World Rugby

International governing body of rugby union and its variants

Not to be confused with International Rugby League.

For other uses, see World Rugby (disambiguation).

World Rugby

Formation| 1886; 139 years ago (1886)
(as the International Rugby Football Board)
Type| International sport federation
Headquarters| Dublin, Ireland
Coordinates| 53°20′13″N 6°15′08″W﻿ / ﻿53.33694°N 6.25222°W﻿ / 53.33694; -6.25222

Region served

| Worldwide
Membership| 113 member unions
17 associated unions

Official languages

* English
* French
* Italian
* Spanish

Chairman

| Brett Robinson

Vice-Chairman

| Jonathan Webb

CEO

| Alan Gilpin
Affiliations| International Olympic Committee
Website| www.world.rugby

Formerly called

| International Rugby Football Board (1886-1998)
International Rugby Board (1998-2014)

World Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby union.[1] World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition.[2] It also organises a number of other international competitions, such as the World Rugby Sevens Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens, the World Under 20 Championship, and the Pacific Nations Cup.

World Rugby's headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland.[3][4] Its membership now comprises 133 national unions.[5] Each member country must also be a member of one of the six regional unions into which the world is divided: Africa, North America, Asia, Europe, South America, and Oceania.[6]

World Rugby was founded as the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) in 1886 by Scotland, Wales and Ireland, with England joining in 1890.[7] Australia, New Zealand and South Africa became full members in 1949.[7] France became a member in 1978 and a further 80 members joined from 1987 to 1999.[7] The body was renamed the International Rugby Board (IRB) in 1998, and took up its current name of World Rugby in November 2014.[8] In 2009, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted to include rugby sevens in the 2016 Summer Olympics.[9] World Rugby gained membership of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) in 2010.[10]

## History

[edit]

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

Until 1885 the laws of rugby football were made by England as the founder nation. However, following a disputed try in an international between Scotland and England in 1884, letters were exchanged in which England claimed that they made the laws, and the try should stand.[11] 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.

On 5 December 1887, committee members of the Irish Rugby Football Union, Scottish Rugby Union (named the Scottish Football Union at the time) and Welsh Rugby Union met in Manchester and wrote up the first four principles of the International Rugby Football Board. England refused to take part in the founding of the IRFB, stating that they should have greater representation, as they had more clubs.[12] The England Union also refused to accept the IRFB as the recognised lawmaker of the game.[12] 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.[13] In 1890 England joined the IRFB, gaining six seats while the other unions had two each.[13] The same year, the IRFB wrote the first international laws of rugby union.[14]

In 1893, the IRFB was faced with the divide between amateurism and professionalism, which was nicknamed the "Great Schism". Following the introduction of working-class men to the game in Northern England, clubs began paying "broken time" payments to players, due to the loss of earnings from playing on a Saturday.[15] Cumberland County Union also complained of another club using monetary incentives to lure players, leading to the IRFB conducting an enquiry. 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.[15] 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 body's code eventually became known as rugby league football.[15]

England's seats on the IRFB were reduced from six to four in 1911. The Australian Rugby Union, New Zealand Rugby Football Union and South African Rugby Board joined the board with one seat each in 1948, with England's seats being reduced to two, the same as the other home nations. The three Southern Hemisphere unions were given a second seat each in 1958.[16] The French Rugby Federation was admitted in 1978, the Argentine Rugby Union, Italian Rugby Federation and USA Rugby Football Union in 1987, and the Canadian Rugby Union, and Japan Rugby Football Union were admitted in 1991.[13] In 2016, the Georgia Rugby Union, Romanian Rugby Federation, and the USA were added to the voting Council with one vote each. Additionally, current Council members Argentina, Canada and Italy were granted a second representative and vote. The six regional associations represented on the council also received an additional vote.[17]

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, World Rugby suspended Russia from international and European continental rugby union competition. In addition, the Rugby Union of Russia was suspended from World Rugby.[18][19]

### Rugby World Cup

[edit]

Main article: History of the Rugby World Cup

In the 1960s Australians Harold Tolhurst and Jock Kellaher suggested a World Rugby Championship be held in Australia but the IRFB refused.[20] In 1983 and 1984 respectively, the Australian and New Zealand Rugby Football Unions each proposed hosting such a tournament.[21] The following year the board committed to conduct a feasibility study. A year later another meeting took place in Paris, and the Union subsequently voted on the idea. The South African Rugby Board's vote that proved crucial in setting up a tied vote, as they voted in favour, even though they knew they would be excluded due to the sporting boycott because of their apartheid policies. English and Welsh votes then changed, and the vote was won 10 to 6.[21]

## Member unions

[edit]

See also: List of international rugby union teams

Member and Associated Unions

Member Union

Associated Union

As at June 2024, World Rugby has 113 member unions and 17 associate member unions.[22]

Membership of World Rugby is a four-step process:[23]

1. A Union must apply to become an associate member of its Regional Union
2. After all membership criteria are met, including one year as an associate member, the Union is admitted to the Regional Union as a full member
3. After completion of stages 1 and 2, and two years as a full member of a Regional Union, the Union may then apply to become an Associate member of World Rugby. As an associate member, the union can participate in World Rugby funded tournaments but not the Rugby World Cup
4. Following two years of associate membership of World Rugby, the union may then apply to become a Full Member

Regional Unions

Six regional associations, which represent each continent, are affiliated with World Rugby and help to develop the fifteen-a-side game as well as Rugby sevens across the world. Not all members of the regional associations are members of World Rugby. Below is a list of member and associate unions and their regional associations with the year that they joined World Rugby. Associate unions are in italics.

