Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2015 i Rugby World

The dress rehearsals are over. Finally, we’re going to see some live, pulsating, visceral action at RWC 2015. Nearly three million fans from around the world will attend rugby’s greatest jamboree and many more will be glued to TVs as rugby swaps the back pages for the front. It promises to be an extraordinary tournament and the questions keep on coming. Can hosts England rise to the occasion and battle their way out of Pool A? Can Wales join them at the expense of the resurgent Wallabies? For Ireland there’s the small matter of managing expectations. Having risen to second in the world rankings, they’re no longer dark horses and fans are wondering whether Joe Schmidt can guide them to glory. Scotland have more modest expectations but if they exit…

IT’S A good omen for Australia that they won both the previous UK-based World Cups, in 1991 and 1999. But their pool this time will be a tightrope because it contains three of the world’s top six teams. That’s a joke – you’d never pick Brazil, Germany and Argentina in one pool at a football World Cup. I think all the top teams in Pool A (Australia, England, Wales) will lose a game, and the games with Fiji and Uruguay will be vital because of points difference. The Welsh hate the English and the English hate the Welsh so it won’t be like a World Cup game, it will be England-Wales in its own right, and the same for England-Australia. I have to back Australia to come through, and home…

WHEN ULSTER centre Nevin Spence died three years ago this month, aged just 22, along with his father Noel and brother Graham in a slurry accident, the rugby world mourned. Ulster is built on family values, so when it came to naming a new interactive, educational facility built in Ravenhill’s Memorial Stand, the decision wasn’t difficult. The Nevin Spence Centre, which was opened by the Northern Ireland Sports Minister Carál Ní Chuilín last month, aims to appeal to local fans from both sides of the religious divide. Ulster and Ireland centre Luke Marshall was a close friend of Spence and is thrilled with the new attraction. He says: “The players had a sneaky tour before it opened. It was our aim to prolong Nevin’s memory with something tangible. The Centre…

CLIVE NORLING AGE 65 POSITION REFEREE AT RWC 1987 NATIONALITY WELSH TESTS 35 In 1987 I was a lecturer in business at Swansea IHE. Refereeing was my hobby. I applied for a leave of absence to go to the World Cup in New Zealand. For fitness, I’d run up and down the stairs at Swansea Institute, six flights up and six down. The first game I did was Canada v Tonga in Napier. Tonga had to get permission to play on a Sunday off a priest. Canada won at a trot (37-4) and being a Sunday, NZ TV couldn’t show adverts, so at half-time they filmed the speech by Canada captain Hans de Goede. It was very inspirational and New Zealanders were impressed. I also refereed the France v Fiji…

FRI 18 SEP Pool A England v Fiji (8pm, Twickenham) SAT 19 SEP Pool C Tonga v Georgia (noon, Kingsholm) Pool D Ireland v Canada (2.30pm, Millennium Stadium) Pool B South Africa v Japan (4.45pm, Brighton Comm Stad) Pool D France v Italy (8pm, Twickenham) SUN 20 SEP Pool B Samoa v USA (noon, Brighton Comm Stad) Pool A Wales v Uruguay (2.30pm, Millennium Stadium) Pool C NZ v Argentina (4.45pm, Wembley) WED 23 SEP Pool B Scotland v Japan (2.30pm, Kingsholm) Pool A Australia v Fiji (4.45pm, Millennium Stadium) Pool D France v Romania (8pm, Olympic Stadium) THU 24 SEP Pool C New Zealand v Namibia (8pm, Olympic Stadium) FRI 25 SEP Pool C Argentina v Georgia (4.45pm, Kingsholm) SAT 26 SEP Pool D Italy v Canada (2.30pm, Elland…

WE ALL remember it, Brits especially: the ‘Super Saturday’ on 4 August 2012 when Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis and Greg Rutherford won Olympic gold in the space of 46 minutes at the London Games. Lapping up the vibe in the Olympic Stadium that evening was Chris Wyles, Saracens’ anglicised American. “It was an incredible atmosphere and an incredible day,” he says. “The whole country, the city, was right behind the Olympics and I remember that vividly. I’m hoping this World Cup will emulate that. “You talk about big events, games you can’t wait to play in, and US v South Africa at the Olympic Stadium is one of them. It will be an amazing event. I can’t wait.” Wyles uses words like ‘incredible’ and ‘amazing’ a lot in conversation and…

