Sitting at a Wellington cafe mulling over Pools B, C and D… will we see the pre-tournament favourites go through to the knockout phase, or will we see an upset or two this weekend? But that, and my predictions, will have to wait until tomorrow, so please come back and let me know how you see the final pool games unfolding.
Heading back up to Auckland first thing on Friday, in time to see the pools-deciding matches of South Africa v Samoa, England v Scotland and Fiji v Wales (and watching the rest on telly in a pub).
In the meantime, some interesting figures relating to the Rugby World Cup, courtesy of the RWC News Service.
2,246,685 - Record total attendance for a RWC tournament (2007). Attendance in NZ currently stands at about 760,000.
82,957 – Record crowd for a RWC match – Telstra Stadium, Sydney, Australia (2003 Final Australia v England)
12,278 - Points scored in RWC tournaments (1987-2007)
1,711 - Most points scored by a team in RWC tournaments – New Zealand (1987-2007)
1,429 - Tries scored in RWC tournaments (1987-2007)
1,053 - Penalty goals kicked in RWC tournaments (1987-2007)
1,014 - Conversions kicked in RWC tournaments (1987-2007)
975 - Most points conceded by a team in RWC tournaments – Japan (1987-2007)
361 - Most points by a team in a RWC tournament – New Zealand (2003)
249 - Most points scored by a player in RWC career – Jonny Wilkinson (ENG) 1999-2007
233 - Total number of matches played in RWC finals tournaments (1987-2007)
162 - Most points in a RWC match (New Zealand 145 Japan 17, 1995)
142 - Biggest winning margin in a RWC match (Australia 142 Namibia 0, 2003)
126 - Most points scored by a player in a single RWC tournament – Grant Fox (NZL), 1987
106 - Drop goals kicked in RWC tournaments (1987-2007)
45 - Most points scored by a player in a RWC match – Simon Culhane (NZL) against Japan (1995)
40 - Age of the oldest player in the RWC (1999) – Diego Ormaechea (URU)
25 - Most points scored by a player in a RWC Final – Matt Burke (AUS) 1999
24 - Countries to have participated in the RWC (1987-2007)
23 - Most drop goals kicked by a team at a RWC tournament – England (2003)
22 - Most matches by a player in RWC career – Jason Leonard (ENG) 1991-2003
21 - Countries to have participated in at least two RWC tournaments
20 - Most conversions kicked by a player in a RWC match – Simon Culhane (NZL) against Japan (1995)
19 - Age of the youngest player in the RWC (1987-2007) – Thretton Palamo (USA) in 2007
18 - Most consecutive matches by a player in RWC career – Martin Johnson (ENG) 1995-2003
17 - Highest losing score in a RWC Final (England 20 Australia 17 aet, 2003)
16 - Countries participating in the first RWC (New Zealand 1987)
15 - Most tries scored by a player in RWC career – Jonah Lomu (NZL) 1995-1999
14 - Players sent off in Rugby World Cup matches
13 - Most RWC matches hosted by one venue (Murrayfield, Scotland, 1991-2007)
12 - Most successive RWC victories – set by Australia between their 1995 quarter-final defeat by England and the loss to the same team in the final eight years later.
11 - Matches lost by Namibia at the RWC (1999-2007) – every match they played
10 - Occasions that 10 or more conversions have been kicked by a player in one RWC match
9 - Players who have scored at least 100 points in one RWC tournament.
8 - Most tries scored by a player in a RWC tournament – Jonah Lomu (NZL) 1995 and Bryan Habana (RSA) 2007
7 - Players who have represented two countries in RWC history
6 - Most tries scored by a player in a RWC match – Marc Ellis (NZL) against Japan (1995)
5 - Most drop goals kicked by a player in a RWC match – Jannie de Beer (RSA) against England (1999 quarter-final)
4 - Most tries by a forward in a RWC match – Brian Robinson (IRE) 1991 and Keith Wood (IRE) 1999
3 - Most red cards in a RWC match – South Africa v Canada (1995)
2 - Hosts to have won the RWC – New Zealand (1987) and South Africa (1995)
1 - Northern hemisphere countries to have won the RWC – England (2003)
0 - RWC winners who have successfully defended their title
This blog is supported by Maximuscle, suppliers of Whey protein to Courtney Lawes, Joe Simpson and the Welsh Rugby Team.
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