* * *

### Africa

[edit]

Further information: Rugby Africa

There are 21 World Rugby members and 6 World Rugby associates:

* Algeria (2021)
* Botswana (1994)
* Burkina Faso (2020)
* Burundi (2021)
* Cameroon (1999)
* DR Congo (2022*)
* Egypt (2022*)
* Eswatini (1998)
* Ghana (2017)[Africa 1]
* Ivory Coast (1988)
* Kenya (1990)
* Lesotho (2022*)
* Madagascar (1998)
* Mali (2004*)
* Mauritius (2009)
* Morocco (1998)
* Namibia (1990)
* Nigeria (2001)
* Rwanda (2015)
* Senegal (1999)
* South Africa (1949)
* Tanzania (2004*)
* Togo (2004*)
* Tunisia (1988)
* Uganda (1997)
* Zambia (1995)
* Zimbabwe (1987)

Suspended unions:

* Nigeria [Africa 2]

Notes:

1. ^ Ghana joined World Rugby as an associate member in 2004, and became a full member in 2017.[24]
2. ^ Nigeria was suspended in May 2021 due to the illegal dissolution of the elected board of the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation and the replacement of a three man committee by the Nigerian Government.[25]

* Denotes associate membership date.

* * *

### Asia

[edit]

Further information: Asia Rugby

There are 22 World Rugby members, and 6 World Rugby associates:[Asia 1]

* Azerbaijan (2004*)
* Brunei (2013*)
* China (1997)
* Chinese Taipei (1998)
* Guam (1998)
* Hong Kong (1988)
* India (1999)
* Indonesia (2013)
* Iran (2010)
* Japan (1987)
* Jordan (2020*)
* Kazakhstan (1997)
* Korea (1988)
* Kyrgyzstan (2004*)
* Lao (2004)
* Lebanon (2018*)
* Malaysia (1988)
* Mongolia (2021)
* Nepal (2023)
* Pakistan (2008)
* Philippines (2008)
* Qatar (2023)
* Singapore (1989)
* Syria (2022*)
* Sri Lanka (1988)
* Thailand (1989)
* United Arab Emirates (2012)[Asia 2]
* Uzbekistan (2014)

Notes:

1. ^ The Arabian Gulf Rugby Football Union was disbanded in 2010.
2. ^ UAE became the 100th full member of the IRB in November 2012.[26]

* Denotes associate membership date.

* * *

### Europe

[edit]

Further information: Rugby Europe

There are 37 World Rugby members, and 2 World Rugby associates:

* Andorra (1991)
* Austria (1992)
* Belgium (1988)
* Bosnia and Herzegovina (1996)
* Bulgaria (1992)
* Croatia (1992)
* Cyprus (2014*)
* Czech Republic (1988)
* Denmark (1988)
* England (1890)
* Finland (2001)
* France (1978)
* Georgia (1992)
* Germany (1988)
* Hungary (1991)
* Ireland (1886)
* Israel (1988)
* Italy (1987)
* Latvia (1991)
* Lithuania (1992)
* Luxembourg (1991)
* Malta (2000)
* Moldova (1994)
* Monaco (1996)
* Netherlands (1988)
* Norway (1993)
* Poland (1988)
* Portugal (1988)
* Romania (1987)
* Scotland (1886)
* Serbia (1988)
* Slovakia (2016*)[Euro 1]
* Slovenia (1996)
* Spain (1988)
* Sweden (1988)
* Switzerland (1988)
* Turkey (2023)[Euro 2]
* Ukraine (1992)
* Wales (1886)

Suspended unions:

* Greece [Euro 3]
* Russia [Euro 4]

Notes:

1. ^ Slovakia became an associate in 2016,[30] although the Handbook incorrectly recorded the country's name as Slovenia (a member since 1996).[31]
2. ^ Turkey joined World Rugby as an associate member in 2020, and became a full member in 2023.[27]
3. ^ The Greek federation has been inactive since 2014 after losing official government recognition.[28]
4. ^ Russia, previously a member since 1990, was suspended in 2022 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[29]

* Denotes associate membership date.

* * *

### North America

[edit]

Further information: Rugby Americas North

There are 12 World Rugby members, and 1 World Rugby associate:

* Bahamas (1994)
* Barbados (1995)
* Bermuda (1992)
* British Virgin Islands (2001*)
* Canada (1987)
* Cayman Islands (1997)
* Guyana (1995)
* Jamaica (1996)
* Mexico (2006)
* St. Lucia (2022)
* St. Vincent & the Grenadines (2001)
* Trinidad and Tobago (1992)
* United States (1987)

Notes:

* Denotes associate membership date.

* * *

### South America

[edit]

Further information: Sudamérica Rugby

There are 9 World Rugby members, and 2 World Rugby associates:

* Argentina (1987)
* Brazil (1995)
* Chile (1991)
* Colombia (1999)
* Costa Rica (2017)
* Guatemala (2016*)
* Panama (2020*)
* Paraguay (1989)
* Peru (1999)
* Uruguay (1989)
* Venezuela (1998)

Notes:

* Denotes associate membership date.

