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BIGGEST AND THE BESTA VERY SPECIAL, RECORD-BREAKING GLOBAL CELEBRATION OF RUGBYHailed the biggest and best by observers, Rugby World Cup 2015 will live long in the memory as a record-breaking global celebration that reached and inspired new audiences in unprecedented ways. 26 WORLD RUGBY YEAR IN REVIEW 2015RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015 | BIGGEST AND THE BESTNew Zealand made history by becoming the first team to successfully defend the Webb Ellis Cup, capping a tournament that will be remembered by many observers as the best Rugby World Cup to date. Before a match had been played, England 2015 had already been confirmed as the biggest with a record commercial programme, widest broadcast reach and unprecedented ticketing demand, but few could have predicted just how successful the eighth edition of rugby’s showcase event would be.The most competitive and compelling Rugby World CupThe pool stage saw fans pack into the 13 venues to witness some of the most competitive matches in any Rugby World Cup. Highlights included Japan claiming one of the greatest upsets in sporting history by beating South Africa and Romania staging the biggest-ever RWC comeback to beat Canada. The knockout stages saw some thrilling rugby, including Argentina’s pulsating win over Ireland in the quarter-finals and New Zealand’s narrow defeat of South Africa in the semi-finals.A tournament that had players at heartRWC 2015 set new standards in player welfare on and off the field, featuring the most advanced player welfare standards for any rugby event within an unprecedented 10-point programme that is being adopted by other major rugby events.At the heart of the programme were six concussion-related standards, including mandatory education, accreditation of doctors and independent concussion experts ruling over return to play. Aided by Hawk-Eye technology, which has proven successful in the identification and assessment of injuries, particularly concussion, and the involvement of independent medical experts, the results were promising with superb team and player feedback. A balanced match schedule promoted player rest and recovery and contributed to the competitive and compelling action, while a total of 42 team bases across England and Wales were used, providing the 20 teams with top-class sporting facilities.