Rugby World Cup
Eleven cities across England and Wales will host matches at this year’s Rugby World Cup. Some of the 13 stadiums are primarily used for football. We take a look at each venue and chart their rugby heritage
Elland Road, Leeds
Capacity: 37,914
Opened: 1897
Home stadium of: Leeds United AFC
Matches at 2015 World Cup: 2
Background: Rugby union has been played here before – in 1992 more than 14,000 turned up to watch a North of England XV play South Africa in an exhibition match. Home of Leeds United AFC, the stadium is England’s 12th largest and throughout its history has hosted a number of rugby league clubs.
Brighton Community Stadium
Capacity: 30,750
Opened: 2008
Home stadium of: Brighton and Hove Albion
Matches at 2015 World Cup: 2
Background: Constructed at a cost of £93m, the stadium’s architecture and atmosphere has won plaudits from both sports fans and architects. It has held one rugby union game – a under-20s Six Nations contest between England and France in March 2015.
Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester
Capacity: 16,500
Opened: 1891
Home stadium of: Gloucester Rugby
Matches at 2015 World Cup: 4
Background: After hosting its first Test match in 1900 (Wales beating England 13-3), Kingsholm had to wait 91 years and for the 1991 World Cup for its next international game, when 12,000 spectators witnessed an all-conquering New Zealand demolish USA 46-6. The stadium is home to Aviva Premiership side Gloucester – widely regarded as having the noisiest crowd in the country, due to the boisterous inhabitants of The Shed stand.
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Capacity: 74,154
Opened: 1999
Home stadium of: Welsh rugby and football national teams
Matches at 2015 World Cup: 8
Background: For a relatively new stadium, the Welsh national stadium has already sealed a place in rugby history – Wales secured Six Nations Grand Slam victories here in 2005 and 2012. Situated a stone’s throw from Cardiff Central Station, it is the second largest sports venue in the world with a fully retractable roof and hosted games during the Rugby World Cup 1999 – including the Australia - France final.
London Olympic Stadium
Capacity: 54,000
Opened: 2011
Home stadium of: West Ham United, UK Athletics (from 2016)
Matches at 2015 World Cup: 5
Background: The iconic centrepiece of the London 2012 Olympic Games is currently undergoing a redevelopment programme which will see it fully reopen in 2016. The works will be interrupted for the Rugby World Cup and to make sure it is ready for the tournament, the stadium will host a test event rugby match on 29 August 2015, when the Barbarians will face Samoa.
Sandy Park, Exeter
Capacity: 12,300
Opened: 2006
Home stadium of: Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club
Matches at 2015 World Cup: 3
Background: Built to replace the ageing County Ground, the Chiefs’ new home was expanded early from 8,000 to its current size of 10,744. A combination of Exeter’s establishment as a top-flight club and Rugby World Cup 2015 will see the capacity increase further, to 20,600, over the next two years – making it one of the biggest club rugby grounds in England.
City of Manchester Stadium
Capacity: 47,800
Opened: 2002
Home stadium of: Manchester City FC
Matches at 2015 World Cup: 1
Background: Manchester’s 2002 Commonwealth Games, the venue has witnessed athletics heroes Jonathan Edwards and Paula Radcliffe set Games records to win gold in the triple jump and 5,000m respectively. The stadium had rugby at its heart early on. In the Sevens final at the 2002 Games, New Zealand defeated Fiji to claim gold. It has also hosted international rugby league, and the super league’s Magic Weekend event in 2012.
Leicester City Stadium
Capacity: 32,312
Opened: 3
Home stadium of: Leicester City Football Club
Matches at 2015 World Cup: 3
Background: While the decision not to use Leicester Tigers’ Welford Park during the World Cup was seen as a controversial move, Leicester City FC’s home stadium has hosted a number of rugby games before. Leicester Tigers have played six matches here, including a 2005 Heineken Cup semi-final. In 2006, to celebrate the centenary of Springbok overseas tours, the stadium hosted a World XV v South Africa match.
Twickenham Stadium, London
Capacity: 81,605
Opened: 1909
Home stadium of: England rugby (RFU)
Matches at 2015 World Cup: 10
Background: The home of English rugby, Twickenham is etched into rugby’s DNA. The biggest dedicated rugby ground in the world, it staged its first game between two local sides, Harlequins and Richmond in 1909. It has played host to some of rugby’s most unforgettable moments – from England captain Bill Beaumont being lifted off the field after the 1980 Grand Slam, to Phillippe Saint-Andre’s incredible try for France in 1991. This year, it will host its second World Cup final.
Stadium MK, Milton Keynes
Capacity: 30,717
Opened: 2007
Home Stadium of: MK Dons
Matches at 2015 World Cup: 3
Background: The ground has already staged a handful of rugby union games. In 2008, Saracens played Bristol here in a Premiership game and during the 2010-11 season, Northampton Saints used Stadium MK as a base for their assault on the Heineken Cup knockout stages. Saints have since returned to face Saracens, and both sides may play future games at the stadium, too. The arena has expanded this year, with a new tier adding 10,000 more seats.
St. James’ Park, Newcastle
Capacity: 52,409
Opened: 1880
Home stadium of: Newcastle United FC
Matches at 2015 World Cup: 3
Background: Outside London, St James’ is the second biggest sports ground in England. Built on the site of the city’s execution gallows, the infamous location lends its name to one of the stands – the Gallowgate End. The stadium has hosted international football – including games at the London 2012 Olympic Games – but the World Cup will mark the first ever official rugby games for the stadium.
Villa Park, Birmingham
Capacity: 42,785
Opened: 1897
Home stadium for: Aston Villa Football Club
Matches at 2015 World Cup: 2
Background: Originally built in a Victorian amusement park on the site of a Jacobean stately home, the distinctive brick façade of the Holte End is unmistakable, setting Villa apart from generic grounds. The stadium has hosted everything from athletics, cycling and boxing to rugby league. It has also seen two rugby union touring sides play – in 1924, a North Midlands select side were thumped 40-3 by New Zealand, and in 1953, a Midlands County XV were also dismantled, this time 18-3, by a Kiwi outfit including legendary All Blacks Bob Stuart, Richard White and Peter Jones.
Wembley Stadium, London
Capacity: 90,000
Opened: 2007
Home stadium for: The England football national team
Matches at 2015 World Cup: 2
Background: The original Wembley Stadium hosted five of football’s European cup finals, the 1966 World Cup Final and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1948 Olympic Games. The symbolic twin towers were demolished in 2003 and re-emerged as an equally iconic Norman Foster-designed masterpiece, complete with distinctive arch. The venue has rugby pedigree, too. Wembley hosted its first rugby international in 1992, when England defeated a touring Canada side 26-13 while Twickenham underwent redevelopment, but Wales have played the most games here: contesting seven internationals while the Millennium Stadium was being built in the late 1990s.
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