* * *

### Oceania

[edit]

Further information: Oceania Rugby

There are 11 World Rugby members:

* American Samoa (2012)
* Australia (1949)
* Cook Islands (1995)
* Fiji (1987)
* New Zealand (1949)
* Niue (1999)
* Papua New Guinea (1993)
* Samoa (1988)
* Solomon Islands (1999)
* Tonga (1987)
* Vanuatu (1999)

## Participation figures

[edit]

World Rugby's largest members, ranked by number of participants in 2019, are:[32]

1. England (2,112,603)
2. United States (1,478,190)
3. South Africa (691.559)
4. France (533,131)
5. Australia (477,031)
6. Japan (295,939)
7. Colombia (265,718)
8. Fiji (225,180)
9. Canada (217,042)
10. China (215,056)
11. Ireland (209,906)
12. Scotland (182,131)
13. Brazil (174,290)
14. Argentina (161,265)
15. New Zealand (156,074)
16. Kenya (122,840)
17. Spain (114,315)
18. Russia (108,566)
19. Wales (107,959)
20. Sri Lanka (96,248)
21. Italy (96,088)

## Governance

[edit]

### Council

[edit]

The World Rugby Council meets twice a year and manages and controls the affairs of World Rugby.[33] The Council formulates and oversees the implementation of World Rugby's strategic plan and application of policy decisions, and selects the host nation(s) for the Rugby World Cup. The Council considers recommendations of the General Assembly. The Council may admit or expel member nations. The council is also the supreme legislative authority of World Rugby. Most Council decisions require approval of simple majority, but to amend the World Rugby's by-laws, regulations, or the Laws of the Game requires approval of three quarters of the council.

Prior to 2016, the council had 28 voting members from 12 national unions. In November 2015, World Rugby announced that they would add more unions to the voting council and give the six regional associations two votes each on the council.[34][17]

As of October 2023[update], the council had 52 members including the non-voting chairman, so there were 51 voting members from 17 national unions and 6 regional associations, allocated as follows:[35][36]

* (33) Eleven unions with three votes each: Argentina, Australia, England, France, Japan, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales.
* (6) Six[Note 1] unions with one vote each: Canada, Georgia, Samoa, Romania, United States and Uruguay.
* (12) The six regional associations representing Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania with two votes each.

In total, Europe has 22 votes; Oceania 9 votes; South America 6 votes; Africa 5 votes; Asia 5 votes and North America 4 votes.

A Chairman and Vice Chairman are elected from among the council members.[37] These positions are held by Bill Beaumont of England and Bernard Laporte of France, respectively, elected as of April 2020[update].[38][39]

### Executive committee

[edit]

The executive committee, in accordance with bye-laws 9.14–9.16, ensures the effective management and operation of the World Rugby.[40] The Committee formulates and monitors the implementation of the World Rugby's strategic plan, business plan, operational plan and budget. In 2016, as part of the reforms to the World Rugby Council, the executive committee was increased to 12 members. The Chairman, Vice-chairman, nine elected officials, including two independent members, and the Chief Executive sit on the World Rugby Executive Committee.[41]

### General Assembly

[edit]

A General Assembly of the full membership is convened every two years.[4] The General Assembly may make recommendations to the council, and may consider business that the council has referred to it,[42] but the General Assembly has no legislative powers.[43]

### Leadership

[edit]

The current Chair of World Rugby is Brett Robinson who was elected following the Executive Council vote on 14 November 2024.[44]

Previous chairmen include Bill Beaumont (2008 to 2024), Bernard Lapasset (2008 to 2016), Syd Millar (2002 to 2007) and Vernon Pugh, QC (1994 to 2002).

In July 2012, Brett Gosper was appointed as the new Chief Executive of what was then the IRB.[45] He will leave this role at the end of 2020 to become head of the National Football League's operations in Europe.[46]

## Funding

[edit]

In 2013 World Rugby released £18.6 million of funding over three years for developing rugby in Canada, the United States, Japan, Romania, Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga. Argentina also received additional support to enable it to retain its tier one status. The money, built up from successful World Cups, was released following a report commissioned by World Rugby highlighting the growing disparity between tier one and tier two nations.[47] This is in addition to the £10–12 million it normally gives out grants and tournament costs. The emphasis is on three areas infrastructure, high performance units and cross border competitions. In April 2006, tier-3 rugby nations Georgia, Portugal, Tunisia and Russia were identified as key investment nations over the next three years. The program was designed to increase the competitiveness of international rugby union.

## Tournaments

[edit]

Japan playing Tonga in the Pacific Five Nations, 2006.

### Rugby World Cups

[edit]

* Women's Rugby World Cup
* Rugby World Cup

World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition, which has been held every four years since 1987.[2] Despite the profitability of the World Cup, the majority of its revenues and viewers come from a small number of countries. For the 2007 Rugby World Cup final, 97% of viewers came from the founding nations, including: England, France, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, with just 3% of viewers coming from all other countries.[43]

The most recent Rugby World Cup was held in France in 2023. South Africa defeated New Zealand 12–11 in the Rugby World Cup final, winning a record fourth title.

