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Honouring or plundering? The post Did Bob Dylan plagiarise his album ‘Love and Theft’? first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

  Edward VIII, King of England, shocked the world when he gave up his throne. He claimed to do so in the name of love, as his position would not allow him to marry the woman he had his eyes set on: Wallis Simpson, an American. Her status as twice divorced made their union impossible in the eyes of proper Brits and the laws of the Church of England. His abdication was far from the only scandal of their relationship, as they led a tangled life, constantly surrounded by rumor and suspicion.   Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David of the House of Windsor The Family of King George V by Sir John Lavery, 1913. Source: Royal Collection Trust   The future King of England, George V, and his wife, Mary of Teck, welcomed their first son, to whom they gave the extended royal moniker Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, on June 23, 1894. Known as David to his family, young Edward was next in line to take the throne after his father. When George V took the throne in 1911, Edward became known as the Prince of Wales.   Edward’s coronation portrait would later be edited by artist Albert H Collings to show his brother, George VI. Source: CNN   After studying at Osborne Naval College, the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, and Oxford’s Magdalen College, the well-educated Edward joined the British Navy. After the start of World War I, he enlisted in the army but was prevented from participating in situations that might risk his life. This frustrated the young daredevil, who was later banned from other activities he enjoyed, such as riding steeplechase, which was considered too dangerous. After the war, Edward took on a prince’s official duties, traveling the country and making appearances. He was incredibly popular with the English people.   A Budding Romance Wallis and Edward pictured by Robert Siefler later in life. Source: CNN   Young Edward was also a favorite of Britain’s young women, even those already in relationships. He had affairs with several married women throughout the 1920s and women who threatened his social status, including a French courtesan who later went on to kill her husband.   Edward’s womanizing ways changed in 1931 when he attended a party thrown by his current mistress, American socialite Lady Thelma Furness. Also in attendance was American-born businessman Ernest Simpson and his wife, Wallis. Edward was smitten with Wallis, and the two quickly became friends.   A portrait of the couple by an unknown photographer shows Edward gazing at his love. Source: Maryland Center for History and Culture   Despite her married status, by January 1934, it was suspected by many around Edward that he and Wallis were having a relationship. The prince took a vacation with Wallis and Ernest and invited Mrs. Simpson to the Jubilee Ball at Buckingham Palace. Still, Edward denied any impropriety to those around him. The king himself had concerns about the potential couple and had them placed under the surveillance of Special Branch police officers.   Ascending the Throne…And Giving it Up King George V by Sir Samuel Luke Fildes, 1911-12. Source: Royal Collection Trust   In January 1936, Edward rushed to his ill father’s side at his mother’s urging. On January 20, King George V passed away after dealing with recurring lung issues, likely related to a lifetime of smoking. His death was accelerated by his doctor, who dosed him with a cocktail of morphine and cocaine to assist his passing, though this was kept under wraps for many years. Edward ascended to his dictated role as king of England and remained popular as king as he had been as prince—though he never seemed very enthusiastic about his royal role.   The Church of England’s modern logo. Source: Church of England   Wallis and Edward’s relationship seemed to be heating up despite advice from his royal relations to stay away from her. Mrs. Simpson was a controversial figure for a king to pursue. Currently married, previously divorced, and American, she was far from the ideal match for Edward from a monarchial standpoint. The relationship was openly discussed in the American media and elsewhere in Europe, but in England, coverage of the relationship was essentially a blackout topic. The Simpsons began divorce proceedings, which were not completely finalized until the following May.   Wallis and Edward with an unnamed woman, pictured in a still from the CBC’s documentary Edward VIII: Britain’s Traitor King. Source: CBC   As Wallis was to become officially unattached, Edward considered his options, knowing he wanted to be with her. A marriage between the two would be a complete scandal, both in the monarchy and the church of England. Edward would create a constitutional crisis if he outright married Simpson, as the Church of England, which he was the head of as king, outlawed marriage by divorcees if their former spouse was still alive.   