Portal:Rugby union/Selected article

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Articles of the month

These are current selected articles. For future ones see the talk page

January

France and New Zealand's national teams have been playing each other in Test rugby union since 1906. New Zealand's team, known as the All Blacks, won the first Test between the countries 38–8 on 1 January 1906. This was also France's first ever Test. They played again in 1924, and then in 1954. The 1954 match was won 3–0 by France and was their first victory over the All Blacks. France first toured New Zealand in 1961 — before any of the Home Nations — and the All Blacks won all three Tests.

Overall the All Blacks have won 34 Tests, France 11, with one drawn. The highest victory between the countries was achieved when the All Blacks won 61–10 at Westpac Stadium in 2007. The most career points scored by members of either team is 92 by Andrew Mehrtens; he also holds the record for points in one match with 29.(More...)

February

The history of the Highlanders focuses on the rugby union team in the Super 12 and then Super 14 competitions. The team was originally formed as one of five New Zealand franchises for the Super 12 in 1996. The team encompassed the provinces of North Otago, Otago and Southland. The Highlanders placed eighth in their first year with five wins, but slumped to last in the competition in 1997 with only three wins. They improved to qualify for their first semi-final in 1998, and became the first New Zealand team to defeat all four South African franchises in the process. They were defeated by eventual 1998 Champions the Auckland Blues in their semi-final however. Their best ever finish came in 1999 when they won eight matches, and their semi-final to host the final at Carisbrook, but lost to South Island rivals Crusaders in the match. They qualified for their third consecutive semi-finals in 2000, and this time played the Crusaders in Christchurch, but lost again.(More...)

March

Rugby union is a popular team sport that is played in Fiji. It is considered to be the national sport of the country. The sport was introduced in the 1880s and is considered a part of Fijian culture. Fiji are defined as a tier two rugby nation by the International Rugby Board (IRB). The national team has competed at the Rugby World Cup and made it as far as the quarter finals. Their sevens team is also noted for their success, and are considered one of the best sides in the world. Fijian rugby is famous for its "razzle-dazzle" style of play. (More...)

April

The Rugby World Cup is the premier international rugby union competition in the world. The event is organized by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board (IRB), and is contested by the men's national rugby union teams. The inaugural tournament was held in 1987, hosted by both Australia and New Zealand, and is now contested every four years. The winners are awarded the Webb Ellis Cup, named after the Rugby School pupil credited with the game's invention. The tournament is one of the largest international sporting competitions in the world. The title of world champion is currently held by South Africa, who won the 2007 tournament held in France. The next Rugby World Cup will be hosted in New Zealand. (More...)

May

The Millennium Stadium (Welsh: Stadiwm y Mileniwm), is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital Cardiff, and is used primarily for rugby union and football internationals. At the time of its construction it was the largest stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of 74,500. The Millennium Stadium is owned by Millennium Stadium plc which is a subsidiary company owned by the Welsh Rugby Union. The stadium is the home of the Welsh rugby union team, who play all of their home fixtures at the venue. These games include those during the Six Nations, as well as the November Tests against nations from the Southern Hemisphere. Apart from the national team the stadium has been used for Celtic League games, as well as Heineken Cup matches. The Cardiff Blues sometimes play larger home fixtures at the ground.

June

The Top 14 is a professional rugby union club competition played throughout France. The Top 14 is the top competition of the national league system of Ligue Nationale de Rugby. There is promotion and relegation between the Top 14 and the next competition down, the Rugby Pro D2. Currently there are 14 teams in the competition, though the competition was previously known as the Top 16, with 16 clubs. The first ever final took place in 1892, between two Paris-based sides, Stade Français and Racing Club, with the latter becoming the inaugural champions. The competition has been held on an annual basis since, with the exception being between 1915 and 1919 due to World War I. The current champions are Biarritz Olympique. (More...)