World Rugby also organises the women's Rugby World Cup, also held every four years. It was first held by the IRB in 1998, though tournaments in 1991 and 1994 were retrospectively recognised in 2009. The women's World Cup is contested by fewer teams than the men's Cup, with only the 1998 and 2002 editions featuring more than 12 teams (these competitions both had 16 teams, compared to the 20 teams in the men's Rugby World Cup).

On 21 August 2019, World Rugby announced that all future men's and women's World Cups would officially be known as "Rugby World Cup", with no sex or gender designations. The first tournament to be affected by this policy was the 2021 Rugby World Cup, for women's team in New Zealand.[48]

### Sevens

[edit]

* Women's SVNS
* SVNS

World Rugby organised three international sevens tournaments - two annual Sevens Series (one for men and one for women) which are now defunct. The quadrennial Rugby World Cup Sevens is still active.

The men's season-long annual Sevens Series took place over 10 legs, each held in a different country. The women's Sevens Series is held over five- or six-legs. Both tournaments followed the same principle—points are awarded based on a teams position in each round of the series, and the team with the most points at the end of the Series is crowned champions. Following the inclusion of rugby sevens into the Olympics, beginning with the 2014–15 series, the series prior to an Olympic event (i.e. the series which ends in the year before the Olympics takes place) forms the first phase of Olympic qualification. When Olympic Qualification was included, the top four teams from both the men's and women's series qualified for the Olympic Games, and remaining teams competed in regional competitions for one of the remaining places.

The quadrennial Rugby World Cup Sevens includes both the men's and women's world cup tournaments. It was originally due to be discontinued after the inclusion of rugby sevens into the Olympic Programme. However, it was later decided to retain the tournament, as it involved a significantly larger number of teams than the Olympics would, and to move the tournament so as to create a more even sevens calendar (with the major sevens events alternating every two years). As a result, the most recent tournament was the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco, US.[49] The men's and women's competitions at this event were both won by New Zealand.

#### SVNS

[edit]

In 2023 World Rugby re-branded the Sevens series to a new World Rugby SVNS Series known as the HSBC SVNS. The new format will showcase the twelve best men’s and women’s teams, which will conclude in a Grand Final weekend where the top eight teams will compete to be crowned Series champions. The teams ranked ninth to twelfth will compete against the top four teams from a new Challenger Series in a relegation play-off to see who secures their place in the 2024–2025 season. Both men and women’s teams will earn the same with equal participation fees. Both men and women will play in joint tournaments in eight cities around the world. Starting in December 2023 in Dubai, Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Singapore and will conclude in Madrid in June 2024. The tournament is set to bring about a festival type atmosphere and serve as a build up to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.[50][51]

### Developmental competitions

[edit]

World Rugby organizes annual international competitions involving Tier 2 nations.

* Pacific Nations Cup, which has been played annually since 2006. The national teams of Fiji, Samoa, Japan, Tonga, Canada and the United States currently compete for the cup. At various times in the past, the national teams of Japan, Georgia, Canada, and the United States, plus second-tier representative sides from Australia and New Zealand, have also been involved.
* Pacific Challenge, which is a competition involving the national "A" sides from Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga (and more recently Junior Japan, Canada A, and Argentina's Pampas XV).
* Americas Rugby Championship, whose current incarnation involves Argentina's "A" side, currently branded as Argentina XV, and the full national teams of Brazil, Canada, Chile, Uruguay, and the USA.

### Junior competitions

[edit]

World Rugby organizes two competitions for under-20 national teams, the World Rugby Under 20 Championship and the World Rugby Under 20 Trophy. These competitions were created following the merger of under-19 and under-21 representative teams, into an under-20 age group

### Current title holders

[edit]

Tournament  | World Champions  | Year

|
|

Rugby World Cup |  South Africa | 2023
Women's Rugby World Cup |  New Zealand | 2021
World Rugby SVNS Series Mens |  Argentina | 2024–25
World Rugby SVNS Series Women's |  New Zealand | 2024–25
SVNS Mens Grand Final |  South Africa | 2024–25
SVNS Women's Grand Final |  New Zealand | 2024–25
Rugby World Cup Sevens |  Fiji (men)  | 2022
Australia (women)
Olympic Games |  France (men)  | 2024
New Zealand (women)
World Rugby Under 20 Championship |  South Africa | 2025
World Rugby Under 20 Trophy |  Scotland | 2024

### International windows

[edit]

Outside of tournaments ran by World Rugby, the body enforces a number of international windows throughout the year to allow further competition between member nations:

* February/March: Six Nations Championship
* June/July: Mid-year rugby union internationals (SANZAAR hosts Six Nations)
* August/September: SANZAAR The Rugby Championship
* October/November: End-of-year rugby union internationals (Six Nations hosts SANZAAR)

## Olympics

[edit]

See also: Rugby union at the Summer Olympics

The sport of rugby union has been played at the Summer Olympics on four occasions, with the last being in 1924. The winners, and thus the reigning champions, were the U.S. team. Rugby union made one more appearance as a demonstration event but was then removed from the Games. World Rugby has most recently been very keen to see it return to the Games and is adamant that the sport (specifically referring to rugby sevens) satisfies every respect of the criteria set out in the Olympic Charter.

