Any one of the four remaining teams which successfully gets into the final and wins the 2015 William Webb Ellis Cup will create rugby history.
The tournament’s semi-final opponents have already grabbed their slice of history, as for the first time there is no northern hemisphere team in the final four. England created rugby history for a different unpalatable reason, being the first host nation to fail to make it out of the pools.
While this has created significant debate around the quality of European rugby, there are some other historical points to look out for in the coming weeks.
For the All Blacks and the Wallabies, it will be a double whammy if either one wins.
1. For the All Blacks, it will be the first nation in the history of the game to win three World Cups and the first team to win as a defending champion.
2. For the Wallabies, it,will be the first nation in the history of the game to win three World Cups and the first team to beat six teams in the top 10 rugby rankings at one tournament. The Wallabies have beaten Fiji (formerly ranked 10), England (now 8), Wales (5), Scotland (9) and this weekend take on Argentina who are ranked fourth.
3. For Argentina, it will be the first team in the history of the game to win the Cup despite losing a game in the Pools match and the first team ever to win the Cup from the American continent.
4. For the Springboks, it will be the first team in the history of the game to win the Cup despite losing a game in the Pools match and the first time a team has won three World Cups.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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