Toulouse, Edinburgh and Cardiff have all been host cities in three World Cups, and now Cardiff is about to make it a record four in 2015.
The Welsh capital shared hosting duties for the first time in 1991, with the National Stadium at Cardiff Arms Park the venue for four matches.
The very first Cardiff Rugby World Cup match was a massive boilover, with Western Samoa upsetting Wales 16-13 in front of 45,000 disappointed fans.
It was an embarrassing loss for Wales and sent the team to rock bottom following a tumultuous four years where they only won a handful of matches after finishing third at the 1987 tournament.
Credit though must go to the Samoans, who showed their win was no fluke by defeating Argentina and reaching the quarter-finals, where they were eventually defeated by Scotland.
After 1991, planning started to take place for a purpose-built stadium in Cardiff. The National Stadium was demolished in 1997 and construction began on the Millennium Stadium, designed specifically for the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
The stadium has a capacity of 74,500 and was first opened in June, 1999, in a Test before the tournament got underway.
Wales then christened the stadium with their first Rugby World Cup match against Argentina, defeating the Pumas 23-18.
They demolished Japan but then came up against Samoa once again, and amazingly history repeated itself, the Samoans scoring five tries to three to defeat Wales 38-34. At least this time, Wales had done enough to progress to the quarter-finals.
In front of a record Cardiff crowd, the Wallabies were too strong on their way to World Cup glory.
Wales failed to reach the quarter-finals in 2007, but Cardiff was the scene of another shock result, as New Zealand lost the quarter-final to France at Millennium Stadium.
In 2015, Cardiff will play host to eight matches, including two quarter-finals. The top teams will be hoping the curse of Cardiff doesn’t strike again.
The Roar’s World Cup Countdown:
30. Grant Fox’s record 30 conversions from the 1987 World Cup
29. All Blacks claim the 1987 World Cup, 29-9
28. Tonga stun Italy with Sateki Tuipulotu’s boot, winning 28-25
27. 27 per cent of tries came from scrums in 2003 with Canada showing the value of the set piece
26. David Pocock made 26 tackles in a fantastic performance against South Africa in the 2011 quarter-finals
25. South Africa’s 25 wins from 29 matches at the World Cup
24. Wales scores 24 points in the first half against New Zealand but still lose in 2003
23. Nick Farr-Jones 23 wins as Australian captain including an historic 1991 World Cup win against England
22. The Wallabies notch a cricket score with 22 tries in a 142-0 thumping of Namibia in 2003
21. Georgia’s David Dadunashvili becomes the youngest (21) to start at hooker in a World Cup match
20. The first World Cup classic finishes 20-all between Scotland and France in 1987
19. 19-year-old George North becomes youngest World Cup try scorer in 2011
18. Since their first and only win Japan has gone 18-straight World Cup games without victory
17. New Zealand coaching staff present 17 alleged refereeing errors to explain 2007 loss
16. George Gregan and Jason Leonard involved in 16 wins each at World Cup level
15. Jonah Lomu’s 15 tries in 11 matches
14. Jonny Wilkinson’s 14 World Cup drop goals including his most famous one in England’s 20-17 win over the Wallabies
13. Philippe Sella’s fantastic career at No.13 with 13 starts for France at Rugby World Cups
12. The Wallabies record 12-game winning streak from 1999 to 2003
11. Fiji win 11 out of 11 lineouts against Wales during a stunning 38-34 win in 2007
10. David Campese’s 10 tries for the Wallabies at Rugby World Cups
9. Matt Burke’s 9 points per game average after an amazing 1999 tournament
8. Diego Ormaechea, at age 40, was the oldest number 8 to play at a World Cup
7. No.7 Michael Jones scores the first ever World Cup try
6. Marc Ellis’ record six tries in a match against Japan
5. Jannie de Beer’s five drop goals in a match against England in the 1999 quarter-finals
4. Michael Lynagh’s four tries in World Cup matches including his match-winner against Ireland
3. Cardiff has hosted World Cup matches for three tournaments and will make it a record four in 2015
2. Christophe Lamaison’s two drop goals in semi-final blinder
1. The Webb Ellis Cup.
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