The main problem for reintroducing the 15-man game to the Olympics is the 4-day turnaround required by World Rugby regulations for players to rest between games. Since the Olympics only officially run for 16 days, with only slight expansions allowed to accommodate sports such as football, this effectively makes it impossible to conduct a 15s tournament within the current Olympic schedule. This limitation does not apply to sevens, as games last only 14 minutes instead of the 80 minutes in the 15s game. All of the events in the current men's and women's Sevens Series, which feature a minimum of 16 national teams for men and 12 for women, are conducted within a single weekend.

But in furthering the World Rugby cause, the organisation became an International Olympic Committee Recognised International Federation in 1995, marked by a ceremonial signing by President Juan Antonio Samaranch prior to a match between Wales and South Africa in Cardiff.[52]

World Rugby cites rugby union's global participation, with men playing the game in well over 100 countries and women playing in over 50 as well; the organisation's compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code; and that a rugby sevens tournament could be (and generally is) accommodated in one stadium and is relatively inexpensive to play.[52] Not only is the sevens game successful in the context of the Sevens World Series and World Cup Sevens, it is also very successfully played in the Commonwealth Games; the sevens tournament at the 2006 Games in Melbourne set all-time attendance records for a sevens tournament.

As a result of this, World Rugby applied to the International Olympic Committee for a Sevens tournament to form part of the Olympics. Subsequently, Sevens was accepted into the Summer Olympic Games and was first played in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro which was won by Fiji in the men's competition (defeating Great Britain) and by Australia in the women's competition (defeating New Zealand). In the Tokyo Olympics 2020 edition, the Fiji 7s men's team and the New Zealand 7s women's team claimed the gold medals in their respective competitions.[53]

## Laws and regulations

[edit]

The laws of rugby union are controlled by a standing Laws Committee, which is established by the World Rugby Council. The current chairman of the committee is Bill Beaumont. The Laws of the Game are formulated by World Rugby, and are then circulated by the national Unions. The official laws of the game are written in English, French, Russian and Spanish. There are variations for under-19 and Sevens rugby. There are 21 regulations in total, these regulations range from definitions, eligibility, advertising, disciplinary, anti-doping and a number of other areas. World Rugby also approves equipment, which are tested at an Approved Testing House.

### Experimental law variations

[edit]

Main article: Experimental law variations

In 2006, the IRB initiated proposals for variations to the laws, which were formulated and trialled initially at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Further trials were set down for 2007 and 2008. The law variations aimed to push the balance between defensive and attacking play more in favour of attacking play, and to reduce stoppages for penalties and infringements.

### Anti-doping

[edit]

World Rugby is compliant with the WADA code. The World Rugby anti doping programme includes testing at the under 19 and under 21 level, sevens and senior 15 a side. Testing is a mix of in-competition at World Rugby organised events, as well as out-of-competition testing, which can occur during a specified one-hour time slot designated by a player. In 2003, World Cup year, the World Rugby member unions undertook approximately 3,000 tests.[54] "Keep Rugby Clean" is a campaign message run by the World Rugby Anti-Doping Manager Tim Ricketts. The programme is supported by stars such as Brian O'Driscoll.[55]

## World rankings

[edit]

Further information: World Rugby Rankings

World Rugby publishes and maintains the World Rugby Rankings of the men's national rugby union teams (and more recently also for women's teams[56]). The concept was launched in October 2003, at the start of that year's world cup in Australia. The rankings are calculated using a Points Exchange system, whereby nations take points off each other based on a match result. Several years of research went into developing the rankings system, using an extensive database of international matches that date back to 1871.

The system's reliability is assessed in a number of objective ways, which includes predictions of current strength and responds to changes in form. The system takes into account home advantage, in that the home nation is treated as though it has an extra three rating points, effectively handicapping them, as they will gain fewer ranking points for a win, and lose more should they lose. In the case of a freak result, there is a maximum number of movements on the ranking that any nation can gain from one match.

If a nation does not play for a number of years they are considered dormant, and excluded from the rankings, upon returning, picking up from where they were excluded. If a nation is to merge or split, the highest rating of any of the rankings is inherited.

Currently all capped international matches are equally weighted, whether or not they take place within a competition or are played as tests; the sole exception to this is the World Cup final tournament.

## Recognitions and awards

[edit]

The World Rugby Awards were introduced in 2001, to honour outstanding achievements in rugby union. Prior to 2009, all of the awards were announced at an annual ceremony; the most recent such ceremony was held in London on 23 November 2008.

However, as a response to the Great Recession, the annual ceremony only saw the International Player, Team, and Coach of the Year Awards presented in 2009 and 2010; all other awards were presented at different times throughout the year. The IRB reinstated a single year-end ceremony in 2011 after the 2011 Rugby World Cup.[57] Since then, it has chosen to present some awards at times relevant to those specific prizes—such as Sevens awards after the London Sevens, the final event of the Sevens World Series, and the Junior Player award after the final of the Junior World Championship. The bulk of awards will be presented at the year-end Awards ceremony.