“FOR US, every match in the Rugby World Cup is a must-win. It is a unique competition and unlike anything we’ve played in before. It’s longer, all in one country and in one week we have two matches. But the basics will be the same for all the teams and, in the end, everything we’ve worked for comes down to those few weeks in England. Having said that, I’m extremely excited about the prospect of going to the World Cup – it will be my second one as I was one of Nick Mallett’s assistants in 1999. I can’t wait. This will probably be the closest World Cup yet. I have no doubt that player management and recovery will be the greatest day-to-day challenge. It’s quite a long tournament and…

IF YOU reckon the training aids, tracking and techniques used to prepare players’ bodies for a World Cup are impressive, you haven’t considered how advanced the tech used to develop their kit is. According to James Noorkoiv, ASICS’ product manager for rugby, producing the jerseys for both South Africa and Australia’s run at this year’s Rugby World Cup, and providing boots for some of the game’s biggest stars, threw up some intriguing dilemmas for his team. However these challenges are nothing new for the company’s fine scientific minds based in Kobe, Japan. Far from being intimidated, the group relished the opportunity. “When you go into the ASICS Institute of Sport Science, it’s kind of like going into a Bond villain’s castle,” laughs Noorkoiv. “You see all these scientists working away…

Here’s your chance to win £300 -worth of clothing from Raging Bull THE TONGAN team will be looking sharp off the field at this autumn’s World Cup thanks to Raging Bull. The challenge of dressing the £300-worth of Raging Bull clothing, plus a ball signed by Phil Vickery. The winner will be able to choose items they want from the website – visit ragingbull.co.uk to check out big lads in the team was one Phil Vickery’s clothing company met with ease, as Raging Bull’s lifestyle collection is available in sizes small to 6XL. So the ranges. From shirts to shorts and jumpers to jackets, there’s all you need for a whole new look. For a chance to win this great prize, simply Tonga will look well-dressed at their off-field engagements.…

DIEGO MAGNO He runs his own website business and is closing in on his 50th cap. A flanker who has also played Test rugby at No 8 and lock, he is not shy of throwing himself into the fray. AGUSTÍN ORMAECHEA He follows in the footsteps of dad Diego and brother Juan Diego. His first four caps were at centre but he’s since established himself as first-choice scrum-half. He can kick for goal and is strong-willed. FELIPE BERCHESI Played 12 of his first 13 Tests with his best mate since kindergarten, Ormaechea (above) – they played in every national team growing up. His polished boot and vision will catch the eye from fly-half. ALEJO CORRAL The younger brother of former Argentina prop Matías spent his youth in Uruguay and has…

MIKE BROWN ENGLAND Practise, practise, practise! Whether it’s working on your speed for counter-attacking, kicking to regain, or working on the accuracy of your long punts, it’s time well spent. If you can access some tackle bags, practise taking high balls. Find someone to put pressure on you to replicate in-game situations. Watch the experts. The aerial game is a key part of rugby and sides like Ireland and Wales have profited from turning defence into attack from the back. Even the All Blacks are kicking more. Work on your tackling. As a full-back you’re expected to be brave. Making last-ditch tackles is part of the job.…

Follow these simple moves and you could be box-kicking like a pro... 1 DYNAMIC HAMMY KICK 2 X 10 REPS PER LEG Using a wall or stick to stand upright and balanced, swing a leg out straight and controlled. Repeat. 2 HURDLE STEPS 2 X 10 REPS PER LEG Standing, raise one knee without leaning. Straighten leg and step forward. Repeat on opposite leg. 3 PLANK POSITION LEG LIFTS 3 X 10 REPS PER LEG Begin a standard plank, on elbows and toes with a neutral spine. Lift one foot off the ground and avoid any rotation or trunk lift. Repeat.…

WINNER PACIFIC GAINS Not only have Samoa agreed a deal with the union that guarantees players certain rights, but a new film, Pacific Warriors, will donate a significant percentage of its profits to Pacific rugby development. It is available on iTunes (11 Sep)/DVD (14 Sep). LOSER TOUTS’ TICKET TRICKS Fans are being warned about scams selling fake World Cup tickets. Make sure you’re not left out of pocket and with no real tickets by buying from official sources. Check if a ticket source is official at rugbyworldcup.com/buyofficial WINNER THE BIG RUGBY BUZZ The London Eye is now decorated with team flags (above), England 2015 have released educational videos to help explain the game to new fans and everyone is spreading the rugby gospel!…