There were also questions about Wallis’ loyalty to England, as she was not a British citizen, and suspicions about her true motivation were rampant. Edward proposed a morganatic marriage between the two, meaning he would retain his title and role as king, but his wife would receive no royal status. The Cabinet Office quickly refused this idea. Despite Edward’s threats to abdicate the throne, his advisors refused to budge. The king made good on his threat on December 10th, 1936, becoming the shortest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. His title was reduced to Duke of Windsor.   King Edward VIII gives his 1936 abdication speech in this BBC photo. Source: BBC   In a radio address a few days later, the former king explained his decision to the people of England. In his speech, which had been revised by Winston Churchill, Edward maintained that he was unable to complete his duties as king “without the help and support of the woman I love.”   Still, he gave his public allegiance to his younger brother (and father of the future Queen Elizabeth II), George VI, who was now king.   Wallis Simpson became a publicly hated figure throughout England, receiving stacks of hate mail and threats and constantly being chased by members of the press. According to biographer Anna Pasternak, Simpson did not support the idea of abdication and offered to leave England but was convinced by Edward that it was his wish.   An Unsanctioned Wedding The couple at their wedding, taken by Lady Alexandra Metcalfe. Source: The Guardian   The couple held their wedding on June 3, 1937 at Château de Cande in France. Reverend R. Anderson Jardine performed the service and, upon his return to England, was so badly shunned that he eventually moved to America.   Very few friends and no members of the royal family attended the wedding. With the marriage, Wallis was technically the Duchess of Windsor, though she never received any official royal titles. Their honeymoon took place in Austria, and they returned to live in France.   Whispers of Nazism The Duke and Duchess visiting with Adolf Hitler in a photo from the Bettmann Archive. Source: Vanity Fair   Another contentious aspect of the relationship between Wallis and Edward was the suspicion that the two of them, particularly Wallis, had ties to Germany’s Nazi party and supported fascist ideas. Before the abdication, these ideas had grown so much that MI5, a British intelligence agency, took to monitoring the king’s phone calls. There was fear among royal advisors that Wallis was manipulating Edward in his royal position, allowing for closer ties to the growing threat in Germany.   Edward speaking with Nazi officials in 1937. Keystone-France photo. Source: Newsweek   These ideas persisted after Edward’s abdication. The newly married couple visited Germany in 1937, meeting and getting photographed with Adolf Hitler. While some argue that the visit was proof of the former king’s treasonous tendencies, others claim that the trip was an effort on Edward’s part to maintain a royal role and acceptance of his wife. He may have seen potential for a diplomatic position with Germany.   The trip gave Wallis a chance to see what it felt like to be royal, as the two were welcomed with open arms and treated to a royal tour. Still, there were even rumors that Nazi officials planned to kidnap Edward and install him as a puppet king after a successful takeover of Britain in World War II.   Biographer Andrew Morton said that even if Edward was not a Nazi, he certainly had some sympathies toward aspects of the Nazi cause, including the fact that he was a known anti-Semite. Publically, the royal family maintained that Edward remained a devoted Brit and had “never wavered in his loyalty.”   Banished to the Bahamas The couple’s home, Sigrist House, in the Bahamas. Image by Sotheby’s. Source: CT Post   Regardless of the truth of the situation, Edward and Wallis’ potential affiliation with the Nazi cause had made the couple a liability for World War II-era England. Edward was appointed the governor of the Bahamas, still a British territory at the time, in 1940. He and Wallis were sent across the Atlantic to the island nation to reside.   They were not pleased with the assignment, with the Duke said to have called the island a “third-class British colony.” The couple hobnobbed with other elites on the island, including gold mine millionaire Harry Oakes and Swedish aristocrat (and reportedly a close friend of Hitler’s second, Hermann Goering) Axel Wenner-Green. They remained under surveillance by British intelligence and the American FBI throughout their tenure in the Bahamas.   French Retirement The Duke and Duchess pick flowers on their estate in 1955. Frank Scherschel photo. Source: Architectural Digest   At the conclusion of the war, Edward and Wallis returned to France. For the remainder of their lives, visits to England were infrequent and brief, and the couple spent their time traveling, entertaining, and writing their memoirs. A heavy smoker like his father, Edward died in 1972 from throat cancer. His body was flown to Windsor Castle, where it lay in state before his funeral.   