The current awards are:

* World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year
* World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year
* World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Year
* World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the Year
* World Rugby Junior Player of the Year
* Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service
* World Rugby Coach of the Year
* World Rugby Men’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year
* World Rugby Women’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year
* World Rugby Referee Award
* World Rugby Women's 15s Dream Team of the Year
* World Rugby Men's 15s Dream Team of the Year
* World Rugby Team of the Year

At the year-end ceremony, the International Rugby Players' Association also hands out the following awards:

* IRP Men's Try of the Year
* IRP Women's Try of the Year
* IRP Special Merit Award

In the past, the following awards have also been awarded:

* IRB International U21 Player of the Year
* IRB Under 19 Player of the Year
* IRB Chairman's Award
* IRB Development Award
* IRB Spirit of Rugby Award

The awards that recognise achievements in the preceding 12 months tend to be won by that season's most successful nation(s): France in 2002, England in 2003, South Africa in 2004, New Zealand in 2005, South Africa again in 2007. For those award categories that have nominees, a shortlist is drawn up by an independent panel of judges, who are all former internationals. The panel then reconvenes to choose a winner. The current judges are Jonathan Davies, Will Greenwood, Gavin Hastings, Michael Jones, Dan Lyle, Federico Méndez, Francois Pienaar and past Player of the Year winners Fabien Galthié and Keith Wood, with John Eales as convenor. The judges have a total of over 500 caps between them.

In 2006 a Hall of Fame was established to chronicle the achievements and special contribution of the sport's players, coaches, administrators, match officials, institutions and other individuals. The Hall of Fame was inaugurated at the 2006 IRB Awards, when William Webb Ellis and Rugby School were named as the first two inductees. Hall of Fame inductees in 2007 were Pierre de Coubertin, Danie Craven, John Eales, Gareth Edwards and Wilson Whineray. The 2008 inductees were the 1888–89 New Zealand Native football team and its organiser Joe Warbrick, Jack Kyle, Melrose RFC and Ned Haig (for their roles in the invention of rugby sevens), Hugo Porta, and Philippe Sella. Since then, induction ceremonies have been held annually, except in 2010.

The last year for a single induction ceremony was 2009. Starting in 2011, ceremonies have been held at multiple locations around the world. Also, some or all of the inductions have had an overriding theme since 2009:

* 2009 – Lions tours to South Africa; all candidates for induction were either Lions or Springboks.[58]
* 2011 – The year's final set of inductions, held at the IRB Awards in Auckland on the night after the 2011 Rugby World Cup final, was, according to the IRB, "under the theme of Rugby World Cup founders, visionaries and iconic figures".[59]
* 2012 – The IRB's theme for this year's inductions was Rugby - a global Game, "celebrat[ing] Rugby's expansion to become a global sport played by millions of men and women worldwide."[60]

## Media and Digital Platforms

[edit]

In 2022 World Rugby acquired the media platform RugbyPass. In 2023 they expanded the RugbyPass brand by creating RugbyPass TV a free live match streaming and on demand service featuring rugby matches from around the world, as well as other forms of digital media such as podcasts and documentaries.[61][62]

## UK neurological injuries lawsuit

[edit]

In December 2023 a group of 295 former rugby players sued World Rugby, the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union for allegedly failing to put in place reasonable measures to protect the health and safety of players. This alleged failure was said to have caused disorders such as motor neurone disease, early onset dementia, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, epilepsy and Parkinson's disease.[63][64][65][66][67]

## See also

[edit]

