Editing Rugby World Cup (section)

===Beginnings===
Before the Rugby World Cup, there was no truly global rugby union competition, but there were a number of other tournaments. One of the oldest is the annual [[Six Nations Championship]], which started in 1883 as the [[Home Nations]] Championship,<ref>{{Cite web |last1=cycles |first1=This text provides general information Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct Due to varying update |last2=Text |first2=Statistics Can Display More up-to-Date Data Than Referenced in the |title=Topic: Six Nations Championship |url=https://www.statista.com/topics/11881/six-nations-championship/ |access-date=31 January 2024 |website=Statista |language=en}}</ref> a tournament between [[England national rugby union team|England]], [[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]], [[Scotland national rugby union team|Scotland]] and [[Wales national rugby union team|Wales]]. It expanded to the Five Nations in 1910, when [[France national rugby union team|France]] joined the tournament. France did not participate from 1931 to 1939, during which period it reverted to a Home Nations championship. In 2000, [[Italy national rugby union team|Italy]] joined the competition, which became the Six Nations.<ref name="history">{{cite web | url=http://www.6-nations-rugby.com/six-nations-history | title=A brief history of the Six Nations rugby tournament | publisher=6 Nations Rugby | access-date=31 October 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071108180856/http://www.6-nations-rugby.com/six-nations-history |archive-date = 8 November 2007}}</ref>

Rugby union was also played at the [[Summer Olympic Games]], first appearing at the [[1900 Summer Olympics|1900 Paris games]] and subsequently at [[1908 Summer Olympics|London in 1908]], [[1920 Summer Olympics|Antwerp in 1920]], and [[1924 Summer Olympics|Paris again in 1924]]. France won the first gold medal, then Australasia, with the last two being won by the United States. However rugby union ceased to be on Olympic program after 1924.<ref name="WorldRugbyOlympics">{{cite web | url=http://www.worldrugby.org/olympics/history | title=History of Rugby in the Olympics | website=World Rugby | date=9 November 2014 | access-date=21 July 2015 | archive-date=27 June 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627130524/http://www.worldrugby.org/olympics/history | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="olympics2">{{cite web | url = http://www.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/story/167592.html | title = Rugby and the Olympics | last = Richards | first = Huw | date = 26 July 2012 | access-date = 13 April 2012 | publisher = ESPN}}</ref>{{efn|However an exhibition tournament, the [[1936 FIRA Tournament]],  did take place at the [[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Games]]. Rugby [[Rugby sevens at the Summer Olympics|was reintroduced]] to the Olympics in 2016, but as men's and women's [[rugby sevens]] (i.e., seven-a-side rugby).<ref name="WorldRugbyOlympics" />}}

The idea of a Rugby World Cup had been suggested on numerous occasions going back to the 1950s, but met with opposition from most unions in the IRFB.<ref name="wcweb" /> The idea resurfaced several times in the early 1980s, with the [[Rugby Australia|Australian Rugby Union]] (ARU; now known as Rugby Australia) in 1983, and the [[New Zealand Rugby|New Zealand Rugby Union]] (NZRU; now known as New Zealand Rugby) in 1984 independently proposing the establishment of a world cup.<ref name=Collins13>Collins (2008), p. 13.</ref> A proposal was again put to the IRFB in 1985 and this time passed 10–6. The delegates from Australia, France, New Zealand and South Africa all voted for the proposal, and the delegates from Ireland and Scotland against; the English and Welsh delegates were split, with one from each country for and one against.<ref name="wcweb">{{cite web | publisher=worldcupweb.com | title=The History of RWC |url=http://www.worldcupweb.com/WCrugby/history.asp|access-date=25 April 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060414193531/http://www.worldcupweb.com/WCrugby/history.asp |archive-date = 14 April 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Collins13 />

The inaugural tournament, jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, was held in May and June 1987, with sixteen nations taking part.<ref name=Peatey31>Peatey (2011) p. 31.</ref> The [[1987 Rugby World Cup|inaugural World Cup]] in 1987, did not involve any qualifying process; instead, the 16 places were automatically filled by seven eligible [[World Rugby|International Rugby Football Board]] (IRFB, now World Rugby) member nations, and the rest by invitation.<ref name=Peatey34>Peatey (2011) p. 34.</ref> [[New Zealand national rugby union team|New Zealand]] became the first-ever champions, defeating [[France national rugby union team|France]] 29–9 in the final.<ref name=Peatey42>Peatey (2011) p. 42.</ref> The subsequent [[1991 Rugby World Cup|1991 tournament]] was hosted by England, with matches played throughout Britain, Ireland and France. Qualifying tournaments were introduced for the [[1991 Rugby World Cup|second tournament]], where eight of the sixteen places were contested in a twenty-four-nation tournament.<ref name="Peatey59">Peatey (2011) p. 59.</ref>  This tournament saw the introduction of a qualifying tournament; eight places were allocated to the quarter-finalists from 1987, and the remaining eight decided by a thirty-five nation qualifying tournament.<ref name="Peatey59" /> Australia won the second tournament, defeating [[England national rugby union team|England]] 12–6 in the final.<ref name=Peatey77>Peatey (2011) p. 77.</ref>

In 1992, eight years after their last official series,{{efn|Against England in 1984.<ref name=Harding137>Harding (2000), p. 137</ref>}} [[South Africa national rugby union team|South Africa]] hosted New Zealand in a one-off test match. The resumption of international rugby in South Africa came after the dismantling of the [[apartheid]] system.<ref name=Harding137 /><ref name=Peatey78>Peatey (2011) p. 78.</ref> With their return to test rugby, South Africa were selected to host the [[1995 Rugby World Cup]].<ref name=Peatey82>Peatey (2011) p. 82.</ref> After upsetting Australia in the opening match, South Africa continued to advance through the tournament and met New Zealand in the final.<ref name=Peatey87>Peatey (2011) p. 87.</ref><ref name=Harding159>Harding (2000), pp. 159–160</ref> After a tense final that went into [[Overtime (sports)|extra time]], South Africa emerged 15–12 winners,<ref name=Peatey99>Peatey (2011) p. 99.</ref> with then President [[Nelson Mandela]], wearing a Springbok [[Rugby shirt|jersey]],<ref name=Harding159 /> presenting the trophy to South Africa's captain, [[Francois Pienaar]].<ref name=Harding168>Harding (2000), p. 168</ref>