Sep 20, 2019
Rugby World Cup 2019 Opening Day
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today’s Doodle celebrates the Opening Day of the Rugby World Cup, kicking off today inside Tokyo’s Ajinomoto Stadium. Held every four years since 1987, this year is the first time in history that the tournament will be held in Asia, with a match between host country Japan and Russia.
Twenty teams are competing this year for a chance to bring home the Webb Ellis Cup, named after a 19th century schoolboy in the British Midlands town of Rugby, Warwickshire. “With a fine disregard for the rules of the game as played in his time,” as one historian wrote, William Webb Ellis grabbed the ball and ran with it, innovating a centuries-old game that would come to be known as modern rugby.
Defending champions New Zealand have won the Webb Ellis Cup three times, Australia and South Africa twice, and England once in 2003.
Best of luck to all the competing teams!
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