* Sports portal
* World portal

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Fiji are entitled to one World Rugby council member, but as of October 2023 have been suspended from the council.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Souster, Mark (25 February 1998). "All in a name". The Times. London.
2. ^ a b "Rugby World Cup History". Rugby Football History. Retrieved 14 July 2006.
3. ^ Fagan, Jack (29 October 2014). "IRB to move to new Dublin 2 headquarters". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 18 February 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
4. ^ a b "IRB Organisation". International Rugby Board. 2006. Archived from the original on 9 July 2006. Retrieved 14 July 2006.
5. ^ "World Rugby Member Unions". World Rugby. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
6. ^ World Rugby Handbook 2014, p. 20.
7. ^ a b c IRB Handbook 2013, pp. 15–20.
8. ^ "IRB to change name to World Rugby" (Press release). IRB. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
9. ^ "Putting Rugby Back in the Olympics". Rugby Football History.
10. ^ "Members". ASOIF. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
11. ^ "Short history of rugby". Museum of Rugby. Archived from the original on 15 February 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2006.
12. ^ a b "1880s". Rugby Football History. Retrieved 15 July 2006.
13. ^ a b c "History of the laws of rugby football". Rugby Football History. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
14. ^ "History of the Game". rugby.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 August 2006. Retrieved 15 July 2006.
15. ^ a b c "1890s". rugbyfootballhistory.com. Retrieved 15 July 2006.
16. ^ "Major team and individual sports". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 22 October 2011.[permanent dead link]
17. ^ a b Sero, Nick (11 May 2016). "USA Welcomed to Expanded WorldRugby Council". USA Rugby. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
18. ^ Gallan, Daniel (1 March 2022). "World Rugby joins other sports bodies by suspending Russia and Belarus". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
19. ^ "Rugby Europe Statement – Russia and Belarus Suspension". Rugby Europe. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
20. ^ "A brief history of the Rugby World Cup". worldrugbymuseum.blog. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
21. ^ a b "The History of RWC". worldcupweb.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2006.
22. ^ "Member unions". World Rugby. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
23. ^ "International Rugby Board – Year in Review 2010" (PDF). irb.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 November 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
24. ^ "Ghana welcomed as full member union of World Rugby" (Press release). World Rugby. 21 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
25. ^ "World Rugby wades into Nigerian crisis urging reinstatement of NRFF board". African Sports Monthly. 7 May 2021. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
26. ^ "UAE become 100th full member of the IRB". RTÉ. 27 November 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
27. ^ "Nepal, Qatar and Turkey become full members of World Rugby" (Press release). World Rugby. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
28. ^ ""Λουκέτο" στο ράγκμπι". Sport24 (in Greek). Archived from the original on 30 December 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
29. ^ "World Rugby confirms sporting sanctions for Russia and Belarus". Sport24 (in Greek). Retrieved 28 February 2022.
30. ^ World Rugby Handbook 2017, p. 19.
31. ^ World Rugby Handbook 2017, p. 17.
32. ^ World Rugby Review 2019, p. 68.
33. ^ "IRB bye-law 9" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 November 2012.
34. ^ "Expanded game representation and independence at the heart of World Rugby governance reform" (Press release). World Rugby. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
35. ^ "World Rugby Election update". World Rugby. 2 May 2020.
36. ^ "Council Members". World Rugby. 12 October 2023.
37. ^ "World Rugby welcomes Fiji and Samoa onto expanded Council" (Press release). World Rugby. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
38. ^ "Bill Beaumont elected next World Rugby Chairman". worldrugby.org. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
39. ^ "Bill Beaumont re-elected World Rugby chairman for a second term". ESPN. 2 May 2020.
40. ^ "IRB bye-laws" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 November 2012.
41. ^ "Expanded game representation and independence at the heart of World Rugby governance reform". worldrugby.org. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
42. ^ "IRB bye-law 8" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 November 2012.
43. ^ a b "Putting Rugby First" (PDF). Addleshaw Goddard. July 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 January 2013.
44. ^ "Robinson to be landmark World Rugby chair". British Broadcasting Corporation. 14 November 2024.
45. ^ "Gosper appointed IRB Chief Executive". Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
46. ^ "World Rugby Executive Gosper to leave role for NFL". ESPN.com. Reuters. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
47. ^ "IRB to pump extra £30 million into Rugby". Archived from the original on 29 November 2005. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
48. ^ "World Rugby announces gender neutral naming for Rugby World Cup tournaments" (Press release). World Rugby. 21 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
49. ^ "USA to host Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018". World Rugby. 13 May 2015. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018.
50. ^ "HSBC SVNS set to supercharge rugby's global appeal as the ultimate festival of immersive experiences". World Rugby. 18 July 2023. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024.
51. ^ name="SVNS 2023-2024">"HSBC SVNS IS GOING NEXT LEVEL". HSBC SVNS.
52. ^ a b "Rugby & The Olympic Games". irb.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2006.
53. ^ "Fijians, Kiwis celebrate multiple medals in Olympic rugby 7s". Associated Press. August 2021.
54. ^ "IRB adopts WADA code". irb.com. Archived from the original on 4 September 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2006.
55. ^ "Keep Rugby Clean". irb.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2006.
56. ^ "Women's Rankings". World Rugby. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
57. ^ "New IRB Awards presentation format" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 28 May 2009. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
58. ^ "Nine inductees to join IRB Hall of Fame" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 23 October 2009. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
59. ^ "Stars set for glittering finale at IRB Awards" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 5 October 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
60. ^ "Chilean Rugby greats added to IRB Hall of Fame" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 26 May 2012. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
61. ^ worldrugby.org. "World Rugby launches RugbyPass TV ahead of Rugby World Cup 2023 to transform entertainment for fans everywhere | World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
62. ^ worldrugby.org. "World Rugby acquires RugbyPass to enter direct-to-consumer market in wide-ranging rights deal with Sky New Zealand | World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
63. ^ Tobin, Sam (December 2023). "England World Cup winners among ex-players suing over concussion". Reuters.
64. ^ Reporter, Martyn Ziegler, Chief Sports (28 November 2024). "Phil Greening joins brain-injury lawsuit as rugby chiefs hit back". www.thetimes.com.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
65. ^ "World Rugby fires back over concussion lawsuit". Progressive Rugby - A Non-Profit Rugby Union Lobby Group.
66. ^ "Concussion in rugby union: former players apply for group litigation order". Geldards.
67. ^ Bull, Andy (28 November 2024). "Four Lions revealed to be part of group suing authorities over brain injuries". The Guardian.

## Sources

[edit]

* "Handbook 2013" (PDF). International Rugby Board. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2014.
* "Handbook 2014" (PDF). World Rugby. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
* "Handbook 2016" (PDF). World Rugby. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF 8.9 MB) on 14 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
* "Handbook 2017" (PDF). World Rugby. 3 January 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
* "Year in Review 2011" (PDF). International Rugby Board. 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
* "World Rugby Year in Review 2019". World Rugby. 2019.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* IRB The Laws of rugby union
* World Rugby Rankings
* World Rugby Rankings - Men
* World Rugby Rankings - Women

* v
* t
* e

International rugby union competitions

* World Rugby
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* Asia
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* North America
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* Oceania

Worldwide|

| Men|

* World Cup
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|

Women|

* World Cup
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Multi-sport events|

* Olympic Games (7s)
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Intercontinental|

