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Rugby is one of the most popular sports in the world. Each year, it records billions in viewership. This sport is so brutal that any adrenaline junkie would love to watch it in their free time. It is seen and played around the world, be it in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) or the Northern Hemisphere (United States, Wales, England, and Japan).
Because of the immense popularity of this sport, it is no wonder that there are various competitions that are held each year where the best Rugby teams compete for the trophy. This year, we’ll see many countries competing for the Web Ellis Cup, which is actually the Rugby World Cup. The tournament is going to take place in Japan this September, 2019.
Despite its immense status, the Web Ellis trophy isn’t the only trophy that is envied by the best Rugby teams. There are plenty of other trophies as well that happen periodically and show us some of the best Rugby matches of the year. Mentioned below are some popular Rugby trophies that are competed for by the best teams.
Web Ellis Cup
The Webb Ellis Cup is the premier trophy in Rugby world. This trophy is awarded to the winner of the Rugby World Cup that is held in every four years. This trophy, or Cup, is named after William Webb Ellis who is credited for inventing Rugby Football. It is made up of silver gilt, and it is awarded to the Rugby World Cup-winning team ever since 1987.
This trophy has been won the most number of times by New Zealand, who won it in 1987, 2011 and 2015. Australia has held this trophy twice in 1991 and 1999. South Africa has won the trophy an equal number of times in 1995 and 2007. England lifted this trophy once, back in 2003.
The trophy weighs 4.5 Kgs. It has two cast scroll handles, and it is made up of gilded silver. One of the handles bears the head of a satyr. The other head bears the head of a nymph. The face of the trophy bears the words “International Rugby Football Board” and the name “The Webb Ellis Cup” is engraved below.
Melrose Cup
This trophy is named after the town of Melrose, Scotland. This town is actually the birthplace of rugby sevens in 1883 when a local butcher boy Ned Haig with the help of his boss David Sanderson called on the local rugby union teams and invited them to play a small tournament as part of a fundraiser because the Melrose Rugby Club was facing financial issues at the time.
This trophy is presented to the winner of the World Cup since its inaugural tournament in 1993. Only a few teams have won this trophy as of yet, with England, Wales, Fiji, and New Zealand all winning it. The first-ever tournament was won by England.
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an international rugby union competition that is held between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. The competition is referred to as the Guinness Six Nations for sponsorship reasons.
This competition is a successor to the Home Nations Championship that was played between 1883–1909 and 1932–39. Since then, this tournament has only been held between England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, the teams that played in the predecessor tournaments. The original tournament was actually the first-ever Rugby Union tournament. France was added to the tournament, later on, to make it the Five Nations Championship. And after Italy’s addition, it has turned into a Six Nations Championship.
Wales has the overall record of most victories in the tournament, winning the tournament 39 times (27 outright and 12 shared). England is second-best with 38 victories (10 shared). In terms of outright wins, England leads ahead of Wales with 28 victories. Since the start of the Six Nations era in 2000, only Scotland and Italy have failed to win the Six Nations title. However, Scotland was the last winners of the Five Nations tournament.
Don’t miss out!
All of these tournaments are amazing. And we recommend that you don’t miss out on them no matter what! To watch the tournament live from anywhere, we suggest that you get PureVPN and enjoy complete internet freedom. For more details, visit our guide on how to watch the Rugby World Cup live from anywhere!
