Editing Rugby union (section)

===World Cup and professionalism===
In 1987, the first Rugby World Cup was held in Australia and New Zealand, and the inaugural winners were New Zealand. The first World Cup Sevens tournament was held at Murrayfield in 1993. Rugby Sevens was introduced into the [[Commonwealth Rugby Sevens Championships|Commonwealth Games]] in 1998 and was added to the Olympic Games of 2016.<ref name="I.O.C. Decision"/> Both men and women's Sevens took place at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.<ref name="Tokyo2020.org">{{cite web | title=Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sports: Rugby | url=https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/sport/olympic/rugby-sevens/ | access-date=25 June 2019 | archive-date=18 September 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918080212/https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/sport/olympic/rugby-sevens/ | url-status=dead}}</ref>

Rugby union was an amateur sport until the IRB declared the game "open" in August 1995 (shortly after the completion of the 1995 World Cup), removing restrictions on payments to players.<ref name=Stubbs3>{{Harvnb|Stubbs|2009|p=118}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=History of the RFU |url=http://www.rfu.com/AboutTheRFU/History.aspx |work=[[Rugby Football Union|RFU]] |access-date=28 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100422210444/http://www.rfu.com/AboutTheRFU/History.aspx |archive-date=22 April 2010 }}</ref> However, the pre-1995 period of rugby union was marked by frequent accusations of "[[shamateurism]]",<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Ontario: The Shamateurs|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,804253,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203090354/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,804253,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 February 2011|magazine=TIME |date=29 September 1947|access-date=6 February 2010}}</ref> including an investigation in Britain by a House of Commons Select committee in early 1995.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/amateur-status-attacked-by-mps-1611641.html?CMP=ILC-refresh |title=Amateur status attacked by MPs&nbsp;— Sport&nbsp;— The Independent |first=John |last=Rentoul |work=The Independent |date=17 March 1995 |publisher=[[Independent News & Media|INM]] |location=London |issn=0951-9467 |oclc=185201487 |access-date=19 November 2011 |archive-date=25 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225004646/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/amateur-status-attacked-by-mps-1611641.html?CMP=ILC-refresh |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=History of Rugby Union|url=http://www.talkrugbyunion.co.uk/guides/history_of_rugby_union.html|access-date=6 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406194223/http://www.talkrugbyunion.co.uk/guides/history_of_rugby_union.html|archive-date=6 April 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Following the introduction of professionalism trans-national club competitions were started, with the [[Heineken Cup]] in the Northern Hemisphere and [[Super Rugby]] in the Southern Hemisphere.<ref name="historymain">{{cite web | url=http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/37_74.php | title=European Rugby Cup: History | publisher=ERC | access-date=21 March 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208134810/http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/37_74.php | archive-date=8 February 2007 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Gaynor">{{cite news|title=Union's off-field game a real winner|date=21 April 2001|newspaper=The New Zealand Herald|first=Bryan|last=Gaynor|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/unions-off-field-game-a-real-winner/5RFGNY2XPRWHE6A3XYBUE57SRI/|access-date=14 August 2011|archive-date=1 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601001150/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[The Rugby Championship|Tri Nations]], an annual international tournament involving Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, kicked off in 1996.<ref name="Gaynor"/> In [[2012 Rugby Championship|2012]], this competition was extended to include [[Argentina national rugby union team|Argentina]], a country whose impressive performances in international games (especially finishing in third place in the 2007 Rugby World Cup) was deemed to merit inclusion in the competition. As a result of the expansion to four teams, the tournament was renamed The Rugby Championship.<ref name="The Rugby Championship to replace Tri Nations">{{cite web | title="The Rugby Championship" to replace Tri Nations | work=rugby.com.au | url=http://www.rugby.com.au/wallabies/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1516/ArticleID/4906/Default.aspx | access-date=29 April 2014 | archive-date=8 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308043143/http://www.rugby.com.au/wallabies/news/newsarticle/tabid/1516/articleid/4906/default.aspx | url-status=dead }}</ref>