* Americas Pacific Challenge
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Continental|

| Africa|

* Rugby Africa Cup
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|

Asia|

* Asia Rugby Championship
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Europe|

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Oceania|

* Oceania Men's Championship
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North America|

* RAN Championship
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South America|

* South American Championship
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Defunct|

* Olympic Games (15s)
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World Rugby members

Africa|

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North America|

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South America|

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Asia|

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Europe|

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Oceania|

* American Samoa
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Associate unions are in italics

* v
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World Rugby Awards

* World Rugby
* World Rugby Hall of Fame

Awards|

| Individual|

* 15s Player (M, W)
* 7s Player (M, W)
* Vernon Pugh Award
* Coach
* Breakthrough Player (M, W)
* Referee
* Try of the Year (M, W)
* Special Merit Award

|

Team|

* XVs Dream Team (M,W)
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Defunct|

* U21 Player
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* Chairman's Award
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* v
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* e

International sports federations

ASOIF (30+2)
Summer Olympics Federations|

* AQUA (aquatic sports)
* WA (archery)
* WA (athletics)
* BWF (badminton)
* WBSC (baseball, softball and Baseball5) (associate)
* FIBA (basketball)
* WB2 (boxing)
* ICF (canoeing)
* UCI (cycling)
* WDSF (dance sport) (associate)
* FEI (equestrian)
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* FIFA (football)
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* FIG (gymnastics)
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* UIPM (modern pentathlon)
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* FISA (rowing)
* WR (rugby union)
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* WT (taekwondo)
* ITF (tennis)
* TRI (triathlon)
* FIVB (volleyball)
* IWF (weightlifting)
* UWW (wrestling)

AIOWF (7)
Winter Olympics Federations|

* IBU (biathlon)
* IBSF (bobsleigh and skeleton)
* WC (curling)
* IIHF (ice hockey)
* FIL (luge)
* ISU (skating sports)
* FIS (skiing and snowboarding sports)

ARISF (39)
Others recognised by IOC|

* FAI (air sports)
* IFAF (American football)
* FIA (auto racing)
* FIB (bandy)
* WBSC (baseball, softball and Baseball5)
* FIPV (basque pelota)
* WCBS (billiards sports)
* CMSB (boules)
* IBF (bowling)
* WBF (bridge)
* ICU (cheer)
* FIDE (chess)
* ICC (cricket)
* WDSF (dance sport)
* IFF (floorball)
* WFDF (flying disc)
* IFI (ice stock sport)
* WKF (karate)
* WAKO (kickboxing)
* IKF (korfball)
* WL (lacrosse)
* ILSF (life saving)
* FIM (motorcycle sport)
* UIAA (mountaineering)
* IFMA (muaythai)
* WN (netball)
* IOF (orienteering)
* FIP (polo)
* UIM (powerboating)
* IRF (racquetball)
* FIAS (sambo)
* ISMF (ski mountaineering)
* WSF (squash)
* IFS (sumo)
* TWIF (tug-of-war)
* CMAS (underwater sports)
* FISU (university sports)
* IWWF (waterski and wakeboard)
* IWUF (wushu)

AIMS (20)
Others in SportAccord|

* IAF (aikido)
* WAF (arm wrestling)
* IFBB (bodybuilding)
* ICSF (casting)
* WDF (darts)
* IDBF (dragon boat)
* FMJD (draughts)
* IFA (fistball)
* IGF (go)
* JJIF (ju-jitsu)
* FIK (kendo)
* WMF (minigolf)
* IPF (powerlifting)
* IPSC (practical shooting)
* FISav (savate)
* ISTAF (sepak takraw)
* ISFF (sleddog)
* ISTF (soft tennis)
* CIPS (sport fishing)
* FITEQ (teqball)

former GAISF
observer members (11)|

* WDA (dodgeball)
* FIFG (footgolf)
* IJRU (jump rope)
* IUKL (kettlebell lifting)
* FISO (obstacle)
* IPF (padel)
* IFMP (poker)
* IPSF (pole dance)
* IRF (rafting)
* IRL (rugby league)
* ITSF (table football/soccer)

Others|

* WEKAF (arnis)
* AFLC (Australian rules football)
* WBGF (backgammon)
* ISBHF (ball hockey)
* IBA (bodyboarding)
* WB (bowls)
* IBA1,2 (boxing)
* SJJIF (Brazilian jiu-jitsu)
* IFBA (broomball)
* WCF (croquet)
* WDBF (dodgeball)
* ICFRA (fullbore rifle)
* IGAA (Gaelic football and hurling)
* ATSX (downhill ice cross)
* IKF2 (kabaddi)
* WK2 (kabaddi)
* IKF (kempo)
* FISLY (landsailing)
* IMMAF (mixed martial arts)
* WMRA (mountain running)
* ORSI (ocean rowing)
* IPF (pickleball)
* IQA (quad ball)
* IFMAR (radio-controlled racing)
* IRF (rogaining)
* WSSF (snowshoe running)
* ISF (skyrunning)
* WSSA (sport stacking)
* ITHF (table hockey)
* ITPF (tent pegging)
* FIT (touch football)
* ITRA (trail running)
* IAU (ultra running)

* International Olympic Committee
* International World Games Association
* SportAccord

* 1 IOC recognition withdrawn
* 2 Contested governance

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* United States

Other|

* Te Papa (New Zealand)

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