Rugby Championships and World Competitions

Rugby union is an intense, fast-paced and exhilarating game. Although soccer is the most watched sport in history, rugby union has an international fan base that is growing all the time. Unlike cricket, rugby tickets have caught on in more than the former British colonies, they are accepted throughout Europe and South America, as well as Australia, South Africa, the US, etc.

But what makes a successful rugby tournament? Sure, rugby itself is an exciting sport, it moves fast, there are plenty of ways to score points, and the fans are almost as intense as the players themselves. But not all rugby tournaments are the same.

Played every four years, the winner of the Rugby World Cup becomes the reigning rugby world champion, the highest honor in rugby union. The current champions are South Africa, claiming the cup from England, the 2003 World Cup champions, in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. In the Rugby World Cup tournament, twenty countries compete in one host nation over around a month. Getting rugby tickets for this can be very difficult. Four groups of five teams compete against each other, narrowing the opposition down to four teams, then two teams, and then one champion. The bonus points system is used in the Rugby World Cup, making matches exciting and often resulting in upset wins.

Another of the world’s biggest rugby tournaments, the Six Nations Tournament began in 1883, when England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland competed in what was called the Local International Championship. Then, in 1910, France joined the competition, which was renamed the Five Nations. When Italy joined in 2000, the tournament became known as the Six Nations Championship, the title by which we know it today. There are many things that make the Six Nations Championship such an exciting rugby tournament, and Six Nations tickets such a desirable item.

Another very successful touring rugby team that many buy international rugby tickets for is the British Lions, or the British and Irish Lions. The British Lions have fantastic players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales and are a touring team that play in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand every four years.

One thing that most of the top international rugby tours use to make tournaments more fun to watch is the bonus points system. This system encourages the type of game that fans prefer that actually sells rugby tickets. Rugby players are encouraged to attack throughout the match for bonus points. This gives a bonus even to losing teams for trying, they get points for small losses and number of tries. As with normal point systems, teams get one point for a draw and two points for a win.