@Y15AMW Jonny Wilkinson dropping the goal in Oz back yard @BonwickSimon Gav Hastings giving R Loe a huge hand-off ‘91 Iain Borner Sheridan destroying Australian front row in 2007 1/4. Thomas Hurley When All Blacks win cup two times in a row! @richfuller Atmosphere outside the Stade before the final in ’07 @_kixran_ SA’s win (in 1995). It brought the nation together @garry575 The Ferris tackle on Genia in 2011 @CityMaverick Portugal scoring against the #AllBlacks in 2007 Ian Wehmeyer My dad’s tears singing the anthem at 1995 final Lau Saili Samoa winning British public’s hearts in ‘91 Waisele Duikoro The Flying Fijians QF with South Africa in 2007 Ruth Tremlett Mandela & Pienaar: significance of that was huge @TMMShop Lomu planting Mike Catt into the ground like a seedling…

TOUG HEST OPPONENT It has to be the great Ireland and Leinster centre Brian O’Driscoll. Whenever I played against him he was always one step ahead of the game. FAVOURITE TV SHOW I would probably say it’s Come Dine With Me as one of my flatmates watches it all the time, so you kind of get into it. BEST HOLIDAY I visited Australia and New Zealand with my family when I was 15 years old and that was really good. But I’d say going to Magaluf with my mates would be the best one. FAVOURITE FOOT BALLER Big Ronaldo was my favourite player – that’s when he played for the Brazil national team back in the day. IF YOU COULD BE ANYONE ELSE… It has to be big Al Kellock…

IT WAS weird to see Ireland ranked as number two in the world recently. It certainly wasn’t likely when I played, but it’s definitely fully deserved. With all the expectations now, these players won’t feel any added pressure as it’s been a progression. It’s Joe Schmidt everyone will be looking to, because he’s there to win and he’s been doing that. A few people have said: “What if Joe had come in six years ago?” In those years when Wales won Grand Slams, before the last World Cup, it would have been interesting to see what Joe could do with the likes of Ronan O’Gara, Peter Stringer and Brian O’Driscoll in their prime. I’d have liked to work with Joe. It’s been very easy to be negative about Ireland’s previous…

In our August issue, RW’s Sarah Mockford put forward three ways to improve rugby’s eligibility rules – read them here po.st/3eligibility. Here are your views on the so-called Flags of Convenience – join the debate on Twitter and Facebook Make it 6, rather than 3 years’ residency now. Dafydd L. Edwards This playing for other national sides is a disgrace, far too easy transition, no morals. @kevinbaxter2 It’s becoming as saft as the Rep of Ireland footy team in the 90s. You’ve been on holiday to us? Well now come and play for us! Jon-Michael Foxall Truth is if players perform superbly, questions fade, if not, anger builds… @davidferg If NZ hadn’t stolen most of the islands’ best players and put them into scholarships to pick for Super 15 and…

FACT FILE Age 33 (19 Feb 1982) Born Tongatapu Club Newcastle Position Openside Height 6ft Weight 15st 12lb Tonga caps 39 (4T, 1P) Pacific Islands caps Six MY TOP 3 OPPONENTS Richie McCaw “One of the best, if not the best, flankers I’ve come across.” Hale T-Pole “Has a great heart and fight in him.” Ma’a Nonu “I grew up with him and he’s a special guy.” WE WANT to win the World Cup,” says Tonga captain Nili Latu. “We’ve not come here to make up the numbers, or just win one or two games, or get to the quarter-finals. We’ve set the target really high and we realise it’s set high, but we’ve got our eye on the cup. That’s what we’re here for.” This isn’t said for effect…

FACT FILE Age 24 (5 Oct 1990) Born Camborne Region Ospreys Position Centre/fly-half Height 6ft 1in Weight 17st 8lb Fiji caps 13 Points 40 (1T, 10C, 5P) Twitter @theflyingfijian MY TOP 3s Childhood heroes My dad Waisale Serevi The Rock TV shows Come Dine With Me Fresh Prince of Bel Air Entourage Cheat food KFC/McDonald’s Dairy Milk Pasty JOSH MATAVESI’S chuckle is a regular feature of his patter and suggests that he will enjoy every minute of this World Cup, whatever happens. He’s most certainly a glass half-full person, even when in a pool with Australia, England and Wales. The Fiji fly-half talks family, fun and the future… My dad played for Fiji. That’s pretty much the reason why I was born. My dad flew over with the Fiji Barbarians…

