NZ Rugby World Cup 2011 by the numbers

Seventh Rugby World Cup will kick off with the All Blacks playing Tonga at Eden Park on September 9

The Rugby World Cup 2011 will kick off in Auckland on the 9th of September with New Zealand taking on Tonga at Eden Park. This will be the seventh Rugby World Cup (RWC) with the first World Cup of Rugby hosted by New Zealand and Australia in 1987, which New Zealand won. The 2011 Rugby World Cup will run for seven weeks throughout New Zealand, with 20 teams featured in 48 matches.

The final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup has been scheduled to play at Eden Park on Sunday 23rd October, with the Bronze RWC final at Eden Park on Friday the 21st October. Auckland has also been scheduled to host the RWC semi finals, on the 15th and 16th October, and the two Rugby World Cup quarter finals that were moved from Christchurch following the Christchurch earthquake. Wellington will host two RWC quarter final games.

The 2011 New Zealand Rugby World Cup will cost around NZ$310 to run, with ticket sales generating approximately NZ$280 million. RWC 2011 will be the largest sporting event held in New Zealand, with the Tourism Ministry anticipating 85, 000 visitors expected to travel to New Zealand with 12,000 New Zealanders returning home to watch the tournament.

Twelve teams qualified for the Rugby World Cup 2011 by finishing top three in their pool at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, which are Argentina, Australia, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Tonga and Wales. The remaining eight teams qualified for the NZ Rugby World Cup 2011 by competing in regional qualifying competitions, being Canada, Georgia, Japan, Namibia, Romania, Russia, Samoa, and the United States. Russia will be making its debut at the 2011 RWC.

The All Blacks have played 36 games in previous Rugby World Cup tournaments, reaching all of the semi-finals in World Cups between 1987 and 2003. Previous Rugby World Cups have seen the All Blacks score 1711 points, including 232 tries, 173 conversions and 83 penalties.

The World Cup of Rugby will be held next in England in 2015, and in Japan in 2019.