Rugby World Cup 2015 Venues

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The final venues were confirmed, along with the tournament's schedule, on 2 May 2013. Twelve of the stadiums are located in England while the Millennium Stadium is in Wales. In 2011 the IRB approved the use of the Millennium Stadium, despite being outside of the host country, due to its capacity and strategic location. Out of the thirteen venues two are dedicated rugby union grounds (Kingsholm Stadium and Sandy Park); two are national rugby stadiums (Twickenham and the Millennium Stadium); two are multi-purpose (Wembley Stadium and Olympic Stadium) and the remainder are association football grounds.



For those interested we will cover all 13 in depth over the next couple of weeks starting with Brighton Community Stadium.
Brighton Community Stadium
Capacity 30,750.



As one of the newest venues on the rugby circuit — it opened in July 2011. This stunning addition to the Sussex landscape is situated in Falmer – a short hop on the train from Brighton and Hove, which has been in need of a large venue of this quality for many years. Constructed at a cost of £93m ($224m), the ground has won plaudits for its semi-circular stand roofs and tubular supporting steel work from both fans of sport and architecture. The stadium has not staged any rugby before.

Trivia: With the ground’s close proximity to the coast, hawks are regularly brought in to deter nesting seagulls and pigeons.



Number of scheduled matches: 2
20.09.2015 South Africa v Japan (NZST)
21.09.2015 Samoa v USA (NZST)

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Elland Road Stadium
Capacity - 37,914



Elland Road's famously feisty old-school atmosphere makes it perfect for the passion and noise of a Rugby Union World Cup fixture. The code has been played here before, if only once: in 1992 over 14,000 turned up to watch the South African national side, who had just been readmitted to the international game. Boasting players like Naas Botha and Robert du Preez, they beat a North of England XV. And while it may retain its historic charm, the venue has great views, and may undergo further developments in the future.

Trivia: While Elland Road is synonymous with football, its first live televised match was the rugby league Challenge Cup final replay in 1982.



Number of matches: 2
27.09.2015 Italy v Canada  (NZDT)
28.09.2015 Scotland v USA  (NZDT)

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Kingsholm Stadium
Capacity - 16,500



Gloucester's ground has an enviable history when it comes to international rugby. Kingsholm hosted its first Test match way back in 1900, when Billy Bancroft led Wales to a 13-3 victory over England. Kingsholm didn't host another international for 91 years and when it did, 12,000 fans watched world champions New Zealand score eight tries as they cruised past the USA 46-6 in RWC 1991 thanks to a hat-trick from full back Terry Wright. It was later the venue for a 2000 Rugby League World Cup match between New Zealand and Lebanon. Home to Aviva Premiership side Gloucester, Kingsholm is widely regarded as having the nosiest crowd in the league, largely due to the boisterous inhabitants of The Shed stand. In 2007 The Shed was redeveloped, increasing the total capacity of the stadium to 16,500.

Trivia: Kingsholm Stadium hosted its first rugby international in 1900, but did not stage another until 1991.



Number of matches 4.
20.09.2015 Tonga v Georgia (NZST)
24.09.2015 Scotland v Japan (NZST)
26.09.2015 Argentina v Georgia (NZST)
12.10.2015 USA v Japan  (NZDT)

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Leicester City Stadium
Capacity - 32,312



Like Midlands counterpart Pride Park, the Leicester City Stadium replaced a decaying old ground with a state-of-the-art all-seater facility. It has seen significant oval ball action already: Leicester Tigers have played six matches here, including a 2005 Heineken Cup semi-final, which they lost to Toulouse, and a 2006 quarter-final in the same tournament, which saw them defeated by Bath. The jinx was broken by a win over Llanelli in a European Cup semi in 2007, and they've since got revenge over Bath on the ground, too.

Trivia: In 2006 a World XV played South Africa here to commemorate the Springboks’ centenary as a touring team. The Springboks took the honours 32-7.



Number of matches 3.
05.10.2015 Argentina v Tonga (NZDT)
07.10.2015 Canada v Romania (NZDT)
12.10.2015 Argentina v Namibia  (NZDT)

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Wembley Stadium
Capacity - 90,000
The largest venue to be used for this year's Rugby World Cup. Eden Park, Auckland has a capacity of 55,000 so add another 35,000.



The original Wembley Stadium hosted five of football's European cup finals, the 1966 World Cup Final, the landmark 1985 Live Aid concert, and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1948 Olympic Games. The symbolic twin towers were demolished in 2003 and re-emerged as an equally iconic Norman Foster-designed masterpiece four years later. The new Wembley Stadium has staged huge concerts, a UEFA Champions League final, Olympic football, NFL matches, both codes of rugby and motor sport. The venue has rugby pedigree, too. Wembley Stadium hosted its first rugby international in 1992, when England defeated a touring Canada side 26-13 while Twickenham underwent redevelopment, but Wales have played the most games here: contesting seven internationals while the Millennium Stadium was being built in the late 1990s.