The funeral was one of the only times Wallis was ever in close proximity to the royals, as she lodged at Buckingham Palace during the proceedings. With Wallis in attendance along with Queen Elizabeth II, Edward VIII was laid to rest at Frogmore, home to the royal cemetery grounds. Just three months before turning 90 in 1986, Wallis succumbed to pneumonia and was buried alongside her late husband at Frogmore.   Wallis and Edward portrayed by Lia Williams and Alex Jennings in the television series The Crown. Source: Netflix   Controversial and divisive, the attraction and marriage between Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson was a love story with many twists and turns. Despite the commotion and family estrangement that resulted from their relationship, the pair persisted. Their 35-year marriage resulted in the loss of kingship, inexhaustible media coverage, suspicion from the public and monarchy alike, and banishment. Still, Edward maintained that “not once did he regret the abdication, because he was so happy.”

  On March 1, 1941, Captain Steven Grant Rogers, dodging bullets from nearby SS troops, put all his weight behind the punch. His fist landed squarely on Adolph Hitler’s jaw. What better way to introduce a new hero for a generation coming of age during the greatest conflict the world had ever seen? When the American flag-clad Captain America first arrived at newspaper stands and the local drug stores on the first Sunday of March, the United States might still have been isolationist. But now, nobody could deny that, unlike their government, comic books were going to war.   Comics Go Where the Government Can’t Captain America #1 was released before the United States officially entered WWII, but it showed the comic book industry was already there. Source: Wright Museum of World War II   The Second World War was a total war for many nations that mobilized all their societies’ resources and infrastructure to fight it. The United States did not see its cities destroyed by bombs nor its land taken over by foreign forces. However, the American people ultimately came to understand the sacrifices needed to make the world safe for democracy and subsequently preserve their liberties back home.   With the nation amid the Great Depression and characterized by an isolationist sentiment, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) could not openly bring himself to support the European and Asian struggle. When FDR gave his most forceful speech condemning the rise of world dictatorships in late 1937, Japan had already invaded neighboring Manchuria, Italy had conquered Ethiopia, and the newly re-armed Nazi Germany occupied the Rhineland. While the speech called for an international “quarantine” against the aggressor nations as an alternative to American isolationism, US Congress continued to stifle its executive’s wishes.   None of this stopped a new industry dominated by young Jewish writers and artists. Watching their distant family members suffer under European fascism, they took it upon themselves to redefine America’s sentiment toward the most significant conflict the modern world had ever seen.   At first, they were more subtle in their message and then a bit more forceful with the creation of Captain America in March 1941. The artists and writers remained daring, albeit cautious, of US isolationist policy before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. But with the US thoroughly entrenched in war by 1942, the comic book propaganda went into high gear. The heroes the world knows today, such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Captain Marvel, and countless others, defended American liberty while making their young readers long to grow up, enlist, and fight evil.   The Rise of Comic Books Joe Simon (L) and Jack Kirby (R), the two creators of Captain America. Source: Friends of the National WWII Memorial   The comic book industry emerged in the middle of the Great Depression. With their low 10-cent price point, they were some of the cheapest forms of entertainment available. In 1933, when Dell published the first bound 36-page comic book of popular newspaper comic strips titled Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics, the medium quickly became the go-to entertainment for young audiences. Comic books were portable, unlike animated productions that needed to be seen in theaters. They could be carried from place to place and traded, making them not only more accessible but also much cheaper.   The audience soon expanded to include older teens and male adults, making the medium rival the entertainment power of radio and newspapers. According to a 1943 study, around 35% of adults between 18 and 30 regularly read at least six comic books per month, with 15% of those above 30 doing the same. While only three organizations were publishing comic books in 1935, there were eighteen by the end of the decade.   