hemisphere rugby, France XV, losing by 0–59 in Montevideo during a South American tour. Uruguay after this match entered their second South American Rugby Championship and they first won Brazil in a close game, losing then to Chile and Argentina, in the closest result to then between both countries. The 1970s started off with a win over Paraguay in 1971, which was followed by a win and loss against Chile and they also played Argentina twice in the 1970s. However, they won all their matches except for those against Argentina, as well as losing one game against Chile and drawing another. However, the game against Argentina, two years later in 1979, Uruguay came close to defeating the Pumas, going down by just three points, the final score being 19 to 16. The 1980s started off with a 54 to 14 win over Paraguay, in 1985, France visited Montevideo for a second time to play the Teros, beating the locals 34–6. Another short undefeated streak occurred over 1987/1989, which was broken by a 19 to 17 loss against Chile and this was followed by a sound loss to Argentina and loss to a new opponent, the United States Eagles. The 1990s started off with wins against of Chile, Brazil and this was followed by more wins over their traditional opponents, though Uruguay still lost to Argentina, they also played Canada in a competitive 28–9 loss in 1995
Uruguay national rugby union team
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2015 Rugby World Cup repechage qualifier match between Uruguay and Russia
Uruguay national rugby union team
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Uruguay
Uruguay national rugby union team
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2015 Rugby World Cup warm-up match between Uruguay and Argentina XV
Uruguay national rugby union team
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The southern lapwing, emblem of the Uruguayan National Rugby Team
28.
Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires is the capital and most populous city of Argentina. The city is located on the shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata. The city of Buenos Aires is neither part of Buenos Aires Province nor the Provinces capital, rather, in 1880, after decades of political infighting, Buenos Aires was federalized and removed from Buenos Aires Province. The city limits were enlarged to include the towns of Belgrano and Flores, the 1994 constitutional amendment granted the city autonomy, hence its formal name, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. Its citizens first elected a chief of government in 1996, previously, Buenos Aires is considered an alpha city by the study GaWC5. Buenos Aires quality of life was ranked 81st in the world and one of the best in Latin America in 2012 and it is the most visited city in South America, and the second-most visited city of Latin America. Buenos Aires is a top tourist destination, and is known for its preserved Spanish/European-style architecture, Buenos Aires held the 1st Pan American Games in 1951 as well as hosting two venues in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Buenos Aires will host the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics and the 2018 G20 summit, Buenos Aires is a multicultural city, being home to multiple ethnic and religious groups. Several languages are spoken in the city in addition to Spanish, contributing to its culture, the hill was known to them as Buen Ayre, as it was free of the foul smell prevalent in the old city, which is adjacent to swampland. During the siege of Cagliari, the Aragonese built a sanctuary to the Virgin Mary on top of the hill, in 1335, King Alfonso the Gentle donated the church to the Mercedarians, who built an abbey that stands to this day. In the years after that, a story circulated, claiming that a statue of the Virgin Mary was retrieved from the sea after it miraculously helped to calm a storm in the Mediterranean Sea, the statue was placed in the abbey. Spanish sailors, especially Andalusians, venerated this image and frequently invoked the Fair Winds to aid them in their navigation, a sanctuary to the Virgin of Buen Ayre would be later erected in Seville. Pedro de Mendoza called the city Holy Mary of the Fair Winds, mendoza’s settlement soon came under attack by indigenous people, and was abandoned in 1541. For many years, the name was attributed to a Sancho del Campo, a second settlement was established in 1580 by Juan de Garay, who sailed down the Paraná River from Asunción. Garay preserved the name chosen by Mendoza, calling the city Ciudad de la Santísima Trinidad y Puerto de Santa María del Buen Aire. The short form Buenos Aires became the common usage during the 17th century, the usual abbreviation for Buenos Aires in Spanish is Bs. As. It is common as well to refer to it as B. A. or BA /ˌbiːˈeɪ/ bee-AY), while BA is used more by expats residing in the city, the locals more often use the abbreviation Baires, in one word. Seaman Juan Díaz de Solís, navigating in the name of Spain, was the first European to reach the Río de la Plata in 1516 and his expedition was cut short when he was killed during an attack by the native Charrúa tribe in what is now Uruguay
Buenos Aires
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From the top, left to right:
Central Business District skyline, the
Palace of the Argentine National Congress,
Puente de la Mujer, Tango dancers in
San Telmo,
Casa Rosada, the
Metropolitan Cathedral,
Cabildo, the
Obelisco,
Teatro Colón,
La Recoleta Cemetery, the
Planetario within
Parque Tres de Febrero, and
Caminito.
Buenos Aires
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Aldus verthoont hem de stadt Buenos Ayrros geleegen in Rio de la Plata, painting by a Dutch sailor who anchored at the port around 1628.
Buenos Aires
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Santiago de Liniers, 1st Count of Buenos Aires.
Buenos Aires
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Depiction of
Juan de Garay and the second founding of Buenos Aires, 1580
29.