Stats & Facts:
The stadium has a circumference of 1 km.
The Wembley arch has a diameter of 24ft — wide enough to accommodate a Channel Tunnel train.
Wembley encloses 4,000,000 m³ inside its walls and under its roof. This is the equivalent of 25,000 double-decker buses or 7 billion pints of milk.
The deepest of the piles that form the foundations, at 35 metres, is as deep as the Twin Towers were tall.
Each of the two giant screens in new stadium is the size of 600 domestic television sets.
The Stadium has 34 bars, 8 restaurants, 98 kitchens and 688 food and drink service points.
Approximately 10,500 seated meals can be be served at any one event.
The soft drink dispensers can pour 30,000 cups in a little over 10 minutes.
Approximately 40,000 pints of beer can be served during half time in a football/rugby league match.
The most striking, highly visible feature of the stadium is 133 metre tall arch that sits above the north stand. With a span of 315 metres, the arch is the longest single span roof structure in the world and is visible right across London.
The stadium has 90,000 seats with NO obstructed views.
The rows of seating, if placed end to end, would stretch 54 kilometres.



Number of matches 2.
21.09.2015 New Zealand v Argentina (NZST)
28.09.2015 Ireland v Romania  (NZDT)

NB: This will be New Zealand's first Pool game and the first Rugby World Cup game  to be played in this huge stadium.

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Manchester City Stadium
Capacity - 47,800



As the centrepiece of Manchester’s successful bid to stage the Commonwealth Games, the stadium came to life in the summer of 2002. The City of Manchester Stadium had rugby at its heart early on. In the Sevens final at the Games, New Zealand defeated Fiji to claim gold. Among the champions that day were All Blacks Mils Muliaina, Bruce Reihana and skipper Eric Rush. Manchester City Football Club moved in the following year, dramatically winning the English Premier League at the ground in May 2012. The capacity can be increased to 60,000 for concerts and, thanks to pioneering smart card technology, 1,200 people can enter the ground every minute. The City of Manchester Stadium has also hosted international rugby league, and the super league’s Magic Weekend event in 2012. It will do so again this year and in 2014.

Trivia: It staged rugby sevens at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, with New Zealand winning the gold medal.



Number of matches 1.
11.10.2015 England v Uruguay (NZDT)

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Millennium Stadium
Capacity - 74,154
The 3rd largest Venue.



The Welsh national stadium may not be that old, but it has already sealed a place in rugby history. The foundations of this atmospheric ground have been shaken to the core twice as Wales secured Six Nation Grand Slam victories here in 2005 and 2012. Situated a stone's throw from Cardiff Central Station, it is the second largest sports venue in the world with a fully retractable roof. Built to replace the Arms Park, it opened with rugby (Wales beating South Africa) before becoming the primary host venue for Rugby World Cup 1999, with Australia overhauling France in the final. Since then, its turf has held Test matches as well as Celtic League and Heineken Cup ties. It's not all about the oval ball, mind: Wales play football here, too, and the FA Cup Final took place here from 2001 to 2006.

Trivia: It staged the 1999 Rugby World Cup final and a quarter-final in 2007.



Number of matches 8.
20.09.2015 Ireland v Canada (NZST)
20.09.2015 Wales v Uruguay (NZST)
24.09.2015 Australia v Fiji (NZST)
02.10.2015 Wales v Fiji (NZDT)
03.10.2015 New Zealand v Georgia (NZDT)
12.10.2015 France v Ireland (NZDT)
18.10.2015 QF2 (Winner Pool C v Runner-up Pool D) (NZDT)
19.10.2015 QF 3 (Winner Pool D v Runner-up Pool C)  (NZDT)

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Olympic Stadium
Capacity - 54,000



The newest and third largest stadium in England enjoyed a spectacular start to life as a sports venue, when "Queen Elizabeth II" parachuted in from a helicopter. A worldwide audience of 900 million saw the Queen, and her stunt double, help to open the London 2012 Olympic Games. As a centerpiece of the Olympic Park in London's East end, the stadium hosted athletics, and the Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies. Built for a cost of around £500m, the stadium has lighting pads on every seat, allowing complex light shows to be displayed around the ground. Set to host major athletics events in 2013 and 2017, following RWC 2015 final work will be carried out to prepare the stadium for its long term tenants, West Ham FC and UK Athletics.

Trivia: The stadium has never staged any rugby before.



Number of matches 5.
24.09.2015 France v Romania (NZST)
25.09.2015 New Zealand v Namibia (NZST)
05.10.2015 Ireland v Italy (NZDT)
08.10.2015 South Africa v USA (NZDT)
31.10.2015 Bronze Final  (NZDT)

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Sandy Park
Capacity - 10,744
The smallest venue to be used in the RWC 2015.