When FDR declared war on Japan in December 1941, as many as 15 million new comic book issues were flying off newsstand racks weekly. By 1945, when the industry had transformed itself into a propaganda machine that touted the virtues of America, condemned the vicious nature of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, and enticed every reader, regardless of age, to help bring the conflict to an end, that number doubled.   Smash Comics was one of the first popular comic books sold in the 1930s, which paved the way for the superhero comics age during World War II and beyond. Source: Wikimedia Commons   The young comic book industry began to show subtle opposition to the troubling world events around 1937. Still in allegorical form so as not to upset the national status quo, artists and writers created stories that reflected the alarming situation overseas. Chester Publication’s Star Comics #3 of May 1937 featured a story involving Venus, where friendly citizens of the planet’s “Sun Country” had their lands seized by the “Dark County” bent on world domination.   The emblem on the evil nation’s military helmets was identical to the skull of Nazi Germany’s SS. Smash Comics similarly featured their hero, Black Ace, fighting a fictional ruthless dictator who looked much like Adolf Hitler. Then, in 1938, as the world news was busy reporting the Japanese mass murder of Chinese civilians in Nanjing and Germany’s forced annexation of Austria, Action Comics #1 introduced the world to comic books’ most powerful icon, Superman. The floodgates of subtleness regarding the war “over there” were about to come crumbling down.   Superman: A New Hero for a New Age Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the two creators of the ever-popular superhero Superman, 1942. Source: Wikimedia Commons   The character, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two Jewish artists, quickly embodied American righteousness, power, and, most importantly, the willingness to take action where others would or could not. A closer analysis reveals that in most cases, young Jewish writers and artists created most of the golden age (1938-1956) comic books and their superheroes. Antisemitism increased dramatically after the first Red Scare and xenophobia of the 1920s.   During the Great Depression, the leading voice against Jews came courtesy of a Catholic priest, Father Charles Coughlin, whose radio program drew nearly twelve million listeners. A great opponent of Roosevelt’s New Deal, Coughlin believed in a grand Jewish conspiracy to take over the president’s administration and bring the American nation to war with Nazi Germany on their behalf. The antisemitism was not just embodied by the Catholic priest nor his listening base but extended to many aspects of American society.   A 1938 poll revealed that nearly sixty percent of Americans held a low or lower opinion of Jews, and forty percent agreed that Jewish people held too much power in the United States. What caused many young Jews to turn towards the comic book industry was the lack of mainstream job postings in publishing that would hire them.   While daily newspapers refused their comic strips or illustrations, the new industry starved for talent and welcomed them with open arms. While it was not the main impetus for comic books mirroring and highlighting the terrible atrocities directed towards innocent civilians—Hitler’s anti-Semitic policies in Europe, case in point—the artists’ background did help in guiding the medium towards American intervention.   A young boy in the 1940s reading a Superman comic book. Source: Library of Congress   Siegel and Shuster’s publication of Superman took the comic world by storm and hastened the comic books’ entrance into World War II. An immigrant, like many Americans, Superman and his alter ego Clark Kent connected with kids on another level. The new hero epitomized all that was good about “truth, justice, and the American Way.”   With the Depression in full swing, readers enjoyed Superman fighting against individuals who exploited the bad times for their benefit, especially when he took on corrupt business people who mistreated poor and desperate workers. And although Superman could probably stop the war alone, he had to be content fighting at the American home front. Clark Kent failed his army physical by accidentally using his X-ray vision to read a chart in the next room instead of the one in front of him. The doctor declared him disabled and unfit for military service and grounded him in Metropolis for the remainder of the war. However, that did not mean that he did not do his part.   In December 1940, the cover of Action Comics #31 showed Superman swooping down to save a prisoner from being shot down by an unidentified military firing squad. Months later, on the cover of Action Comics #43, the hero was fighting it out in the air with an armed German paratrooper, a Nazi swastika prominently displayed on his chest. In the 1940 special comic issue prepared for Look magazine, the symbol of American patriotism would even apprehend both Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin, when the Soviet dictator was still part of the Axis powers.   