In the past there has been a chasm between North and South, which became even more apparent during the Rugby World Cup. That gap has closed considerably but it has not yet disappeared. New Zealand look to be a league apart from other teams. They are fit and strong but what sets them apart is the speed at which they can play a high-skill game under pressure. South Africa and Australia look strong but don’t have the same fear factor as the All Blacks. They are both ultra-competitive but in northern hemisphere conditions they can be beaten, and indeed have been in recent years. The advantage the southern hemisphere have is that they will be match-fit and battle-hardened. The northern hemisphere will be fit and lean but a little rusty.…

THE FACTS DAVIT ZIRAKASHVILI Age 31 (20 Sep 1983) Born Rustavi, Georgia Position Prop Club Clermont Test caps 48 (8T) ALEXANDRE MENINI looks up. He isn’t quite distressed, but this situation is hardly relaxing. Champions Cup finals are by definition a pitting of the best against the best, but this is also what the whole Toulon project is about: conquering Europe. Yet as the French loosehead eyes another scrum, aware he’s the gatekeeper for clean ball as opponents Clermont mount further set-piece attacks, his gaze catches on the boulder of a Georgian No 3 in front of him. Quiet, but with a wild look in his eyes, Davit Zirakashvili has already seen off Toulon’s first-choice Xavier Chiocci. Zirakashvili’s team trail this 2015 Twickenham final, 19-11 after an hour, but if…

FOR SOMEONE who never saw himself as a coach (Wallaby icon David Campese first suggested him for a job) and doesn’t need to coach (he’s a self-made millionaire), Michael Cheika has proved a damn successful one. He’s the only coach to win a premier club competition in both hemispheres, guiding Leinster to their first Heineken Cup title in 2009 and the Waratahs to Super Rugby glory in 2014, while last month Australia won the Rugby Championship less than a year after he took charge of the team, beating New Zealand for the first time in 11 attempts in the process. Cheika is not one to sing his own praises. He won’t even pick out a coaching highlight, preferring to focus on the next challenge and insisting retirement is when you…

Agustín Creevy The captain became the first Europe-based player to sign for the Argentine franchise. He agreed a three-year deal and will lead the team from the front, true to his personality. Juan Martín Hernández A shining star of Argentine rugby for a decade. He turns 33 next year and will be able to fulfil a dream – to play Super Rugby. His last attempt, with the Sharks, turned into an injury nightmare. Lucas González Amorosino Remembered for his sidestepping try v Scotland at RWC 2011, he was a late recruit. Two years with Leicester, two with Montpellier and one with each of Oyonnax and Cardiff Blues speak of his experience. Joaquín Tuculet After a couple of quiet seasons in France, he came of age back in Argentina and moved…

THE FACTS JAMIE CUDMORE Age 37 (6 Sep 1978) Born Winnipeg Position Lock Club Clermont Canada caps 33 (2T) Twitter @JNCudmore JAMIE CUDMORE has been round the block a few times – in his life and on his bike. Nowadays he rides for pleasure but in his youth it was a rite of passage. Growing up in the small Canadian town of Squamish, Cudmore fell in with a gang and did things he shouldn’t have done. He admits them all – the expulsion from school, the run-ins with the law – and excuses none of them. But they’re all in the past, a long time in the past. A different millennium, in fact. The Jamie Cudmore of 2015 is a different beast to the one of the 1990s. Today he…

WHEN YOU are deep in competition, playing a steady stream of tough games, your rest days are just as important as your days of physical exertion. That is particularly true of your diet. If you train every day and then put yourself through a car-crash of a game on Saturday, Sunday becomes ‘Operation Eat Yourself Better’. The temptation for many knackered amateur athletes would be to binge and chow through all the bad stuff that is a no-no during training days. For others, like those mindful of their figure, it would be tempting to eat much less. Don’t do either, folks. On these days you still have to replenish your muscle and liver glycogen stores with the proper grub. You need to eat as you would on any tough training…

Former England and Lions prop Tim Payne explains a try-scoring move used during his 22-Test career… What’s the objective? For 11 to score off a five-man lineout from about 30 metres out. How it works From quick ball off the top of the lineout, 8 attacks the 10 channel with 7 on his shoulder. Just before contact, 8 passes out the back to his own 10, who passes against the grain to 11 on the inside. Key points 8 has to take it to the line, 7 has to run a good tip (support) line, 12 runs a hard decoy line and 10 needs quick hands for an immediate offload to 11. Tim Payne, the London Scottish forwards coach, won two Heineken Cups and three Premiership titles with Wasps STEP…