Home to the recently-promoted Aviva Premiership side Exeter Chiefs and their passionate, chanting fans, Sandy Park is fast becoming a bastion of English club rugby. Closer to Cardiff than it is London, Exeter is an historic roman city in Devon with a rich history. The earliest records show that Exeter Chiefs played a match as early as 1873. Built to replace the County Ground in 2006, the Chiefs' new home came complete with the planning permission to expand, rising from 8,000 originally to its current size of 10,744. A combination of Exeter's establishment as a top-flight club and Rugby World Cup 2015 will see the capacity double to 20,600 over the next two years. This will make Sandy Park one of the biggest club rugby grounds in England.

Trivia: Sandy Park was the venue for the All Blacks’ first game in Britain, in 1905, when Dave Gallaher’s ‘Originals’ beat Devon 55-4.



Number of matches 3.
30.09.2015 Tonga v Namibia (NZDT)
08.10.2015 Namibia v Georgia (NZDT)
12.10.2015 Italy v Romania  (NZDT)

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Stadium Mk
Capacity - 30,717



The originally named Stadium MK is home to the MK Dons, who changed their name from Wimbledon FC after the club was controversially relocated. The ground has already staged a handful of rugby union games: in 2008, Saracens played Bristol in Milton Keynes, and during the 2010-11 season, Northampton Saints used Stadium MK as a base for their assault on the Heineken Cup knockout stages. The Saints defeated Ulster and Perpignan in front of big crowds in the quarter- and semi-finals only to lose out to Leinster in the Millennium Stadium decider. Saints have since returned to face Saracens, and both sides may play future games at the stadium, too.

Trivia:  The arena has expanded this year, with a new tier adding 10,000 more seats.



Number of matches 3.
02.10.2015 France v Canada (NZDT)
04.10.2015 Samoa v Japan (NZDT)
07.10.2015 Fiji v Uruguay (NZDT)

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St James Park
Capacity - 52,409



Hosting its first match in 1880, St James' Park is the oldest football stadium in the North East of England. Outside of London, it is also the second biggest sports ground in England. The stadium itself was built on the site of the city's execution gallows, hence the name of one stand: the Gallowgate End. Home to Newcastle United Football Club since 1892, the stadium has also hosted international and 2012 Olympic football, as well as concerts by artists such as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. It is situated at the heart of the city of Newcastle, famed for its passionate locals and bustling nightlife. St James' Park will provide a lively venue for Rugby World Cup 2015.

Trivia: A swimming pool was built beneath one of the stands as part of a redevelopment in 1905, and the ground is built on the site of the city’s former execution gallows.



Number of matches 3.
04.10.2015 South Africa v Scotland (NZDT)
10.10.2015 New Zealand v Tonga (NZDT)
11.10.2015 Samoa v Scotland (NZDT)

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Villa Park
Capacity - 42,785



Originally built in a Victorian amusement park on the site of a Jacobean stately home, the distinctive brick façade of the Holte End is unmistakable, setting Villa apart from generic grounds. Athletics, cycling, boxing and rugby league have all taken place here over the years, and two rugby union touring sides have also run out onto its famous pitch. Back in 1924, a North Midlands select side were thumped 40-3 by New Zealand, and in 1953, a Midlands County XV were also dismantled, this time 18-3, by a Kiwi outfit including legendary All Blacks Bob Stuart, Richard White and Peter Jones.

Trivia: Villa Park has hosted 55 FA Cup semi-finals, more than any other football stadium. Hillsborough is second with 34.



Number of matches 2.
27.09.2015 South Africa v Samoa (NZDT)
28.09.2015 Australia v Uruguay (NZDT)

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Twickenham Stadium
Capacity - 81,605
The 2nd largest venue which will host the Final on the 31st of October.



Twickenham is etched into rugby's DNA. The biggest dedicated rugby ground in the world, it staged its first game between two local sides, Harlequins and Richmond in 1909. More than a century has passed, and with it thousands of great battles and jaw-dropping moments. From England captain Bill Beaumont being lifted off the field after the 1980 Grand Slam, to Phillippe Saint-Andre's incredible try for France in 1991 and Australia beating England in that year's Rugby World Cup Final: every rugby fan has a Twickenham memory. The home of English rugby, and a Rugby World Cup host in 1991 and 1999, the famous ground has also staged showpiece Rugby League matches, and has rocked to the sound of the Rolling Stones. Expanded to seat 81,605 in 2006, few sports grounds in the world come close.

Trivia: It staged the 1991 Rugby World Cup final and 1999 semi-finals.



Number of matches 10.
19.09.2015 England v Fiji (NZST)
20.09.2015 France v Italy (NZST)
27.09.2015 England v Wales (NZDT)
04.10.2015 England v Australia (NZDT)
11.10.2015 England v Uruguay (NZDT)
18.10.2015 QF1 (Winner Pool B v Runner-up Pool A) (NZDT)
19.10.2015 QF4 (Winner Pool A v Runner-up Pool B) (NZDT)
25.10.2015 SF1 (Winner QF1 v Winner QF2) (NZDT)
26.10.2015 SF2 (Winner QF3 v Winner QF4) (NZDT)
01.11.2015 Final  (NZDT)