Comic Book Heroes vs. Real Life Villains A 1942 comic featuring Doc Strange, Captain Future, and The Liberator, just a few new heroes invented to battle the real villains of World War II. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Immediately following Action Comics #1 were new superheroes willing to fight against evil. Also in 1938 came Batman, soon joined by Human Torch, Shock Gibson, and the Sub-Mariner in 1939; Green Lantern, the Shield, and Uncle Sam in 1940; Miss America, Spirit of ’76, and Wonder Woman in 1941. While the United States would not enter the conflict until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, these new superheroes had no reservations about fighting the Axis powers.   None was blunter than Captain America punching the Nazi leader square in the face on the cover of the March 1941 issue. Created by another young Jewish artist, Jack Kirby, Captain America was a red-white-and-blue patriotic superhero and crime fighter who used his scientifically enhanced strength to protect the United States from the enemy abroad and saboteurs and spies at home. Created specifically for the war—and even briefly canceled in 1956—Captain America was different from the other superheroes in that he fought directly in the conflict and not just at home. The adventures saw Cap and his young sidekick Bucky take a first-hand role in fighting the Axis powers when many Americans still thought of themselves as isolationists.   Notice the caricatures of Axis leaders Hitler, Tojo, and Mussolini and the “Buy War Bonds and Stamps for Victory” advertisement. Source: Wikimedia Commons   It all changed and kicked into high gear with the US entrance into the conflict in late 1941. A slew of new comic book characters joined the fray to fight evil, some with superpowers and others just ordinary people willing to see the US to absolute victory. Kids and adults devoured stories of Black Terror, the Star-Spangled Kid, the American Eagle, Captain Victory, Liberty Belle, the Minute Man, and Captain Marvel. The latter was so popular that his fan club grew to 573,119 members by the war’s end, with the fictional captain receiving nearly 600 fan letters per week.   The typical storylines were simplistic, featuring American heroes’ virtues and bravery in defeating the evil Axis powers. Although racist and jingoistic towards Germans and the Japanese by today’s standards, the stories ultimately gave the public what they craved in the early 1940s. Gleason Publication’s hero Daredevil fought the Claw, a jaundiced and fanged “Oriental” caricature, as well as Hitler himself in the Daredevil Battles Hitler #1.   Using Comics to “Sell” the War One of the lesser-known today, but very popular during World War II, Miss Victory comics. Source: The Wright Museum of World War II   Apart from stories featuring Hitler and Tojo, many fictional characters simplified or generalized the enemy, including Captain Nazi, the Red Skull, Baron Gestapo, and Captain Swastika. While many superheroes had special powers, the comic book storylines concentrated equally on showcasing other ways of fighting the war. For every hero, such as the Sub-Mariner who sank Japanese submarines, there was Batman and Robin, who simply sold war bonds, or Wonder Woman, who served as a nurse.   Even Uncle Sam, the original symbol of US Army recruitment, was a hero during the 1940s, blending the lines between official government propaganda and the comic book industry. Once the Office of War Information’s agenda—attempting to sell the war to the American people—aligned with the message the comic book artists had pushed for a few years, the stories finally mirrored national policies instead of going against the long-standing isolationism.   Apart from inspiring those at home, the fictional characters would now also inspire those fighting overseas. According to a poll taken in 1943, more than half of American service members were regular comic readers. Stores on military bases reported that comic books outsold the combined totals of Life, the Saturday Evening Post, and Reader’s Digest at a rate of ten to one. Comic books comprised 80% of the reading material on US Army posts, making the armed forces the industry’s largest institutional customer during the war.   Of those accepted for military service from the United States, 70 percent had dropped out of school, 4.4 million had less than an eighth-grade education, and 500,000 had less than a fourth-grade education, with college graduates making up only three percent of the army’s ranks. Thus, easily accessible and straightforward comic book stories often appealed to the GIs more than books or adult-themed magazines.   