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YEAR IN REVIEW 2015 WORLD RUGBY 29COMPETITIVE AND COMPELLING | RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015THE MOST COMPETITIVE AND COMPELLING RUGBY WORLD CUPWith unforgettable moments, rankings upsets and dramatic finishes aplenty, Rugby World Cup 2015 will be remembered as the most compelling tournament to date and the statistics certainly support that mantra.Hosted in excellent weather conditions on superb pitches, a compelling tournament was characterised by Japan’s victory over South Africa on the opening weekend, highly-competitive matches between the top-ranked teams and emerging rugby powers and a knockout phase that bucked the trend and delivered more tries than any previous Rugby World Cup. Positive, competitive rugby was also a major factor in contributing to full and vibrant stadia and the most spoken about sporting event of the year, with Japan’s opening victory, Argentina’s win over Ireland and the final being some of the most spoken about matches. In a detailed report published by World Rugby Game Analysis in December, the trends behind New Zealand becoming the first team to defend the Webb Ellis Cup were revealed along with how a return to attacking, positive play resulted in rugby being the real winner during 44 days of compelling action across 13 venues the length and breadth of England and in Cardiff. World Rugby Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “Rugby World Cup 2015 will be remembered as the biggest and indeed the best tournament to date, reaching and inspiring new audiences in record numbers. New Zealand were worthy champions, but this report clearly underscores why rugby was the winner.“At the very heart of the success story was the compelling action on the field which saw rankings upsets and the smallest average winning margin across the 48 matches and, more significantly, the smallest average winning margin between the world’s top teams and emerging rugby powers, underscoring the ever increasing competitiveness of the global game.“World Rugby remains committed to closing the performance gap as we enter a new Rugby World Cup cycle and look forward to the first tournament to be hosted in Asia. We will continue to act on the learnings from 2015 and invest in structures and competitions that will assist emerging nations take the next step up and challenge for quarter-final places in Japan.”