THE CRUSHING nature of Wales’ (49-6) semi-final defeat by New Zealand at the 1987 World Cup left us demoralised, writes former Wales centre Mark Ring. We were outmanoeuvred in every phase. After the match, the IRB representative who had been following us around the tournament, an English bloke called John Kendall-Carpenter (chairman of the RWC committee), made an address. Sensing our lads needed some cheering up, I decided to set myself a challenge. I turned to Richard Moriarty and bet him NZ$25 that while Kendall-Carpenter was making his speech I could pinch the handkerchief, which was always there come hell or high water, from his blazer pocket. I went to the salad bar, picked up a pair of tongs and sneaked behind our man, with the rest of the boys…

Ending the lottery I broadly agree with Sarah Mockford’s article on eligibility – the rules do need tightening (August). But I’d make a couple of amendments to her proposals. First, the grandparent rule needs to stay as this helps eradicate anomalies that would stop others from playing for the nation of their choice. For example, George North and Jonathan Davies were born in England and play outside of Wales. If they were to marry and have children with nationals of the country in which they play, those children would not be eligible for Wales. Second, I’d like to see the residency rule start from age 18, to stop nations cherry-picking players and adding them to academies straight from school. Ben Jones Chippenham, Wiltshire View from the States I really enjoy…

6 The number of teams who have never won a Rugby World Cup game – Ivory Coast, Namibia, Portugal, Russia, Spain and Zimbabwe 1878 2015 Richie Vernon is the first Scotland player to have been capped in both the backs and forwards since 1878 1 ST Sam Burgess was the first England player to be sin-binned on his debut. Calum Clark followed in the same game v France 01 The number of people who have scored points in two RWC finals. Jonny Wilkinson got 15 in 2003 and six in 2007 20 The age in years (and 159 days) of the youngest player to win a World Cup final – South Africa’s Francois Steyn, in 2007 7 The number of professional boxing fights Sonny Bill Williams has had. He’s…

RADIO GAGA RWC 2015 is not just covered on TV. Live commentary of all the home nations games and other key matches will be on BBC Radio 5 live or 5 live sports extra. TalkSPORT will also report on all games. SEVENS HEAVEN Ireland (right) and Japan have qualified as core teams for the 2015-16 HSBC Women’s Sevens World Series. LEGENDARY FIXTURE An England Legends XV will take on a World Legends XV at Allianz Park on Thursday 15 October to raise money for the Matt Hampson Foundation and Joost van der Westhuizen’s J9 Foundation. To buy tickets, visit saracens.com ON YER BIKE! Cirencester RFC’s Scott Brandreth and Rory and Will McCarthy are cycling 720 miles for charity this month in memory of Ashley Scrivens, who died after battling cancer.…

IN MANY ways, rugby’s profile has never been higher than it is right now. We have great TV coverage, endless articles in broadsheets – all of them about Sam Burgess, admittedly – and players endorsing products as diverse as health insurance and mobile phone companies. Oh, hang on, both of those are Jonny Wilkinson tie-ins. There is the paradox. Although rugby has never before been such a part of the mainstream, there is currently no active northern hemisphere player who transcends the sport as Saint Jonny did and still does. Or even, Lord protect us, as Matt Dawson or Austin Healey have done. England is hosting a World Cup, yet the admirable Chris Robshaw could walk down almost any home county high street and provoke barely a double take. Clearly…

FACT FILE Age 31 (23 April 1984) Born Edinburgh Club Edinburgh Position Hooker Height 6ft 1in Weight 17st 11lb Scotland caps 87 Lions caps One Test points Ten (2T) MY TOP 3s Stadiums BT Murrayfield Millennium Stadium Stade de France Dishes Chicken Peking Chicken dhansak Fajitas (right) Places visited Mexico Aruba Portugal AS ROSS FORD goes into his third World Cup, the hooker looks forward to a tournament in which Scotland hope to confound their status as Six Nations wooden spoon holders in a pool featuring South Africa, Samoa, Japan and USA. This Scotland squad is right up there with any I’ve been involved with. The Six Nations was tough but it’s a new season and we’re all feeling upbeat. It’s exciting to see everyone improving. There is more strength…