Comic Books & the War at Home Kids of all ages gravitated toward comic books and their messages. Image taken in the 1940s. Source: Library of Congress   Comics became the vessel to sell Americans on the idea of war and to build morale. Many storylines and characters did not rely on extraordinary powers but on good American virtues of grit, toughness, tenacity, and hard work. Reading the weekly storylines that showed the protagonists fighting by the rules and winning against evil’s cunning and cheating forces supported the idea that ultimate victory was inevitable. Comics appealed to young men and encouraged them to develop a wartime mentality. While Captain America featured home ads for membership in his “Sentinels of Liberty” club of loyal believers in Americanism, Superman enticed his readers to become one of the “Supermen of America.” For a nominal fee of 10 cents, the former sent young readers badges and certificates they had to sign as an oath to “assist Captain America in his war against spies in the U.S.A.”   Even the advertisements were war-related enticements, selling the public junior and senior air raid warden kits, paper drives, and recognition flash cards. All while, the storylines pushed forth actual policies, such as endorsing the ideas of the Atlantic Charter, the Four Freedoms, and the creation of the United Nations.   Unfortunately, they also reflected prevalent American societal stereotypes. The all-male superheroes’ Justice Society of America offered Wonder Woman a simple secretarial position even though her powers were equal to or stronger than those of most of its members.   Legacy of Wartime Comics America’s Best Comics presenting the ultimate Allied victory over the Axis Powers. Source: Wikimedia Commons   While commercial interests drove the rapid rise of the comic book industry in the mid-1930s, in the latter half of the century, the publishers saw its real potential as a means of spreading war-related propaganda. It would be a stretch to say that comic books propelled the United States towards entering the war, yet they did, at the least, help shift public perception toward interventionism.   The war disrupted American society and daily life, sending away sons, fathers, and brothers and making it evident that nothing short of victory would bring the nation back to normalcy. Ironically, the federal government’s propaganda agencies, such as the Office of War Information, did not need to seek out the fastest-growing entertainment medium as they did with films and radio; the comic book industry was already just fine spreading the patriotic message on their own. All it took was a glance back at Captain America punching Hitler in the face a year before the US entrance into World War II to know that its authors and writers were more than up to the challenge.

  Rugby union (as opposed to rugby league) is recognized as one of the world’s most physically challenging sports. For eighty minutes every match, two teams of fifteen players enter into a grueling contest that leaves them battered and bruised as they jostle for control of the ball. It is certainly not a sport for the faint of heart.   Every four years the world’s top rugby-playing countries send their teams to battle it out in the Rugby World Cup, the premier competition of rugby union. The winner is recognized as the world champion.   This is the history of how the Rugby World Cup started and how it grew to be one of the biggest sporting events in history.   Beginning the Rugby World Cup A rugby ball. Source: Wikimedia Commons   Throughout the decades of the 20th century, it became clear that major sporting events could turn massive profits. The Football World Cup, first held in 1930, became an event similar to the Olympic Games in that it was held every four years. The success of this sport prompted many sporting bodies to start their own world cup competitions.   The four-year format proved popular, and many sports followed suit with their world cups. Basketball started its World Cup tournament in 1950, field hockey in 1971, and cricket in 1975. The addition of the Rugby World Cup to this list arrived fairly late.   As early as 1947, suggestions from prestigious individuals in the rugby world were being made for a World Cup. The president of the French Rugby Federation, Alfred Eluère, is claimed to have been the first to make this suggestion, but his idea was turned down by the sport’s governing body. Subsequent attempts throughout the decades did not gain much support until the 1980s.   At the meeting of national unions in Paris in 1985, the effort, led by France, Australia, and New Zealand, was successful. The unions of England and Wales bowed to the pressure and voted to create a Rugby World Cup. Despite not being allowed to compete in international sport because of its policy of apartheid, South Africa, too, lent its voice in support of a world cup.   The International Rugby Football Board (IRFB)* inaugurated the first tournament in 1987.   *The International Rugby Football Board became the International Rugby Board in 1998 and then World Rugby from 2014 onwards.   The First World Cups: 1987 and 1991 David Kirk lifts the William Webb Ellis Trophy after New Zealand’s victory over France in the 1987 World Cup. Source: World Rugby   The first Rugby World Cup was held in 1987. New Zealand and Australia were the host nations. Like all the world cups since, the structure of the tournament was similar to that of other sporting events of this nature.   