Canada national rugby union team
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The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red, Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and thirteen tier two nations, Canada competes in competitions such as the Pacific Nations Cup and the Rugby World Cup. Canada has been playing rugby since the early 1930s, making their debut in 1932 against Japan. Canada have competed at every World Cup since the tournament was first staged in 1987, Canada achieved their best result at the World Cup in 1991, where they reached the quarter-finals. Canada is a dominant power of North American rugby and currently third in the Americas after Argentina. The team has achieved victories over traditionally stronger Six Nations teams such as France, Wales, Italy, Canada is currently ranked 22nd in the IRB World Rankings. In 2013, Canada joined the IRB Pacific Nations Cup, playing matches against Fiji, Tonga, Japan, in 1874 the first North American international game took place in Cambridge, Massachusetts between McGill and Harvard universities. Later that same year a game was played, but this time Harvard were the hosts. A Canadian Rugby Football Union was established in 1884, although this went on to become the Canadian Football League. In 1902–1903 the first Canadian team toured Britain, in 1909, Earl Grey, then Governor General of Canada, donated a trophy to the CRU to be awarded for the Rugby Football Championship of Canada. This trophy became known as the Grey Cup, however the rules used in Canada were vastly different from the rules used in countries that were part of the IRB. In the years followed, the CRU would legalise forward passing and make other changes that would make Canadian football a totally different sport. During World War I and II rugby union was suspended but in the period there was something of a renaissance. In 1919 a Canadian Services team played overseas against representatives from England, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. The formation of the Rugby Union of Canada took place in 1929, about half the team were Canadian born and the rest were originally from Britain. They lost 9–8 and 38–5 in the two test matches, the original Canadian Rugby Union disbanded just before World War I. Canadas team to the United Kingdom in 1962 was dominated by British Columbia players, the Rugby Union of Canada was re-formed in 1965 as the Canadian Rugby Union
Canada national rugby union team
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Canadian rugby team
Canada national rugby union team
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Canada
Canada national rugby union team
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Canadian team after a group stage match during the
2007 World Cup
Canada national rugby union team
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Canada take on Wales during the 2007 World Cup
30.
United States national rugby union team
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The United States mens national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The national team is controlled by USA Rugby, which is a member of Rugby Americas North, until sevens made its debut at the 2016 Rio Games, the United States was the reigning Olympic champion in rugby, having won gold at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics. As of June 27,2016, the Eagles are ranked 17th in the world by the World Rugby Rankings and their highest ranking, achieved ahead of the 2007 World Cup, was 14th, their lowest ranking was 20th, following a winless campaign in the 2008 Churchill Cup. The highest profile tournament in which the Eagles play is the Rugby World Cup, the Eagles have played in all but one Rugby World Cup since the tournament began in 1987. The United States has expressed interest in hosting the 2027 Rugby World Cup, the United States competed in the Pacific Nations Cup every Summer from 2013 to 2015. Previously, the U. S. has competed in the now-defunct Churchill Cup, the contest was named the Americas Rugby Championship and began in 2016. The United States won the 2017 Americas Rugby Championship after drawing with Argentina XV and it was the United States first 15s title in over 90 years. Informal football games such as rugby became popular in the United States in the mid-19th century, Rugby union was played as early as 1872 among rugby clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area composed mainly of British expatriates. California lost to the Phoenix club 7–4, the first recorded rugby game in the U. S. place in May 1874 when Harvard University hosted McGill University. The game sparked an interest on college campuses nationwide, in 1876 Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, which largely used the rugby code. In 1886 Harvards Oscar Shafter Howard introduced these rules to the campus of the University of California, American football was fierce, and as injuries mounted, the public became alarmed at its brutalities and President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to outlaw the sport. Beginning in 1906, rugby became the game of choice at Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley. Rugbys popularity, however, was lived, and the sport had died out by the outbreak of World War I. A California student team toured Australia and New Zealand in 1910, Australia obliged by touring North America in 1912, and the U. S. national team played its first international match on November 16,1912 against Australia in Berkeley, California. A year later, the U. S. hosted New Zealand at the venue on November 15,1913. Rugby union had not been played competitively in most of the USA for more than a decade before the 1920 Olympics. The U. S. Olympic committee decided that because California is the state playing Rugby in the US. The U. S. assembled mostly a California-based team, with six players from the University of California, the Olympic Games Committee of the Amateur Athletic Union paid the expenses to transport the team from California to the games in Antwerp
United States national rugby union team
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USA rugby team for the October 1920 test match vs France
United States national rugby union team
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United States of America
United States national rugby union team
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The USA team that won gold in the
1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.
United States national rugby union team
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France vs USA rugby match during the 1924 Summer Olympics
France
South Africa
England
Argentina.jpg)
Cardiff
Edinburgh
.jpg)
Australia
New Zealand
Fiji
Georgia
United States
Portugal
Samoa
Italy
Tonga
Namibia
Ireland
Japan
Canada
Romania