WITH THE Rugby World Cup upon us, Wattbike, creators of the world’s leading performance bike, are teaming up with Rugby World to offer one lucky winner the chance to take home the England Rugby training tool of choice. Whether you’re a fitness fanatic or a spectator wanting to make the first step, the Wattbike is suitable for everyone, regardless of ability or goal. Within seconds you can accurately be measuring your power output, pedalling technique and heart rate. Tom Youngs, the England hooker and Wattbike ambassador, says: “The Wattbike has helped me through my rehabilitation and preparation for major events. I’ve been able to really improve my power output and the bike will form a key piece of training kit in my preparations for this year; in fact, the whole…

NATHAN GREY The stats 35 Australia caps at centre between 1998 and 2003, scoring seven tries and appearing in both RWC 1999 and 2003 Responsibility Defence Experience Assistant coach at Melbourne Rebels for two years before becoming NSW Waratahs defence coach in 2013 Known for Shoring up both the Rebels’ and Waratahs’ defence, with Cheika saying he had “done a remarkable job during his time in Super Rugby” when handing him a Wallabies role. STEPHEN LARKHAM The stats A Wallaby centurion with 102 caps (1996-2007). The fly-half played in three World Cups, including the 1999 triumph, and scored 135 points (25T, 2C, 2DG) in Test rugby Responsibility Attack and backs Experience Became assistant coach at the Brumbies in 2011 and took the head coach reins this year, guiding the franchise…

The African minnows may struggle to compete during the World Cup, but Stephen Jones believes there are plenty of strong characters in Namibia THERE WERE fond hopes in those far off days of 1987 when the first World Cup was staged that the relatively small number of true top-class rugby nations would grow and grow so that by, say, 2015 there would be ten or more real contenders, and the second and third divisions of the global game would have advanced strongly. No one can doubt the progress that rugby is making. Almost every day I have to scratch my head in wonder at the eruption in interest in the sport around the globe and the number of people who are taking up the game – it is, for the…

Mike Brown made 325 metres in four games during this year’s Six Nations, which was just behind England’s top performer Jack Nowell (326). 1 ASSESS YOUR OPTIONS “Being left-footed, I like to put myself on the left-hand side to receive a kick so I can clear my lines. Once I get the ball, I’ll do a quick assessment of the area of the field I’m in. If the opponents have a good kick-chase and I’m in my 22, it’s a case of hoofing it clear.” 2 COMMUNICATION IS KEY “When the ball is in the air, players near the catcher are encouraged to shout ‘time’ or ‘get-up’ if there’s a good kick-chase and they have little time to act. If you have time, I like to tell the catcher if…

What’s needed Two to eight balls, tags/belts and cones to mark out four parallel channels, about 3m wide and 10m long. How to play Nominate four defenders, one for each channel, and divide attackers into two groups. The first and third defenders face the attackers while the second and fourth face the opposite direction. The first team of attackers line up at the first channel and the others attack the third channel. One at a time, attackers must run along the first channel attempting to get past the defender before turning to attack the second channel’s defender. The aim is to keep both tags intact. Tactics After everyone’s had several goes at attacking/defending, see if anyone can make it past all four defenders.…

1. adidas Blackout boot XT The All Blacks are going retro with these boots. They’re £159.99 at rugbystore.co.uk 2. Raging Bull gingham shirt This will be worn by the Tonga squad during the World Cup. £24.99 from ragingbull.co.uk 3. Front Up T-shirt Natty attention to detail and a cool logo – what’s not to like? It’s £25 at frontup.co.uk 4. The North Face Masen 31L duffle bag A perfect overnighter, this has plenty of pockets. £74.99 from ellis-brigham.com 5. Thomas Pink socks After a debonair look? Start with some stripy socks for £16 from thomaspink.com 6. Stade jersey The French champions never worry about standing out. Their new shirt is £59.99 at lovell-rugby.co.uk…

With the 2015 Rugby World Cup now upon us, it seemed fitting to cast our minds back over the previous seven tournaments and pay tribute to those players who have made an impact on the sport’s biggest stage. That’s exactly what we’ve done in this 50 World Cup Stars magazine. Picking the 50 greatest World Cup players is a sizeable task, so Rugby World called on the expertise of our correspondents around the world. Each one nominated their top ten picks and from there we compiled a list of 50 spanning 24 years, from the inaugural tournament in 1987 to last time out in 2011. From players who have shown continued excellence across multiple World Cups to those who have provided moments of individual genius in a specific tournament, there…