Sixteen teams would participate in pool stages, with the top teams in each pool going through to a quarter-final stage. A semi-final and final stage would determine the world champion. The initial tournament did not have qualifiers to be accepted into the tournament. Instead, the seven members of the IRFB (New Zealand, Australia, France, Scotland, Ireland, England, and Wales) automatically qualified, while the other nine teams were invited by the IRFB to take part. South Africa was excluded because of the international sports boycott.   Michael Jones scoring the first try of the first Rugby World Cup in 1987. Source: World Rugby   Throughout the 1987 Rugby World Cup, New Zealand (also referred to as “The All Blacks”) looked on track to lift the trophy. They started their road to victory with a 70-6 drubbing of Italy and ended it with a comfortable 29-9 win over France.   Nick Farr-Jones offloading the ball during the final of the 1991 World Cup. Source: World Rugby   Four years later, it would be their antipodean neighbor’s turn to claim World Cup glory. The 1991 tournament was held in the countries of the Five Nations teams: England, Wales, Scotland, France, and Ireland. This was the first tournament to include qualifiers from regional qualifying tournaments.   The tournament consisted of 16 finalists, and Australia (also referred to as “The Wallabies”) won all their matches to progress to the final, beating England 12-6.   1995: An Important Year for South Africa in Rugby & Politics Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienaar after South Africa’s final win over New Zealand in 1995. Source: Jan Hamman, via Daily Maverick   The 1995 Rugby World Cup ushered in a new era of rugby, as it was the first tournament in which South Africa was allowed to compete. A few years earlier, the country was accepted back into world sports by agreeing to dismantle apartheid and hold democratic elections in which non-whites were allowed to vote. These elections were held in 1994, just over a year before the next World Cup.   Nelson Mandela won the elections, and South Africa was chosen to host the tournament. Mandela knew the fragile situation in South Africa was on a knife’s edge, and he was determined to use the sport to unify all South Africans, regardless of race.   He made good friends with Francois Pienaar, the captain of the South African rugby team (commonly referred to as the Springboks), and got himself heavily involved with the tournament.   In fairy tale fashion, South Africa triumphed, winning all their matches to reach the finals, where they faced the All Blacks. In a thrilling final that went into overtime, the Springboks won 15-12.   1999 and 2003: More Countries Join John Eales of Australia lifting the Webb Ellis Trophy in 1999. Source: World Rugby   The success of the previous three tournaments saw the 1999 Rugby World Cup expand from 16 to 20 teams. To make the tournament work, the teams were split into five pools of four teams each, and an additional play-off stage was added before the knock-out stages.   Wales hosted all 41 matches, and the tournament was won by Australia, which beat France 35-12. As such, Australia became the first country to win the tournament twice.   England after their victory in 2003. Source: Planet Rugby   Australia hosted the 2003 Rugby World Cup, which lasted 44 days and involved 48 matches. The controversial setup of the previous tournament was fixed by dividing the 20 qualifying teams into four pools of five teams each. The top two teams in each pool advanced to the knock-out stages, eliminating the need for play-offs.   The entire tournament was abound with high-scoring games and mismatched scorelines. Australia opened their bid for the title by thrashing Romania 90-8 and following it up with a 142-0 victory over Namibia. England also had a stunning start, beating Georgia 85-0, then comfortably beating South Africa 25-6, and then going on to score a huge win over Uruguay with 111 points to 13.   The kick that won England the World Cup in 2003. Source: David Davies/PA PA Archive via The Independent   The final was a nail-biter as England faced Australia in an epic clash that went into extra time. Jonny Wilkinson sealed England’s victory with a brilliant drop goal, giving England a three-point victory over their rivals. After beating Australia 20-17, England lifted the trophy and became the first team from the northern hemisphere to win the Rugby World Cup.   2007 South Africa in their 37- 20 win against Fiji in the quarter-finals in 2007. Source: Wikimedia Commons   In 2007, France hosted the Rugby World Cup again. The tournament followed the exact same format as the previous one: 48 matches played over 44 days. By the end of the first stage, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina had all started well and finished at the top of their respective pools.   A spirited France would end the hopes of New Zealand by narrowly defeating them in the quarter-finals 20-18. The final was a match-up between England and South Africa. England had hoped to get revenge for losing to South Africa in the pool stage 36-0 in the hopes that such a lopsided scoreline was just an anomaly.   