July

Japan (often known as "The Cherry Blossoms" or more recently Brave Blossoms) are traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years. Rugby union in Japan is administered by the Japan Rugby Football Union which was founded in 1926. They compete annually in the Pacific Nations Cup against Australia A, Fiji, the Junior All Blacks, Samoa and Tonga. They have also participated in every Rugby World Cup. However they have only ever won one game at the tournament; against Zimbabwe in 1991.

Rugby was introduced to Japan in 1899 and Japan's first international was a match against a Canadian team in 1932. Notable games for Japan include a victory over the Junior All Blacks in 1968, and a narrow 6-3 loss to England in 1971. Japan's most famous victory was a 28-24 victory over Scotland in 1989. (More...)

August

The Stormers, for sponsorship reasons referred to as Vodacom Stormers, are a South African rugby union team competing in the Super 14 competition (formerly Super 12). They have never reached the final of the Super 12 competition, having been eliminated in the semi-finals in their best two years, 1999 and 2004.

They are based in Cape Town and centred around the Western Province union, but also draw players from the Boland Cavaliers (covering the Cape Winelands and West Coast districts, with home matches in Wellington). Prior to 1998, South Africa did not use a franchise system for the Super 12, instead sending the top four unions from its domestic competition, the Currie Cup, into the Super 12. In 1996, the Stormers qualified and competed in the Super 12 as Western Province. In 1997, they did not qualify, the fourth South African team being the Orange Free State (now the Free State Cheetahs at Currie Cup level. (More...)

September

The France national rugby union team is a national sporting side that represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright on fourteen occasions, shared in another eight titles and completing eight grand slams.

Rugby was introduced to France in 1872 by the British, and on New Year's Day, 1906 the national side played its first Test match—against New Zealand in Paris. France played sporadically against the British Home Nations until they joined them to form a Five Nations tournament (today, the Six Nations Championship) in 1910. France came of age during the 1950s and 1960s, winning their first of many Five Nations titles. They won their first Grand Slam in 1968, and won numerous titles in the following years. Since the inaugural World Cup in 1987, France have qualified for the knock-out stage of every tournament and reached the final twice. They were runners-up to the All Blacks in 1987 and to Australia in 1999. France are the host nation for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. (More...)

October

Stade Français CASG Paris is a French rugby union club that plays in the 16th arrondissement of Paris at Stade Jean-Bouin, across the road from Parc des Princes. It currently competes in the top level of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby ( LNR Rugby TOP 14). The club was founded in its current form in 1995 with the merger of the rugby sections of the Stade français and CASG sports clubs. They normally play at Stade Jean-Bouin (capacity 12,000), although they drew nearly 80,000 at Stade de France for two separate 2005-06 home matches, first against Toulouse and then Biarritz. Both Stade de France fixtures broke the all-time attendance record for a regular-season French league match in any sport. (More...)

November

The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union. They compete in the Rugby World Cup and annually in the Six Nations Championship. They are governed by the Welsh rugby union, and first played in 1881 against England.

Wales have won the Six Nations 23 times, second only to England, the last being in 2005. Their best result in the Rugby World Cup is third, which they achieved in 1987. They also hosted the 1999 Rugby World Cup. The International Rugby Board (IRB) regard Wales as a Tier One rugby nation. In particular, several Welsh players of the 1970s are acknowledged as some of the best in the game's history. Although several poor results in the late 1980s and 1990s hurt the team’s reputation, a resurgence in form in the 2000s and a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2005 has helped reverse that. Due to this success, Wales became the first team ever to win the Grand Slam while playing more matches away than at home. (More...)

December

A scrum in rugby union is a means of restarting play after a minor infringement. It involves eight players from each team, known as the pack or forward pack, binding together in three rows and interlocking with the opposing teams forwards. At this point the ball is fed into the gap between the two forward packs and they both compete for the ball to win possession. Teams can be penalised for intentionally causing the scrum to collapse, and for not putting the ball into the scrum correctly. A scrum is most commonly awarded when the ball is knocked forward, or passed forward, or when a ball becomes trapped in a ruck or maul. Due to the physical nature of scrums, injuries can occur, especially in the front row. (More...)