England played a lot better, but they could not overcome the Springboks this time either. Winning 15-6, the South Africans lifted the trophy, while Argentina (“Los Pumas”) beat France for third place.   2011 and 2015: New Zealand Returns to Form New Zealand in their 58-14 win over Namibia in the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Source: Wikimedia Commons   New Zealand had always been favorites to win the tournament and held a long-standing lead in the world rugby rankings. After their emphatic win in 1987, it had seemed unlikely that by 2011, they would only have one cup under their belts, while South Africa and Australia had two each. With the tournament being held in New Zealand, the All Blacks enjoyed a home-ground advantage.   The entire 2011 tournament was plain sailing for New Zealand, and they won all their matches comfortably. In the final, however, they met France again, and this match would prove to be a lot tougher. Nevertheless, the All Blacks scraped through, winning 9 points to 8.   In 2015, despite a shock defeat to Japan, South Africa bounced back to finish at the top of their pool, as did Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. This year, the Southern Hemisphere teams showed their worth again in a tournament that proved the dominance of teams below the equator.   The last of the teams from the Northern Hemisphere were eliminated in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, New Zealand squeaked past South Africa 20-18 to secure a spot in the final, while Australia beat Argentina 29-15. New Zealand would go on to win the tournament for the third time by defeating Australia 34-17.   New Zealand was the first team to win back-to-back World Cups and the first to reach a total of three final victories.   2019 and 2023: South Africa Takes the Lead The Springbok logo of the South African national rugby team. Source: Wikimedia Commons   The IRB decided that Japan would host the 2019 Rugby World Cup. With a growing interest in the sport, the infrastructure, and the will to produce an incredible tournament, all eyes turned to the East.   South Africa started its run poorly, losing to New Zealand 23-13. Meanwhile, Japan won all its pool stage games to finish at the top of its group, defeating Ireland, Russia, Samoa, and Scotland in the process. England and Wales also finished at the top of their pools.   Japan’s run ended in the quarter-finals, however. South avenged their 2015 loss by beating the host nation 25-6. Wales, England, and New Zealand advanced to the Semi-Finals.   South Africa eventually won the tournament by beating England in the final with a comfortable 32-12 win. New Zealand took third place by beating Wales 40 points to 17.   A ball from the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Source: Wikimedia Commons   In 2023, the World Cup was held in France again. The tenth iteration of the tournament was a massive success, with an average of over 50,000 fans attending each match.   In the opening match, France stunned New Zealand by beating them 27-13. In Pool B, South Africa and Ireland battled it out for top spot, and Ireland beat South Africa 13-8. In their respective pools, Wales and England performed well, and Australia, for the first time, lost two of its matches and failed to qualify for the next round.   In the quarter-finals, Ireland’s curse of never progressing to the semi-finals continued when they lost to New Zealand 28-24. New Zealand secured their spot in the final by thumping Argentina 44-6. Meanwhile, South Africa’s road to the final was anything but convincing.   In the quarter-finals, they narrowly beat France 29-28; in the semi-finals, they beat England 16-15. The one-point victories wouldn’t stop there, however. The Springboks managed to win the world cup by defeating New Zealand in the final, 12 points to 11.   South Africa won back-to-back tournaments and became the first team to reach four World Cup titles.   The Future of the Rugby World Cup The William Webb Ellis Trophy. Source: Thomas Lyte   With the success of ten world cups, the tournament has grown in size and prestige. In 2027, it will return to Australia and expand from 20 teams to 24. This format will continue for the foreseeable future, and a tentative date has already been set for the 2031 Rugby World Cup, which will be held in the United States.   As support and interest in rugby continues to grow around the world, it is attracting international interest. The future of the Rugby World Cup is looking bright.   Siya Kolisi, Steven Kitshoff, and Malcolm Marx sing the South African anthem at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Source: SA Rugby   To date, South Africa has won four titles, New Zealand has won three, Australia has won two, and England has won one. Of particular note are the teams of Ireland and France, both powerhouses that have yet to lift the trophy, while Argentina has improved in leaps and bounds and is now considered a top-tier team.   As the Rugby World Cup continues to gain widespread attention, there is sure to be more excitement and upsets in the future.